Valentine’s Day in Antigua: Our last day

Introduction

We have some extraordinary people on this team. Our last breakfast together was relaxed, casual, and we even sang together as Joanne and Deb wrote a song to memorialize our experiences.   We’re going to miss each other! We left the dining room on a high note, smiling and laughing from ear to ear before we left for Antigua, the old colonial capital in the mountains and the site of Faith in Practice’s in-country headquarters, their main surgical center, and many sites to enjoy.

From listening to seasoned volunteers, it sounds like our days were on average a bit longer than for most other trips.  But that is all behind us now!   With all the unexpectedness, it still was magical. This team really pulled it together, fought for every patient to be seen, and refused to leave until the waiting area was empty. No room for negativity here! Translators were probably the most tired, focusing non-stop on every detail.  And our IT team received calls to clinics incessantly throughout the clinic, though everyone seemed to have mastered the technology by Thursday.

We arrived at the hotel around noon, which left five hours to peruse Antigua. This town was not what I expected: lifestyle cafe shops, and hipster nomads. For a place I thought as mostly untouched, this city catered to tourists.  Beyond the unexpected hipsters trolling the cobblestone streets, Antigua offered our team a quiet respite from a long and arduous week. Some of us took a hike, others took a tour of the city. Still others lounged in cafés or restaurants, or in the shade of the avocado trees in the central square.

Valentine’s day with the team included Thai food for dinner. It was good, though personally, I was hoping for something you don’t typically find in LA, like tacos or a pupusa. Some of us were scheduled for 3 am departures, and others afternoon departures the following day. While others stayed to do another week of volunteering.

Accordingly, our clinic saw 956 total patients, and 2,333 total clinic visits in 4 days. We gave out 96 wheelchairs. We performed 2 biopsies, 313 blood and urine tests, and 126 ultrasounds! Gynecology saw 174 women, mobiliary saw 163 patients,  pediatrics saw 164 kids under 18, and pharmacy prescribed 906 prescriptions! Our clinic referred out 223 patients of which 143 were for surgeries. That level of attention to our patients is something to be thankful for.

And my stats as Blogger?  Over 1000 pictures were taken.  I’m hoping that Faith in Practice can use some of them for evergreen marketing collateral.

Thank you for being part of our work in Guatemala.

Lovingly,

Eleanor , Team Blogger