Feb 8 - Jonathan - Kickin' It Not So Clean

So, we just got back from a weekend excursion... our only weekend excursion in Nicaragua. We decided to go to Ometepe, an island with not one, but two volcanoes, poised to erupt at any moment. I highly suggest going to www.googlemaps.com, searching for “Ometepe, Nicaragua,” and zooming in as much as possible with the satellite view... pretty cool.

The island was beautiful. The volcanoes were impressive. The adventure was solid.

So, we took a 6am bus out of our little town Saturday morning. Early bus, should be fairly empty, right? Nope! Picture an old school bus, jammed with people, 2 or 3 to every seat, people squished into the aisle more than anyone thought humanly possible, plus a ton of people riding on the roof. That was our bus.

So, it was no wonder when it broke while trying to negotiate a corner in Tola, a small town not far from our tiny village. We got a partial refund, had to wait for another (thankfully, slightly less crowded - though we still had to stand) bus, which took us to Rivas. There, we thought we were going to take a bus to San Jorge, but we couldn’t find anyone honest enough to tell us where the bus stop was, because everyone we talked to had a taxi they wanted to chauffeur us in.

We finally caved in and paid the $4 to take a taxi to San Jorge, where we had to catch the ferry. There were lots of smaller boats, but they apparently are a lot less smooth of a ride, and considering that ferries hadn’t been running for a few days prior because of winds 30-40mph (think tropical storm), we thought it wise to take the big boat.

We had to wait awhile, but it provided an excellent opportunity to play Uno, people watch, and watch people on the smaller boats unloading bags (which consisted of hurling huge suitcases and backpacking packs over about a 5’ wide gap between the boat and the dock... no bags got wet while we watched, though.

Finally, we took the ferry, after about an hour or so of waiting. Once we got to the other side of the island, we ate lunch. The restaurant only had two fish left, so we got them, and a few other things. I still am not entirely used to the fact that the entire fish is cooked and served here. It looks cool, though.

We had planned to venture further inland, toward the more distant volcano for some hiking, but our journey had taken longer than expected, so we decided to try going about a third of the way - to Charco Verde, where there’s some lagoon with a chico grande or something living in it, who gets mad if you take his picture, but often offers to buy your soul for lots and lots of riches. And then your soul apparently goes into a cow on the island. Or so that’s the story they tell.

But this place turned out to be basically the middle of nowhere. We got off the bus and had to walk a long ways to find any other people. We found one of the three hotels listed in Lonely Planet, and it didn’t have enough rooms for us. So, we headed back to the city where the ferry dropped us off.

Fortunately, just when we got back to the road at Charco Verde, a bus came by and picked us up. We went back to Moyogalpa, and pretty quickly found a hotel there. We got rooms. We had heard ahead of time that the town didn’t have water (some broken pipe somewhere), but were told it would come back on around 6pm. But they had a pool, so at least we could kick it chlorine clean.

Only, when we got there, we found out that the new water return was forecasted at 8pm, and the pool was broken and therefore closed. Nicaragua. Ahhh...

We went to eat at a pizza place because all of us were a little sick of rice and beans and fish. The pizza was really good. It has been really easy for us to almost always stay under our budgeted $4 each for breakfast and lunch and $7 for dinner. We got three medium pizzas and drinks and were still way under our $21.

We went back to the hotel and had had enough adventure. There was still the possibility of hiking in the morning, so we went to bed. When we woke up and talked to a guide (Lonely Planet says gringos die hiking the volcanoes if they don’t get guides), it turned out the hike was going to be at least $20 per person (for taxi to the trailhead, plus his fee), so that was suddenly a lot less appealing.

We ate breakfast and considered seeing more of the island by bus, but very few buses run on Sundays, so that didn’t really work out. We had experienced a lot of adventure, though, and all of us were fine with the plan to just head back.

So we went to catch the ferry. None had left yet, but there was one in the dock. We asked people when it was going to leave, but no one seemed to know. Then Neil and I noticed that there were people working on its detached rudder. And there was a broken propeller on the dock next to it. Didn’t look good.

Another ferry came around 10:30am We got on, hoping it would leave soon. It didn’t. At 11:30, they told us the winds were too bad, and we could go ashore, because it wouldn’t be leaving until 2:30. Fortunately, Alisha pointed out it might leave early if we abandoned ship, so I asked the guy, and he acknowledged that if the winds died down, they would leave before 2:30.

