Monkey Brain Musings

Tuesday night...Another long, but successful day at the clinic. Today was all about OB, which meant a super busy day for Jeanne Marie. JM is an OB Sonographer, which is her passion, so I gave her the OB/GYN lectures today. This allowed me to spend most of the day finishing up the 5 lectures that I will give over the next 2 days. We had a woman with a twin pregnancy come to the clinic, which is like winning the lottery when you're trying to teach OB scanning. Everyone had the opportunity to scan, and the mother was so sweet and patient. At the end of each day, I ask the Clinicians how the day went, what went well, and if they would like any changes made to the training program or style. So far, everyone seems to be happy with how the training is going. Whew. Dulce is the new Clinic Coordinator, since Laura and her family moved back to the U.S., and she is wonderful. No surprise, Predisan has a wonderful staff, so she is a great addition. She has a long history of working and volunte...

Monday night...It's almost 10pm, Honduran time, and I've officially hit the wall. I was up early this morning, putting in an hour of work before breakfast at 7am, and I've put in another couple of hours of work tonight, as well. Jeanne Marie and I arrived at Predisan Clinic a little before 8am, met the Clinicians we would be training (4 of whom I had worked with last year), and jumped in to lectures and hands-on training. I received a wonderful, warm welcome from everyone I met last year, which is always a nice feeling. The people I work with on these trips have such an impact on me, and I am never sure if I will see them again, even if I have plans to return. Hondurans, especially the people at Predisan, are so warm and friendly. It was hard when I left last year and so wonderful to be back. Back to our day...After introductions, I handed out notes and a pretest, and gave the first lecture. We split into 2 groups for hands-on training until lunch, then got back together fo...

Buenos! It's Sunday, I am sitting outside my Hotel room, taking a brain break, and catching you all up on my day. The flights were uneventful yesterday, and although it was a long drive from the airport to Catacamas, Honduras is as beautiful as I remembered. This is the end of rainy season here, so it can be hot and sunny one minute, torrential downpour the next, with lush trees and bright flowers everywhere. A Sonographer from Texas is on this trip with me, and this is her first Medical Mission. Her name is Jeanne Marie, she has a strong background of teaching and OB Ultrasound, and we've had a great day working together. To be honest, we also had a nice break by the pool, sharing stories and laughs, while we get to know each other. After lunch, we got back to work, and have spent most of the day working on presentations and lesson plans for the week. I was so exhausted last night, from no sleep the night before, that I hit the sack early last night. At 5am this morning, I was...

Tonight, I take a Red Eye flight into Houston...don't get me started on my loathing of Red Eye flights...swap planes, and head to Honduras. I'm really looking forward to this trip, to reconnect with the people I trained last year, meet new people, and just enjoy returning to Honduras. The last minute change of plans, training program, additional volunteer, etc...have just reinforced my "Go with the flow" life goal. :) As a Type A person, I've worked diligently over the past few decades to strive for balance. Organized, but not rigid. Professional, but enthusiastic. I'll be working on training lessons on the plane, and as I go, as I have in the past. I'll be constantly morphing my lessons, to try to give them the  most helpful training in the shortest amount of time. In the mean time, in the wake of hurricane Matthew, my thoughts are constantly bouncing back to Haiti. I am anxious to hear how Terre Blanche is doing, and there is a Medical group on their way...

Hello, again, supporters, family and friends! I hope you are all well and enjoying this rapid transition out of summer and into fall. I thought I would update you on the progression of my Medical Missions. In just 2 weeks, I will head back to Honduras, to continue the ultrasound training that I started last year. Unfortunately, the volunteer that was scheduled to join me, backed out with short notice. A new volunteer has come forward, however she does not have the same skill set as the prior volunteer, so we have had to scrap our training program and I will have to come up with a new one…STAT! I’ll keep you posted on my progress. On an important side note, I have also recently been informed that MTI has decided to suspend sending volunteers to Haiti, myself included. This would be the second trip to Haiti that I would miss, so I have decided to go as a volunteer directly through HFH (Haiti Foundation of Hope), which will slightly change my fundraising. Unfortunately, I am una...