Well , readers, I am alive. We have survived a volcanic erruption and hurricane Agatha, and mudslides. My house in the village is just under the church, so we are pretty safe but please prayer forour friends and neighbors that did not fair so well.
I love being in clinic though. I realy do. I am now doing vital signs and glucose and today I was a dentist. I got to pull some teeth and help with fillings. It was really exciting.
Our village doesn´t have electricity or water right now, so we are bringing pure water up everyday. We can live without electricity though...so yeah. Everything has been so overwhelming the last few days with the storm and all I don´t know what to write.
Sorry for the short post butI am out of time. I miss you all and love you. Please keep praying. We will talk when I get home...I promise. i have so much to share that I just ´can´t type out right now. I am journaling it all though!
k'baby
Monday, May 31, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Chichicastetenango
Nope...that´s the real name of where I am right now. We are here in the middle of nowhere Guatemala for the next two weeks and it is really different. My family doesn´t really speak Spanish, which is interesting. They all speak Kíche which is a Mayan language. Here are the top five reasons I could not ever pass for a Mayan
5. I am about 2 feet too tall for an average woman
4. I know nothing about carrying children on my back
3. I don´t know how to wash my face and brush my teeth while holding a flashlight.
2. I don´t cherish getting up at 5 in the morning to take the corn to the corn mill. I do it, but not quite with a spring in my step.
1. I am miserable at making tortillas.
Where as rice and beans were the flavor last week, this week is corn. Corn drink, corn tortillas, corn flakes, corn tamales, corn for the chickens, corn for the turkeys, corn husks on the table...you get the picture. Corn is really big.
Ah, what else...well, yeah, I started work this week. I am taking vitals and blood glucose levels, and sitting in with consults. I have really enjoyed every minute in the clinics so far. I am so at home with all of that stuff. Today I saw two female patients recieve pelvic exams and a male patient who was suffering from a hernia...yeah, gross, but it´s life and I am glad those patients were able to make it in to see us. We give a lot of vitamins and the people are so grateful for what they get.
I am so grateful to love what I am doing so much. Life at home, my Guatemalan home, is a little hard but I am getting through. It is just the food and the language barrier that get to me. I am getting better at eating the food though...little at a time. Please pray for me and us though this week as adjusting to living out in the country in Guatemala and 5 foot ceilings can be difficult at times.
Thanks for all the prayers and support!
5. I am about 2 feet too tall for an average woman
4. I know nothing about carrying children on my back
3. I don´t know how to wash my face and brush my teeth while holding a flashlight.
2. I don´t cherish getting up at 5 in the morning to take the corn to the corn mill. I do it, but not quite with a spring in my step.
1. I am miserable at making tortillas.
Where as rice and beans were the flavor last week, this week is corn. Corn drink, corn tortillas, corn flakes, corn tamales, corn for the chickens, corn for the turkeys, corn husks on the table...you get the picture. Corn is really big.
Ah, what else...well, yeah, I started work this week. I am taking vitals and blood glucose levels, and sitting in with consults. I have really enjoyed every minute in the clinics so far. I am so at home with all of that stuff. Today I saw two female patients recieve pelvic exams and a male patient who was suffering from a hernia...yeah, gross, but it´s life and I am glad those patients were able to make it in to see us. We give a lot of vitamins and the people are so grateful for what they get.
I am so grateful to love what I am doing so much. Life at home, my Guatemalan home, is a little hard but I am getting through. It is just the food and the language barrier that get to me. I am getting better at eating the food though...little at a time. Please pray for me and us though this week as adjusting to living out in the country in Guatemala and 5 foot ceilings can be difficult at times.
Thanks for all the prayers and support!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Last Day at Ezell
Well, readers, as interesting as my life usually is, today has...well, not been an exception. We did the very last bit of orientation, picked out scrub tops, and are just getting ready to hit the ground running tomorrow. I will hopefully get to still write when I get up into the mountains of Chichicastenango. Apparently, there they don't speak much spanish, they speak K'iche, Mayan dialect. It is going to be interesting. The Mayan people are on average maybe five feet if they are lucky. The shower facilties may be really interesting...I am excited about being there and being in clinics though. We will live more than an hour away from where we work, so we are going to be getting on the road every day for the next two weeks around 6AM, that's 7 Texas time, but still...pretty early. I don't really know what I am going to be doing in the clinics but I will let you know when I find out!
