Feb. 9, 2017

Last day at NPH

Today was busier for some than for others.Some people helped the dentist with a major surgery.

This being our final day at NPH we started wraping up our stuff.Packing ,delivering the goodies to hospital.They were thrilled with donations of blood pressure cuffs,dressing supplies,three patient lifts and specially the 60 gowns from the sewing groups from Nandarola and San Luis.

A bag of supplies was also delivered to maternity house containing reusable pads,diapers etc,for which they were very grateful .Women go to the maternity house 2-3weeks before they are due to deliver so that they are in a hospital setting and not out in their villages where they couldn't get to hospital on time due to distance and lack of transportation.Janice was excited to see her God child and visit him at his house.

Post lunch we had lots of practice sessions for our dance steps .High light of the day was Doug doing the Macerena. The children loved their Ice cream treats and there was a mad scramble to get the best baseball cap.Some of them got more than one.Now with the job of packing clothes and souvenirs done we will spend our last night here.We are off to Montelimar for a much needed rest and relaxation.

Ben and Jyothi

Blog feb 8, 2017

Wed Feb 8, 2017

This morning about 8 of us loaded onto the back of the 'truck' for our second trip to Nandarola. We loaded up our bags of drugs (just in case we might need them on this visit), recorders and books for the children (or so we thought). We fastened a blue tarp over the open back of the truck where we sat on hard benches (modified with towels under our derrieres) to protect us from the penetrating sun. As we zoomed down the Pan American Highway to the first town of Nandaime, the tarp blew hard on our heads, but it held. After passing through Nandaime we hit (literally) the back roads with potholes everywhere. We bumped along, well protected by the tarp and our towels. We eventually came to the river which we crossed and made it to the summit of the steep hill without incident. After another 20 minutes of bumping along on bumpy, dry, baked soil roads and what seemed like dried river beds we eventually made our way into the village of Nandarola. The children, rangeing in age from about 3 or 4 years to 15 or 16 years peered out of the 4 classrooms and greeted us. We unpacked our bags and made our way to the first class. We had about 19 recorders. Ben, Bobby, Hanna and Joanne, with the translation by Jimmy, began to teach the children of the first class with simple notes. By the end of the 20 minute lesson they were able to play several notes in unison and our students demonstrated what is possible to play with the recorder. Our group moved on to 2 additional groups of 19 students and left the recorders, and some simple music sheets, with the teachers. We were able to distribute about a dozen books for the library, but we forgot to bring the workbooks for the children. Not to worry - we will arrange for the books to be brought out back to the village. After we finished with the children, Doug met with the 'mayor' of the community and discussed the needs of the children, in terms of nourishment. The community will decide how they would like to progress. It was made clear to the mayor that COMMIT would likely be able to supply food. The logistics will be decided by the community in Nandarola and NPH. We visited the well which was completed in 2016 and took detailed pictures of the new latrine (for future reference so that we know how to put those things together!). We also brought along medicines for 5 patients which we did not have when we  had our clinic last week. We were ready to head home, so we ate our peanut butter and jam sandwiches, gulped down more water, and slipped our towels (you know where) for our 50 minute drive back to NPH. A few of us went up to Rancheros, the large outdoor area where the children have lunch at NPH, and ate rice, yucca (potato like) and a sort of meat stew. It was a treat to eat with the children. So, that was our morning. It was relatively easy compared to our hard work next week. While some of the team members were in Nandarola, Justine and Jillian decided to take on something new. They spent the morning assisting two dentists from Holland who are also here for two weeks doing dental work for the NPH children. They had been operating all on their own, having to assist each other so they were very grateful to have some extra helping hands. The girls helped the dentists by registering the children, getting tools ready and most importantly comforting the children when it was painful or scary. Many of the children had very poor dental hygiene resulting in many cavities, gingivitis (they're gums would bleed if they were gently touched) and even infections. Jillian and Justine were able to witness many fillings and extractions along with a wisdom tooth extraction. The poor girl having her wisdom tooth pulled was squeezing Jillian's hand so tight she couldn't even feel them! It was very frustrating at times because of the language barrier therefore we were unable to tell them how strong and amazing they were. After 6 hours their shift came to an end and they headed back to the casa for a rest in the hammock. The rest of the team members spent the morning organizing supplies left over and sorting through mass amounts of paperwork from the clinics as we prepare for our unforgettable experience to come to an end. Our night ended with a few guest speakers sharing their incredibly moving stories about how they became part of the family here at NPH.

