Yep, I made it safe and sound to the "murder capital" of the world--San Pedro Sula!! Haha. The most dangerous city in what's apparently the most dangerous country in the world right now...Honduras. Who knew? ;) I'll be staying over night in a motel here and catching my flight in the morning.
I'm thankful for a safe 4ish hour drive to the motel this evening, and for the great company of Iain with all of his amazing stories and experiences on the mission field. God is so good. And it's so encouraging to hear other people's experiences and challenges and where they've come from to where they are today.
And I never thought I'd be smuggling a dog, let alone a chihuahua into a motel...a Honduran motel with security every corner you look. But we did it!! haha. Aaand then I got to clean up dog throw up from the long and bumpy ride to get all the way here...neat. It's a long story, but I'm bringing him to meet his owner manana as a favor to some good family friends, so it's all worth it! :) Just the idea of smuggling a dog into a motel in the 'murder capital' seems kinda crazy now that I think of it. Wait--that sentence didn't sound good. Not that they murder people who break the rules here at the motel!! Well,...not that I know of..? ;)
Anyways, just wanted to update on how the first part of my journey back home has gone smoothly and that tomorrow morning I'll be heading to the airport!
~Maria
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Final Week Adventures
Crazy to think I am actually leaving. Tomorrow afternoon I will be driving from here to San Pedro and staying overnight in a hotel there. Then, early Thursday morning I'm flying out and making a couple of connection flights, killing time during layovers, and THEN landing in Redmond, OR to be greeted by my familia after 10 weeks of being away from them!!! :) The longest I've ever been away from them, let alone in a different country and away from everyone else I know as well. But a well spent 10 weeks they were. And tomorrow or Thursday I'll write a more sappy, reflective last post about my trip as I'm on my way home and thinking about everything. But this post is a re-cap of this past week and random stuff that I want to share/write down so I don't forget! :)
Another baby.
Last Thursday night I was creeping on facebook as I was waiting for my pictures to load with our reallly slow internet connection, and Dr. John rolls up on his motobike and hollers up the the second story where I was relaxing in a hammock and says "Mariiaa!!!!! I'm about to go catch a baby, you ready?" So, as comfortable and tired as I was--I got up, and asked John "How far along is she?" not wanting to quite get out of the hammock yet. And the classic Juan response "You know Maria, people who bet on babies lose money..." Classic. No matter how many times I've asked him for a rough estimate to know if I should run or walk to the hospital, I always get the same response, and yet I still ask him the question-knowing I won't actually get an answer. So, I get up, throw on my scrubs, put my flip flops back on (Yes, I know it seems disgusting...but we wear sandals in the delivery room. Yep. It's just out of habit here for the doctor's and volunteers. Most of the staff nurses wear tennies. You learn quickly to wash and soak your flip flops when you go back home though before wearing them again...deliveries tend to get kinda messy. But it's just easier than tennis shoes.) So. Then I'm in the delivery room and I realize who it is! She is a lady whom I've helped for the duration of my time here with her prenatal visits and checkups and just the day before (on Weds) afternoon I said "I'm surprised you haven't had your baby yet, what do you think--any day now?" And she said "Yep, any day now!" And then I told her I hope I'm here for the delivery and that her baby hopefully knows when I'm leaving for the States and will plan his/her departure accordingly. :) So there she is. The next day, in the delivery room! It was so great to talk with her and her husband only just a day later and be there for the parto. And amazingly enough, her husband was great! Culturally, the men usually either aren't in the labor room at all or are standing in the corner being totally useless and probably twiddling his thumbs or playing on his phone just waiting for it to be over. And just to paint a better picture for you, the moms are in extreme pain. No epidural. No medicine what so ever. Occasionally some Oxytocin to help with contractions, but as you know that doesn't ease the pain at all, it just helps with the delivery. So the woman is screaming, clenching on to the bed railing or my hand/arm, etc and he just sits there completely unfazed by it all.
Well, that is your normal scene. This man is a Honduran husband I will never forget. He stood right next to her, held her hand, and even admitted to when he felt a little nauseous and asked for something to help him feel better so he didn't have to leave the room and leave her side. As she sat on the edge of the bed, trying to breathe evenly, he rubbed her back gently to calm her. Kissed her on the forehead and attempted to put her hair back in the clip she had styled it with before coming. (Later, I had to re-situate the hair clip because it was quite the epic fail on his part...but it's the thought that counts, right? haha) She was only 2 centimeters dilated. WHAT. All this drama and pain she's going through and she's only got 2 cm's so far? C'man!! Ahem. But, then instead of getting discouraged, (as if I had any control over her only being at 2 cm's at this point..? haha) it gave me and her husband a chance to get creative in how to keep her comfortable but moving along with the labor as to not plateau at only a few centimeters. So, easy stuff first. Let's walk around. So we walked around with her saline drip around the hallways and stopped whenever she had a strong contraction. Then I provided her with as much water as she wanted. Which was a lot. Which led to her needing to use the toilet. Then, although this is common in the States it is a completely foreign concept to the people here, we used a yoga ball to sit on and find a comfortable position and rock back and forth on. Then she was tired so I positioned her in bed and had her change positions frequently to keep the baby moving and making progress. Then, repeat. And repeat. And repeat again. After a few hours of this, (and John oh so casually mentioned that I should keep a close eye on how the contractions are changing because they've actually had 2 babies born in the hallway while the mom was walking around during contractions...) the baby was ready.
So I took her back to the bed and she pushed. Twice. She did two strong, determined pushes and then we had a beautiful, healthy baby girl in the room. Penny (John's wife, who is a labor and delivery nurse) said "Okay Marie, the baby's all yours--get to it!" So I held the screaming baby and cleaned her up under the warm light and prayed to Jesus, thanking Him for a healthy baby girl that started crying right away and had good color and had a perfect apgar score all around with out question. I did all the measurements; length and around the cabeza tambien, weight, temperature, respirations, etc. and after Penny gave her 2 shots I dressed her in an adorable pink outfit. This truly was the most sure and worry-free delivery I had been a part of while being here. Every other delivery I had to stimulate the baby for way too long of a time, so much that there was a lot of tension in the room and we had to choose our words carefully as to not scare the mother and keep her calm as she recovered as well. Double loops of the cord around the head, very pale color, blue complexion that didn't go away as quickly as we'd liked it to, and babies that didn't cry for multiple minutes at a time. And more things as well, but these are the scary moments that come to mind first. And this baby didn't have any of those problems. She actually wouldn't STOP crying for a long time, unlike the others that I had to keep stimulating in order for them to cry for the first crucial 20 minutes of their life in this world.
As I held the baby close to me, I couldn't help but sing quietly to her as I walked with her down the hallway to take her to be with her mother. And she looked up at me, and stopped crying. I always thought she was cute, but now I especially didn't want to let her go!! But, obviously I could only procrastinate so long and I walked down the remainder of the hallway and brought her to her smiling mother and father.
Two things.
