CUAA Team 2421 to Belize

 Friday, August 3, 2024 Today, with our medical bags packed, we take a “cultural day” to see the archeological richness of several thousand years of Maya occupation of this area of Cayo District, Belize. San Ignacio sits along the Mopan River. We have crossed it or driven alongside it every day going to our clinics. Today, we’ll cross it on a hand-powered car ferry as we visit the Maya archeological site, Xunantunich (shoe-NAN-too-nitch). This site has been teasing us for several days. It’s located only ten minutes west of our hotel, five miles from the Guatemala border, but was something we passed by for several days with the promise of visiting it on our last day in country. The car ferry across the Mopan River “El Castillo” is the largest structure, at 130 ft high. About to begin our climb to the summit of “El Castillo” A grand view of the plaza, from the top. Xunantunich (a modern name meaning “Stone Woman”) was applied to the site in the 19th century, based on local folklore, ...

 Thursday and Friday, August 1-2, 2024 Thursday morning’s devotions, presented by Bre, used the analogy of the Olympics being held in Paris this week to explore the features of a good team. Bre related about “The Dream Team” of U.S. basketball players that won the gold medal in 1992, something this “Oldtimer” blogger remembers well. She then asked us to consider what features and character traits other than athletic ability we might want represented on our “team.”  Bre’s devotion explored the qualities of the team Jesus put together when he began his ministry on earth: 12 ordinary men, plus other men and women who “gravitated toward Jesus because of his wisdom, compassion and miracle-working power and believed He was the Messiah.” This week our “Dream Team” of senior student nurses together has put their extensive training to practical application by establishing a quick trust with patients (of various languages and different cultures); thorough questioning and listening, even...

 Monday, Tuesday,  Wednesday, July 29-31, 2024 What a wonderful week! Our group of ten CUAA student nurses (all seniors, who will graduate in December) is serving in clinics in six locations. The past three days have seen us move our bags (13 large suitcases in all) each day into a new setting. On Monday in Succotz, Tuesday in Benque, and Wednesday in Spanish Lookout, we set up our clinic in a local church where free medical care was already advertised by the local pastor. Registration is handled by one of our translators, a registration form handed to the patient (or patient’s parent) and then an approximate half-hour to 45 minutes traverse through the following clinic “stations,” with half-daily rotations insuring each student serves in each station a couple of times during the week. Forty-five minutes may stretch into an hour or more for a patient with significant issues.  1. Triage, where blood pressure, temperature, weight, blood sugar reading (if needed) and purpose...