El Hospital

Sometimes when I think back on our year so far I think of our health center in town, the labs in Esteli, and the hospital in Managua. It feels like we have been spending a lot of time in these locations over the last few months. Between Kyle’s hamstring tear in February, other parasite/intestinal infections and the the latest cellulitis incident, we have been successful in meeting our insurance deductible :) (Thankful for the insurance we have through VMM, for sure! But for free public healthcare here in Nicaragua that we have been able to use, as well.)

I feel like my perspective on the health care we have received here is probably a little bit different than Kyle’s, as he was the patient a majority of the time (well, really all the time :) ). But I will do my best to describe what our experience was like, and how it probably differed from what many of our neighbors and friends would do here in San Nicolas.

You may know that Nicaragua has a free health care system. Most towns have a health center where you can get basic health care screenings, lab testing, talk with a doctor, and get free prescriptions. While this is a great benefit that even us, US citizens, can get these services, when you need a specialist or more intensive care you will probably have to find your way to a larger city for a public hospital or pay for private care. Our small town of 1,000 citizens has a health center in town that services the people in town, but then also a majority of the people in the surrounding smaller communities. They stay busy, for sure!

We started our health journey at our local health clinic to get a few basic blood tests. When Kyle’s cellulitis started to appear in his ankle and his ankle started to grow rapidly, the health center wasn’t quite sure what was going on, given their limited resources, and recommended that we seek more specialized care outside of San Nicolas. We had choices—go into Esteli (the next biggest town) for a larger public hospital or private hospital/clinic. Or go into Managua (a 3 hour bus ride) which also has good public hospitals and the best private hospitals in the country. We decided, with the help of our in country coordinator and with the insurance we have that we would go to Vivian Pellas Metropolitano Hospital which has some of the best doctors in the country. Very few people who live around us would have insurance and the option to go to this hospital, and would probably go to the public hospital in Esteli for more specialized care (still free).



We spend time here in San Nicolas and with our VMM co-volunteers and country-coordinator reflecting on what it means to accompany a community, and how we define solidarity in our lives and work here in Nicaragua and San Nicolas. This incident brought these discussions to life as we walked this health journey in the context of being volunteers in Nicaragua ,committed to living in solidarity with our community. It became especially evident when discussing our choices with our community here in San Nicolas.
 
Through these discussions, we found that there were a variety of options that people could choose here in San Nicolas.

1.) Go to the health center in town. See high levels of infection and be referred to the public hospital in Esteli.

2.) Go to the town’s natural medicine clinic and get a natural remedy consisting of plants, herbs, oils, and wait for it to heal, with regular check-ups with the natural medicine women 1 or 2 times per week (I’m not knocking this option at all, we have heard and seen some of these natural remedies work!) 

3.)  Or another option we heard, find a toad and rub it on the infected area. The toad will take on the infection and your fever and the frog will  die. This is real! A lady and one of the bus drivers told us all about it. We even watched a youtube video about it. Crazy!!

While these are all viable options, the health center in town had already referred us out, we couldn’t speak with our natural medicine lady (who actually works out of the front of our house) until the following week, and we couldn’t find a toad! So we decided to take the bus into Managua. We are so thankful we decided to go in to Managua and to Vivian Pellas and that we had the option to do so. When all was said and done, Kyle’s infection was very resistant and started to spread into his knee . He ended up being admitted and hooked up to an IV antibiotic for about 8 days!

Skinny, but still smiling :D (Kyle lost about 25 lbs through all of this)

We received AWESOME health care at the Vivian Pellas hospital, we had very knowledgeable doctors whom we talked to in mostly Spanish, but would throw in the occasional English. The nurses and staff were very attentive and quick to answer our questions and calls. And we felt like we had a good all-around experience. While this experience has left me with some dissonance about what it means to live in solidarity and accompany our community (i.e. “How do WE get the opportunity to be insured and receive private hospital care, while our neighbors and students do not?) it has also made me really prioritize health, especially when you are so far from home and very far from your comfort zone—Spanish medical vocabulary, anyone??

