Day 8, Part 2

Tuesday!!! (The better adventure) Our morning started out just as the other group’s with roosters at 4 am, a pack of wild dogs at 5 am, and birds chirping the rest of the morning. Our zoo-like awakening was followed by a plethora of breakfast food…and by plethora we mean bread, because the eggs were quickly consumed by the others and the beans….well, they were beans.

At 9 am we parted from the mission with Dr. Paul, Maya (a college student who annularly volunteers in the area), and one of the lead health promoters in the program. It was a lengthy and beautiful walk to the clinic. A separate portion of the clinic, the Bodega, contained an abundance of medical supplies and medications. Of course, two pharmacy majors were instantly intrigued upon entering the medication supply storage! We packed several medications used to treat common health conditions in the area, and then walked a short distance to the center of town where we boarded an already-full bus. Because, it was only 5 more passengers, and in Guatemala there’s always room on the bus for more. And if we thought it was packed to capacity when we boarded, you can imagine our surprise when we picked up 3 more passengers! During this ride we were exposed to the native Mayan language for the first time. Eventually, after many stops along the way, we departed the bus at one of the villages that we had heard about the night before. Previously, the land was comprised of only coffee Fincas. It wasn’t until the price of coffee declined that the opportunity for the parish to buy the land was presented. The Parish aimed to give the land to people greatly in debt, who were unable to own their own land, and also to provide the materials necessary for them to build a house with access to a fresh water supply. As a result, the overall health in the region was greatly improved, and subsequently the health promoter program was introduced to the area. It was this program that we were fortunate enough to participate in today.

Upon arrival at the village, we met the other lead promoter who served as a guide throughout the day because she knew which villagers were seeking medical attention from the doctor. We spent the day shadowing Dr. Paul as we were openly invited into the homes of these villagers. First hand, we witnessed several different medical conditions: some were very heart-wrenching, some were rare, and others were common conditions of the area. Though endless walking, profuse sweating, and standing on our feet all day may seem unappealing, it was all completely worthwhile and made for one of the best, if not THE best, days of the trip so far. We are so thankful to have been given this amazing opportunity because the experience we gained was invaluable!

PS. We rode our first “chicken-bus” today on the way home, and it was one of the best/cheapest roller coaster rides we’ve been on, to say the least…BUT we survived to tell the story!


Authors: Briana and Christine