First off, this was one of my favorite births to have been a part of. Not only did I have more responsibilities given to me and I was able to be more involved, but I was also able to spend more time with the family through the entire process because I got there so early on, before she was really dilated. I always liked the idea of working with babies, etc but after everything this summer I could definitely see myself working in labor and delivery! :)
And the husband with his wife. Watching him encourage and support her through the entire process with doctor visits up until their new baby was in their arms to finally hold. And the entire time I wasn't related or a family friend or anything to them--I was just a volunteer here for the summer, and although I really didn't even know them all that well, my heart filled with joy and I was so happy when I saw all three of them together for the first time. It's truly an amazing feeling, and to be a part of that process. And when I was walking with the brand new baby girl in my arms, of course the thought of how someday this will be me--getting to see my baby for the first time, hit home yet again.
And on a less sentimental and more funny clinical note...
Pediatrics.
I always thought I was good with kids. I am, really. I'm a nanny back in the States and I babysit all the time too. And I love working with kids! They're so creative and energetic and love to go on adventures. And even when they're cranky, it's okay because I know I was that way when I was little sometimes too. But on Monday there was this kid who was just willing to do what EVER it took to not have his temperature taken. Yes, under his arm. Not even in his mouth, or rectally, but was thrashing and hitting and kicking at both me and his mother because he didn't want the thermometer within 3 feet of him. This lasted for a good 5 minutes straight of me dodging his flailing limbs, being patient and trying to coax him to calm down and let him do it himself first if he wanted to, etc and STILL no success. For his safety and everyone around him, I decided that if the Ped's doctor really needed his temperature to determine the diagnosis, we could try a round #2 later when he calmed down. Luckily, I had the good fortune of not having to take his temperature again.
And then I got bit. Yes, about an hour later a screaming little girl bit me not once, but three times. Full on gnawing on my hand as I was, yet again, trying to take her temperature. What is it with me and bad luck with thermometers and children? So maybe pediatric nursing isn't for me..haha. Not really, but it did allow me to see the not so cute side of kids when they're sick and cranky.
If you only knew how long it took me to write all of this. Wow, do I get easily distracted. And then I start talking with friends as they walk by and then we get into a good conversation and I forget what I was even typing about. Anyways, gracias again for reading my rambling thoughts and I will post again tomorrow or Thursday!
Con Mucho Amor,
Maria
Another baby.
Last Thursday night I was creeping on facebook as I was waiting for my pictures to load with our reallly slow internet connection, and Dr. John rolls up on his motobike and hollers up the the second story where I was relaxing in a hammock and says "Mariiaa!!!!! I'm about to go catch a baby, you ready?" So, as comfortable and tired as I was--I got up, and asked John "How far along is she?" not wanting to quite get out of the hammock yet. And the classic Juan response "You know Maria, people who bet on babies lose money..." Classic. No matter how many times I've asked him for a rough estimate to know if I should run or walk to the hospital, I always get the same response, and yet I still ask him the question-knowing I won't actually get an answer. So, I get up, throw on my scrubs, put my flip flops back on (Yes, I know it seems disgusting...but we wear sandals in the delivery room. Yep. It's just out of habit here for the doctor's and volunteers. Most of the staff nurses wear tennies. You learn quickly to wash and soak your flip flops when you go back home though before wearing them again...deliveries tend to get kinda messy. But it's just easier than tennis shoes.) So. Then I'm in the delivery room and I realize who it is! She is a lady whom I've helped for the duration of my time here with her prenatal visits and checkups and just the day before (on Weds) afternoon I said "I'm surprised you haven't had your baby yet, what do you think--any day now?" And she said "Yep, any day now!" And then I told her I hope I'm here for the delivery and that her baby hopefully knows when I'm leaving for the States and will plan his/her departure accordingly. :) So there she is. The next day, in the delivery room! It was so great to talk with her and her husband only just a day later and be there for the parto. And amazingly enough, her husband was great! Culturally, the men usually either aren't in the labor room at all or are standing in the corner being totally useless and probably twiddling his thumbs or playing on his phone just waiting for it to be over. And just to paint a better picture for you, the moms are in extreme pain. No epidural. No medicine what so ever. Occasionally some Oxytocin to help with contractions, but as you know that doesn't ease the pain at all, it just helps with the delivery. So the woman is screaming, clenching on to the bed railing or my hand/arm, etc and he just sits there completely unfazed by it all.
Well, that is your normal scene. This man is a Honduran husband I will never forget. He stood right next to her, held her hand, and even admitted to when he felt a little nauseous and asked for something to help him feel better so he didn't have to leave the room and leave her side. As she sat on the edge of the bed, trying to breathe evenly, he rubbed her back gently to calm her. Kissed her on the forehead and attempted to put her hair back in the clip she had styled it with before coming. (Later, I had to re-situate the hair clip because it was quite the epic fail on his part...but it's the thought that counts, right? haha) She was only 2 centimeters dilated. WHAT. All this drama and pain she's going through and she's only got 2 cm's so far? C'man!! Ahem. But, then instead of getting discouraged, (as if I had any control over her only being at 2 cm's at this point..? haha) it gave me and her husband a chance to get creative in how to keep her comfortable but moving along with the labor as to not plateau at only a few centimeters. So, easy stuff first. Let's walk around. So we walked around with her saline drip around the hallways and stopped whenever she had a strong contraction. Then I provided her with as much water as she wanted. Which was a lot. Which led to her needing to use the toilet. Then, although this is common in the States it is a completely foreign concept to the people here, we used a yoga ball to sit on and find a comfortable position and rock back and forth on. Then she was tired so I positioned her in bed and had her change positions frequently to keep the baby moving and making progress. Then, repeat. And repeat. And repeat again. After a few hours of this, (and John oh so casually mentioned that I should keep a close eye on how the contractions are changing because they've actually had 2 babies born in the hallway while the mom was walking around during contractions...) the baby was ready.
So I took her back to the bed and she pushed. Twice. She did two strong, determined pushes and then we had a beautiful, healthy baby girl in the room. Penny (John's wife, who is a labor and delivery nurse) said "Okay Marie, the baby's all yours--get to it!" So I held the screaming baby and cleaned her up under the warm light and prayed to Jesus, thanking Him for a healthy baby girl that started crying right away and had good color and had a perfect apgar score all around with out question. I did all the measurements; length and around the cabeza tambien, weight, temperature, respirations, etc. and after Penny gave her 2 shots I dressed her in an adorable pink outfit. This truly was the most sure and worry-free delivery I had been a part of while being here. Every other delivery I had to stimulate the baby for way too long of a time, so much that there was a lot of tension in the room and we had to choose our words carefully as to not scare the mother and keep her calm as she recovered as well. Double loops of the cord around the head, very pale color, blue complexion that didn't go away as quickly as we'd liked it to, and babies that didn't cry for multiple minutes at a time. And more things as well, but these are the scary moments that come to mind first. And this baby didn't have any of those problems. She actually wouldn't STOP crying for a long time, unlike the others that I had to keep stimulating in order for them to cry for the first crucial 20 minutes of their life in this world.
As I held the baby close to me, I couldn't help but sing quietly to her as I walked with her down the hallway to take her to be with her mother. And she looked up at me, and stopped crying. I always thought she was cute, but now I especially didn't want to let her go!! But, obviously I could only procrastinate so long and I walked down the remainder of the hallway and brought her to her smiling mother and father.
Two things.
