Well, the first day we had no doctors and too many patients. Today we had no patients and too many doctors. The team has had lost bags, canceled flights, a case of severe diarrhea requiring IV fluids and antibiotics, and a sprained ankle. But today’s snafu was a big bummer since we are all ready to hit the ground running and take care of patients. Miscommunication and crossed wires. A big disappointment for the team, but we found ways to make lemonade out of lemons. The education team went into each classroom and taught a variety of topics to the kids. All the kids got toothbrushes and lessons on how to properly brush, as well as teeth cleaning. A few medical patients wandered in, so although it wasn’t a busy clinic there was still some work to be done. Jeff and I taught an hour long session on First Aid to a group of teachers. We covered things like choking, broken bones, concussion, fever, and a very random segue into sleep apnea (started with a question about choking at night and quickly devolved into a conversation about snoring, choking on one’s saliva, and a friend of a friend of a friend who died suddenly by choking on air in the middle of the night.) Afterwards we gave all the teachers reading glasses and they were thrilled. A few photos from the day.

Teaching First Aid to teachers.

Teaching dental care after cleaning teeth.

Painting nails.

Playing with the kids.

Tomorrow I get picked up at 4am. We are heading to the mountains for 6 days. Jeff will come later in the day, after he gets the kids situated at school and hands over the reigns to Tio Hugo. The kids are excited for “Hugo Camp” while Jeff and I disappear with the team. Jeff will return on Saturday afternoon, and I’ll trek to the next community with llamas carrying our supplies. Can’t wait.