Day 6

Hola! Today was fantastic... and every day seems to be filled with more excitement and bonding within our small group. Although waking up for breakfast at 6:45 AM is becoming more difficult, we somehow find strength to push through our long day. This morning, we had pancakes, fresh pineapple and watermelon, and mini hot dogs (we found out they were NOT sausage). We arrived at the clinic in time to set up all of our equipment, and I personally had the chance to visit the local school. Evan, Allie, and myself (Seth) informed elementary children on the importance of healthy diets, clean water, and facts about Diabetes. Instantly, smiles were brought to our face by the interest of the kids with their participation in exercises and asking us questions. The first class was more than excited to take a photo with us and some children wanted to know if we were Japanese, if Allie was French, and they were even interested in preventing Diabetes. In total, we visited about 11 elementary classrooms. On our way out the kids were eyeing the new soccer ball Allie had, so of course we played with them. Little did we know, these kids didn't even care which team they were on, boundaries of the field, or whether or not they snuck in a few handballs. I'm pretty sure 60 of us were playing soccer at one point. On the sidelines, children wanted numerous pictures with us. After about 20 minutes of recess, we left the clinic with our translator, drenched in sweat. Visiting these children was honestly the best experience so far. Not only did I see God working through us to reach out to these kids, but it was also heartwarming to hear them say "thank you" and "goodbye" in English as we left.

After arriving back at the clinic, I had the chance of working with the dentists. These three dentists are the nicest and most patient people I have ever worked with. throughout the day, they saw a total of 30 patients. Dr. Diana saw 38 patients and our pharmacy team filled 173 prescriptions. Our clinic was filled with more children than we could handle... but we occupied them with coloring and toys. For lunch, we hand mountains of rice, beef with onions, and homemade tortillas. Today was the longest day so far. We did not leave the clinic until 6:30 PM and thought we would miss dinner! ... Yes, we spent 10 1/2 hours in the clinic. Luckily, we made it back to Quinta Shalom for dinner, and the cooks threw us another curve ball with "normal" food. We had delicious fish, potatoes, pasta, and vegetables. A few of us even decided to make a quick trip for ice cream! This evening, we decided to play some card games. We were bored by Uno, and decided to play spoons. Currently we are sitting on the patio relaxing (and sweating), but hoping time slows down so we can enjoy the rest of our week down here.

Adios!