I am excited yet hesitant in a lot of ways. My MCAT score is supposedly going to be released tomorrow, so I would just ask for prayers, that if it is good or bad, I can still focus on the work that I am doing here. I would ask for prayers that help me stay in the moment here and not worry so much about what is awaiting me when I get back (for better or for worse). Also prayers for Garrett, my new friend, who is also pretty nervous about his scores. He's super smart though and most likely going to blow me away with his score. Oh well, though. Life goes on. I thank God for the peace I have already been granted with this and that it continues.
Tomorrow is an early morning so I have to get to bed, or to play cards...in any case, thanks for the prayers and support and I hope this blog fines you well and content with wherever God is using you in your life right now.
*K-baby
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Moving from Xela to Ezell
The last few days have been absolutely amazing. I am going to start with Thursday and bring you up to date.
Thursday, we went to language school for the normal five hours and then went home for lunch. We met in the square in Xela and took off for the volcano. Baul is not an active volcano, so it was pretty safe, but we climbed it. That's right...we climbed a volcano! It was beautiful and amazing. At the top there was a giant slide into the bowl of the volcano! Not 100% safe but so much fun. After that we had a devo and talked about our last semesters and where we are spiritually right now. It was really cool to see how all of us were at almost similar places between applying for school and being super busy. It was a huge blessing. I was tired when we got down though, so the conversation with my host family was quite short that night.
Friday we packed up and went to our last day of language school. Nery, my teacher was nice and fun, but he REALLY liked to make fun of my accent. He thought it was really funny. For the last hour, we took a break from subjunctive and played charades with some of the other students. My phrase to act out was "Hasta la vista, bebe!" It was great. Nery and the other teachers were so funny! Loved it. Then we had a big lunch and it was more food than I had seen all week. It was a real sized plate, not a saucer, but I couldn't eat it all. Then we got in the van and truck and left for Clinica Ezell on the coast. I didn't know what to expect, but we are like staying at a resort. It is so much like Samoa, I can't get over it.
Right when we got there, we got into our rooms and then walked around the grounds and found some coconuts. We played some rugby with them and then took them to the guards to open for us. They were glad to and the water inside the coconut tastes so good. Very refreshing. Then it started raining, so what did Nate, Carrie, Garrett and I do but play soccer in the torrential downpour. We had a lot of fun, per usual. I hope that we can do that again. We got completely filthy in the mud and it was excellent. :)
Then we had dinner and started orientation. We had a devo and learned that most of our group really likes to sing, which is really fitting for me. Then the next day we went on a scavenger hunt around the town that we are in and then to a...get this...chocolate/coffee/pineapple farm--can you imagine anything better for me?? Awesome!! We stopped in a little town on the way home and saw a "zoo" that had monkeys, turtles, an alligator, a coati, and a racoon! It was so weird! The racoon and the coati shared a "habitat"... I have pictures that I will put up eventually. It was Andrea's birthday so we stopped at an ice cream place and had some great ice cream. They dipped it in chocolate (like Dairy Queen) and then rolled it in nuts! Love it! Dulce de leche once again! It's bad though, I can't stop talking about South America....
After that we did more talking about medical evangelism, why we are here, our spiritual histories, and all sorts of intense stuff. It is such a huge blessing to be around these kids who are in such similar places right now in their lives. Garrett and I actually get our MCAT scores the same day and have dedicated to going to the internet cafe next week in Chichi to finish our applications together. Perfect! It's just so encouraging!
Today we got up and had orientation and then church with the locals. They sing like the Samoans too! At the top of their lungs and completely off pitch. It's hard to sit through musically, but it is so joyful, I can't help but smile. Then we had lunch and more orientation. We have gotten to know the directors for Chichi and they are so nice to talk to. We had a lesson on k'iche (the Mayan language today) and it was sooooo HARD. My Spanish is improving, but my k'iche is completely hopeless...
Tonight we are going to do more of the same thing and hopefully more singing. There is a girl in my group that really likes to sing too, so it might not ever be silent ever again! We ship out to new families on Tuesday...I'll try to keep you updated. I can't wait to be in the clinics!! Ahhh! Living the dream. Thanks for the prayers and support!
*k-baby
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Hot Springs!
Hey there!
Well, third day in Xela, Guatemala. Today we went to the hot springs and it was really fun. We got in the bus after class and drove about 40 minutes to the springs. They are hot because the water is heated by the volcanoes that are the mountains around us. We got up there and then ate lunch. I had a ham sandwich...and coke. Pretty good stuff. Then we got in the springs and they were so warm. I love this group because they are all nerd like me. We talked about TAQ polymerase being able to live in the springs because they are so hot and some about the MCAT...these kids are smart. Then we played mafia on the way back and I am now sitting in my favorite little cafe. They have american tasting brownies and good coffee. I have had between 5-6 cups of coffee a day because that's all my "mom" gives me to drink with my meals.
