Flooding and Improvisation

Remember my earlier post about the creek rising? Well, we've been having lots of rain here lately. Last week, we tried to go out to San Jose and Na Luum Ca, only to have to turn back when we encountered this:

In the middle there was a miniature whirlpool. After talking with someone in the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) I discovered why - part of the culvert had washed away! Water is a powerful force. We had to turn back. Luckily, we go to this particular village every 2 weeks (most villages are visited once a month) so we will have the opportunity to try again. There was one patient who we were really concerned about getting medications to, so we sent it with the bus addressed to the community health worker. They are so critical here! Someday I'll blog about the virtues of the CHW movement and my involvement in it, but not now...
This is what we drove through to get back:

This week I did my monthly overnight - we headed to San Benito Poite and then to Aguacate. We drove all the way out only to have the road flooded (before the bridge!) right before we reached the village

I got out to see how swift/deep the water was... I hadn't even gone 4 feet into the water and it was up to my knees and FAST! This village had what they call a "hammock bridge" over the river. I went to check it out to see if maybe we could carry our supplies across the river. After a trek through mud that sucked my shoes off, I saw the bridge:

Beautiful! But not stable enough to carry our stuff across. Some of the staff and students and I trekked into the village to see if anyone absolutely needed medications - this is a village we only visit every 5-6 weeks! Then we walked back across the road bridge

And through the flooded road (in pairs!) to get back to the vehicle.

The Ministry of Natural Resources was there assessing the situation:

But apparently decided that there was naught to be done. We called it a failed attempt at clinic and had a courier take the necessary medications back to the community health worker in San Benito Poite.

Thank you, courier!

We were able to get to Aguacate to deliver an evening nutrition education to a full house

Then slept on the floor of the community center before holding clinic in the Health Post the next day

I went to Belize and all I got were these stupid scars

Apparently our not-native-jungle blood is super tasty to the creatures here. Perhaps it's like an exotic delicacy. My kiddos are sick of being eaten (yes, we use repellent but they are convinced that the jungle insects just don't care). They wanted me to display their wounds:

Brennan's munched arm

Deirdre's back

Deirdre's ordeal with this bite is a story for another time. Right now it's too soon, too soon...

Selfie with Santiago

Promised a photo with Santiago - the gatekeeper and guide at Lubaantun. Here he is! He is a fascinating human and I am grateful to know him. He still laughs at my yoga but someday I hope he'll join in!

A Mystical Yoga Studio

I have not been doing as much yoga as I would like here. I was pretty addicted to Bikram yoga before coming here and that has served me well! I am used to sweating buckets while doing yoga.
I have been itching to do some yoga at the ruins here and have tried to make it out there for that at least once a week amidst my crazy work schedule. I have befriended the man who works there (and tried to convince him to do yoga with me - to no avail but I have a year, right?) Mr. Santiago and he has been teaching me a little Ketchi, how to make a thatch roof, and many more things during our chats before and after my yoga sessions. I'll get a photo of him this week when I go. I'm not the greatest photographer of myself and am really uncomfortable in front of the camera, but I did take some shots of yoga at the ruins. Rysa edited this one a bit so that I can share where I get to do yoga! Thank you, Rys! Amazing and incredible....

Dengue, Ditching School and the Drop

This was an exciting week, though not all good excitement! Deirdre has not been feeling well, and one of the docs here thinks that she has dengue fever. We haven't gotten the blood test, though, because it wouldn't change the treatment - supportive care. Whatever she has, she is miserable and getting well is taking a looong time. She cannot spend a whole lot of time vertical, though she is able to pay attention long enough to watch a movie finally! I think she is on the mend... She did not go to school all week so Brennan was flying solo. He asked if he could come out on mobile clinic with me on Wednesday. I was glad because it gave me an excuse to drive the jeep out to the villages! Here is a map of the district so you can follow me on my travels!

Brennan was riding shotgun and he took a few photos on the way out to Corazon

Then we put him to work counting pills in the pharmacy (with oversight, of course)

And he took this shot on the way home

Apparently those in the vehicle in front of us got to see a panther cross the road! I told Mr. Rudy that it is my goal to pass him on the mobiles before the end of the year! As a special bonus, we stopped at the local ice cream "store" on the way home - the person who makes the ice cream also happens to be the principal of the school the kids go to!

The week had it's ups and downs, but was certainly improved with the receipt of new reggae music courtesy of a friend who manages some bands - Seth Herman, you rock! I'll send a video of jungle driving and your reggae soon! Everyone else should check out Seth's website: Rootfire - a cool group of people doing incredibly cool things...