First off, this was one of my favorite births to have been a part of. Not only did I have more responsibilities given to me and I was able to be more involved, but I was also able to spend more time with the family through the entire process because I got there so early on, before she was really dilated. I always liked the idea of working with babies, etc but after everything this summer I could definitely see myself working in labor and delivery! :)
And the husband with his wife. Watching him encourage and support her through the entire process with doctor visits up until their new baby was in their arms to finally hold. And the entire time I wasn't related or a family friend or anything to them--I was just a volunteer here for the summer, and although I really didn't even know them all that well, my heart filled with joy and I was so happy when I saw all three of them together for the first time. It's truly an amazing feeling, and to be a part of that process. And when I was walking with the brand new baby girl in my arms, of course the thought of how someday this will be me--getting to see my baby for the first time, hit home yet again.
And on a less sentimental and more funny clinical note...
Pediatrics.
I always thought I was good with kids. I am, really. I'm a nanny back in the States and I babysit all the time too. And I love working with kids! They're so creative and energetic and love to go on adventures. And even when they're cranky, it's okay because I know I was that way when I was little sometimes too. But on Monday there was this kid who was just willing to do what EVER it took to not have his temperature taken. Yes, under his arm. Not even in his mouth, or rectally, but was thrashing and hitting and kicking at both me and his mother because he didn't want the thermometer within 3 feet of him. This lasted for a good 5 minutes straight of me dodging his flailing limbs, being patient and trying to coax him to calm down and let him do it himself first if he wanted to, etc and STILL no success. For his safety and everyone around him, I decided that if the Ped's doctor really needed his temperature to determine the diagnosis, we could try a round #2 later when he calmed down. Luckily, I had the good fortune of not having to take his temperature again.
And then I got bit. Yes, about an hour later a screaming little girl bit me not once, but three times. Full on gnawing on my hand as I was, yet again, trying to take her temperature. What is it with me and bad luck with thermometers and children? So maybe pediatric nursing isn't for me..haha. Not really, but it did allow me to see the not so cute side of kids when they're sick and cranky.
If you only knew how long it took me to write all of this. Wow, do I get easily distracted. And then I start talking with friends as they walk by and then we get into a good conversation and I forget what I was even typing about. Anyways, gracias again for reading my rambling thoughts and I will post again tomorrow or Thursday!
Con Mucho Amor,
Maria
Monday, August 20, 2012
SHARK!!! And other adventures this weekend.
Looking back on all that I've posted during my time here, there is so much more that has happened and that I want to share. But not enough time to write it all down, let alone explain it well enough for people to understand without actually being here. I feel like I've forgotten to write major things that have happened but I just can't think of them. So I'm sure the memories will resurface when I'm back in the States and I'll fill in the gaps on the blog then. I return back to the States in 10 days. TEN DAYS. This is absolutely craziness. How has this summer gone by so quickly!?!?! Really. It's not okay. I feel like I just got here a week ago, yet I feel so at home here that I feel like I've been here forever. It's a weird feeling that I can't explain, and it makes my heartsick to think of leaving Honduras and all that it means to me, but I know it will be good to see friends and family back in Oregon again as well. Okay, there's my little rant about leaving. Now onto the main story of this post...
SHARK.
Yesterday I got back from spending the weekend in Roatan, an island off the coast of Honduras. I didn't think I'd have the opportunity to go there since it's expensive to pay for the ferry, hotel, meals, etc but my friend Adrian who is also working here, doing occupational therapy and helping with construction, his grandpa and grandma have a vacation home on the island with a private beach and everything and they just so happened to be there this month so they invited us out to stay with them. Talk about an incredible blessing!!
Friday morning, before we left the hospital area I picked up some prescription drops for my ear because one of the doctor's said I might have an ear infection. And it definitely felt like it!! Then we caught a ride to La Ceiba and then had a sketchy lunch including questionable cow parts in this interesting soup (the person serving it didn't even recognize what was in it..), walked around the markets there, and then took a taxi to the dock. The Ferry ride is only a little over an hour long, but it just so happened to be really choppy water that afternoon and guess who was throwing up for the last 45 minutes of the ride? Yep, me. Suuuuuper fun. Especially since I was in the front row, in view of everyone else on the ferry..haha. But, what can you do, right? Literally no one else got sick the entire trip, just me. And I think part of it had to do with my ear aching and feeling weird; it threw off my equilibrium, etc and the lunch probably didn't help either. Aaaanyways, we got there safely and then met his grandparents, I threw up again after having known them for a total of maybe 2 minutes, and then went to their house.
The view from the top of the upper deck from their home is absolutely breath taking. And the stars at night don't even seem real. There are twice as many as I can see back in Bend, and the ocean is right below you with the waves crashing in and the rhythm of the sea makes you so relaxed and peaceful. The view from the upper deck is the photo below:
Saturday was full of lots and lots and lots of swimming. I'm pretty sure we went snorkeling three different times on Saturday alone. Haha. There's a shipwreck towards the end of the Key where it meets the open ocean and we went and explored the shipwreck along with all the coral reef and fish there. The reef is the 2nd biggest reef, second to the Great Barrier Reef that is. In.Cred.Ib.Le.
Then, we took a kayak out and kayaked out of the Key and into the open ocean, toward the other end of the coast. The water is so incredibly blue that it's as if someone took dark blue food coloring and filled the ocean with it. Paddling over the coral reef we were just swimming through, and then looking as we cross 'the drop off' and suddenly you can't see for miles and miles and miles below you. When we got back we were talking with his grandma about where we had gone, etc and she interrupts us and says, "Wait, you went Right not Left when you reached the open ocean..?" Yes. Then, she proceeds to tell us that the end of the island where we were kayaking is known for shark activity and everyone is advised not to go there unless you're professionally trained, etc while the other end isn't and that we went to the wrong side.
We were unintentionally kayaking through shark infested waters for a few hours. Praise Jesus we didn't encounter a shark!!!!! The picture above is from our kayak. Unedited, pure blue, paradise. Possibly with sharks below us/near by, of course. We also went hiking around the island and discovering other secret beach areas that aren't tourist-infested and ended up getting eaten alive by mosquitoes. We talked to some locals and they said the end of August is the worst time during the entire year for mosquitoes and that it literally started the day we got there...hahaha we WOULD have that timing! I literally have never even seen anyone have this many mosquito bites! Testing my self control for sure; not itching and scratching another bite every second of the day. Here is another inlet we discovered and literally ran through the jungle to reach because there was a swarm, yes like something out of a cartoon type of swarm, of mosquitoes attacking us.
Pictures to the right are from where we ended our hike.
And of course, we went back and did some more snorkeling to cool off in the middle of the day. :)
We went out to dinner and then walked along the beach in the more busy, city-like side of the island and watched the waves roll in and out while relaxing underneath the star filled sky.