David & Jillian

Feb. 8, 2017

San Luis School and Well Dedication Day

Hola! Today was our last early day as a group where we all headed to the school in San Luis to give learning books to the children grades 4-7. As well as teaching a recorder class. We taught one class and were lucky enough to have a recorder for each student to use. They were all extremely eager to learn how to play. The students were taught the oh so popular hot cross buns by Ben, Lori, and Hannah and they loved it.To our surprise, they were much more musically talented than we thought. It took them only an hour to learn the song. They then played it for us and sounded like a real orchestra!! Next stop was assembling the outhouses. There will be a total of 14 new outhouses when they are complete. They are pre-fabricated metal panels attached to a cement pad. Much better than the holes drilled in the cement that they were using as banos before! While the outhouses were being assembled our lovely and dedicated sewing team Cate and Steph taught some of the local ladies how to make hospital gowns which we will be donating to Nandime hospital. After lunch we had the wonderful oppurtunity to attend the communities well decdication ceremony. They had made a colourful arch over the well made out of palm trees and hung up balloons and a ribbon to be cut. A dedication plaque was attached to the well in honour of the Canadian donor. After Father Alberto blessed the well, other dignitaries spoke on behalf of the community and the NPH team. Once the ribbon had been cut, the well had been blessed, and we drank the fresh water a pinata was hung in the tree for the children to enjoy! It was a blast watching them hit it, and missing!!! We then had a lovely meal and cold drinks, which were much needed, prepared by an abuela in the community, showing us her gratitude. After a long hot day, we loaded on the bus back to NPH. We had a stop on the way due to what we thought was a flat tire but turned out to be a very large rock! The gentlemen on the team removed the rock and on we went. We were quite grateful as the rock made it a bumpier ride than it was to begin with. Once we arrived back at the NPH home we had a lovely dinner prepared by our wonderful kitchen staff and had the NPH volunteers come to the home to speak to us about their life as an NPH volunteer. As routine has shown, we headed to Rancho Grill to socialize and enjoy a cold beverage before heading back to get a good night sleep in order to prepare for our school program in Nandorola!

Bobbi, Brenda, and Chloe

Hasta la vista!! 

Feb. 6, 2017

Last clinic day

Hola! Today was a bittersweet day for most. It was the teams last medical clinic day as we travelled to Los Ranchonnes. It was a dusty trip but filled with laughter from new and old friendships that have been made over the last week. For the first time every station (registration, triage, nurses, doctors, dentists, lab, physiotherapy, naturopath, eyeglasses, pharmacy and gifts) ended up in the same building. It was really neat being able to see how everyone worked so well and efficiently. It was a busy day for all with many people being diagnosed with various conditions. We saw, one family with strep throat, many patients with diabetes and high blood pressures, a patient with pneumonia and a woman with a deformed ankle from a year old fracture. The highlight patient of today was a 97 year old lady who had walked several kilometres to come to the clinic. She was diagnosed with hypertension and was giving hearing aids for which she was extremely thankful, saying 'I can hear now, I love it!' We were on a strict timeline to be leaving at 2:30 so the children at NPH could use the bus and had to turn down a few non urgent patients in order to meet this deadline, however we were still able to see over 200 patients. The clinic was disassembled very quickly and the team travelled back to NPH and unloaded the bus in 8 minutes for the children to be on time! Overall it was a great and busy and we look forward to the San Luis well dedication tomorrow!
Buenas Noches, Hannah & Joanne!

