My Christmas travels to Panama were eventful. Traveling on the bus wasn't bad, however going through customs at each border did get tiring, sometimes in the middle of the night and other times in 90 + degree heat! The bus stations in Nicaragua and San Jose had small hotel rooms were we spent the night. They were simple, maybe a star or 2 but after traveling on the bus all day it was just nice to a have a place to stretch. The Panama Canal is amazing. We went at the perfect time and were able to see 2 barges pass through. Panama City is huge, hot year round, and very Americanized. Carina's family was very hospitable. Tamale's are a big Christmas tradition in Panama as are fireworks. At midnight on Christmas Eve fireworks lit up the sky for about 45 minutes. The Panamanians love fireworks. They fired them off most nights following Christmas and then another big display on Jan 1st. The pictures below capture some of our adventure. We visited the beaches in Panama, the Panama Canal, The Old City (beautiful, great architecture), a few different churches, and the last picture is of Carina's Aunt and Uncle as well as their nephew, Alejandro. He enjoyed hanging with Carina and I, he was our adopted son for 10 days.
Pictured below is Junior, he is one of the students that my parents sponsor. Carina and I had him over to my house to make pizza a couple Sunday's ago. We skyped with my parents as well, he was speechless. I think seeing my parents on video through the computer was tough for him to figure out. We ended the outing with a trip to Eskimo, a local ice cream place with a playground. Our goal was to spoil him for the day, he didn't want to go home, so I guess we did our job.
Hondurans are creative with transportation. Carina and I saw this unique vehicle at one of her friends country homes. Half motorcycle and half truck. I have seen Hondurans on bicycles holding onto the back of trucks, and I have seen horses, cows and wagons at the same intersection but this was a first. A truckcycle, I guess?
Many people have asked me about the people here in Honduras and the kids that attend our schools. Pictured below are two of our scholarship students. Their grandmother sells watermelon year round in front of of my nieghborhood, she is known as the "watermelon lady", I believe her real name is Leticia. They are able to attend our grade school because of a scholarship they receive from a lady in the U.S. Their home is about a 5 minute walk to the watermelon stand. Their mother cleans homes and does laundry for families. Many people (like their mother) find work cleaning, cooking, and other service jobs that pay anywhere from 60-100 lempiras for 2-3 hours of work. 100 lempiras is about $5, so somewhere around $2 an hour. After school these two help their grandmother with her watermelon business and play with other kids in the neighborhood.
One of my co-workers, Alejandro, crashed his motorcycle on a wet road a few weeks ago. While there are a few ambulances in town they are used to transport patients to larger hospitals, they don't have the luxury of using an ambulance for we would call an emergency. I drive one of the Olancho Aid trucks so I got the call to transport Alejandro to the hospital. After working for Cardinal Health for 7 years, I have been in more hospitals than I can count but this was a different experience. If we are looking to cut healthcare costs in the U.S. we may want to check out this "do it yourself model". First of all you find your own hospital bed or wheel chair, there isn't anyone greeting you with a wheelchair. Second, you take your patient from unit to unit on your own. From admitting Alejandro, transporting him to x-ray, surgery, and finally pharmacy we navigated the halls on our own. It takes several people to ensure all these tasks are completed so most patience show up with a handful of family members. Your family members are your nurses. You also have to pay prior to entering each unit. There's an idea. While I certainly appreciate and prefer the hospitals in the U.S., Alejandro is doing fine, recovering and everything got taken care of as needed.
Pictured below is Alejandro with his daughter. He had requested a scholarship for his daughter to attend one of our high schools, we were about to tell him no as we didn't have the money to cover her education. However, on the same day as his accident a $1,000 check showed up from a lady in the U.S. She made the donation in memory of her daughter who was killed in a car accident. Interesting! Alejandro's daughter will begin attending Intituto Cardenal Rodriguez next week, a great opportunity for her and her family.
If you are interested in sponsoring a child please visit www.olanchoaid.org or e-mail me for details, mfreesmeier@olanchoaid.org. Scholarships range from $25 to $100 per month.