Sunday morning was breakfast on the beach and then more snorkeling!! And luckily my stupid ear problem wasn't holding me back from always being in the water, just taking care of it and not diving down too deep where it puts a lot of pressure on it--learned that one the hard way! Hah. I definitely spent more time in my swimsuit than in normal clothes this weekend; we were always in the water or on the beach! This reef was on the other side of the island and so it was different than the area we were used to from Saturday, at Adrian's grandparent's home. So we swam way out and even swam out to 'the drop off', which we had only kayaked over the day before on the other side of the island. Swimming over the drop off is the most freaky, indescribable feeling I have ever experienced. It feels like you're falling and have no control over it, even though you're floating and you're perfectly fine. It's just like it is in Finding Nemo too! Haha The reef is all pretty and full of different fish and shells, etc and then all of a sudden it ends and it is deep deep DEEP blue ocean for miles and miles and there's no telling what's even five feet in front of you because the bottom is so dark that the perspective with the sunlight is really trippy. Definitely freaked out for a moment and took me a while to swim out past it and look back at the coral reef from the open ocean. There were two gray colored fish as big as my forearm that followed us around and swam behind us for about 45 minutes or so. And then there was a school of fish that all congregated around us and went where we went--like we were part of the school too! Haha. Such a surreal feeling to look down and see all these colorful fish swimming around you, more like you're swimming through them since there are so many of them, yet they never actually touch you. Apparently there was a jelly fish that joined the party at one point and Adrian was trying to get my attention to warn me not to move to a certain side because then I'd touch it, but I didn't hear him and luckily I never did move that way anyways. I learned about my stalker jellyfish after we were back on the beach...This is why we never swim alone, right?? Life lessons to live by. Oh! and Adrian found a beautiful conch shell while snorkeling, but unfortunately the animal was still living in it, so we had to put it back.
Then it was time to go pack and take more photos and then head out on the ferry again! Time went by so quickly on Roatan this weekend, but I enjoyed every moment we were there. Adrian and his grandparents were so hospitable and welcoming and every where we went was absolutely breathtaking, the photos actually turned out really great (especially considering they're from my little Kodak camera) but even then photos will never truly be able to capture the beauty there.
And good news! I didn't get sick on the ferry ride back :) I took a pill to help me not feel sick and thankfully the water wasn't choppy either so I actually was asleep for most of the ride. But Adrian and I couldn't find seats next to each other, and poor Adrian had an infatuated teenage couple sitting right in front of him, making out the entire time...one of the few times I am thankful to not find a seat next to the person I'm traveling with! Haha.
And so now, I'm back in Balfate and working at the hospital and helping in surrounding communities with other missionaries that live here full time for the next 9 days.
I fly out the 30th of August, just in time for my friend Aubrey's wedding on September 1st! And I can't wait to be greeted by my grandparents from Colorado when I arrive in Bend as well. As difficult as it's going to be to leave here, God has taught me a lot this summer and I know He's only got more plans and experiences waiting for me back in the States with different lessons, people, and culture. Y por eso, I'm excited for what the future holds.
Thank you again for reading, and for praying for my safety and health! I have especially been blessed with safety as of late with sketchy taxi rides and lots of traveling and walking around unfamiliar cities, etc.
En Dios,
Maria
SHARK.
Yesterday I got back from spending the weekend in Roatan, an island off the coast of Honduras. I didn't think I'd have the opportunity to go there since it's expensive to pay for the ferry, hotel, meals, etc but my friend Adrian who is also working here, doing occupational therapy and helping with construction, his grandpa and grandma have a vacation home on the island with a private beach and everything and they just so happened to be there this month so they invited us out to stay with them. Talk about an incredible blessing!!
Friday morning, before we left the hospital area I picked up some prescription drops for my ear because one of the doctor's said I might have an ear infection. And it definitely felt like it!! Then we caught a ride to La Ceiba and then had a sketchy lunch including questionable cow parts in this interesting soup (the person serving it didn't even recognize what was in it..), walked around the markets there, and then took a taxi to the dock. The Ferry ride is only a little over an hour long, but it just so happened to be really choppy water that afternoon and guess who was throwing up for the last 45 minutes of the ride? Yep, me. Suuuuuper fun. Especially since I was in the front row, in view of everyone else on the ferry..haha. But, what can you do, right? Literally no one else got sick the entire trip, just me. And I think part of it had to do with my ear aching and feeling weird; it threw off my equilibrium, etc and the lunch probably didn't help either. Aaaanyways, we got there safely and then met his grandparents, I threw up again after having known them for a total of maybe 2 minutes, and then went to their house.
The view from the top of the upper deck from their home is absolutely breath taking. And the stars at night don't even seem real. There are twice as many as I can see back in Bend, and the ocean is right below you with the waves crashing in and the rhythm of the sea makes you so relaxed and peaceful. The view from the upper deck is the photo below:
Then, we took a kayak out and kayaked out of the Key and into the open ocean, toward the other end of the coast. The water is so incredibly blue that it's as if someone took dark blue food coloring and filled the ocean with it. Paddling over the coral reef we were just swimming through, and then looking as we cross 'the drop off' and suddenly you can't see for miles and miles and miles below you. When we got back we were talking with his grandma about where we had gone, etc and she interrupts us and says, "Wait, you went Right not Left when you reached the open ocean..?" Yes. Then, she proceeds to tell us that the end of the island where we were kayaking is known for shark activity and everyone is advised not to go there unless you're professionally trained, etc while the other end isn't and that we went to the wrong side.
 |
| I am continuously amazed by my Costco Kodak camera!!! haha seriously. This is the true, blue colors. *NOTedited* |
And of course, we went back and did some more snorkeling to cool off in the middle of the day. :)
We went out to dinner and then walked along the beach in the more busy, city-like side of the island and watched the waves roll in and out while relaxing underneath the star filled sky.
Sunday morning was breakfast on the beach and then more snorkeling!! And luckily my stupid ear problem wasn't holding me back from always being in the water, just taking care of it and not diving down too deep where it puts a lot of pressure on it--learned that one the hard way! Hah. I definitely spent more time in my swimsuit than in normal clothes this weekend; we were always in the water or on the beach! This reef was on the other side of the island and so it was different than the area we were used to from Saturday, at Adrian's grandparent's home. So we swam way out and even swam out to 'the drop off', which we had only kayaked over the day before on the other side of the island. Swimming over the drop off is the most freaky, indescribable feeling I have ever experienced. It feels like you're falling and have no control over it, even though you're floating and you're perfectly fine. It's just like it is in Finding Nemo too! Haha The reef is all pretty and full of different fish and shells, etc and then all of a sudden it ends and it is deep deep DEEP blue ocean for miles and miles and there's no telling what's even five feet in front of you because the bottom is so dark that the perspective with the sunlight is really trippy. Definitely freaked out for a moment and took me a while to swim out past it and look back at the coral reef from the open ocean. There were two gray colored fish as big as my forearm that followed us around and swam behind us for about 45 minutes or so. And then there was a school of fish that all congregated around us and went where we went--like we were part of the school too! Haha. Such a surreal feeling to look down and see all these colorful fish swimming around you, more like you're swimming through them since there are so many of them, yet they never actually touch you. Apparently there was a jelly fish that joined the party at one point and Adrian was trying to get my attention to warn me not to move to a certain side because then I'd touch it, but I didn't hear him and luckily I never did move that way anyways. I learned about my stalker jellyfish after we were back on the beach...This is why we never swim alone, right?? Life lessons to live by. Oh! and Adrian found a beautiful conch shell while snorkeling, but unfortunately the animal was still living in it, so we had to put it back.