So, while this process was an exercise in decision making, it also made me consider the social and economic variables that affect access to health care, what a San Nicolas family would do in our situation and has made us think about our own privilege. We feel very connected and a part of this amazing San Nicolas community, but this experience reminded us that no matter how connected we feel or how long we live in this town, we have privileges that set us apart from the people here. An important reminder, but not always an easy one. 

Let me also say, that this post isn’t to knock the public health care system that the current government has worked so hard to develop and make accessible to even the most rural citizens. I think these doctors and nurses that work in the hospitals are doing an awesome job and really do provide great care for patients, we’ve seen this first hand in our health center in town. There are tons of benefits to having free, accessible health care to the 1,000+ citizens in our town, and across the country, that have very limited access to many modern conveniences. Our health situation escalated pretty quickly and we felt that moving straight into a private setting made the most sense for our situation, and we are thankful we did!

So…now we are trying to get back to 100% healthy. Kyle is still dealing with a reaction to the bacterial infection he had with something called “reactive arthritis”. This means joint inflammation and pain, still. So we wait for that to heal. We had and have some follow-up appointments with a rheumatologist. So we wait and see. And hope that he is feeling more normal very soon. If you know Kyle, you know it’s not easy for him to rest or recover at the slow pace required! So keep him in your thoughts as we try to get him back to 100%.
And thanks to everyone for all their thoughts, calls, text and emails throughout this time. I know it helped to lift Kyle’s spirits especially after spending many days in the hospital. We really, really appreciate our “tribe”! You all! :) Thank-you!

Much Love.

Goshen College Baseball in Nicaragua

From time to time we receive “google alerts” in our email whenever Nicaragua in mentioned in the news, usually it’s about the upcoming Nicaragua elections (November, too!) or the mysterious, giant canal being built through the heart of Nicaragua that may or may not be happening. But in December we received an interesting one that had Goshen College (our alma mater!) in a headline! We read more and found out that Goshen College Baseball team would be traveling to Nicaragua for a “mini” Study-Service Term (SST) experience in May. We knew if our alma mater was going to be in Nicaragua we had to go be their #1 fans! :) So we started emailing the coaches and the leaders of the group…whom just happened to be OUR leaders in 2008 when we did our summer SST in Nicaragua (essentially when we left our hearts here in Nicaragua…maybe another blog post sometime!) We received their game schedule and started planning our trip to watch at least one game. So in May we made our way to Jinotepe to watch a game, unfortunately we got lost and also there was a change in game location. So we only were able to catch the last inning of the game! But we cheered them on to a 10-0 victory : ) We were most excited to see the players, and of course, Doug and Maria who were integral in our formative experiences with Nicaragua and volunteer work.

It was great to see some of the players and see the SST wheel already turning in their heads even though they had only been here for a few days. SST was such a formative experience for us, as individuals, that I think ANY exposure to a foreign culture and country is a great opportunity for individual growth and reflection. I am so glad that Goshen College is giving this opportunity to athletes, as this is a university demographic that is often tied down to a schedule that does not allow them to do a study abroad program.

I think that sometimes long-term volunteers can get down about those who come to a country on a short-term trip…for a week or two to paint a school or drop off clothing for those in need, and maybe take some instagram worthy pictures along the way. (see this article: http://almost.thedoctorschannel.com/14323-2/  And this one: http://travel.cnn.com/explorations/life/richard-stupart-voluntourism-does-more-harm-good-260269/) While there are good ways and bad ways to do this type of work—An example: being aware of what jobs/opportunities you may be taking away from local people when you do something FOR them. I think even if volunteers and students “ONLY” come away with a new appreciation for how other people live and the experience planted a little seed in their mind of how they would like to live and give in the future, then that’s a start! It has to start somewhere, right? Full disclosure, I am not trying to say that we (as long term volunteers) have it all figured out, either. We often find ourselves struggling with similar questions. Why are we doing this work? And what does it mean for our community? Are we really doing this for self-serving purposes—to learn Spanish, to gain cultural competence, to add something different to our resumes? These are all legitimate questions that were addressed in our initial discernment phase and continue to be discussed. We hope that we have figured out a sustainable formula for the work we are doing here, and that as much as we are getting out of this experience, our community is also gaining something, as well. We are working through these issues every day!