We ended up leaving at noon. It was a fairly smooth ride - better than the way there. We got another taxi to Rivas (where our bus back home would be), and had a heck of a time finding people honest enough to tell us that a bus was, indeed, coming. We got to Rivas around 2pm, and the bus was apparently leaving at 4. We stopped at a supermarket and got some cucumber, tomatoes, tortillas, and cream cheese to make wraps. After walking all the way back to the bus stop, I realized I didn’t have my swiss army knife, which I was counting on to cut the veggies, so we went back to the store and bought a set of kitchen knives.

The bus had come while I was buying the knives, so my three companions had boarded and saved me a seat. We made our wraps sitting on the bus, waiting for it to leave (that’s right - I said sitting). The ride back was thankfully uneventful, and we made it safely to the Surf Sanctuary.

Slightly annoyingly, they didn’t have dinner for us, even though we had told them we would be back for it, so we had to go to a restaurant down the street infamous for its bad service. They almost got our order right, though, and it only took a little over an hour for our food, so all was well with the universe again. Especially with a fresh pineapple that we had bought in our room, waiting to be introduced to our new kitchen knives.

Also, just so everyone knows, this may be the last internet access until El Salvador (Feb 15-ish). Just so you know.

Feb 4 - Jonathan - Kickin' It Chlorine Clean

It feels like we’ve been here a long time, but it hasn’t been more than a few days... Already, I feel like we’ve been getting the true Nicaraguan experience. It’s been very different from Costa Rica, and that’s what I was hoping for.

Maybe it has to do, in part, because we’re in the middle of nowhere, too. The nearest “city” is about a half an hour by car. We don’t have cars, though. Our half-an-hour to hour-long journey every day is by bicycle. On dirt roads. Some of which are flooded over. None of which are smooth. One of which was blocked by a fallen tree this morning.

The clinic where FIMRC has set up shop is impressive. It’s a really nice facility, and rather than owning it, FIMRC partners with it. They provide us volunteers for public health initiatives, such as the first aid training that we’re doing. Speaking of which, our day-to-day life is basically the following: four hours of training locals first aid twice a week, two or three mornings of preparing said training sessions, three afternoons of Spanish class per week, and a few random half-days of other activities.

Sorry this is random, but I keep remembering other things I was going to include... Spanish class, for instance, has been good. We’ve had lots of practice talking. Viniette, as many of you know, is a wonderful card game. It has a gazillion rules, but it’s a lot of fun. In our first class, we spent a lot of it playing Viniette. Sounds cush, right? You try explaining the most complicated card game you’ve ever played before to a person in another language... another person who doesn’t really know how to play card games.

Another cool thing that we got to do was go out with local community health workers to distribute Abate. Abate is a chemical that they distribute in tea bag like “bolsitas” to put anywhere there’s standing water to prevent the reproduction of mosquitoes. It was cool to see locals interacting with locals, working hard to improve their communities. And it was cool seeing how they recognized all of the random houses on a street, and never got lost, despite no street signs and no addresses.

We’ve had to be pretty flexible with things here. Things change. People don’t show up. Food doesn’t get prepared/served on time. Or, most recently, we have to kick it chlorine-clean. Translation: no power, and thus, no water. So, we’re sitting in the dark right now. Luckily laptops have batteries... So, even though it’s too dark to read or play cards or anything else, I can type this entry, and save it to be posted the next time we go to clinic... Friday? That’s all for now. I’d better go jump in our pool (which has green water, by the way), so that I can truly kick it, Chlorine Clean.

Feb 1 - Jonathan - There’s a horse in our yard!

Yesterday, the journey began. We took the 3:30am shuttle from our hotel to the airport, exchanged bins of supplies with one of our classmates (because we had mistakenly given them the wrong one), and made it to the gate with plenty of time. We flew into Nicaragua with few complications. Like last year, at the airport, we were met by a hundred or so people pressing their noses up against a long glass window, looking into the baggage claim for their loved ones. This time though, we quickly found someone holding up a sign that said FIMRC, and we were off. (The journey didn’t go quite so smoothly for one of our classmates, who upon trying to check in, was told that his passport expired 5 1/2 months after his scheduled return. Who cares, right? Well, apparently the government. He wasn’t allowed to board the plane because he has to have at least 6 months wiggle room, apparently.) We drove from Managua (where the airport is) to Granada, arguably the oldest city in Central America, for the night with the FIMRC site coordinator, Greg. We explored the city for a bit and took a nice horse-drawn carriage ride. Got some decent food at a Thai restaurant and then went out for ice cream. I had a delicious Sundae Tropical which consisted of amazing orange and pineapple ice creams (that were almost sherbet-like) with some strawberry sauce and whipped cream. Mmmmm...

