Take it Belizeasy (a saying from our Lime Caye guide)

Village experiences: a family, Garifuna boy, piglets, health education

village road

Last week I got a lot of practical stuff done. It was good to feel like I'm finding more of my place here at Hillside. I've been enjoying the other students and going running with one of the long-term volunteers. The weather has also been much nicer with not nearly as much rain. Last Wednesday and the Wednesday before that I went with a group of students and doctors on two different overnight village trips. It was an interesting experience. It was a long drive down a primarily rocky road.  Rudy the community liason introduced me to some important community members who helped me better understand their community system. Two school principals said lice was a huge problem in their villages. The two other villages said they did not have much of a problem with lice/scabies. They both attributed not having a problem to having good water. In each village there are community health workers who are supposed to help with health issues. I am hoping to be able to work more closely with these CHWs to talk about health education and prevention/treatment for lice and scabies. Also, two Fridays ago I met with the public health director in Punta Gorda. He was really supportive of Hillside and the program of trying to rid villages of scabies and lice. 

We have the same watch!!!

My overnight village accommodation

Lime Caye

Last weekend I went to Lime Caye, which is a private island about an hour and a half away by boat. It was beautiful. The family that owns the island cooks for the guests. The boat driver took us snorkeling and fishing. He would cast for us and then we would take turns holding the pole. Overall we caught 4 mackerels and 3 barracudas. The one I reeled in was a little mackerel. They cleaned them and cooked them up that night. I'm not even a big fish fan, but it was really good! We also saw dolphins when we went fishing, which was amazing. We went snorkeling around the world's second largest barrier reef. We snorkeled around a shipwreck and saw lots of schools of fish, lion fish, little jellyfish- one who stung me (but it didn't really hurt-so a good first jellyfish experience).  It was a fun, beautiful, and relaxing weekend.  I feel like things are going good with the clinic and with all the extra stuff that I get a chance to experience.

Other side of Lime Caye