Day 3

Thursday!!!!!! The day began with a delicious pancake breakfast. Although the options dwindled for food, the quality remained the same. I think this is because taking orders at the beginning of the week was such a project that they took away our independence to make things easier, which is understandable. We ventured to the regional hospital via a typical Guatemalan transport bus.
Upon arrival we immediately stuck out like a sore thumb, yet again, with our cameras flashing a mile a minute. After establishing groups we headed into the hospital to complete the surveys of the patients. I went to the maternity region of the hospital where the women were very helpful and understanding. The nurse bringing my group around was a huge help with the more difficult parts of the surveys that I could not explain well. The patients responded very well to her and were more willing to fill out the surveys with her presence. Towards the end of the day I became much more comfortable with interviewing the patients. Overall this was a great experience.

We came back from the hospital, had lunch in the mall, cleaned up quickly, and then continued the day with local shopping. Before shopping some of the group needed to convert more money so we went to the bank. Through all of the confusion we all found it a harmless experience except for Lindsay. After being sick all day, sitting in a chair for 30 minutes listening to a woman on the phone with her friend proceeded to run across the bank after realizing how long she was taking. The nice man with the shotgun eventually let us out. We snapped some family photos in the town square, and fun was had by all.
The market was another experience all in itself. At the first store I showed interest in one scarf and before I knew it my entire outfit was changed in the matter of seconds.
Walking around I began to realize this was a high pressure sales situation. The store owners were very nice, and the less interest you showed the lower the prices became. From what I heard the majority of the group purchased many items for under $50. It’s only a matter of time before we find out the true quality of the craftsmanship. After a dinner of chicken fried steak, the stomach issues began just in time for a long bus ride the next morning. :)

Authors: Ashley and Nate