Here's some about the cast of characters:
We have two groups, A and B and two groups Cafe and non-cafe. The cafe kids (myself included) have been going to this cafe every day.
The cafe crew:
Nate (tall, brown hair, glasses)- ACU, pre-med, super intelligent, knows Spanish, friendly and street-smart
Sarah (big curly dark hair, almost Columbian looking)- A and M, EMT, a little loud, but super friendly
Andrea Jernigan (tall, dark hair)- graduated from Harding, PT, super precious and easy going and engaged!!!!
Garrett Rampon (French, dark hair, looks like Jacob from Twilight--no really, he does--)- Libscomb, pre-med, reminds me of my cousin Liam but older, has traveled Europe, not afraid of foreign cities with potentially high crime rates, gets MCAT score the same day I do
Kate- ACU, pre-med, only blonde on the trip (in a couple of different ways)
...to be continued...
Anyway! Love yall!
Thanks for reading (and commenting)
*k-baby
Well, third day in Xela, Guatemala. Today we went to the hot springs and it was really fun. We got in the bus after class and drove about 40 minutes to the springs. They are hot because the water is heated by the volcanoes that are the mountains around us. We got up there and then ate lunch. I had a ham sandwich...and coke. Pretty good stuff. Then we got in the springs and they were so warm. I love this group because they are all nerd like me. We talked about TAQ polymerase being able to live in the springs because they are so hot and some about the MCAT...these kids are smart. Then we played mafia on the way back and I am now sitting in my favorite little cafe. They have american tasting brownies and good coffee. I have had between 5-6 cups of coffee a day because that's all my "mom" gives me to drink with my meals.
Here's some about the cast of characters:
We have two groups, A and B and two groups Cafe and non-cafe. The cafe kids (myself included) have been going to this cafe every day.
The cafe crew:
Nate (tall, brown hair, glasses)- ACU, pre-med, super intelligent, knows Spanish, friendly and street-smart
Sarah (big curly dark hair, almost Columbian looking)- A and M, EMT, a little loud, but super friendly
Andrea Jernigan (tall, dark hair)- graduated from Harding, PT, super precious and easy going and engaged!!!!
Garrett Rampon (French, dark hair, looks like Jacob from Twilight--no really, he does--)- Libscomb, pre-med, reminds me of my cousin Liam but older, has traveled Europe, not afraid of foreign cities with potentially high crime rates, gets MCAT score the same day I do
Kate- ACU, pre-med, only blonde on the trip (in a couple of different ways)
...to be continued...
Anyway! Love yall!
Thanks for reading (and commenting)
*k-baby
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Caterin is the Chocolate Factories
Hey there! Well, I am glad to report that after ten hours of sleep yesterday, I am still exhausted...
I think it is the five hours of language school and then the everyday Spanish that is getting me. Today, finally, I feel like I hit the brick wall that was so familiar while in Montevideo. It's like this. I am learning and doing well, trucking along like always, and then, suddenly, my mind freezes and I can't think. It like the first time I fell in love, just kidding. But yeah, I freeze and can't think. Can't find the words, can't find the phrases, can't spell...and then after a little rest, it doesn't away. However, I think that it is pretty normal and will subside as my "tolerance" gets a little better. I still love it though. Love it! Love the clothes (scrubs). Love the shoes (crocs). Love everything.
Today I thought we were going to a chocolate factory...instead, we were the chocolate factory. We pealed the roasted beans, took them to a place that ground them up, and then patted it into patties that they melted into a drink that they served us. It was really interesting. Hence, the title of this blog (Caterin is the way they like to spell my full name)
What about the food, Kate? Well, it has been good. A lot of rice and beans and yeah, more rice and beans. But last night and this morning I had really interesting food. Last night was a corn tamale like thing that I, honestly, had a hard time with. I choked it down and ate some bread. I woke up hopeful...but yeah. I had this stuff that was kinda like oatmeal or something, but worse. I choked it down and...ate some bread. Lunch was good and I am still optimistic about dinner!
Anyway, great day. Great group. Great life. Great opportunity. Awesome God. Check. Love it. LOVE it. Hasta luego!!
I think it is the five hours of language school and then the everyday Spanish that is getting me. Today, finally, I feel like I hit the brick wall that was so familiar while in Montevideo. It's like this. I am learning and doing well, trucking along like always, and then, suddenly, my mind freezes and I can't think. It like the first time I fell in love, just kidding. But yeah, I freeze and can't think. Can't find the words, can't find the phrases, can't spell...and then after a little rest, it doesn't away. However, I think that it is pretty normal and will subside as my "tolerance" gets a little better. I still love it though. Love it! Love the clothes (scrubs). Love the shoes (crocs). Love everything.