Sunday, February 5th

Today I started my day off with a sermon Audio sermon from Pastor Tim Bergsma. Afterwards we all enjoyed a delicious breakfast of French Toast made by the loving hands of Laura and Anna and sang Happy Birthday to Annamarie. Many enjoyed some free time of sitting around reading books and getting caught up on emails while a small group of us went in search of the dogs. We had brought 8 rabies vaccines and some worm medication to vaccinate the dogs and cat. Our search was at first futile until we enlisted the help of some of the Pequenos. They raced off, bare feet flying in search of the local NPH dogs, a string for a rope in hand. Doug quickly hurried back to our Casa to get an actual rope and we split off into two groups to widen the search. Hearing some yelling Justine, Jillian and I followed the voices until we found some of the boys with our first patient. He gladly lapped up the worm medicine like it was candy in a syringe which made our lives easier. His rabies vaccination was taken like a champ and he was released to run off, ears flapping in the wind.  Our next patient was a small puppy, only two months old. He looked to be of dalmation decent and yelped when poked with the needle, which made me feel bad. He took his 1cc of worm medication without a fuss and was carried off in the arms of one of the boys for some more cuddles. Jillian held him for his treatment and immediately fell in love and was reluctant to hand him back. Hannah and Joanne had had some luck in snagging a lovely beige colored dog. She was next to be given worm medicine which she took less eagerly than the others. Justine was thrilled to be given the task of vaccinating this dog which she did with perfection. Okay, three down, where were the rest? We continue to scour the area and suddenly there were two dogs running past. Both wanted nothing to do with our coaxing and attempts to get them to come to us. One of the dogs was black and scruffy looking and seemed as if she might be a real challenge to catch. Justine somehow was able to get her cornered and a noose was slipped over her head quickly. Hannah and Justine discovered upon touching her that the reason that she was scuffy looking was because she was actually covered in black oil which was all over their hands now too. Where she got it was unclear but it appeared that someone had poured a bucket of oil over her body and head, it was even in her ears, something that had obviously been done off the NPH property. Poor baby girl, what could we do?  Some of the girls from the orphanage had come and I asked them for some soap. They brought shampoo which was useless and it was comical trying to get them to understand that I actually wanted dish soap. David ran back to the visitor's house and got a cup full and Doug came with a hose. The dishsoap which wasn't Dawn but Joy, worked beautifully. Hannah was our dog wisperer and skillfully shampooed the canine without a problem. Black soap covered both Hannah and the dog and we discovered upon rinsing her off that her fur was actually brown with black tips (really quite beautiful, she reminded me of a wolf) even though it was coming off in clumps. Who would do that to a dog, it makes me so mad. She ran off gleefully when released, rid of her horrible oil covering. Another dog and a cat were vaccinated and we still had two vaccinations left. We'll have to search for the dalmation and other dog another day.

Before lunch many of the team members gathered around the table and prepared the ice cream treats that will be shared with the children on Thursday night.  We had to place ice cream into small baggies for 300 children!! 

Lunch and supper were delicious authentic Indian dishes, made by Jyothi and her crew of helpers. It's was great to see how everyone worked together to get things done. We were thrilled to discover that there were lots of leftovers which we will be taking to the clinics tomorrow, no gallo pinto for us!

After lunch everyone had to organize their equipment and supplies for our clinic tomorrow to ensure that everything runs as smoothly as possible for our final medical clinic in Los Ranchones.

At three o'clock Doug, Maire, David, Hannah and I jumped into the back of the camisito (truck) and were driven out to Nandorola to pick up the two goats that I had purchased the other day. Edgar used his wrestling skills to subdue Clarence while Jasmine was carried to the truck by the farmer.   The female goat (Jasmine) and male goat (Clarence) were loaded into the back of the truck, kicking and bucking wildly. (Ina, Blossum, Lucy, Edna and Mildred will follow in a few months when they are big enough to leave their mothers) The ride home went without a hitch until we arrived and Jasmine pooped on the seat. Getting them out was another challence and feet were stepped on with sharp hooves with dust flying. Clarence finally jumped to the ground which had Jasmine bleeting in dismay to be seperated. She got off quite willining, wherever he went, she had to go too. The area that had been chosen for them was quite different that what they had been used to (a wooden fence) and they repeatedly tried to jump through the chainlink fence, falling backwards each time they hit it. After breaking through the wall of the greenhouse and racing around inside we realized, we needed a quick solution. They were tied back up for the night  until the farmer can decide what to do with them in the am. We arrived back at the Casa, dirty and dishelved.

