The Basic Package

One of the greatest things about my new site is the organized and dedicated health community (have I mentioned that before honestly I can’t remember?). It has made my transition pretty easy because I didn’t waste any time getting “acclimated” as volunteers are apt to say. Fortunately for me, I’m not in a situation where I have to start anything from scratch – rather I’m fitting in to a well-oiled machine that wants my help. Which is good because honestly I didn’t think I had the energy to really start over this late in the game…

Anyway, one of the things I get recruited for is what they call Paquete Basico, which is a small team that goes up into the aldeas for informal medical care. The team usually consists of a doctor, a dentist, a few nurses and a health volunteer or two (me). A few times a month we visit these really small communities that are up in the mountains and often very isolated (aka really poor). Sometimes these communities are a 40 minute truck-ride away from the main health center in Taulabe. Which means when someone in these towns needs immediate medical care they are forced to walk two hours to get to the center. So usually they just wait till the team comes each month.

Might not look like much, but this is the small aldea of El Diviso

Paquete Basico roughly translates to Basic Package, which is as good a name as any I suppose. The people of each town generally know we are coming (say, the second Tuesday of every month) and there is frequently a crowd of mothers lined up out the door upon our arrival. Every time I’ve gone with the team, we’ve set up shop inside a small church or community center building and it is usually a one-room deal. The doctor sets up his station in one corner, the dentist in another and the waiting room is just everyone standing around in between.

[The dentista, I might add, is one of my favorite people in town. She is hilarious and has a sense of humor unlike any Honduran I have met. I can always tell when she is giving a charla because I can hear her deep booming voice from many rooms away. Unless, that is, she is performing one of her legendary puppet shows where she takes on the high-pitched, squealy persona of Blanquita the Cow who eats lots of dairy to strengthen her teeth and bones. She is passionate about her work and has a way with kids that I will forever try to emulate. The dentist that is, not Blanquita the cow.]

The Doctora presents…

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If you’re wondering what’s going on… the tiger (named, you guessed it, Tigre) is distressed over his lost and broken teeth and he is warning the children to heed Blanquita’s advice and take good care of their teeth by brushing twice a day.

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While the doctor is diagnosing case after case in the order of who came the farthest, the nurse is passing out what meds and vitamins are available (which, I’ve found out, are usually pretty close to their expiration date and because of that were donated by the government or other charities). While all these consultations are going on, I am assigned to give charlas (informal talks) to the women and children who are waiting their turn. Then I usually hit up the local elementary school, if there is one in town, to give a charla there too.

Nearly-expired Meds to distribute

The subject matter of the charlas depend on whatever the doctor deems relevant for the month and for the particular community. And with the power of google, I can be ready for nearly any topic he requests. I have covered all of the following: danger signs of diarrhea and pneumonia, basic hygiene and hand-washing, how to recognize domestic violence, and the ever popular HIV/AIDS prevention.

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Everything you ever wanted to know about diarrea

It’s usually in these rural aldeas that I inevitably get stared at by one or two children who have never seen a white person before. It’s always pretty obvious too. They are the ones that follow me as I walk around the room and stare at me with wide eyes or open mouths. And sometimes even try to touch my hair or hold my hand or something. Which I allow, unless of course they are one of the numerous hacking, snot-dribbling neuomonia patients in which case, ew germs, duh.

My charla-giving-style is simple and to-the-point. I like to write a few bullet points on a piece of poster paper with the most important info. I add some pictures/diagrams for those who can’t read (of which there are plenty) and then I just improvise the rest. During the presentation I can count on a nurse or someone to step in and help me if my vocabulary fails me or I have trouble explaining complicated things, like the difference between a virus and bacteria for instance. That’s a tough one. Oh and then there are those times when I see someone literally falling asleep while I am talking, because that happens. And occasionally people simply lose interest in what I am saying and just walk out of the room. That’s common too. But more often than not, I think my audience is curious to watch the strange Gringa and has more interest in watching me than listening to what I have to say. But I’ve learned not to take too personally.

Here is a slideshow with some shots from my most recent Paquete Basico trip. We were in El Diviso which is WAY up a mountain and has fantastic views of the Lake Yojoa that lays below.

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-Sarita