Today I thought we were going to a chocolate factory...instead, we were the chocolate factory. We pealed the roasted beans, took them to a place that ground them up, and then patted it into patties that they melted into a drink that they served us. It was really interesting. Hence, the title of this blog (Caterin is the way they like to spell my full name)
What about the food, Kate? Well, it has been good. A lot of rice and beans and yeah, more rice and beans. But last night and this morning I had really interesting food. Last night was a corn tamale like thing that I, honestly, had a hard time with. I choked it down and ate some bread. I woke up hopeful...but yeah. I had this stuff that was kinda like oatmeal or something, but worse. I choked it down and...ate some bread. Lunch was good and I am still optimistic about dinner!
Anyway, great day. Great group. Great life. Great opportunity. Awesome God. Check. Love it. LOVE it. Hasta luego!!
Monday, May 17, 2010
The X Files: Xela, Guatemala
Hey readers!
I am happy to report that I am in Guatemala safe and sound. My first host family lives about a block from the language school that we are studying at. I love my host family. We have had lots of good food (mostly vegetarian to boot). Most interesting goes to the fried bananas and most common goes to...drum-roll...rice and beans! It'll work. There is a ton of coffee as well so we are happy. Spanish school this week is 5 hours a day and then activities in the afternoon. When we are in the school, we have to speak Spanish or we get punished. My teacher (we are all one-on-one) is Nery and he is a young-ish nice guy that likes to make fun of my Argentine accent. He's nice but likes to laugh. My first task was to say these sentences: Lleve mis llaves y others like that with plenty of "ll" and "y" so that he could laugh at me.
My group is 100% awesome! They are all nerds like me that likes to talk about their medical experiences...love it. I do have about the best spanish of the group which is interesting.
Anyway!! I love it here. Love it. Couldn't be happier to date. Thanks for the prayers and all. I hope that all is well with you.
-k-baby
I am happy to report that I am in Guatemala safe and sound. My first host family lives about a block from the language school that we are studying at. I love my host family. We have had lots of good food (mostly vegetarian to boot). Most interesting goes to the fried bananas and most common goes to...drum-roll...rice and beans! It'll work. There is a ton of coffee as well so we are happy. Spanish school this week is 5 hours a day and then activities in the afternoon. When we are in the school, we have to speak Spanish or we get punished. My teacher (we are all one-on-one) is Nery and he is a young-ish nice guy that likes to make fun of my Argentine accent. He's nice but likes to laugh. My first task was to say these sentences: Lleve mis llaves y others like that with plenty of "ll" and "y" so that he could laugh at me.
My group is 100% awesome! They are all nerds like me that likes to talk about their medical experiences...love it. I do have about the best spanish of the group which is interesting.
Anyway!! I love it here. Love it. Couldn't be happier to date. Thanks for the prayers and all. I hope that all is well with you.
-k-baby
Friday, May 14, 2010
On Your Mark, Get excited, Leave! (Again)
As my large black suitcase not only fills over the brim, but over the scale...I am almost ready. This should be the final update before I am writing from across the oily Gulf and way south of the border. I am happy to report that my spirits are light again as I look forward to this adventure. For unknown reasons, I have experienced more apprehension about this trip. By unknown reasons I don't mean unknown to me. I know exactly what they are. They are the unknowns: the colleagues I don't know yet, the families I haven't met, the roads I haven't travelled, the people that I will interact with, the language I wish I knew more of, and finally, the foods I have never encountered.
Yesterday, I was freaking out. Final preparations always freak me out a little bit. But today, I woke up (thanks to the Lord) with a fresh spirit and a fresh outlook. I remembered why I am doing this and how much I truly love unknowns. When I think about it, I love getting to know people. I love the thought of living with a Guatemalan families. I love going where I have never been. I love interacting with new people. I love learning the language. I love trying new things and seeing how new people view the world. The very things that made me apprehensive are the things that I know I am going to love the most.
Well, enough of that for now. I have a couple more things to stuff into my overfull suitcase or cram into my small carry-on and very limited time to do so. Thanks so much for your thoughts and prayers as I embark on this new adventure. My next post will be from unknown computers worlds away. Good thing God is everywhere or I would never have the strength to go anywhere.
Blessings!
