The Trip is Done!

All and all the trip was AMAZING! Though there were some frustrating times, in the end I learned so much and could not imagine not doing the trip.

The past 3 weeks are kind of a blur. We did so much in such a short amount of time. I got to see different parts of the country from driving from place to place and experience health care in the jungle and in the city. I also had the pleasure of learning about what nursing school is like in Panama. (Their students have 4 years of actual nursing school, where we only have 2.) I went on a 16 mile hike, four-wheeling, and zip lining. It really was a jam-packed trip. I even got to have the lovely experience of being a patient in a Panamanian hospital when I stepped on a needle that was supposedly used to anesthetize a goat before castrating it. So many things to tell, but that would go on for pages. Panama is a very diverse country and I would love to go back and experience more of it!

¡Adiós Amigos!

Leaving Panama and returning to Tampa has been very bittersweet. While I know we made a positive impact on the people in the Comarcas, it's hard to say goodbye when there is still such a huge need for outside help. The past three weeks have been both very rewarding and eye-opening. I learned about the Panamanian culture and adjusting to "Panama Time" which is very different from the inflexible agendas most Americans follow. This journey also taught me that the amenities I would once label as "essentials" are considered luxury items in other parts of the world. I vow to never again take clean drinking water, hot showers, or toilet paper for granted.

I left for Panama expecting to learn about a new culture, gain more clinical practice, and most importantly avoid taking community during the fall semester. As I return to Tampa I realize I'm bringing back so much more, including once in a lifetime experiences and a handful of unexpected new friendships. I won't soon forget all of our patients in the clinics or Victor, my innocent, sweet, little friend from the orphanage. I had never seen such beautiful scenery until we climbed Volcán Barú and went zip lining in Boquete, both adventures I would go on again in a heartbeat. Everyday was full of learning, not just about the culture but also about tolerance and friendship. I learned a lot about myself too and the way others perceive me. I think everyone who went will agree it was a memorable trip and provided us with experiences that will help shape us into better nurses.

I would like to both thank and congratulate Dr. Cadena and Eloisa for making this trip a success.

"Our fingertips don't fade from the lives we touch..."

i'll never forget you, panama

written on June 10, 2011

Today is our last day in Panama. It is bittersweet; although I miss home, I can't imagine what life is like back in the states. I've made so many great friends here and I know that I will miss them tremendously.

Monday was our last day in the communities in Chiriqui. The clinic in Soloy was amazing, and I learned and witnessed a lot of different things. I gave many injections, immunizations, IVs, and much more. When we were leaving, we said goodbye to everyone and the amazing staff of nurses and doctors who helped us throughout our stay in the Comarca. When we were eating lunch on the bus in front of the clinic, a little 8 year old girl holding her sister came to the window. She looked hungry and desperate, so I gave her the rest of my lunch. She ate it in a blink ofan eye, and the rest of my classmates gave what they could to her. She was very grateful.

Tuesday was our last day in the Comarca in Chiriqui. We ventured out early (of course!) and made it to David to the Jose Domingo children andwomen's hospital. The week prior when we visited the hospital, I had witnessed my first live birth. It was amazing and very humbling. The Panamanian women generally do not use anesthesia during birth, which is very different from the States. On Tuesday, I was in a small group and we were on the post-partum floor. We saw many different things. We also got to hold tiny babies for a few hours. I think some of us fell in love...

My stay here in Panama was amazing. It seems that 3 weeks just wasn't enough time. Although we worked hard in the communities and brought an American touch of health care to Panama, we had a lot of time to connect with each other and bond as classmates. I will never forget the 24 other people who came to Panama with me. Some of them taught me more things about myself than I knew. I learned to push myself in ways I didn't know I could. Thank you to everyone who made my Panama trip so memorable. And thank you to Dr. Cadena and Eloisa for everything.

Its Been Fun!

Today we leave to go home from Panama. I am going to miss it here. I have had such a great experience here! I have had the opportunity to learn so much in such a short period of time. My favorite part of the entire trip was definitely when we went to the orphanage in Boquete. At the orphanage we met with one of the volunteers who moved down to Panama from the U.S. and has been living in Boquete and volunteering at the orphanage for the past year. There were about 60 kids at the orphanage and a lot of them were there for reasons of domestic violence and abuse, so they are considered “unadoptable” because the government is hoping that they will be able to repair the situation at home and return the children to their families. This was the hardest part about seeing all of these children; I wish I could see them and have the hope the one day they will all be adopted by a family who will take care of them. The kids at the orphanage were all so sweet and so excited about the little toys and candies that we brought them. We would open up a package of crayons, and literally hand out single crayons to the children and they would be so excited to get this single crayon. The gratitude of the children that I have seen here in Panama has been so inspiring. I am so glad that I got the opportunity to come here for this 3 week session. I have learned so much from the people that I have come into contact with here and love the cultural experience that I have had.

