Day 3 - We triage a village. Many babies with runny noses, cough and rashes. Elderly with coughs, muscle/joint pain. One lady is 89 (she thinks) and has knee pain. She wanted to see the doctor. I had the translator ask how she was going to get to the clinic which is probably 1/2 mile away from her home. She said " I will take my time and I will walk." Can you imagine - she didn't expect anyone to take her there - remember she wants to be seen for knee pain. She was so pleased when we made arrangements for her to have a ride.

Students are doing an amazing job - great assessment skills. They want to give everything and anything to them. Abbey is ready to take them all home with her. Amy doesn't want to leave. Cassie has decided to dedicate some time when she gets back to learning Spanish.

Everyone is doing really well. Tonight we packed medication and will set up the clinic early in the morning at the community center. We will probably see 100 people or so.

I will be the pharmacist. I will take medication, which will have been ordered by a physician and hand write the scribe to put on the bottle. Then provide instructions with a translator.

Can you imagine -

We had the opportunity to go to a Maya Temple. We will be doing cave tubing, an hour zip line ride down a mountain - after climbing UP, we will visit a cave with Maya relics and visit a natural plant pharmaceutical place.

Lots of work a head - lots to do - it is hot hot and humid !!

Day 2 - It was a very full and exciting day. Orientation - met the medical doctors we will be working with.. We are going to a village tomorrow to triage/assess and make clinic appointments. Return back the next day with the doctors to provide the folks we meet tomorrow clinical care. We sorted out medical supplies to dispense and children goodie bags. Got a tour of the little town we are in - souvenir shopping before dinner. The food has been unbelievable - awesome food. The people have been extremely friendly. It is very hot and humid :) Will post pictures to the Facebook page.

Day 1

After two flights, an hour and a half commute, and a flat tire on the bus, we made it safe and sound in San Ignacio! International Service Learning provided a delicious Belizean dish at a local restaurant and we are all getting settled into our wonderful guesthouse. Looking forward to orientation tomorrow. Stay tuned for pictures to be posted to UMaine Nursing International on Facebook.

Day 1 - We arrived at Boston Logan safely at 5:15am. American Airlines were wonderful and cleared an attendant to take care of us all together - allowing us to skip a long line of travelers.

No problems with security. Amy had to repack her snacks since her luggage was bulging. Hopefully the check on luggage makes it otherwise she will be out of snacks.

Lots of exciting - we are all on super charge. Ok coffee time for me

Susan

Count down has begun. Malaria medication is being taken, passports are in hand, airline confirmation and seat assignments, 200 hundred pounds of medical supplies packed and ready to donate ( thanks to Partners of World Health and Allison Doe) and tons more to do in a short period of time.

We will be heading to Boston Sunday, February 26th. A 5:15 am meeting time at the front of the American Airline check in counter for last minute adjustments. Next major obstacle - security with all our STUFF.

We will keep you updated - The excitement and energy is palatable.

An update with 1 month to go!

So with one month to go things are certainly falling into place. We have our airline tickets confirmed, met with Bud Walkup concerning safety in Belize, have immunizations coming up, and another safety meeting next week. Additionally we are partnering with Partners for World health, an organization out of Portland, to bring medical supplies along with us. You can check out this incredible organization and all their work at http://www.partnersforworldhealth.org/.  

Also, as always, we have fundraisers coming up.  We are having a Pampered Chef party at the Bangor Motor Inn on February 15th. I will be posting the time very soon so stay tuned. We all would love to see you there!

We of course want to thank all of our many generous donors and supporters up to now, but we still do have a long way to go to reach our goal. Every little bit helps!

Thanks for the Support

First Thanks to everyone that has support us so far - it is amazing.

As we move forward I reflect on the fact that this project is no longer about the trip nor is it about just gaining cultural awareness. All the students involved are developing the skills and experience to someday be amazing nurse leaders. They are experiencing what it is like working as a team, organization and prioritization. They are discussing policy making and are working on creating by-laws for the group. They are speaking to the community and developing communication skills. The learning related to this project exceeds my expectations and I am thrilled to watch these young student nurses develop and grow into passionate professional nurse leaders.