Buenas noches a todos! Gracias a Jessie for her incredible job with the blog last night. Kudos to you, coco caballo. We leave Managua in 3 days. THREE. I can hardly believe it. I feel like I need at least one more week here. There is still so much to be done and I would love to spend more time with my family.
What made my day today: Yesterday, when Katie and I visited our family in the barrio, we helped the 7-year-old study for his test on English vowels. Today just we when arrived to el barrio, he couldn’t wait to tell us he received a 100% on his test this afternoon. He thanked us for helping him yesterday with English sounds. Obviously I congratulated him with a hug and his favorite sticker, but what he doesn't know is how much he's helping improve my Spanish and how he's impacted my experience here. I will certainly miss this family when I leave Managua.
Anywho, on to what the group did today! We got to sleep in 30 extra minutes this morning…! Instead of working in “el Centro de salud” this morning, we toured el Hospital Bertha Calderón, a hospital for the women of Nicaragua. We toured the NICU, labor and delivery units, and gynecologic cancer facilities. I think this may have sparked an interest in Labor and Delivery in a few of our classmates! Here are some awesome facts about this public hospital:
1. NO EPIDURALS IN LABOR. That's right...no epidurals, and no pain medications delivered via IV, unless they are preparing for a c-section. Only local anesthetics (ie: Lidocaine for episiotomy repair). This facility believes in LAMAZE therapies for pain control (deep breathing, support, etc.) I wish our maternity instructor could have been present for the tour--shoutout to HG!
2. An oncology facility just outside of the hospital for chemotherapy patients who have traveled from all over the country. The women are able to stay and eat here while they receive therapy. Talk about being connected with a great support group. We talked with some of the mujeres (women) at the home -- what strong people. See the photo of the woman sewing pants for her nieto! (grandson)
3. The hospital was named after a woman who worked at the hospital but was captured during the guerra (=war) of the 70s against the dictator, Somoza.
Tomorrow is our second to last day at the Centro and working with our families. We will be spending the afternoon in the towns of Granada, Masaya and Catarina. I have heard nothing but good things about these places, so I’m excited for what lies ahead tomorrow. I’ve loved every minute of working with each member of this group. The cohesion of our group is great, whether at la clinica, la playa, or adventures in El Van. I am also impressed at our progress in perfecting the art of "Spanglish" -- especially in El Van after a long day. Absolutely could not have asked for a better group- or a better CI!
Well, we’re not quite ready to get nostalgic yet, two more full days of work and play to barrel through before we even think about the trip home (or packing for it).
We'll post more tomorrow and hopefully include pics (and maybe videos, with help from Jessie) from our trip to Granada. Que tengan una buena noche, ustedes!
--Sarah
**Photo credit: Susanna, gracias chica!
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