Hasta Luego Comarca!

This past week was our last week in the Comarca. While at the Clinic in Soloy I have had the opportunity to learn lots of clinical skills (I did 30 vaccinations!) and see a new culture face to face. The experiences that I have had here are so different from those that I have had in the states. People literally walk for days to get to this clinic (one morning we picked a woman up in the bus on the way to the clinic who was being carried in a hammock by two men to get to the clinic. Just by us driving her for the last 20 minutes of our drive to the clinic, we probably shortened their journey by hours.) While it was heartbreaking to see these people suffering from preventable diseases and infections, such as gastroenteritis caused by unclean water and improper food handling, respiratory problems caused by having wood burning stoves in their living spaces, and skin infections and diseases caused by poor personal hygiene, there was also hope in seeing how the medical professionals at the clinics responded to help the people in the Comarca. It must seem like a daunting task for the doctors and nurses who treat the Ngobe-Bugle people, treating only the outcomes, and not being able to properly address the causes because of the vast shortages of water and hygiene supplies. Even with these daunting tasks ahead of them, the doctors and nurses treat the people of the Comarca daily with empathy and compassion, and I feel as if I have definitely learned from them, how to treat and care for patients. Also in response to the needs of the Ngobe people, there were three health promoters who go out into the community (sometimes literally door to door, and sometimes holding little seminars at community meeting places) and teach about clean water collection, moving stoves to outside to prevent respiratory problems, nutrition, and importance of vaccinations and prenatal care. While the experience in the Comarca opened my eyes to the struggles and needs of another culture, It also demonstrated to me how the people of this country are working together to better the lives of the less fortunate and help the Ngobe people to learn how to improve their standard of living, and move forward with a generation of healthier Ngobe people.

Verdad?!?

Wow...I can't believe this 3 week experience is already over. This trip has really allowed me to broaden my horizons and realize just how lucky we are to live the life we live in the US. I really enjoyed seeing how other cultures practice health care, and realize that the American way of doing things is not the only way. I am leaving feeling more competent with my nursing skills I practiced here including IM injections, starting IVs and performing prenatal care. I have made tremendous friendships while here and although I am missing home I wish my time here in Panama could last just a little bit longer.

CRISTINA RONDOLINO- Bitter sweet goodbye

Last day in Panama and I think we are all a little sad. A week ago we would have killed to go home. But, now that we are at the City of Knowledge and easing ourselves back to the luxurious life of semi-hot showers and not sleeping in a room with 17 other girls, I think we will be sad to leave. Last night we went to the discotcca and we all danced our last night in Panama away.
I wont be leaving Panama with just a bag full of coffee and souvenirs. I am leaving having made some really great friends and with an experience that will stay with me forever. This experience was truly invaluable to me because it opened my eyes to the struggles that people around the world go through. The Alto Caballero community had no running water or a safe source of drinking water. It infiltrated every aspect of their lives. I will think of them the next time that I am faced with a dilemma and realize that I am lucky to have the resources I have.
We saw the people wait patiently outside the clinics for hours and sometimes would not get the help they came for and still never once complained, or made a scene. I will think of the Ngobe Bugle people the next time I am impatient (which is often) and realize ,again, that I am lucky.
And next time a storm is rolling in, I will not be sad that it ruined my beach day, but I will be happy that is is bringing lives most precious resource to me and I will think of the Ngobe Bugle people rejoicing when the rain came.
I am also leaving, a lot more confident in my clinical skills. I was able to start an IV for the first time on this trip and I probably did 60 IM injections. I got a head start on pediatrics and OB. I measured the fundus, found the fetal heart beat and, oh yeah, I saw birth! I brushed up on my Spanish speaking skills as well.
All in all it was a wonderful trip. A little rocky at times with what seemed like one catastrophe after another, but it all just adds to the memory. AMERICA HERE WE COME!