9 More Days!

It is amazing that after 2 months of being in Honduras I am starting to accept more things as the norm, for example breast feeding. While breastfeeding is thought to be a very private thing in the United States…to the point where we have designated rooms in public areas…here in the Honduras, it is perfectly normal for women to breastfeed in public. At this point I am so accustomed to the public breastfeeding, I am not surprised when a mother begins to breastfeed while I am administering the study questionnaire…in fact I almost expect it haha.

After taking over the NIH study I have recruited 32 patients of my own, each has been very unique with their own personal story. With all this talk of the study and the clinic I thought now would be the time to show you all where I have been staying/working.

(Shoulder to Shoulder clinic in Santa Lucia)

(Birthing room in the clinic)

(1 of 2 exam rooms in the clinic)

(Emergency Room)

(My office/pharmacy)

(The dormitory common room)

(My dorm room)

(My Bed)

Two weeks ago I took a Mountain bike ride up to the cell tower, which is on a mountain overlooking the Santa Lucia Valley. It was a long trip up there, but the view from the tower was beautiful. I took some pictures when I was there, and highlighted the Shoulder to Shoulder Clinic.

(Click the picture to see the arrow pointing to the s2s Clinic/Dorm in Santa Lucia)

This past weekend I went to the weekly market in neighboring Magdalena. There were many booths selling fruits and vegetables, others selling cheeses, and others selling bootleg movies and other trinkets. I was wholly unimpressed by the variety of the market, many of the things for sale were manufactured in Guatemala or El Salvador. The longer I am here the clearer it is that Honduras lacks a distinct national culture. Instead it has borrowed many ideas and materials from the United States and neighboring countries in an attempt to develop its identity. For example, Honduras lacks its own distinct musical culture, clothing, and food…many of these things in the country are borrowed from other countries…80’s music from the U.S. is very popular in the big cities as well as Hollister clothing among the wealthier communities…in spite of all of this I was able to find one woman in the market who made her own pottery, which I thought was very unique.

After the market I finally got the chance to ride a horse. Yes a horse…I have been wanting to do this since I got to Honduras 2 months ago haha. So for my first ride…I was told that I would be starting with the horse named Diablo…fantastic! Despite this…I think I was a cowboy in another life…within 10 minutes I had Diablo running full speed. The ride was great (a bit uncomfortable) but we rode for about 6 hours…at this point the horses were exhausted.

(Diablo and Marc el Caballero)

Be home in 9 Days! :)

Saludos, Marc