Six weeks in el Sauce, Nicaragua
Thinking back on my six-week visit to Nicaragua during the summer of 2009, I can vividly recall so many wonderful memories. As a pre-medical student, I came to the country with the intent to learn about the health care field in Nicaragua and assist the local medical teams if at all possible.
I soon realized that my short trip was teaching me more than just medical procedures, but also about people, their lives, and their experiences. During this time, I lived with local host families, worked at rural health posts in el Sauce, shadowed a local medical team, helped out with an English class organized by Enlace directors Yacarely and Kellan, and learned about the many other projects that Enlace has been working on, as well as their efforts for the future. In my spare time, I was able to visit a few other beautiful regions of Nicaragua, including the cities León, Managua, Masaya, and Granada, where I saw volcanoes, lakes, markets, artwork, and historical interests.
Below are anecdotes of a few of my favorite experiences…
Working at the health posts:
During my 6-week trip to el Sauce, Nicaragua, I wanted to learn about their health care field, how rural health posts operate, and how I might be able to help the doctors and nurses there, as a current pre-medicine student. I worked at the puesto de salud in los Panales, a rural area on the outskirts of el Sauce, where I shadowed and assisted a doctor and two nurses.
The first few days were a whirlwind—I was listening to diagnoses and treatments from the doctor in Spanish, learning the most commonly used medications, and quickly scribbling down some (nearly illegible) notes in my notebook, in addition to asking short questions in my unpracticed Spanish between patients. Since there were so many patients, we waited for the bus ride (an experience in itself!) to learn about each others’ lives, which was always one of my favorite parts of the day.
As the days passed, I found myself understanding more and was able to learn from the knowledgeable, hands-on approaches of the doctor. During the six weeks, I found myself making health-rated posters for the post, retrieving the prescribed medication for the patients, weighing babies and young children to make sure they are on the appropriate age-weight curve, assisting the doctor with fetal measurements, and, most importantly, interacting with the patients, their children, and the medical staff! Even with minimal Spanish conversational skills, I quickly realized how welcoming and caring everyone was. I was truly honored to have this chance to meet such interesting and warm-hearted people and learn about their lives through the medical setting.
Other medical excursions:
Some days, instead of going to the health post in Panales, I would meet up with the doctor at the health center, el centro de salud, in el Sauce, and we would grab a cooler of vaccines, a vinyl bag of medications, and hop in the bag of a pick-up truck in order to reach the villages in the even further rural outskirts of el Sauce. These days were always exciting adventures! Winding through the thin, rocky dirty roads of the backcountry, I found myself fully enjoying the lush green mountain forests, breathing in the fresh air and feeling the warm sun against my face while gripping the support pole in the back of the truck.
Sometimes the truck would bring us to a school or a family’s house, where we would stop and set up a temporary health post for the next 5 hours or so. A few times we stopped at a short line of horses, strapped the medications and vaccines onto the horse’s saddle, and rode further into the mountains. With zero horse-riding experience, I listened carefully to those with me, as the nurse yelled out instructions and poked my horse with a stick when it decided to completely stop moving! These trips were unforgettable, but perhaps the most memorable trip was en route to a rural school. That day I went with the doctor and a handful of other workers at the health center. We had plans to set a festival at the school for all the children, while innumerable patients would come to our make-shift health post in a separate building. But before we ever got there, the truck (carrying myself and about 10 other people and their supplies) got stuck in a sandy river bed that we were attempting to cross. Tow truck? Not quite. Instead two yoked oxen were tied to the front of the truck to heave us forward, while everyone else (shoes off and pants rolled up) pushed from the rear! And it worked like a charm. Thirty minutes later we arrived at the school and our day’s work began!
Daily life with my host family:
My unique and unforgettable moments did not end at the health posts. During my six weeks in el Sauce, I was very fortunate to live with and get to know my amazing host family, the energetic Ileana, her children, granddaughter, husband, his mother. Every morning before I headed off to the health posts, Ileana made me a full plate of food for breakfast. Mmm…everything was so delicious. I never imagined that plantains could be cooked in so many mouth-watering ways!
At the end of the day in the health posts, it was so relaxing to come back to Ileana’s friendly house, take a refreshing shower and lean back in the comfy rocky chairs while the rest of the house was alive with excitement: Ileana cooking another meal or practicing English with some friends from class, her 6-year-old, adorable granddaughter Frania swinging on the hammock and laughing playfully at my Spanish, or her daughter Melba also enjoying the rocking chairs.
Ocotal:
My first wonderful weekend in Ocotal Mountain was as a participant in their tourist program, established by the Enlace directors, Kellan and Yacarely, with the residents of Ocotal. The weekend program includes staying in the home of a family who lives on the mountain for two nights and receiving guided tours of the daily life for those who live and work there, including organic coffee farming, tortilla making, basket-weaving, horse-riding, and hiking! I began the weekend with a hearty dinner, followed by a hike to my home for the weekend—the house of local family of five. It was such a great learning experience to live with and get to know the family, who made a great effort to talk to me and teach me about their lives. In exchange, I scrambled with my Spanish, which was pretty comical for us all!
The next day, I woke up to several roosters crowing and a chicken that happily found its way through the window on the table of my guest room! Thankfully, Lisbet, one of the daughters, came to our rescue while I laughed at myself for getting so startled. Later that day I was guided on a horse through the mountain to another house, where I learned and participated in the extensive procedure and art of organic coffee farming, all the while sipping the freshly brewed coffee made from their very own beans!
Next, I got back on my horse and went to yet another home in Ocotal, this time with the intent to see tortilla making. This involved another extensive process that left my arms sore from using a large stone rolling pin. But it was so worth it when I ate the finished product! At the end of the day, I returned to my weekend home to relax with the family and learn about pine needle basket-weaving that many of the women in Ocotal take part in. I received my own personal presentation of the art from the other of the 2 daughters, Susana, who expertly wove me a small pine needle sombrero! That weekend I left with a mixture of newfound intrigue and appreciation for rural mountain life in el Sauce, Nicaragua.
