Dia Dos - The Journey to Don Gavino's (he is as legit as that sounds)

Today was full of 180s. Where to start?

Our goal today was to leave the capital Managua and eventually make it to the remote village of Tadazna. We spent the night at the Hotel Camino Real (which was nice and a stark contrast to the conditions in which I now type, but more on that later). I wouldn't be surprised if it was one of the top hotels in the country, and the subsequent breakfast buffet didn't disappoint. Side note: Starfruit juice is delicious.

After breakfast we made our way to the airport as our first stop, Siuna, was a one-hour flight. So more peanuts and in-flight movies, am I right? That's a negative. We ended up taking two propeller planes because all 19 of us couldn't fit in one. Although the turbulence was mildly upsetting for some, the flight afforded some amazing views - pictures/videos of which I hope will end up accompanying this post.

Once in Siuna, I think it's fair to say the hot, humid climate we've all been expecting/excited for hit us full blast in all its sweat-inducing glory. It was hot. Caliente, some might say. Our amazing guide from Bridges to Community is actually a native of Siuna so she was able to give us a formal introduction/orientation over lunch (consisting of chicken, salad, rice and beans.)

We hopped into a school bus and got ready for another one-hour journey to Tadazna on mostly unpaved roads. If you've ever ridden the neck-jerking Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland that's pretty much what it felt like, multiplied by 100,000. After passing innumerable potholes, stray dogs, cattle, bison, cornfields, pigs and roadside dwellings with red Claro brand satellite dishes, we finally made it to Tadazna.

We are staying at Don Gavino's house and all 19 of us are staying in a single concrete-wood room filled with bunk beds, dorm style. No running water and no warm water, which is not too much of a big deal as it's probably something like 90 degrees. Naturally there is no WiFi and there are electric lights only sporadically. We have latrines and a new kitten friend we call Buttercup. Again, I'm hoping the numerous pictures/videos we are taking will be posted with this.

Supposedly there are tarantulas and scorpions and snakes and miscellaneous giant rodents/insects. I don't think any of us expected exactly this, but after talking with my colleagues it seems none of us would have it any other way. We know this is an experience that will give us perspective and personal insight into so many things. In addition to personal growth (and quite frankly the experience of a lifetime), we hope to help people in the small, honest ways that we can.

We went from freezing snow to humid, scalding heat. From hotel with a pool to farmlands and barrel showers. From Woodward Avenue in Detroit to the unpaved "calle" in Tadazna littered with roosters, horses and swine.

Oh Tadazna.

All in all, we're excited to finally set up this clinic and start seeing patients. Let's do this.

P.S. - Tanu would like to say "hi" to her Mom and Dad.

Dia Tres - Clinic Day 1 and Done

Tired.

We finally had our first day of clinic and it was a hefty one. We ended up seeing 48 patients, including men, women and children who were bused in from even more remote villages. It being the first day, we had to start early to set up the pharmacy, triage and patient care areas. This meant waking up at 5 a.m., before the sun rises, but not before the dozens of neighboring roosters crowed us all awake at 1 a.m. and  every hour thereafter (no, they don't just call out once at sunrise as in cartoons).

Not sure why but we are always so hungry. Luckily we have a dedicated group of workers from Bridges to Community who cook us huge family-style meals that are as healthy as they are tasty. Most every meal consists of rice, beans, numerous vegetables and at least one kind of fruit. Meat is a rare treat here, but that does not stop us from eating like ravenous beasts despite our American/carnivorous nature.

So what did we see out here?

From my own experience there were a good amount of respiratory infections and respiratory problems due to environmental exposures. The burning of garbage is common in rural Nicaragua, with many households doing their own burning in their own yards. This allows potentially toxic pollutants to freely waft into homes. This, on top of a tropical climate, makes dehydration an additional issue here. I would say other common issues are parasitic infections, sexually transmitted diseases, gastric reflux and musculoskeletal problems secondary to lifelong manual labor. A big change for us is that, unlike our patients at home, most individuals here are rather thin and hypertension/diabetes is scarce.

The day was long. At times it was hectic. At any given time the sun could be bearing mercilessly down and the next sheets of heavy rain would cascade down. Throughout all of this, however, we still found time to laugh and smile and squabble over our limited supply of lollipops and Life Savers candy. We doused each other in gallons of DEET repellant while firing sarcastic jokes/comments that we all somehow (thankfully) find incredibly humorous. In short, I don't think we could have put together a better, more cohesive or more resilient group.

We're hoping to continue representing Detroit well and we're looking forward to what comes next. Bring it.