Then it was time to go pack and take more photos and then head out on the ferry again! Time went by so quickly on Roatan this weekend, but I enjoyed every moment we were there. Adrian and his grandparents were so hospitable and welcoming and every where we went was absolutely breathtaking, the photos actually turned out really great (especially considering they're from my little Kodak camera) but even then photos will never truly be able to capture the beauty there.
And good news! I didn't get sick on the ferry ride back :) I took a pill to help me not feel sick and thankfully the water wasn't choppy either so I actually was asleep for most of the ride. But Adrian and I couldn't find seats next to each other, and poor Adrian had an infatuated teenage couple sitting right in front of him, making out the entire time...one of the few times I am thankful to not find a seat next to the person I'm traveling with! Haha.
And so now, I'm back in Balfate and working at the hospital and helping in surrounding communities with other missionaries that live here full time for the next 9 days.
I fly out the 30th of August, just in time for my friend Aubrey's wedding on September 1st! And I can't wait to be greeted by my grandparents from Colorado when I arrive in Bend as well. As difficult as it's going to be to leave here, God has taught me a lot this summer and I know He's only got more plans and experiences waiting for me back in the States with different lessons, people, and culture. Y por eso, I'm excited for what the future holds.
Thank you again for reading, and for praying for my safety and health! I have especially been blessed with safety as of late with sketchy taxi rides and lots of traveling and walking around unfamiliar cities, etc.
En Dios,
Maria
Monday, August 6, 2012
Witches and Babies
****UPDATED AS OF AUGUST 9th, 2012**** with corrections regarding the witch doctors.
Anything in BOLD lettering is new, verified knowledge. I apologize for having to correct some of what I wrote in this post originally, but after talking with more sources I realized all that I had been told was not 100% accurate and I now feel confident that I have a much better and true understanding about the culture and beliefs of the witch doctors aka 'brujas'.
The color red. One of my favorite colors, actually. I have bright red scrubs that I wear here :) People say the color red represents passion, power, energy, danger, strength, desire, and love. But here, the color red has a much powerful supernatural meaning. What I write about in this post is what I have learned here, in the Balfate area of the North coast of Honduras, and I am not sure if this applies to other areas of the country or not.
Superstition and witches. There are two types of witches here: bruja negras y bruja blancas. Yep, black witches and white witches. Black=curses and harm to another person while white=divination, healing, etc. But brujas themselves do not make this distinction; I mean really, who would call themselves an evil witch? They refer to themselves as bruja blancas, but depending on the people's perception/experience with her, people in the area might refer to her as either blanca or negra. A "partera" is a midwife, and bruja blancas are midwifes because they also deliver babies and deal with general health related things as well, so they may also refer to themselves as 'partera' instead of bruja as well.
Many people here believe in evil spirits and curses being the reason for certain health problems. Because of this, there are many superstitious beliefs regarding pregnancy. The one I have the most knowledge of and have dealt with the most with many patients is referred to as "amarrar los meses" which translates to "tying up the months". This is how it works. If a woman is married to (or committed and might as well be married to) a really great man who has a job, great morals, handsome, and is just all around someone that most women here would want to marry, sometimes single/unmarried women can become jealous of the man's wife. Then the wife become's pregnant. This is the jealous woman's perfect opportunity! If the woman truly is jealous and has no regard for the wife's well being, she will go to a bruja and tell her about this other woman who has the great husband she wants for herself. She pays the witch and tells her the woman's expected due date for the baby so the witch can "amarrar los meses" right before labor. "Tying up the months" is when the umbilical cord wraps around the baby's neck and what the witch and the woman are hoping for is that the baby dies during child birth and hopefully the mother dies too. I know it sounds totally crazy, but many women do believe this happens and that this is the reason behind complications during childbirth. If both the baby and mother die, now the husband is back on the market and eligible for marriage--and the jealous woman will do everything she can to win him over for herself. If just the baby dies, she hopes that the death of the baby causes marital problems or at least creates instability in the relationship so there is a chance of her winning him over even though the wife didn't die.
So back to the color red. In the culture of the North coast of Honduras (I'm not sure about other places), red signifies protection, safety, and has come to bee seen as overall good fortune. Although I should mention not everyone reads into it that much. A red shirt can just be a red shirt that some one likes, not because they think it has special meaning to it. But for pregnant women the color red is very important; it protects her from evil spirits. When a woman who believes in these curses and the power of las brujas becomes pregnant, the first thing she makes sure to do is to not tell anyone her actual due date for the baby. If the jealous woman or the witch caught wind of the due date they would then successfully be able to tie up the months, but if they don't know the real date they will be less successful with this. Another thing the pregnant woman does is wear the color red: red panties, socks, shirt, leggings, jewlery, hair accessory; anything. She will also tie a small red ribbon around her waist (underneath her clothes though, so it's not showing) and put a safety pin on the inside of the seam of her pants or skirt. The purpose of the ribbon is it's wrapping around the baby and keeping it safe from evil spirits because if it tries to attack through the belly it becomes confused by the power of the red ribbon and the thought is that it will circle around and around and never actually reach the mother and baby but continuously running around the belly on the ribbon. This is also the purpose for wearing red panties or leggings because it is covering where the evil spirit could possibly enter and harm the child. And the safety pin will snag the spirit and catch it.
In the home, spirits can only enter through windows; not doors and not chimneys (if they have one) either. To protect the household from them, the mother will put safety pins on the corners of the curtains but make sure they are concealed and not visible. The ribbon, safety pin on her pants, and the safety pins on the curtains are all things not to be seen by anyone. They all will catch or snag the spirits, but if someone is aware that they've been placed there for protection, it defeats the purpose of catching the spirit by surprise and actually has the opposite effect of announcing that you're a) pregnant, if people weren't already aware b) believe in the power of the brujas and the evil spirits, and c) if the witch or spirits see these they will try to come up with a sneakier plan of attack since you've clearly used all the usual means of protection for you and your child.
Witches are normal people. They don't dress or talk differently. In fact, I met one this afternoon and talked with her and parted with a hug and kiss on the cheek goodbye. And she refers to herself as a partera (midwife) or a bruja blanca. She does not call herself a bruja negra, but if someone comes to her and offers her enough money she will tie up the months, etc which some people would consider bad and then refer to her as a bruja negra, not blanca. But if someone came to her for something seen by others as 'good' then they would refer to her as a bruja negra. It all depends on your perspective and your previous experience and therefore bias of the bruja. There's no sign outside of the brujas doors that says "witch doctor lives here, please talk with the receptionist for an appointment"; it's just common knowledge in the community of who has these powers/encounters with spirits (whether 'good' or 'bad') and everyone knows where they live anyways because everyone knows everyone in these communities, and is possibly related to her as well.
After childbirth. Although red is worn underneath clothing for protection, like I said it is also worn outside as well. When a baby is still considered a newborn, the mother will always put a red bracelet on it and will choose whether or not to dress it in a red hat, socks (very common), blanket, etc. After giving birth (more commonly referred to as "dar la luz" which means "to give a light"--to bring light into the world. They really do value and think of childbirth as something very special and beautiful here in comparison with other places), the mother will usually put a cotton ball in each of her ears; this protects her from evil spirits entering through her ears while her body is still recovering from the work and possible damage to her body from recently having a child.