To end the day off Peter and Joy showed us all the story of Padre Wasson (it was projected onto the wall in the dining area)

What a day.  Now off to bed, tomorrow will be another long, hot one.

Hast Luego

Janice, Laura and Annamarie

Feb. 5, 2017

Mombacho, Laguna de Apoyo, Masaya Market

Saturday morning we awoke and ate breakfast.  Shortly afterwords about 8am Nica time we loaded the bus and headed off to Mt. Mombacho volcanoe.  Once there we could choose whether we wanted to go ziplining or hiking.  There were 5 brave zipliners and the rest of us decided a hike around the crater was a great idea.  The ride up to the top of the volcanoe was a very steep, winding, bumpy drive.  You could really feel the temperature change at the top, very cold and misty as we were in the middle of a cloud! This meant, unfortunately that our view was blocked by the misty cloud for most of the hike.  We could still enjoy all the plant life and even saw a sloth!  Luckily at the end of the tour the cloud cleared up a little and we were able to enjoy a great view of Lake Nicaragua and Grenada.  On the way back down, we stopped at the coffee shop where they sell the coffee they grow right there on the mountain side. The zipliners were adventurous and their guides had them doing supermans and going upside down. 

Feb. 3, 2017

El Descanso

Our day started at 7:30 this morning, with Dr. Doug "mistaking" a butterfly for a bat that was flying around the kitchen. Loading the bus started and we headed to El Descanso. Along the way we picked up our translators, volunteers, and the MINSA doctors, as well as medical supplies. El Descanso is situated at a higher elevation than Jinotepe, so on our way to the clinic we spent most of our time traveling up hill.

We arrived in El Descanso around 9:30am, began setup, and opened the clinic at 10:00am.The first patients were there waiting, having arrived by horseback. The majority of the patients who were waiting were families with two or more children.

While we see many patients throughout the days there are always specific stories that stick out. Janice, one of our nurses, discovered blue rings around the irises of a patients eyes while doing an examination. Doctors were consulted and a diagnosis of Kayser-Fleischer Syndrome was made. This syndrome is caused by an abnormal accumulation of copper in the body, which in her case was probably due to the pots she was cooking in. It is curable,but if left untreated will cause total blindess, psychosis, and organ failure.The patient was referred to MINSA for treatment and follow-up. Janice also saw a 1-month-old child whose mother had already started solids. Janice spent a lot of time doing health teaching with the young mother.

On the dental side of the building, we had a patient come in who was missing the top portion of his canine tooth on the upper left side of his jaw. Augusto tried to pull it out with forceps but only managed to chip the tooth. Ernesto determined his jaw needed to be opened up at the site in order to remove the tooth. The gum was opened, but there were no proper tools to extract the tooth. The dentists improvised, used elevators, and the surgery was a success. The tooth was removed and the gum was sutured, but the patient was too old for the hole in the bone to regrow. David's improvising skills were also put to the test when he discovered we had no aero chambers left, but a child with bi-lateral pneumonia required a treatment. With a little bit of ingenuity, a lot of imagniation, and a styrofoam cup, a treatment was successfully given. Kudo's to our pharmacy staff :) Tina was also introduced to Natural Medicine by one of the MINSA staff who explained the medicinal properties of Hombregrande, which is used by local Nicaraguans for diabetes, and snake and scorpion bites.

On a lighter note, the most exciting part of Laura's day was a woman with an injured baby parrot wrapped in underwear.

Our day was filled with entertainment courtesy of a pack of howler Congo Monkeys in the trees surrounding our buildings. They were quite noisy at times!!

