Do You Want Some Floss With That Chicken?

The chicken bath

Well per usual the last part of the trip flew by and before I knew it I was on a flight back to the states.  I kept meaning to find a computer and write one last blog post, but somehow I was just too busy relaxing.  I flew in to Portland on New years eve after a beautiful 10 days in Honduras with my good friend Ahiv. Though I hate to admit it, after 5 weeks of rustic living In Guatemala I was pretty ready for some first world comforts and a little gringo vacationing.  I was doing pretty well with the 3rd world living until my last week in Guatemala.  I'd had some stomach troubles and wasn't quite feeling my best.  We only had one sink in my house so bathroom, kitchen and laundry needs were all being done interchangeably.  This inevitably led to me brushing my teeth one morning while starring at a bucket of raw chicken that was sitting in the sink waiting for the evening frying.  It turns out that no amount of Crest Cavity toothpaste can override the smell of raw chicken on a fragile stomach at 8 am.  I decided right then and there, while willing myself not to reduce the sales margin that weekend by puking on the chicken, that while I don't need much in my life, I need 2 sinks.

practicing some weaving with my Host Mom Cruz

Doctor Craig and two of the three awesome assistants

My work at the clinic got much easier towards the end of my stay.  I am now able to take a medical history in halfway understandable Spanish.  I am pretty good at recognizing the 15 or so main drugs we used, knowing what we used them for, and was able to diagnose about 3/4 of the patients that came through the clinic.  (My crowing achievement was correctly diagnosing a kid who's toes and foot were going numb.  He needed bigger shoes).  I got to give shots my last few weeks which was weirdly fun.  The assistants trained me and there instructions pretty much just consisted of them saying over and over "soft, find where it's soft" while they prodded the patient with their fingers.  We gave injections in the butt cheek though, so as far as I was concerned it all seemed pretty soft to me.  The doctor later saw me give an injection and was horrified by what they had failed to tell me. I think he just didn't want to be held accountable for my lack of medical professionalism.  Turns out there's a tiny bit more too it then finding the soft spot, but they definitely have the basics covered.

One of three exam room at the clinic

My host family got their first Christmas tree ever
this year so I taught them to make paper chains
and snowflakes

The Christmas season arrived with a punch this year.  I'd done a pretty good job of completely forgetting it was almost Christmas because only about a 3rd of the people around the lake in Guatemala celebrate it, and even less have money to spend on decorations or gifts.  Then one day about a week and a half before I left the local church started playing Christmas songs. The churches around my town in Guatemala blasted music most nights until 9 or 10.  Up until that evening the Latin beats had added a whimsical charm to the evenings; a background noise easily enjoyed and ignored all at once.  Turns out it's a lot harder to ignore tunes you know.  It felt like I had been condemned  to spend every evening in a holiday time shopping mall.  They only had about 10 songs and they played them on repeat for 2-3 hours a night.  I decided it was some sort of cosmic retribution for my ancestors forcing God upon the local populations.  Paybacks a bitch.

Our new hotel

I made it to Honduras on the 21st of December after what I thought was going to be a 6 hour bus ride. Turns out I was off slightly, it took over 12 hours. The whole bus was full of Hondurans going home for Christmas.  They were a very excited bunch. Everyone was chatting and sharing food like they were family, singing along to the bus music and generally shouting at every possible opportunity. As we go into the outskirts of our final destination, San Pedro Sula, things got really crazy and everyone started singing what might have been the national anthem and then shouting ahy ahy ahy ahy ahy.  As this was my first time in Honduras, and I had been a bit slacking on the research front (hence the surprise 12 hour ride), I have no idea if this is just a country of very enthusiastic people or if everyone got drunk at 4 am before they got on the bus and didn't tell the gringo.  I think it might have been the former as there was lots of shouting the next day on our ferry ride.  Ahvi and I made it to the Island of Utila the next day and spent the next 4 days diving.  We accidentally booked ourselves at a gross hostel full of drunk 20-30 year olds, so after a day of that we decided in the spirit of Christmas we deserved an upgrade.  We spent the rest of the trip marveling at how much nicer it was to relax when you aren't afraid to touch things for fear of getting hepatitis.  We went to the slightly larger island of Roatan after Christmas for a few more days of diving, and then headed for home.

Hammock time at our hotel

 

Christmas Eve drinks and chocolate courtesy of Ahvi

The view from out porch

After 2 lovely months i'm back in Portland. We landed and the pilot said "welcome to Portland the current temperature is 33."  I had been expecting raining and 50, I actually turned to the guy next to me and said "did he say 33?"  I have been avoiding looking at the Missoula weather as I think it might scare me off.  I am searching for a new car and will head home to Montana as soon as I have wheels.  Hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and New Years!  Looking forward to seeing many of you soon!!