So after learning and experiencing all of this with prenatal care for some patients, I'm all worried they're going to think I'm pregnant when I wear my set of red scrubs. Haha. But I've gathered that most people know I'm a gringa and assume I am unaware of the cultural beliefs associated with this color and that I probably am not purposefully wearing red all over for protection, and most of them know I am single. Although even if someone is single it is very likely she will still take all these precautions because it has become so custom here and it's the idea of "better safe than sorry" because you never know who has something against you. Anyways, I do think there's only been one woman who did think I was pregnant, the way she spoke to me and interacted with me when I just so happened to be wearing red scrubs that day.
Wow. I feel like I just wrote a novel there. Lo siento! And if you actually got this far in reading it, nice job! That's impressive. If I think of any other details I forgot I'll add those to my next post, but if there's ever any questions or obvious points that I didn't address that you're curious about just leave me a comment and I'll answer it :)
Once again, thank you for reading and I will be blogging a lot this week because I have a lot of new things to write about, so I'll try to find time to write it all down before I forget.
Que Dios le bendiga,
Maria
Anything in BOLD lettering is new, verified knowledge. I apologize for having to correct some of what I wrote in this post originally, but after talking with more sources I realized all that I had been told was not 100% accurate and I now feel confident that I have a much better and true understanding about the culture and beliefs of the witch doctors aka 'brujas'.
The color red. One of my favorite colors, actually. I have bright red scrubs that I wear here :) People say the color red represents passion, power, energy, danger, strength, desire, and love. But here, the color red has a much powerful supernatural meaning. What I write about in this post is what I have learned here, in the Balfate area of the North coast of Honduras, and I am not sure if this applies to other areas of the country or not.
Superstition and witches. There are two types of witches here: bruja negras y bruja blancas. Yep, black witches and white witches. Black=curses and harm to another person while white=divination, healing, etc. But brujas themselves do not make this distinction; I mean really, who would call themselves an evil witch? They refer to themselves as bruja blancas, but depending on the people's perception/experience with her, people in the area might refer to her as either blanca or negra. A "partera" is a midwife, and bruja blancas are midwifes because they also deliver babies and deal with general health related things as well, so they may also refer to themselves as 'partera' instead of bruja as well.
Many people here believe in evil spirits and curses being the reason for certain health problems. Because of this, there are many superstitious beliefs regarding pregnancy. The one I have the most knowledge of and have dealt with the most with many patients is referred to as "amarrar los meses" which translates to "tying up the months". This is how it works. If a woman is married to (or committed and might as well be married to) a really great man who has a job, great morals, handsome, and is just all around someone that most women here would want to marry, sometimes single/unmarried women can become jealous of the man's wife. Then the wife become's pregnant. This is the jealous woman's perfect opportunity! If the woman truly is jealous and has no regard for the wife's well being, she will go to a bruja and tell her about this other woman who has the great husband she wants for herself. She pays the witch and tells her the woman's expected due date for the baby so the witch can "amarrar los meses" right before labor. "Tying up the months" is when the umbilical cord wraps around the baby's neck and what the witch and the woman are hoping for is that the baby dies during child birth and hopefully the mother dies too. I know it sounds totally crazy, but many women do believe this happens and that this is the reason behind complications during childbirth. If both the baby and mother die, now the husband is back on the market and eligible for marriage--and the jealous woman will do everything she can to win him over for herself. If just the baby dies, she hopes that the death of the baby causes marital problems or at least creates instability in the relationship so there is a chance of her winning him over even though the wife didn't die.
So back to the color red. In the culture of the North coast of Honduras (I'm not sure about other places), red signifies protection, safety, and has come to bee seen as overall good fortune. Although I should mention not everyone reads into it that much. A red shirt can just be a red shirt that some one likes, not because they think it has special meaning to it. But for pregnant women the color red is very important; it protects her from evil spirits. When a woman who believes in these curses and the power of las brujas becomes pregnant, the first thing she makes sure to do is to not tell anyone her actual due date for the baby. If the jealous woman or the witch caught wind of the due date they would then successfully be able to tie up the months, but if they don't know the real date they will be less successful with this. Another thing the pregnant woman does is wear the color red: red panties, socks, shirt, leggings, jewlery, hair accessory; anything. She will also tie a small red ribbon around her waist (underneath her clothes though, so it's not showing) and put a safety pin on the inside of the seam of her pants or skirt. The purpose of the ribbon is it's wrapping around the baby and keeping it safe from evil spirits because if it tries to attack through the belly it becomes confused by the power of the red ribbon and the thought is that it will circle around and around and never actually reach the mother and baby but continuously running around the belly on the ribbon. This is also the purpose for wearing red panties or leggings because it is covering where the evil spirit could possibly enter and harm the child. And the safety pin will snag the spirit and catch it.
In the home, spirits can only enter through windows; not doors and not chimneys (if they have one) either. To protect the household from them, the mother will put safety pins on the corners of the curtains but make sure they are concealed and not visible. The ribbon, safety pin on her pants, and the safety pins on the curtains are all things not to be seen by anyone. They all will catch or snag the spirits, but if someone is aware that they've been placed there for protection, it defeats the purpose of catching the spirit by surprise and actually has the opposite effect of announcing that you're a) pregnant, if people weren't already aware b) believe in the power of the brujas and the evil spirits, and c) if the witch or spirits see these they will try to come up with a sneakier plan of attack since you've clearly used all the usual means of protection for you and your child.
Witches are normal people. They don't dress or talk differently. In fact, I met one this afternoon and talked with her and parted with a hug and kiss on the cheek goodbye. And she refers to herself as a partera (midwife) or a bruja blanca. She does not call herself a bruja negra, but if someone comes to her and offers her enough money she will tie up the months, etc which some people would consider bad and then refer to her as a bruja negra, not blanca. But if someone came to her for something seen by others as 'good' then they would refer to her as a bruja negra. It all depends on your perspective and your previous experience and therefore bias of the bruja. There's no sign outside of the brujas doors that says "witch doctor lives here, please talk with the receptionist for an appointment"; it's just common knowledge in the community of who has these powers/encounters with spirits (whether 'good' or 'bad') and everyone knows where they live anyways because everyone knows everyone in these communities, and is possibly related to her as well.
After childbirth. Although red is worn underneath clothing for protection, like I said it is also worn outside as well. When a baby is still considered a newborn, the mother will always put a red bracelet on it and will choose whether or not to dress it in a red hat, socks (very common), blanket, etc. After giving birth (more commonly referred to as "dar la luz" which means "to give a light"--to bring light into the world. They really do value and think of childbirth as something very special and beautiful here in comparison with other places), the mother will usually put a cotton ball in each of her ears; this protects her from evil spirits entering through her ears while her body is still recovering from the work and possible damage to her body from recently having a child.
So after learning and experiencing all of this with prenatal care for some patients, I'm all worried they're going to think I'm pregnant when I wear my set of red scrubs. Haha. But I've gathered that most people know I'm a gringa and assume I am unaware of the cultural beliefs associated with this color and that I probably am not purposefully wearing red all over for protection, and most of them know I am single. Although even if someone is single it is very likely she will still take all these precautions because it has become so custom here and it's the idea of "better safe than sorry" because you never know who has something against you. Anyways, I do think there's only been one woman who did think I was pregnant, the way she spoke to me and interacted with me when I just so happened to be wearing red scrubs that day.
