The Past Week

It has been a very eventful week. Chitre was busy every day, working in the clinics. I enjoyed working there; even though a lot of the work seems routine, like the vaccines and the heights and weights, I think it’s impressive how thorough the nurses are when they educate and how well they know their patients. The nurses here also can do so much more here than in the states. Pap smears are routinely done by nurses, and they can even suture wounds. The clinics here are so busy all the time; I think that it took me a little bit to get used to the hustle and bustle. Once I got over that though, it really started to come clear how much these nurses do with limited resources. The patients really believe that they are getting the best quality care, even though it’s totally different than what Americans are used to. And I think that there’s something to be said about that; the nurses are always busy and work with limited resources, but they’re satisfied with their work. I think it takes me back to the roots of why I want to be a nurse, to help people.
The week wasn’t all work and no play. There were plenty of fun things in the past week, and they were amazing. The beach, although nice, was not my favorite. It was cloudy! The sun didn’t shine all day long, and I don’t like low tides. I prefer my home beaches: bring on the Atlantic, with the waves and sand that is not covered in rocks. Thursday afternoon we went to a gentlemen’s farm and had some delicious barbeque, plus horseback riding and plenty of hammocks. It was so relaxing. Then there was the party in Friday night. It was another pageant for the queen of the colleges, and the UP College of Nursing seemed very glad to have us to cheer for their candidate! Everyone was really nice, talking to us and dancing with us. There was so much noise, but we all had a good time.
The next day was Independence Day, and unfortunately we spent a lot of it on a bus. But once we got to El Valle it was worth it. The views up in the mountains are breathtaking. We checked into the hotel, which was gorgeous, and then started exploring a little. I went with a group to see the square trees. The trunks actually grow in a square shape. It took some unofficial hiking to get to them, and then we went to see the painted rock. It’s this huge rock painted with an indigenous map that’s over 1,000 years old. And that night, we all gathered on the third floor balcony of the hotel and watched the fireworks that we had all chipped in for. I thought they would be little, but it was a really great show!
The next morning was the zip line down the mountain. I had never done it before, and I wasn’t nervous at all – until I was hooked up to the cable and the guy was ready to push me off. But it was really amazing; I wish I would have done it again (without the killer hike to get to the top platform). After that hike, I thoroughly enjoyed the hot springs. It was so relaxing, and so cheap! Entrance was $1, and that got you a facial treatment. You did it yourself, but still, mud treatments are expensive at spas. I wish we’d had more time there; it really was an amazing place.
Now we’re back in the City of Knowledge, and our last week is in front of us. Today we went to a large clinic that had a lot of specialty areas. It was a great opportunity to ask questions, and another chance to marvel at how much work the nurses here do on a daily basis. It seems strange that our time here is almost over. I’ve loved the experience that I’ve gotten here, but I’ve definitely started to miss the States. For now though, I’ll spend my last days doing as much as I can.