*K-Baby
Yesterday, I was freaking out. Final preparations always freak me out a little bit. But today, I woke up (thanks to the Lord) with a fresh spirit and a fresh outlook. I remembered why I am doing this and how much I truly love unknowns. When I think about it, I love getting to know people. I love the thought of living with a Guatemalan families. I love going where I have never been. I love interacting with new people. I love learning the language. I love trying new things and seeing how new people view the world. The very things that made me apprehensive are the things that I know I am going to love the most.
Well, enough of that for now. I have a couple more things to stuff into my overfull suitcase or cram into my small carry-on and very limited time to do so. Thanks so much for your thoughts and prayers as I embark on this new adventure. My next post will be from unknown computers worlds away. Good thing God is everywhere or I would never have the strength to go anywhere.
Blessings!
*K-Baby
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Getting Ready for Guatemala
Hey there fellow travelers!
When I started this blog about two years ago, I had no idea just how many adventures I was going to have. From hiking to waterfalls and singing "Iesu alofa i timaiti" (Jesus loves the little children in Samoan) to being attacked by fresh pineapples in Samoa and macaws in Brazil to getting an emergency passport for a friend in Buenos Aires and trekking through Argentina and Chile, I have been so blessed by the trips that I have gotten to take. Looking back to my trips is one of my favorite things to do, but nothing will pull you into the present like a week to make preparations for your next trip combined with preparing you medical school application. Whew!
So yes, Guatemala is next. Just to bring you up to speed, I leave on Saturday morning, bright and early with one of my MET colleagues from Harding (no I don't know him yet) from Dallas Love Field. I will fly to the ever-delightful Houston and then on to Guatemala city. From there I believe we will be heading straight to our first host homes and starting language school the next day. You may be thinking, "Kate? Doesn't Kate know Spanish? Why does she need language school?" Well, Yes, I am Kate and I know a good amount of Spanish. Kate needs language school because a lot of the population she is going to be working with speaks Kiche, a Mayan language, and probably less Spanish than I know. So language school will hopefully help bridge that gap...and teach me some sign language, at least the signs for clean water and food. :)
After about a week in language school the plan is to head to one of the two clinics we will be working in for some clinical and missional training for about a week. After this point, we will be split up into two groups, one will stay at the coast and one, mine, will go up to Chichi, up in the mountains. After two weeks of clinic, the teams will switch. After two weeks on the coast, we will get back together and go to Antigua for some sight seeing and souvenir-touristy-stay-in-a-hotel-with-hot-water stuff.
I would just ask that you all be in prayer for our mission, those who we are working with, our language barrier and our health. I am so excited and passionate about this work. Truly, for me, this is living my dream. This is what I believe that God could be calling me to long term, so I am excited to see what that could look like for me.
Thanks for the support, comments, and emails as I begin this journey!
Blessings!
When I started this blog about two years ago, I had no idea just how many adventures I was going to have. From hiking to waterfalls and singing "Iesu alofa i timaiti" (Jesus loves the little children in Samoan) to being attacked by fresh pineapples in Samoa and macaws in Brazil to getting an emergency passport for a friend in Buenos Aires and trekking through Argentina and Chile, I have been so blessed by the trips that I have gotten to take. Looking back to my trips is one of my favorite things to do, but nothing will pull you into the present like a week to make preparations for your next trip combined with preparing you medical school application. Whew!
So yes, Guatemala is next. Just to bring you up to speed, I leave on Saturday morning, bright and early with one of my MET colleagues from Harding (no I don't know him yet) from Dallas Love Field. I will fly to the ever-delightful Houston and then on to Guatemala city. From there I believe we will be heading straight to our first host homes and starting language school the next day. You may be thinking, "Kate? Doesn't Kate know Spanish? Why does she need language school?" Well, Yes, I am Kate and I know a good amount of Spanish. Kate needs language school because a lot of the population she is going to be working with speaks Kiche, a Mayan language, and probably less Spanish than I know. So language school will hopefully help bridge that gap...and teach me some sign language, at least the signs for clean water and food. :)
After about a week in language school the plan is to head to one of the two clinics we will be working in for some clinical and missional training for about a week. After this point, we will be split up into two groups, one will stay at the coast and one, mine, will go up to Chichi, up in the mountains. After two weeks of clinic, the teams will switch. After two weeks on the coast, we will get back together and go to Antigua for some sight seeing and souvenir-touristy-stay-in-a-hotel-with-hot-water stuff.
I would just ask that you all be in prayer for our mission, those who we are working with, our language barrier and our health. I am so excited and passionate about this work. Truly, for me, this is living my dream. This is what I believe that God could be calling me to long term, so I am excited to see what that could look like for me.
Thanks for the support, comments, and emails as I begin this journey!
Blessings!
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