Wow. I feel like I just wrote a novel there. Lo siento! And if you actually got this far in reading it, nice job! That's impressive. If I think of any other details I forgot I'll add those to my next post, but if there's ever any questions or obvious points that I didn't address that you're curious about just leave me a comment and I'll answer it :)
Once again, thank you for reading and I will be blogging a lot this week because I have a lot of new things to write about, so I'll try to find time to write it all down before I forget.
Que Dios le bendiga,
Maria
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Caribbean Cool Aide
83 teaspoons of Water
4/13 a hand full of Sugar
9 Small limes from the tree up the hill
5 1/6 Small oranges we found on the ground that were mostly green by the beach
7 sneezes worth of Vanilla concentrate
1/2 of a gecko worth of Cinnamon (Do not add actual gecko.)
Cocineras: Judith, Maria, and Anna
4/13 a hand full of Sugar
9 Small limes from the tree up the hill
5 1/6 Small oranges we found on the ground that were mostly green by the beach
7 sneezes worth of Vanilla concentrate
1/2 of a gecko worth of Cinnamon (Do not add actual gecko.)
Cocineras: Judith, Maria, and Anna
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Pregnant and Breastfeeding.
Today I'm going to write about pregnancy in villages of Northern and Western Honduras. Next blog post I'll write about how witchcraft and superstition have a huge role in pregnancy, but first the basics of cultural norms and ideas to later understand the more complicated things. Know that everything I write here does NOT apply to all areas of Honduras. Communities and regions vary and this is simply a compilation of everything that I found very interesting/unusual from different areas all grouped together in one place.
Women tend to get pregnant very young here. It is not uncommon to see a 14 year old girl pregnant with her first child, or a woman in her early 20's who is pregnant with her third or fourth child. Marriage is kind of a funny thing here too. Many people get pregnant out of wed lock, yes, but even if a couple has been together for over 20 years, live together, have children, etc they may never get married. There's just not a big emphasis on getting 'officially' married in certain communities, and for a man it is easily dismissed if he has fathered children from different women, and he still goes back to his wife, or 'committed' life partner, because he is the man and he is macho. The machismo mentality is very extreme here, and gender roles are rigid. The locals are always surprised when they find out I'm almost 20 years old and a) I don't have any children yet and b) I'm single/not married.
Feelings and cultural attitudes from women here about being pregnant vary within the emotions of embarrassment, sadness, shame, fear, anxiety, excitement, joy, happiness, and pride. Although it is "accepted" to be pregnant at a young age or as a single woman, 'accepted' is not exactly the correct word. Yes, it happens often but it happens to these women and they do not go without paying an emotional and social price for it. There is always the obvious point of everyone realizing she was with a man whom she was not committed to/married to and the judgement that comes along with that, and also the loss of many freedoms/dreams she may have had for herself to do better than her parents or siblings and to move further from poverty. With a baby, she is now taking steps backward instead of forward. Interestingly enough, no matter the situation she is in with her life and now being pregnant, almost always without fail, there's a light that turns on so now she is joyful despite everything else, if she was not trying to become pregnant when she found out. Yes, there still may be some fear and anxiety--but just like the men thrive off of the machismo idea, the women have one thing the man cannot do: have a baby. Obviously, the men have a role in making this possible, but actually a lot of women don't even consider them important for this and refer to it as MY baby, not 'our' baby, and they make this distinction very very clear. Fertility is key. They take an incredible amount of pride in their fertility, and often times a woman is more likely to be married after she's already had a healthy child because now she is a desirable potential wife, because the men know she is fertile and will have healthy children.
Childbirth. Families are becoming more comfortable with the idea of having their babies delivered in the hospital and it's becoming more common. A rough estimate would be...about half of lower class women have babies at home still. It's expensive (well, about $130 American currency--which is a LOT for a Honduran family to save up) to have their baby at Hospital Loma de Luz.
Miscarriages. Unfortunately, they are very very common. I know one woman who has 3 children and has had 12 miscarriages over her lifetime thus far. It truly is heartbreaking, but for them it has become just a part of life they deal with. Many factors play into this: malnutrition/imbalanced diet, lack of folic acid, infections, insufficient prenatal care in general, and HIV/AIDS are all major contributors to this. Twelve miscarriages is pretty extreme, yes, but having at least one miscarriage during a woman's life is fairly common.
Breast feeding. Breastfeeding is a completely different thing here than in the States. First off, legs are considered to have more sex appeal than breasts, so short skirts/shorts are considered scandalous and a tight low-cut shirt is not. The reason for this is breasts are seen more as a necessary food source in taking care of infants than anything else. For example, if I'm trying to take the temperature of an infant in the waiting room and he/she won't stop crying, usually the mother will just pull half of her shirt (or down, if it was already fairly low-cut) and breastfeed the baby so it won't cry and move while I'm taking its vital signs. No blankie to cover up, and no second thought to the fact there are people walking by, and she's also sitting next to people she's never met. In fact, if a non-Honduran woman living here breastfeeds her baby in public and uses a blankie or something to maintain modesty people will make fun of her or think she's weird because they see that as a sign of being ashamed of her body and not having pride in her fertility. A fellow missionary here told me a story of how he went to a Honduran wedding a few years ago and the bride had a newborn baby that was only a few months old and it wouldn't stop crying during the ceremony so someone brought it up to her in the middle of the ceremony and she started breastfeeding it to make it stop crying. Yes, breastfeeding your child during your wedding ceremony. I think this case is a little extreme, but apparently it happens! Haha.
Alright, that's all I have time to write about for now, but I can't wait to write about some of the freaky witchcraft and superstitious beliefs that have a huge influence on pregnancy and childbirth here. Gracias for reading and thank you for your prayers!
Que Dios le bendiga,
Maria
Women tend to get pregnant very young here. It is not uncommon to see a 14 year old girl pregnant with her first child, or a woman in her early 20's who is pregnant with her third or fourth child. Marriage is kind of a funny thing here too. Many people get pregnant out of wed lock, yes, but even if a couple has been together for over 20 years, live together, have children, etc they may never get married. There's just not a big emphasis on getting 'officially' married in certain communities, and for a man it is easily dismissed if he has fathered children from different women, and he still goes back to his wife, or 'committed' life partner, because he is the man and he is macho. The machismo mentality is very extreme here, and gender roles are rigid. The locals are always surprised when they find out I'm almost 20 years old and a) I don't have any children yet and b) I'm single/not married.
Feelings and cultural attitudes from women here about being pregnant vary within the emotions of embarrassment, sadness, shame, fear, anxiety, excitement, joy, happiness, and pride. Although it is "accepted" to be pregnant at a young age or as a single woman, 'accepted' is not exactly the correct word. Yes, it happens often but it happens to these women and they do not go without paying an emotional and social price for it. There is always the obvious point of everyone realizing she was with a man whom she was not committed to/married to and the judgement that comes along with that, and also the loss of many freedoms/dreams she may have had for herself to do better than her parents or siblings and to move further from poverty. With a baby, she is now taking steps backward instead of forward. Interestingly enough, no matter the situation she is in with her life and now being pregnant, almost always without fail, there's a light that turns on so now she is joyful despite everything else, if she was not trying to become pregnant when she found out. Yes, there still may be some fear and anxiety--but just like the men thrive off of the machismo idea, the women have one thing the man cannot do: have a baby. Obviously, the men have a role in making this possible, but actually a lot of women don't even consider them important for this and refer to it as MY baby, not 'our' baby, and they make this distinction very very clear. Fertility is key. They take an incredible amount of pride in their fertility, and often times a woman is more likely to be married after she's already had a healthy child because now she is a desirable potential wife, because the men know she is fertile and will have healthy children.