I think that the articles above argue some very valid and important points to consider when seeking out volunteer opportunities, cross-cultural living, volunteering and giving. But I also think that just the act of GOING and BEING and LEARNING from people in another culture or community is so valuable—and you don’t have to cross borders to find these communities!! Try learning something new about the community down the road from your work, home or school. Just this act of stepping out of your comfort zone is a great first step towards understanding others that may be different from ourselves.

I think this first small step is exactly what the baseball team was taking. The baseball players were only here for 3 weeks, but they came away with new learnings, reflections and maybe someday, one of those athletes will be living and working in Nicaragua, like we are. Or will be making a future job or lifestyle decision based on something they learned in Nicaragua. It all has to start somewhere! We would never be living in Nicaragua today if it wasn’t for our “short” summer in Nicaragua in 2008. Other people we’ve encountered wouldn’t be open to doing international work if they hadn’t experienced a 2-week “voluntourism” trip in their teens with their church, for example. It’s important to consider where these beginning steps may lead individuals later down the road when we make judgments about a certain volunteer project or group.

(**Side Note: It’s super important to give and do and visit and travel responsibly, think critically before you give of your time or money. If you want to read an interesting perspective on what good vs. bad giving can look like, read Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help (and how to reverse it) by Robert D. Lupton.)

Anyway, back to our time with the team. We enjoyed cheering (for an inning), wearing our GC swag, and hearing some about what the group was doing here in Nicaragua…they were winning a lot of baseball games, too :) Our favorite part of our small road trip was that we  were able to have dinner with Doug and Maria and catch up on life here in Nicaragua and in the states. It was so refreshing and exciting to see them again! Thanks, Doug and Maria, for taking the time to meet up with us! And a SUPER big thanks for being awesome leaders in 2008 and for opening our eyes, minds and hearts to Nicaragua. We would not be where we are today without you two! We hope to see you in the mountains of Nicaragua sometime soon :) Our door is open!

Maria, Doug, Me and Kyle after a delicious dinner and great conversations!

“United for Baseball”: The day before we went to the GC baseball game we saw this article about Goshen College in the national newspaper (La Prensa)!

Let me know your thoughts! What do you think about the types of giving and volunteer work that is happening around the world? What ways have your eyes been opened to a new culture or community?

Much Love.

International Yoga Day

One thing we have learned about Nicaragua was that they celebrate Every. Single. Holiday. This country is always celebrating something. While there are many national holidays such as Day of the Revolution (July 19th; celebrating the ousting of the Somoza dictatorship in 1979) and Central American Independence day (September 15th, 1821), there are also the more obscure international holidays that I never knew were actual “days” until I lived here. A few examples: International Forest Day, International day of the Birds, The day against Burning Forest, International Child Day, World day for More efficient electricity, World day without automobiles, Day of the Water, and International day for a world without tobacco. And, trust me, the list could go on and on. I have made many a bulletin boards for these holidays at the schools I work in :)

Now I am not saying all this celebrating and recognition is a bad thing! It is just so different from the holidays we celebrate in the states. I would have never guessed there was an international “hand washing” day (October 15th). If you enjoy clean hands, THIS IS YOUR DAY! :) In all honesty, not ALL these are celebrated as true “holidays” in Nicaragua (day off of work or school, a special presentation like you see during mother’s or father’s day or a parade for independence day). BUT they are listed in the official Ministry of Education calendar and government calendars. It’s fun to read through these calendars and see what interesting days are coming up in the month, and which ones we will add to that month’s mural.

