La Clinica

We have been fortunate to find a niche where we can help and learn about the healthcare of Honduras. So far our information has been only from our teachers and Honduran parents, but now we are lucky to have the opportunity to experience it first hand.

Over the last week we have been spending our mornings working with the doctors of Copan in the "Centro de Salud," a government-run clinic. People from most of the surrounding pueblos come to Copan for healthcare. They start lining up around 7am and the two doctors see about 40 patients each, before 1:00pm. It is first come, first serve and the doctors are only paid for 6 hrs so everyone must be seen before 1-2pm. Fortunately, this consult is affordable for most everyone - 5 Lempiras or $0.25 - but then they must buy the medicine at the local pharmacies which doesn't seem to be discounted.

We help the nurse triage the patients early in the morning by taking vitals, and as the line dwindles, we move back to join the doctors for the consults. It has been incredibly interesting and informative to be included in these consults. Furthermore, it has been invaluable for us to observe the most common ailments, to see how they are being addressed, and to hear our new medical vocabulary in action. We hope that we will be able to absorb enough to do this on our own in just 2 months.

We have only been in the clinic for one week but from what we have seen, the most common illnesses are diarrhea/GI, upper respiratory infections, reactive airways disease, and pharyngitis. But one of the biggest initiatives of the clinic is family planning. There are many families with 10+ children and they are often the poorest families who come from the mountain communities by foot to be seen. Often times they have grandchildren who are the same age as their younger children. Mothers who live far away from the clinic birth their babies at home and don't bring them in to a clinic until their first severe illness - meaning that many children can go several months to years without vaccinations.

It is encouraging to see these doctors who are motivated to improve the quality of life for these people, and it is encouraging to see that the government is providing affordable healthcare. But there are still large challenges that these clinics face. We have not yet found soap in the clinic - the "foam in, foam out" policy definitely does not exist. They do, however, have new sterile needles for immunizations and injections, but they continue to be limited by lack of supplies.

Despite the lack of supplies and differences in standards of care, these physicians are providing a much needed service for the people of Copan. They are diligent in what they do, and they have a heart to help the people. We have truly been blessed with this opportunity to observe, learn, and in a small way, help the people of Copan. We look forward to continuing at the clinic, and we hope that it effectively prepares us for further, more independent work with the locals in the coming weeks and months.

Somewhat Surreal

It has been another beautiful day in Copan. Classes are going smoothly, and we are slowly but surely improving in our Spanish skills. It struck me while sitting here in the internet cafe, the large disparity between what we consider the "good life" in the US as compared to here in Copan, Honduras. I have never met a nicer, more agreeable family than the hosts we are currently living with, yet they have very little. Conversation often revolves around family members, and you can be sure that they always have glowing things to say about their kin and community. We are constantly invited to return - or to stay - and truly the kindness and genuineness of the people here is unsurpassed. However, in stark contrast to this beautiful face of the people, the reality of poverty is ever-present. There is no medical care for the people other than a local clinic that closes its doors at 5 o'clock, and is very expensive. The nearest specialist (or pediatrician) is greater than three hours away by bus; and secondary to poor transportation and the closed doors, death during the night has become commonplace. These short-comings are accepted as commonplace, and people suffer every day as a result.

There are often relief groups here in Copan offering their services, and we are beginning to make contacts with people through whom we might get involved and help. We will keep you posted as things develop.

On a lighter note - our language school has excursions every week and today was horseback riding!! One problem - the people of Copan are very small and so are their horses!

Hasta pronto,

JR and Lindsay

Round 2

Hello! Well, we'll try this again...

We left RDU at 6:30 am on Sunday, after the fabulous wedding of our dear friends, Chuck and Angela. By 7:30, we were in Atlanta, awaiting our 11:30 flight to San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Once in San Pedro, we caught a bus to Copan (about three hours), which turned out to be one of the highlights of the day. What beautiful scenery - rolling hills, tree-covered mountains, lush, tropical flora... think Jurrasic Park! We also met other foreigners who were coming to study at the two schools here in Copan, two of which are an older couple here to learn Spanish and serve as medical volunteers!

Copan is a quaint village with quite a few foreigners - the Mayan ruins about 1 kilometer outside the town proper, and the language schools are supposed to be second-to-none (hopefully they can work wonders with us). We have yet to see the ruins, but we have plans to visit them in the coming weeks.

Classes began yesterday, and we are already immersed in a completely Spanish world. Our personal conversations are a bit broken; however, there is a steep learning curve, and our family as well as our teachers are intent on making us profcient as rapidly as possible! Speaking of our family, it is a large extended family comprised of parents, children, nieces, nephews, and cousins - we love having all the kids around - they speak at a level much closer to our understanding! We have also toured the barrio with our family, visiting the local market, the central park, as well as other highlights. We'll try to get more pictures of the town uploaded soon. It is beautiful, and the people are generous and kind.

Once we are a little more proficient, we hope to find the local clinics where we can volunteer. We will keep you posted!

Well, we would love to give you some details, but the directions are all in German, and the last post we attempted got deleted in the process of posting it. That being said, we will write more soon. We got here safely, and it is wonderful. Much love, Linds & JR.

The Itinerary

Central and South America Excursion

Copan, Honduras (Ixbalanque) – [Jan 14 – Feb 9] Medical Spanish immersion program. We will be living with a local host family, attending Spanish language classes in the mornings, and working with Christian medical relief organizations in the afternoons.
La Ceiba, Honduras (Centro Internacional de Idiomas) – [Feb 12 – Mar 9] Medical Spanish immersion program. Again we will be studying Spanish in the mornings, living with a local host family, and this time volunteering with the Honduran Red Cross in the afternoons.
Danli, Honduras (Mountain Mover’s Mission International) – [Mar 12 – Apr 6] Non-denominational Christian medical mission clinic. Here we will join local doctors working in clinics during the days with occasional trips to outlying villages to provide medical care. We will also have night-shift work opportunities at the local hospital.
Costa Rica – [Apr 7 – Apr 21] Chloe and Mark Young; Rod, Mary, and Bret Runestad are joining us for two weeks in Costa Rica for a quick break and sightseeing.
Cochabamba, Bolivia (Hospitals of Hope) – [Apr 22 – May 18] Christian mission hospital and clinic. Working alongside local and foreign physicians in hospital and clinic settings, we will be serving one of the poorest populations in South America. We also are looking forward to weekly Bible studies, church services (both English and Spanish), and other outreach opportunities.
Ecuador and Peru – [May 20 – Jun 4] Rory and Brett Sallach; Anne Johnson; Angela and Chuck Barrier will be joining us as we explore Galapagos and Machu Picchu.
June 4, 2006: Returning home!

Our first post - the packing process!!!

Less than 2 weeks until we leave! The packing process has proven to be quite difficult. You never know what you will need over the next five months. Hopefully we won't forget anything too important :o)

Thank you for all of your support and prayers as our journey has begun to take form. We will try to update this blog as frequently as possible. We are uncertain when we will have internet access, but if you check periodocally, we will try to keep you updated and to post some pictures. Thanks again. Blessings!