Childbirth. Families are becoming more comfortable with the idea of having their babies delivered in the hospital and it's becoming more common. A rough estimate would be...about half of lower class women have babies at home still. It's expensive (well, about $130 American currency--which is a LOT for a Honduran family to save up) to have their baby at Hospital Loma de Luz.
Miscarriages. Unfortunately, they are very very common. I know one woman who has 3 children and has had 12 miscarriages over her lifetime thus far. It truly is heartbreaking, but for them it has become just a part of life they deal with. Many factors play into this: malnutrition/imbalanced diet, lack of folic acid, infections, insufficient prenatal care in general, and HIV/AIDS are all major contributors to this. Twelve miscarriages is pretty extreme, yes, but having at least one miscarriage during a woman's life is fairly common.
Breast feeding. Breastfeeding is a completely different thing here than in the States. First off, legs are considered to have more sex appeal than breasts, so short skirts/shorts are considered scandalous and a tight low-cut shirt is not. The reason for this is breasts are seen more as a necessary food source in taking care of infants than anything else. For example, if I'm trying to take the temperature of an infant in the waiting room and he/she won't stop crying, usually the mother will just pull half of her shirt (or down, if it was already fairly low-cut) and breastfeed the baby so it won't cry and move while I'm taking its vital signs. No blankie to cover up, and no second thought to the fact there are people walking by, and she's also sitting next to people she's never met. In fact, if a non-Honduran woman living here breastfeeds her baby in public and uses a blankie or something to maintain modesty people will make fun of her or think she's weird because they see that as a sign of being ashamed of her body and not having pride in her fertility. A fellow missionary here told me a story of how he went to a Honduran wedding a few years ago and the bride had a newborn baby that was only a few months old and it wouldn't stop crying during the ceremony so someone brought it up to her in the middle of the ceremony and she started breastfeeding it to make it stop crying. Yes, breastfeeding your child during your wedding ceremony. I think this case is a little extreme, but apparently it happens! Haha.
Alright, that's all I have time to write about for now, but I can't wait to write about some of the freaky witchcraft and superstitious beliefs that have a huge influence on pregnancy and childbirth here. Gracias for reading and thank you for your prayers!
Que Dios le bendiga,
Maria
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Babies, Boa Constrictors, and New Friends
A while ago I got called in to the hospital at night to help deliver a baby! It wasn't this week, but I realized I never blogged about it. Anyways, it was a great experience and the first time I had seen a baby delivered. It was a smooth delivery that only lasted a little over 2 hours. The woman didn't want (and didn't need) any type of anesthesia or pain meds and powered through--screaming and determined to have her baby. It was incredible to see how high of a tolerance for pain Honduran women have. This is only one example of many cases where I think "Wow, if that was me, I would've gone to the doctor yesterday if my shoulder was dislocated." Or the fact that taking something for the pain or swelling of any type of problem usually doesn't even cross their minds. They just deal with it and receive help once they have transportation to the hospital or a clinic nearby. But about the baby delivery: I helped with the clean up process, taking the baby's vital signs and recording his APGAR scores. And he scored a 9!! Woo hoo! :)
I had the surprise of not only a tarantula in my kitchen sink a few weeks ago, but last week I also was visited by a boa constrictor eating a chicken in my front yard. Literally eating. As in, I went out there because someone ran up to my front door telling me I had to come outside right now, and walked out there to find it all curled up, nearly blending in with the grass and other plants around it, with the lower half of a now dead chicken hanging out of it's mouth that was clamped around it and the snake's upper half of it's body was contracting in waves to slowly digest the gallina. Once I realized it was still very much alive I snapped a few pictures and quickly walked a good distance away from it to keep watching, unlike the 2 inches away from it I had been moments earlier... :/ Ya. A video of it is posted on the blog post before this one if you want to see it!!
God has blessed me with a new friend named Judith this past week!! She's from Germany but lived most of her childhood in Brasil. She's also a nursing student back in Germany and we get along so well! I'm very glad she's here and that she's my neighbor-in the studio apartment right next to mine :) I'm looking forward to spending more time with her, and everyone else too of course, these next couple of weeks.
I can't believe it's already the end of July!!! Where did the time go!?! Tomorrow will mark the 30 day mark of me being here. And what an incredible 30 days it has been so far :)
Prayer requests:
-For my Spanish to continue to improve and that I would be able to speak clearly and convey what I'm trying to say to patients in a clear and easy way for them to understand.
-Safety. Where I live is relatively safe..and people in the community really respect and look out for the missionaries and volunteers here because they are grateful to have us here, but there is definitely always a risk of danger here. Luckily, I haven't really had many scary moments. And don't worry, I don't walk alone at night! But safety is always a concern. Luckily, most people here think I'm from Puerto Rico and not America, so I look less like a gringa than I could so that's good :)
-My family back home.
-My 'family' here.
-The children who live at the Children's Home.
-For the hospital to be supported not only financially but continuously lifted up in prayer as well.
I had the surprise of not only a tarantula in my kitchen sink a few weeks ago, but last week I also was visited by a boa constrictor eating a chicken in my front yard. Literally eating. As in, I went out there because someone ran up to my front door telling me I had to come outside right now, and walked out there to find it all curled up, nearly blending in with the grass and other plants around it, with the lower half of a now dead chicken hanging out of it's mouth that was clamped around it and the snake's upper half of it's body was contracting in waves to slowly digest the gallina. Once I realized it was still very much alive I snapped a few pictures and quickly walked a good distance away from it to keep watching, unlike the 2 inches away from it I had been moments earlier... :/ Ya. A video of it is posted on the blog post before this one if you want to see it!!
God has blessed me with a new friend named Judith this past week!! She's from Germany but lived most of her childhood in Brasil. She's also a nursing student back in Germany and we get along so well! I'm very glad she's here and that she's my neighbor-in the studio apartment right next to mine :) I'm looking forward to spending more time with her, and everyone else too of course, these next couple of weeks.
I can't believe it's already the end of July!!! Where did the time go!?! Tomorrow will mark the 30 day mark of me being here. And what an incredible 30 days it has been so far :)
Prayer requests:
-For my Spanish to continue to improve and that I would be able to speak clearly and convey what I'm trying to say to patients in a clear and easy way for them to understand.
-Safety. Where I live is relatively safe..and people in the community really respect and look out for the missionaries and volunteers here because they are grateful to have us here, but there is definitely always a risk of danger here. Luckily, I haven't really had many scary moments. And don't worry, I don't walk alone at night! But safety is always a concern. Luckily, most people here think I'm from Puerto Rico and not America, so I look less like a gringa than I could so that's good :)
-My family back home.
-My 'family' here.
-The children who live at the Children's Home.
-For the hospital to be supported not only financially but continuously lifted up in prayer as well.
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