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My short span on this earth has so far, contained one amazing vacation -- Alaska. I can wholeheartedly say that this two week span in Belize is on par if not a tad above the Alaskan vacation. And let me tell you why.
First, I think its time for me to revisit my pre-trip reflection and see what has met my expectations and what has been let down.  Initially, I wrote

In terms of what I expect out of the course and the trip, well I would say a few things. First, I hope that I could help a few people out and see their smiling faces after I explain to them that they are alright or, even if they are not alright, that there is something that can be done to help them. I also hope that I can learn another culture and see how people view medicine and health care providers in another country. Other than that I just expect to have an amazing time at an amazing place. 

I have helped more than a few people out, and have seen many smiling faces. I have also seen many relieved faces -- faces of parents who find out that the issue with their child can be solved very simply. I have also seen some very distraught and sad faces -- faces of patients who can't afford to go to the hospital or can't afford a particular medication or even those who can't afford drinking water. But all of these faces had an impact on me, because I had an impact on them. Even if all I did was ask for their weight and height that first day at Santa Familia, I felt that I was doing something important, because I was just a pathway for them to get the care they need.

I have also learned many interesting things about the cultures (yes plural) of Belize; I have learned some very surprising and sometimes not very good things about the health care in the country. Like the fact that getting to see a doctor or going to a hospital maybe difficult for people because they live very far from a facility and might not have enough money to get a taxi. As strange as it may seem, this did not surprise me nor was it hard for me to wrap my head around it, because I've heard of such situations before. For example, in the now settlement where my dad was born, the closest delivery room is roughly 15 miles away, and it might take a while for the ambulance to get there.

In another post, I wrote about the disparity that exists in Belize over Western Medicine and Traditional Medicine. I can totally understand why this issue exists -- a traditional healer might be more accessible to these people, and so they are going to turn to them more often than not. Another issue is that the people do not trust the government, which I can also understand.

During the first clinic at Santa Familia, a child was suspected of having some breathing difficulties; even though I was in triage, I was able to utilize the skill set I learned in skills lab, and perform a very brief respiratory exam (I'm making it seem more complicated than it was -- all  I did was just listen to the child breathe) and found some wheezing, which we then told the mom about. I can't begin to describe to you how amazing that felt, the ability to utilize something that you learned about in school in actual practice. It seems like a very run of the mill thing to do, but for someone who has basically no outside of school experience, it was definitely a highlight.

Throughout the clinics there were several moments where I went, "Oh, I remember learning this. It can be found on slide so and so of this lecture" and I was able to answer someone's questions. It really was pretty amazing.

Another thing that I really enjoyed was watching everyone become a whole cohesive unit. When class started in September, it seemed like we were just clusters of people, each within our own 'circles' (for lack of a better word), but once we got there and started working, the so called circles started unwinding, and new, stronger circles were formed. I'm pretty sure that by the end of the trip we became a sort of family (kind of a dysfunctional family, but still a family). We had everything, from the crazy uncles to the weird cousins to the hypochondriacs and nervous nellies. Some days we wanted to kill certain members, other days...well we still wanted to kill certain members, but that would just make things boring.

And boy, did I have an amazing time. I did so many things that I never thought I would be able to. Eat termites stand atop pyramids and temples, climb said temples, explore an ancient cave, visit a 'hidden' waterfall, visit Guatemala. The list goes on and on.

I could probably go on and on, but I'm going to just end it there because you probably have something better to do than read my diarrhea of thoughts. Yes, I did just write that, you do not need to do a double take.

Thanks to everyone that's been reading, you guys deserve cookies and some milk, which you may pick up here. And if you are lactose intolerant, you may get a complementary cup of soy milk.