So today I made my adventure again out to San Blas! But instead of working in the clinic like I did yesterday I jumped on the back of a motorcycle and the doctor and I went to a near by community called Santa Ana. Now these roads are tiny dirt roads and that weave in and out of fields of corn and open dry land. As I was hanging on to the back of the motorcycle and looking around at the beautiful countryside it seemed so surreal. There were herds of horses and cows all around us and as a back drop to the fields were beautiful volcanoes and mountains! It was truly an incredible ride!!
Once we got to Santa Ana, my attention turned from admiring the countryside to the reality of this community. Santa Ana is a community of extreme poverty, the houses don´t have running water and the majority don´t have electricity either. The houses are made of aluminum sheets or planks of wood and are usually only one or two rooms. They can´t afford mattresses so their beds consist of a wooden frame and only some had sheets. One family we visited had two wooden beds and they were shared by the whole family which consisted of seven people. Imagine sharing a normal bed with 4 or 5 people, let alone a bed made out of wood! Santa Ana is a farming community so there are animals EVERYWHERE! You will be sitting outside the house and there might be 3 or 4 pigs next to you, 10 or more chickens with lots of little chicks following close by, 5 or 6 dogs with little puppies everywhere and little kittens running around too! In this community the animals and the people live very much similar lives. These houses don´t have any floors and most of the people don´t have shoes and barely any clothes. The most amazing thing about being in these conditions is that they all seemed very happy to me! They were very friendly and we sat and chatted with each family for at least 10-15mins. Not very many doctors come out to this community so we were going around house to house talking with the families and seeing if anyone needed any medical attention.
It´s so hard for me to put into words what I experienced today, I don´t think I´m doing it justice!
Chelcy and I were talking and we are going to find a way to collect either money donations or material donations from the states so we can help out these families and the medical facilities that are trying to keep them healthy. I will let everyone know when we come up with a plan! We can really make a huge difference with a little effort from everyone!
Chelcy and I just finished making a brochure about the importance of getting pap smears so we can hand them out to the women when we go to the clinic together tomorrow! I´m excited that Chelcy is coming so she can help with my Spanish!!
Some Pictures I took today at Santa Ana!
(Sorry I couldn´t figure out how to turn this) This is their bathhroom, again no running water!
this post reminds me so much of my travels in southeast asia. it's so crazy how people in poverty with little luxuries can be so happy. i find it fascinating. it really makes you evaluate what's really important in life.
ReplyDeletelove your posts. keep updating! :)