Day 3 - Orientation

Woke up early – as per usual – showered and had breakfast. We went to the market at 8am for produce. Packed 10 people into the car – there will be more like 12 people in there tomorrow for our first mobile clinic. We had a little extra time while we were down there so we checked out a few supermarkets too. When we got back to the clinic it was orientation all morning. I still need to manage to write something up for everyone about good old Dr. Dick. But anyhoo. Hailey and I got to check out the pharmacy (air conditioning!!!) and talk with John and Maria about our goals for the rotation. I’m still a little lost as to what exactly goes on day-to-day, but I guess I’ll learn it as we go.

We got a quick glance at the hospital and polyclinic in PG this afternoon. Also got to check out the Coral House Inn – we’ll be there a lot, I guarantee it. They charge BZ$10 to use the pool and wi-fi, and the bar is on your honor. More grocery shopping was also done this afternoon – we spent a whopping US$40 for groceries for 8 people. I can currently smell our coconut curry chicken baking in the oven. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

Liz, Hailey, Becky, me and Merik biked 6 miles into PG tonight to jump off the dock and swim in the ocean. It was like bath water it was so warm. Then we went all the way into PG to pick up some rum for the group and biked back to the clinic. I can definitely say I’ve had my workout for the day. But jumping in the ocean off the dock was a great experience – I’d do it again in an instant, I’d just take the bus into town instead…. :-D

John has managed to set up a dive for the 4 of us who are certified. We’ve got a divemaster lined up to work with Liz and I so I think things will be good and I’m pretty excited about it. The plan is to head out this weekend to the Cayes and dive from there on a day trip. We’ve got to work out the details but I think everything will go well. I’ve really adopted the Belizean idea of “go with the flow”. There’s no reason to get worked up about things down here. It’ll all work out in the end.

Internet is still spotty, by the way. We have 1 computer with access. So I may or may not be able to post this tonight, but I hope I’ll get to soon.

Day 2 a day late

I had the best continental breakfast I have ever had in my life this morning: A huge glass of OJ and a made to order egg sandwich. We had no troubles at all this morning. Made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare. Security went fine (I did have to surrender my safety scissors ☹ ). Once we got let out onto the airstrip Hailey, Merik and I boarded a 6 passenger plane. That’s right six passengers (pictures to come). It was only the 3 of us and the pilot. The entire flight was 50 minutes over the coast of Belize. It was gorgeous. Ran into a little ran along the way (which managed to make it into the plane on Hailey’s side), but nothing too serious. At the airstrip in PG we met Aprill. She’s the student coordinator at Hillside. She was born and raised in PG. She doesn’t look it, but she speaks Creole with the best of them. I’m considering asking for some lessons. The Creole dialect apparently came from the East Indians that settled in this area and lost their language, creating the Creole instead. It’s still difficult for me to understand most of the time, but I can catch bits and pieces. Aprill got us all to Hillside safe and sound and showed us around a little. We were the first ones here so we staked out our rooms and got settled while meeting Dr. Dick and John and Mary Pat. Dr. Dick deserves his own entry, so I’ll write more on him later…

John and Mary Pat took us up to the Bazaar held by the nuns. We had delicious, although mysteriously flavored, ice cream. Saw the church and school and hung with the locals for a while. Once back at the dorm we had PB and Gooseberry Jelly sandwiches so we could take our chloroquine. Hailey and I checked out the student log then ventured out on a walk down the road. Not 15 minutes later: downpour. We walked back to the clinic completely soaked. On the way we did meet a nice women who lives at the end of the road who invited us down to use her pool whenever we want. More students arrived at about 4pm – 4 girls in PA school at Marquette. We seem to get along with them pretty well. Aprill arranged for pizza to be delivered for dinner which was amazing! Then Meredith (med student here with Dr. Dick) told us about the local bar so we decided to head down for a drink. Meredith and Adam (medical resident from Indiana/St. Louis) arrived around 6pm. We befriended an adorable (although not quite as cute as Atty or Sprout) kitten at the bar, along with a couple stray dogs. Hailey and I both drank for a grand total of US$5 tonight – did I mention I love this country?

Tomorrow starts orientation. We get to go to the market in the morning and tour the polyclinic in town in the afternoon. We may also check out a mass at the cemetery in the afternoon too. We’ve already got a ton of plans for things to do throughout the week and I can’t wait to try all the places in and around PG. We’re planning on heading out to an island for the second weekend we’re here with Aprill’s husband. We’ll get the entire place to ourselves and the snorkeling is rumored to be amazing. I’ve also found 2 other divers in the group. Merik is Advanced Open Water certified and Liz just finished her Open Water certification a week ago – so with any luck John can get us a good deal on a couple of 2 tank dives.

Well, it’s 10pm and we’ve got a fairly early morning – especially with 16 people getting up in the morning. Expect more soon!

Did I mention no internet? That’s why this was late, sorry!