In total we saw approximately 190 people, finishing off the week with a busy and satisfying clinic. We are all looking forward to Mount Mombachu, Masaya Market, and dinner at the Rancho Grill tomorrow.

Feb. 2, 2017

Nandorola

It was another bright, sunny morning here in Nicaragua.  We all 'enjoyed' breakfast of gallo pinto this time with tortillas and scrambled eggs with ham.  Shortly thereafter, we loaded the bus to head to Nandorola.  It was quite the adventurous bus ride as we went through a river around the corner and proceeded up a very steep hill upon which we had to disembark from the bus in order to prevent the engine from overheating.  On our walk up said hill, we were greeted by some monkeys hanging out in a nearby tree.  Upon arrival at the village we unloaded and proceeded to set up our clinic.  There were already quite a few people waiting for us.  In total we saw 230 people! 

At the physiotherapy tent, there was a lot more activity than any other clinic so far.  Many people had back and neck pain.  One older lady was using a stick to help her walk.  Lorie was excited to be able to give her a proper cane to use.  She also gave a man a new pair of crutches as the ones he had were very old and worn.  Both of these people were very grateful for the new assistive devices.

Zapatera Island -Monday, January 30th

Up at 0430 am this morning after what seemed like a much too short night. We had loaded the bus last night so didn't have to do that. By 0515 we were on the road. Along the way we picked up our translators and two dentists Ernesto and Nestor, plus the two MINSA nurses and doctor. We were headed for the beach where we would load the boats for Zapatera Island. When we arrived at the beach we all grabbed the supplies and made many trips back and forth to the beach. Once we had one boat loaded it was decided that we should get going but two of our people should go with in the boat. It had been quite difficult to load the boats as the water was quite wavy and rough. Jhonny, one of our translators and I (Janice)  jumped into the boat and headed out for Zapatera. The idea had been for the rest of the team to follow immediately. As we slogged through the water with the loaded the boat, we were splashed repeatedly with the huge waves, some over six and seven feet tall. It was a little scary at times, especially once we were about half way across and I realized that no one else was following us. What could be keeping them? Was the Navy deciding whether to pull the boats again? Crazy thoughts of being stuck on the Island without my team flitted through my head, was I going to be there all alone? Finally when we reached the shore of Zapatera Island the water got much calmer. I was truly worried about what the holdup was until Edgar was able to get me on my phone - I had had no signal while crossing over. Jhonny and I were soaked to the skin, my hair dripping and plastered to my head. We found out that the team was being held up because the Navy wanted to check everyone's passports- No one was sure where the Navy went with them  but after an hour they finally came back and told everyone that they were free to go. Once we got the confirmation by Edgar that the rest of the team was headed over, Jhonny, the villagers and I unloaded the boat. We were told by one of the fishermen that a huge shark had been sighted quite close to land only two days ago. You won't catch me swimming in that water, that's for sure. It was organized chaos for the first while and we were a little concerned that there weren't that many people there yet.  Once we finally were all set up the people started trickeling in by the boat full. We saw around 120 people today, alot less than we had expected. The Mayor assured us that it was because of the wild water and that we would see many more tomorrow if the water conditions improve. We nurses saw many different ailments today ranging from headaches, abdominal pain, high blood pressure, pneumonia and tonsilitis to different skin conditons and a polycystic ovary (by the docs). People love the opportunity to pick out a pair of sunglasses and the older crowd were very thankful for the reading glasses that would help them with some closeup work. Our talented,very patient  translators Victor, Francis and Edgar were an amazing help to us today. We look forward to working with them tomorrow. At four pm we all (that is except the MINSA staff, dentists and translators plus Maire, Doug and David) loaded the boats for another very wavy ride back to the mainland. The group staying on the Island was staying to guard our supplies. They had tents and mosquito nets, no electricity (it gets dark at 6pm) and only their flashlights and a bottle of Flor de Cana. We are praying that the wind dies down tonight (it seems windier) and that we are able to get over to the Island in the morning again. What a blessing to be able to help the people of Zapetera Island. Our last view of the Island was Maire out taking a swim (I guess she didn't believe my shark story)