Surprisingly, one day that was not celebrated was International Yoga Day! I have been teaching a few basic yoga moves with my elementary gym class in Quebrada de Agua. I am no Yogi. But we focus on balance, controlling our bodies (and voices) and on a good day, quiet moments :) So on International Yoga Day we focused on some yoga moves and we talked about what other students may be doing around the world to celebrate the day. Here are some pictures of my students doing their best tree pose. We had a blast practicing and will continue to practice while advancing in our poses!

 

Of course, the teachers had to get in on the action :)

And you know when a camera comes out…this is bound to happen! :)

Much Love.

Is ‘routine’ are real thing?

Routine….now that’s a word I have come to love throughout my life. I love a good schedule. A good list. And knowing what’s to come. While this usually is a good thing, in certain situations it can become a hindrance. I get frazzled easily and become inflexible. I get frustrated when things don’t go my way. I basically become a 2 year old that missed nap time :) But most of the time you will find me most comfortable and happy flowing through some sort of routine.

And that’s exactly why the last few months have been a bit tricky for me! There have been some major changes thrown our way and a change in routine. Between Kyle’s illness that kept him in the hospital (and cut into our time in San Nicolas), lots of visitors and a visit to the US, it’s been a crazy few months. No routine to be found here! Thus….no blog post to be found, either! :) I hope the next few blow posts will give you an idea of these “non-routine” things that have been going on for us the past few weeks! While some events were frustrating, others were exciting! So I hope to convey the range of emotions that we’ve been feeling the past few months.

Overall, though, our recent feelings about being here in Nicaragua have been completely positive. We really feel like we are hitting our stride with Spanish. And when we are out of “routine” of our day-to-day we miss the people we work with, our community and our house in San Nicolas. It really has become home for us. And that’s a good thing!

So…be on the look out for new blog posts coming soon! And a few pictures along the way.

Fart noises: the universal language

Quick story from our english teaching adventures this week...

In our english classes we often have timed races to match vocabulary. During one of our classes, our students started making fart noises with their mouths to distract their classmates. They thought it was the FUNNIEST thing ever. Laughed. And laughed. And laughed  And as immature as fart noises are,  it totally got us laughing, too.

So I guess laughter (and fart noises) are the universal language :)

And for those interested,  the Spanish word for fart is pedo.

My walking buddy

On Mondays and Tuesday I ride the bus up the hill about 10 minutes to begin my 20 minute walk to the elementary school. When I first started I loved "plugging in" and listening to a podcast while I walked. Now, I have a faithful walking buddy.  No matter how late the bus comes he is always there waiting to walk with me and tell me alllll his stories about what happened the night before. We talk about the weather. How tired we are (from walking up all the hills). And he often shows me cool wildlife as we walk. My own personal tour guide. We saw 2 guardabarancos, the national bird, last week (pictured below, not my picture!) 

Meet Franygel. My 4th grade walking buddy!

Much Love,

Alli

Every Monday...

Every Monday and Tuesday I have the privilege to help out in a multi-grade classroom. The students are grades 4th-6th and I really enjoy working with them and their wonderful teacher, Maria! Each Monday we trek to the water pila to collect water for the school. To drink. To water the plants. To clean. It's a pretty normal procedure now,  but when I first started working here it made me really consider what this would look like in the states. Students in the states don't walk a quarter mile to fetch water.  Or a mile or more to get to school.  Things are so different here. Yet we are all working towards the same goal. Educating our kiddos for their future and for ours. It's pretty incredible the barriers that I find here within the education system. Yet there are so many hard working teachers and students who continue to overcome and rock it everyday.

Here are some photos from our water fetching adventures. And a few of the sweet students I get to work with ♡

The coolest teacher around, Maria!

This a student who really struggles in Math and Spanish. I work with him one-on-one almost everyday. We work on handwriting, reading and basic math concepts. Here we were working outside to get a break from the noise level in the classroom.

Group/classroom work. While Maria is teaching a lesson to one grade level, I am usually working with another group on a worksheet or other activities. In my best Spanish, of course :)

Aren't they the sweetest?? A definite highlight of my week is seeing these lovely faces in the mornings and hearing them yell "GOOD MORNING!" in their best English accent :)

Much Love,

Alli