Overnight Clinic

These photos are from my first overnight clinic. We drive to a town on the Guatemalan border, have clinic, do some health education in the evening, the travel to another village to sleep on the upper level of a clinic that we run the next day before returning home. It's busy and exhausting but so much fun.
The town is so close to the Guatemalan border that many of our patients come from Guatemala. One even offered to host us if we were ever in that part of Guatemala! 

Inside the clinic - the chairs are makeshift exam rooms

Outside the clinic - love this area!

Clinic day 2 - Jalacte

Awesome commute!

Lubaantun

This past weekend we decided to visit some Mayan ruins. Really, it seemed silly that we hadn't been to any of them given that there are two sites within an hour of us. We went this weekend - partially to try out the new jeep:

But also to see the ruins. It poured while we were there - it was so awesome! We were the only ones there and we just reveled in the rain.

Then we saw the sign that you aren't actually supposed to climb on the ruins...oops. Regardless, it is a pretty cool place!

Paying Mr. Pop

These are a bit out of order until I get caught up with posts...
Belize Independence Day was September 21st. We marched in the parade with some of the Hillside gang...

The resulting 3 day weekend was a blast. On Saturday, we went to Placencia - a beach resort town about an hour and a half away. The beach was a little gross - storms had blown in a bunch of sea grass that we had to walk through in order to get to the water, but once we were in it was amazing! We had a really great time with the Kelly family - they have 4 boys who are full of energy and just a ton of fun to be around!

 Brennan had a blast snorkeling and even discovered a friend!

We drove home that night and embarked on another adventure the next day. While we were enjoying the beach at Placencia, the Finneys were exploring the cayes in a sailboat. They happened upon Mojo Caye that had a resort on it. The resort hadn't been open or functional for a couple of years, but it still had cabanas with beds and caretakers. Jacob negotiated returning for a night's stay at the cost of  a couple of bottles of rum and a chicken for the caretakers.

I finally found the perfect word to describe how James and Jacob operate: desenrascanço.

It means the improvisation of haphazard but completely sound solutions or plans at the last minute.

We returned the next day with them and enjoyed great company

a boat ride

Comfy beds over the ocean with an amazing view

Island friends

Snorkeling and so much more! 
As we were getting ready to leave the island the next day, the caretakers informed us that we would need to give them money to pay Mr. Pop for staying on the island. We didn't have a whole lot of cash given that we were in a place where it wouldn't have done us any good. We gave them some cash and then gave our phone numbers to them in case Mr. Pop needed further compensation. James wanted to keep them happy so that he could keep going back to the island!

 

Postal address?

When I went to get internet hooked up in my house, the technician asked me my address. I said I wasn't sure because there is no number on my house. I told him where it was and he said "Oh, your address is the two story house with a fence on the corner of Front Street and Wahima Alley." Okay. That sounded strange. Deirdre has friends who want to mail her things, so she said "Should I just tell them to put 'room farthest from the sea in the yellow two story house with a fence on the corner of Front Street and Wahima Alley, Punta Gorda, Belize'?" I actually said yes to that. However, I finally caved and went to the Post Office today to ask what my official address is. Any guesses? Yep: Corner of Front Street and Wahima Alley, Punta Gorda, Belize, Central America.

My Love

I purchased an old vehicle from a previous volunteer prior to arriving so that I would have some mode of transport to get around here. It is an old Isuzu Rodeo. Those of you who know me well know that I have been driving beat up Jeep Cherokee Sport vehicles for a very long time. I don't currently have one because I couldn't find one when I needed a car. Regardless, I have been thinking about how handy one would be on these jungle roads. The Rodeo was okay, though, for a while. The transmission was slipping and, at one point, just stopped working altogether (though James revived it).
Then, when I was on my way home from an overnight clinic on the Guatemalan border, lights shone out of heaven to reveal the answer to my difficulty:

I scared James (who was driving me home) when I yelled "STOP! STOPSTOPSTOP! I'm buying this vehicle!!"
This was being sold by a couple who had been volunteering at a local orphanage for the last year and 9 months. They were moving back to the states and were looking to sell their vehicle. They had built the vehicle specifically to drive on these jungle "roads." It was love at first sight. James (who has rebuilt a CJ-7) looked at it with me and said that if I didn't buy it, he would. I took that as a good sign. I purchased the vehicle with only one regret - I wish I could have known the owners longer! They are just wonderful people and I am so grateful to have met them if only for a brief moment. Mark and Sarah - the Jeep will be well loved and I promise to use it for its intended purpose....these crazy roads! So looking forward to times in the Jeep!