Neil at Lake Managua

Alisha, enjoying her and Libby's Granada hotel room

Our dusk carriage ride

Walking in the city

In Granada

Today began with breakfast. Alisha and Libby explored the city and came back to report the results of their scouting mission: apparently, conveniently, almost suspiciously, the ONLY restaurant open was called the Chocolate Café, and almost every item on the menu had some sort of chocolate with it. Hmm... I’ll let you draw your own conclusions.

Anyway, we went there, and surprisingly enough, Libby ordered fruit and granola (or as they called it, “Healthy Person”). I ordered the Chocolate Fever. We ended up trading, though, when one of the fruits included was banana (Libby’s favorite allergen).

The drive to our clinic site took a couple hours. It’s basically in the middle of nowhere. The clinic looks pretty nice. We just drove by, and haven’t seen inside yet. Our accommodations are nice. We’re at the Surf Sanctuary (www.surfsanctuary.com), which is owned by some American ex-pats. We have one big room for the four of us, and apparently the Surf Sanctuary people are providing two of our meals per day.

We arrived around lunch time, but they weren’t prepared to feed us, so we walked to the beach. A nice little stroll 5 minutes down the road, passing some wild horses on the way, and we were at a beautiful beach on the Pacific. Life’s tough.

We went to a restaurant at a resort on the beach (www.ranchosantana.com). Pretty good food. The highlight was probably fresh calala juice (passion fruit). So far, no guanabana, but I’m definitely still holding out hope. And we’re told that the mangoes are not quite ripe. Hopefully that changes before we leave.

Now, we’re back at the hotel (Surf Sanctuary), and as I went out to sit on the hammock chair on the porch to write this, I was greeted by not one, but five of our new closest horse friends. So far, they haven’t bothered me, and I haven’t bothered them. (One mean horse, just kicked one of the not-so-mean horses, though. I’m not sure how well they get along.)

We don’t have internet at the hotel, but apparently the resort on the beach does, so if I posted this, it means we’ve made it there successfully.

That’s all for now. We’re going to plan our first aid teaching strategy, since that’s apparently what will be taking up most of our time over the next four weeks.

(Addendum, Feb 4 - The Resort’s Internet is down, so we only have access to the web when we’re at the clinic two or three days a week.... and we’re supposed to be working during that time...)

Jonathan - Safe and Sound!

Quick post: We're in Nicaragua... Managua to be specific. Head to our clinic site tomorrow morning. Now we're to meet with one of the FIMRC people for a brief orientation. More to come...

Jonathan

Jonathan - The Countdown Begins!

Only a few more days until the view from the commute changes from people ice fishing on a local river to people searching for shade to escape the heat. (Sometimes it's easy to forget what it feels like to be hot, you know?) Last year, when we went to Costa Rica, it was a little crazy preparing, since we had never been on an international medical trip before. This time, it's been crazy, but for slightly different reasons.

Neil, Libby, and Jonathan participate in the craziness...

You see, the clinics where we will be working in Nicaragua and El Salvador have specifically requested the donation of first aid kits, as well as instructors in first aid. That's all fine and good, but we didn't find out about this until just a week or two ago. Imagine trying to get nine people scattered literally from coast-to-coast to all focus on one task and get things done. Not to mention that those nine people are probably either spending 60 hours a week in the hospital because they're on a rotation, or they're spending more nights in hotels away from home than in their own beds because they're busy interviewing.

Neil and Libby sorting supplies

But, things are on the verge of pulling through. We've collected donations for and purchased the vast majority of the ingredients we need for first aid kits, and we've assembled most of them. Saginaw apparently hasn't seen this high of a demand for calamine lotion in quite some time, though, since we've bought out several stores and still are lacking some.

Jonathan holding a completed kit, with one of several bins of donations we'll take with us

Just a few more days, though, and ready or not, we'll hit the road. And those few days should fly by. Libby's got a few more interviews to fill her time, and I'll be her designated chauffeur. Then we'll be off! Nicaragua for 2 weeks, El Salvador for 2 weeks, and then back to good old Saginaw.

I suppose that would've been a wise way to start this blog - a brief introduction of the trip. For anyone who doesn't know, Libby and I will be going to Central America for four weeks on a rotation for medical school. We'll be working at FIMRC (Foundation for the International Medical Relief of Children) clinics in each location. We'll be travelling with our classmates Neil and Alisha, while four of our other classmates will be doing the reverse of our trip (two weeks in El Salvador and then 2 in Nicaragua). Still another classmate will be spending his four weeks at a FIMRC clinic in Uganda.

Anyhow, one of the major tasks left to be done is making our prioritized list of residency programs so that hopefully we can match in March. That's what I'm going to do now. More to come, from a significantly warmer land.

Jonathan