Hasta Luego

Buenos Noches- Annamarie, Laura and Janice

Jan. 29, 2017

Granada Adventure

Hello Everyone! Today part of the team travelled to Granada to explore and enjoy a fun and relaxing day. We first recieved a tour of Tio Antonio's hammock workshop where we heard the incredible stories of his buisness. He works hard to support and encourage disabled (blind/deaf/etc.) Nicaraguans by employing them to create these masterpieces. Our favourite story was that one of his blind employees crafted a stunning hammock for Pope Francis, After the tour, we enjoyed a Spanish Catholic Mass in the beautiful cathedral. We saw many of the adorable children from NPH at the Mass where the church was celebrating the blessing of the new lectors and eucharistic ministers as the bishop was visiting.  After Mass the team enjoyed a lovely lunch together at Tele Pizza before splitting off and experiencing a variety of activities. There was the Chocolate Museum where you could have a short tour and taste some of their delicious chocolate rum and chocolate tea.  Some walked around the streets exploring the area and different vendors including being refreshed at the Irish Pub, with delicious smoothies while othersleisurely took in the atomosphere. Later, we all congregated and enjoyed cold drinks before travelling the bumpy ride back to NPH. We ate another delicious meal prepared by our fabulous cook and then gathered for a debrief and listened to everyone's rose (favourite part of day), thorn (something that wasn't enjoyed or didn't go well) and bud (something to look forward to in the coming days). Tomorrow we are looking forward to the great adventure of travelling to Zapatera for our first clinic. There are mixed emotions as everyone is really excited but also slightly nervous for tomorrow's adventures! Today was a great day and we hope tomorrow will be even better.

Chau!!!

Lorie, Joanne & Hannah!

Jan. 28, 2017

Greetings from Nicaragua. After a long travelling day, we arrived at the airport in Managua and had a long bumpy bus ride to the orphanage. With the windows down we got to really experience the tropical air and some of the local sights and sounds. Arrived safe and sound but quite tired. Travelling takes a toll. Spent the day unpacking and sorting 40+ hockey bags of supplies and donations for the 7 clinics we will be doing and for the NPH home itself. We toured the NPH grounds and met some of the children. We saw the school, workshops, new church and some of the homes the children stay in. The homes here are set up quite differently then those at home. They are all open, the doors are often left open. The children have shared bedrooms with 5-6 children in each room. The house the NPH team stays in is all very open with a big courtyard in the middle and a fountain. Wonder what we eat? We were lucky enough to have a delicious breakfast, lunch, and dinner prepared by Alba. We've been spoiled by getting to have pasta and salads and lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. It was a hot day with a nice breeze. It has cooled off enough for us to get a good night sleep before our adventure to Grenada tomorrow!

Bobbi, Brenda and Chloe

Jan. 27, 2017

Friday, January 27th-Nandorla and San Luis

Friday already. Hard to believe how quickly my first week here has gone. Just heard from Laura that they got all of the bags through, even the two extra from the team member who had to cancel last night due to a family emergency. Our thoughts and prayers are with her and her family. Wishing you all safe travels.
This morning I raced out to Nandorola with Edgar to check on the progress of the community house. The NPH electrician went with to see what needed to be purchased. ... It is our hope that this work will be finished before our team travels there to do our medical clinics so that the sewing team can work there. The one hour drive was made rougher on the dirt road due to the very rainy season. In places the road is practically washed out, it will definitely be a challenge for the bus. The river was deep but we were able to get through no problem. The people are very excited about our medical clinic next week.
We then raced to San Luis. The road there was also bumpy and 1/2 of it is all forest along the way. It really is quite beautiful but you can really imagine why they have no or little access to medical care. We met with the major and everything was organized for next week's clinic. We then went hunting for goats which proved to be difficult. The lady that said she would sell to me changed her mind and the people at another                                                                              place weren't home. The search will continue.

