Since today was Sunday, we all arose an hour later and were pleasantly surprised with French toast. After another delicious meal (and seriously, they are all amazing), we all decided to go to church with the rest of the La Esperanza community. It was wonderful to be welcomed in and to have the opportunity to see the way that others gather and celebrate their beliefs. Many found the service to be simplistic and beautiful, and it was interesting to observe the mixing of old cultural practices with new social acceptances. For example, traditionally the men and the women of the community sit on different sides of the church. However, when Gloria, a validated female member of this community and our partner with Heifer International, invited some of the female members of our group and of the community to sit in the empty seats on the men’s side, there was an acceptance to this progression.
In past years, Sunday has been a low patient flow day at the clinic, but when we exited the church doors we were greeted by a very long line of people. Today we mostly saw members of the Belin community and despite the shorter workday, we were able to see 125 patients. Since the group as a whole is speaking more fluently and confidently we were split into 5 smaller teams which enabled us to increase the amount of patients that we can see. We all received the praise and feedback that everyone is investing a lot into improving their language skills. As students, we are feeling that we have reached a higher level of awareness on how to educate and communicate in a culturally aware way, as well as how to approach increasing the level of continuity for those who have little resources (again, we return to the concept of how we can really make a difference in these circumstances). It appears that delivering this type of care is not only more empowering for our patients, but also for us as providers. In staying within the realm of continuity of care, I was relieved that Penny also prescribed “2 cats in each eye when necessary” to a patient today.
After dinner tonight, during our usual pow-wow time, we had a very unique and intriguing conversation about the academic programs and individual backgrounds that each of us bring to the table. Since we are working as an interdisciplinary team, the ABSN students had suggested that doing so would allow us to be more efficient and aware in our approaches to patient care. For 2 hours we discussed the focus of our studies, our clinical training processes, our ambitions, and the barriers and challenges that exist with in our respective professions. It was truly a learning experience to be grateful for and just another reminder of how special each and every one of the students and faculty on this trip are.
At the exact moment of writing this, we are all in the schoolhouse that we sleep in. There are many card games happening in the background as well as several different genres of snoring. A few are searching for Saturn amidst the clouds outside of our quarters and others are journaling and reading. No matter what the late night activity is, it is guaranteed that we will all sleep hard today and awake ready and willing for another incredible day of learning and living.
Buenos noches,
Team ABSN