Dia Seis (Day Six)

Day Six and Day Five of clinic were hopping – more than 6,000 people in two days. They just keep a’comin and we just keep giving the gift of sight. I switched between traffic control and dispensing both days which are both super fun areas to work and observe everything that’s happening in clinic.

There are so many great stories to tell but I’ll back up to our weekend where we got a rest from clinic and toured a little bit of the country. We all needed a break to recharge our batteries. On Saturday we hit a coffee plantation and the market here in Coban. Great stuff.

Then we went to a nearby town where we were treated to folk dancing in the street and then lots of fun at lunch. This is the place where lots of the school kids decided that my hair was something that MUST be touched. Most of the kids here have poker-straight hair and I’m sure they thought I was some sort of weirdo with all of my curly hair. The girls crowded around me just to stroke my hair. The girls pictured above were about five percent of the crowd around me. One little girls kept kissing me and one of the Lions Club volunteers had to pull me away and escort me to the bus.

Sunday we went to an awesome ecological park where most of us did the “canopy” – a zip line that took us above the trees and over some waterfalls. Incredible views. I also touched sacred water in the park, a place where the Mayans used to come for ceremonies so now I’m all holy and stuff. 

So, here are some other bullet points on the past few days:

* I ate potato chips for the first time since I left home – that’d be nine days for folks playing along at home. This might be a record except for those few times during Lent when I’d give up stuff as a kid.

* I’ve eaten beets on a tortilla twice in three days. This is probably a record-breaking number of beets eaten in my lifetime.

* I have ginormous mosquito bites and we’ve killed spiders the size of my head. Okay, maybe that’s exaggerating but the bugs are super-sized here and it seems like they sort of look at you and say “I dare you” just about when you’re ready to smash them.

* I’m living in what seems to feel like a moist towelette. Everything is damp from humidity. My hair is, of course, as big as the bugs. Just wait until you see the photos.

* One of the Lions Club volunteers is a fellow writer. He’s retired and published a book and brought a copy for me. He and his wife have invited Dave and I to come visit them in Guatemala and brush up on our Spanish.

* I’m starting to respond in Spanish. Someone asks me a yes or no question and I say “Si” as in “yes.” However, the translators laugh and tease me when I screw up words. They get a kick out of my accent even though Ohioans don’t have accents.

* I played euchre last night and Danielle and I kicked butt. We’ve got a re-match tonight. Card playing is a good release after a long day at clinic.

Wednesday and Thursday are our last days. The time has gone so quickly and we’ve only scratched the surface on the number of people we can help. More later!