Jan. 26, 2017

January 26th

Another busy day today. More organizing was done to get ready for our clinics next week. We were able to rent 25 life jackets for our team to use for the two days we go to Zapatera. A place was cleared and fencing reinforced so hopefully we can get some goats tomorrow. We also plan to go to San Luis to check on some things.
All of the mosquito nets are hung- what a job-thanks Arnulfo Castillo for doing the high ones. Beds are made and cleaning done. Can't wait to greet my team tomorrow night. Safe travels.

Jan. 25, 2017

Tuesday, January 24th

Another very busy day. 7 am we were on our way to Managua to MINSA for the 2nd time to bring our paperwork. They check everything over with a fine tooth comb checking for mistakes etc. Anything medical that we bring needs to be put onto a huge form while packing including English name, Spanish name, lot #, serial number, country of origin, manufacturer, value +++++. Each type of item has 12 spaces to fill in. Anyone that is a professional on the team, so doctor, nurses, physi...otherapists, pharmacists etc have to submit a curriculum vitae, their diploma and registration. All of this had to be notorized by a lawyer. Letters also have to be written by NPH and FOTOCAN.
Anyways back to my story. We sat for almost 2 hours only to be told that there were more things to change again. It almost seems like they purposely invent things, sigh. Edgar will be heading back tomorrow to try again. Time is short, we need the permission before the team arrives.
Afterwards we went searching for the Nacho language workbooks for the schools in Nandorola and San Luis. After three stores and many miles on our feet in the heat we finally found a store that carried them. 80 books were purchased for grades one , two, three and four.
We finally arrived back at NPH at 3pm. No lunch so had a banana.
The rest of my day was spent setting up tables and sorting all of the rest of the supplies. I really miss your help Bryan Rauser. Working all on my own is not fun at all.
Tomorrow morning I am off to Zapatera Island. Once again alone with Jorge our chaffeur. Team One, Peter and Joy:( are heading to Granada for the day)
Looking forward to my team's arrival on Friday. So much to do yet and so little time. It was nice to have a visit here from Colin. The kids all loved seeing him too.
Till tomorrow

Monday, January 23rd - IVs and stuff

I can't believe that today is already Monday, the time is fllying. Today was spent taking everything out of the Bodega and organizing it. All of the medication from BMDMI was cataloged and put into bins with the medication that we already had. Glad that that part is finished, lots more sorting to do yet. The weather here has been very hot, over 30 degrees celcius which has taken some getting used to. We had a nice lunch today with some of the girl's from NPH today and I had a chance to practice some of my Spanish. It's amazing how much you have to really think when you are trying to tell them something and have no one to translate for you. My evening was spent starting an IV and giving a normal saline bolus to a dehydrated team member, I spent a few more hours keeping an eye on the second litre of fluid that that guys were able to purchase for me in the drug store in Managua. After two litres of fluid the team member is feeling much better and her pulse is regular again. Thank goodness for intravenous. Between dressing changes and IV therapy my evening has been a busy one. Off to bed for another day in Nicaragua

Jan. 23, 2017

Ometepe Island

After a one hour ferry ride on the El Che we have arrived at our lodgings for the night on Ometepe Island. The Corner house bed and breakfast. Brings back lots of memories from two years ago Pamela Murray Heading to the organic farm etc. Our adventure continues.
Had an amazing tour of project bona fida an organic farm on the side of the volcano Maderas. It was quite the workout to get up to the farm as it was all uphill. We gleaned some information on natural plants used for natural medicine and learned some very useful information on types of farming that has worked really well, Alley cropping- rows of trees- rotating crop systems using nitrogen fixers and animals as fertilizer.
We ate Maringa and Katook a green leaf plant as a salad which is a great source of protein. 
Networking has been done and we hope to supply NPH with the needed resources and information and training to grow the best crops possible for the home.
Sunday we went on an amazing kayak tour up a river virtually untouched by man. Raw nature, awesome and amazing seeing more of God's creation. The highlight was being hissed at by a Cayman when we tried to get closer for a better picture. What an experience.