Today we are back in Rio Iglesias. Not as many people came initially to the clinic, but as the day progresses more and more people seem to show up. After consulting with the Doctors, the patients move onto the pharmacy portion of the clinic. Here they can get their prescriptions filled, ask the pharmacists any questions they have, and they are given directions for taking each medicine. Today I pretended I was a pharmacist; taking responsibility over dosages and learning from the other pharmacists I was working with. In nursing school we are taught all about pharmacology; it was actually pretty interesting to learn from this hands on experience. I felt like I dove right into medications, and answering questions they best way I knew how. The second part of the day I was sent to Charla, which is by far the funniest station to work at. Charla is where families get education on how to brush their teeth, wash their hands, and basic first aid. The kids listened for about 15 minutes then eventually got bored with learning, so we decided to play with them instead; soccer, Frisbee, and card games are just a few examples. It amazes me how easily it is to interact without knowing the same language as someone. Not completely understanding Spanish was honestly one of my biggest anxieties of going on this trip. However, after interacting with the kids and families in Charla, they relieved some of those anxieties by teaching me Spanish and understanding my intentions even when I did not know what to say. It was fun learning some of their cultural traditions, and we even got to show teach them some American traditions, like: selfies, ring around the Rosie, and patty cake. So far, this was my favorite part of the trip; seeing the kids faces light up when we played with them was worth it. This trip was definitely money well spent; knowing that we were able to positively impact so many lives, and help them along the way was the greatest feeling in the world.
This was also one of the last chances we had to interact with the Doctors on our trip. During reflection we were able to ask them questions about their experiences, anything we wanted enlightment on, and their journey to Panama with Global Brigades. They shared stories of past patients, both good and bad; some were heart warming, while others were gross. Their stories were helpful because we were able to see the good and bad of the medical field.
This was also one of the last chances we had to interact with the Doctors on our trip. During reflection we were able to ask them questions about their experiences, anything we wanted enlightment on, and their journey to Panama with Global Brigades. They shared stories of past patients, both good and bad; some were heart warming, while others were gross. Their stories were helpful because we were able to see the good and bad of the medical field.