Monkey Brain Musings

It's been two weeks since I've returned from Honduras. I've hit the ground running, since I got home, working and catching up on local volunteer work...and sleeping. Lots of sleeping. By now, I know what to expect when I return from my trips abroad, but it's still a bit of a rough transition. This was my third trip, hard to believe, and I always get a little depressed when I get home. I return home, with a million ideas and plans swimming in my head, and I end up feeling isolated and lonely. My wonderful family and dearest friends are so incredibly supportive of my work overseas, but most of them do not live nearby, and I think that's a big part of why I feel so isolated on my return. I've given myself some time for a small Pity Party, but now it's time to put on my big girl panties and get back on track. I've sorted through my Honduras photos, multiple times, and I thought I would post a few that prove I actually work on these trips. :) I had such a won

...I'm on the last leg of my trip home. I have a lot of back tracking to do, to finish up the trip!  Friday morning , Jen and I had our last delicious breakfast at Hotel Plaza Maria, savoring every last bite. There may have been some plate licking. We spent a couple more hours at the clinic, for some additional training, and had to visit the Predisan gift shop. To be completely candid, this was our fourth visit to the gift shop. It became a running joke with Johnny (one of our translators) and Laura. This tiny little gift shop had everything from t-shirts and jewelry to coffee and machetes. Yes, I said machetes. Machetes encased in hand crafted leather sheaths, with tassels and trimmings. I'll have to remember to bring a bigger suitcase next time. Our training was only for a couple of the original group, the others were in a lecture for their Masters program. I managed to catch a few of the Dr's, for a hug goodbye, when they had a break from class. I've agreed to monthl

Friday night in Tegucigalpa... We made it to the big city for a night at the Hotel Maya. It's a beautiful hotel, with an incredible view of the city, that just happens to be throwing an Octoberfest party. Right below my room. Until 2 am. My iPad is almost out of juice and I need to find my ear plugs, so I'll catch up tomorrow, when I'm in Houston. Buenos.

Thursday evening ...my last evening in Catacamas.  The Internet is sketchy this evening, so maybe you'll read this post Friday ...maybe Saturday. :) Tomorrow, Jen and I will spend half the day at Predisan Clinic, then we will make the 3 hour drive back to Tegucigalpa. We will spend the night in the big city, then fly out on Saturday.  Today was an incredible day. We all met at the clinic shortly after 6am, and drove to Culmi, to continue training the team of physicians that work there. It was a beautiful ride, further out into the Honduran country. Jen and I split the group into two separate rooms and continued training, while the Dr's scanned patients. One of the patients we scanned, who was in her 2nd trimester of pregnancy, had traveled all day by bus and hitchhiking. It's a wonderful example of how necessary the Predisan remote clinics are. The Culmi clinic has a birthing/maternity unit, with rooms that allow mothers from remote towns to stay, when they get close to

Wednesday evening...buenos! Another very busy, but very productive, day of training at the clinic. Jen and I both have been so impressed by how well this group is doing. They're motivated, eager and intelligent, and so appreciative of our time with them. Most of our day was spent with hands on scanning time, with a couple of short pathology lectures. Tomorrow morning, Jen and I will be picked up at 5:50am, and we will drive to the Culmi clinic. Culmi is one of Predisan's remote public health clinics in a neighboring county. Half of the group we've been training work in Culmi, so they will be joining us for a day of training and scanning patients. After we finished for the day, Laura took us to the Agricultural College in Catacamas, for a walk around the fields and farms. Thousands of students attend the college and either use their education and skills to continue in family farming or work in the agriculture industry. The grounds are lovely, with fields of corn and beans, m