We're back...& where you can find us now:

Hi folks,

We're back from Honduras and moving on to the next thing. Courntey starts her first job as a nurse at MUSC Children's Hospital on a pediatric medical surgical floor. I am headed back to Honduras for a week starting Feb 19 and then will be in Uganda and Brazil in March and April. To continue following along with what we're writing, you can find us at:

COURTNEY - http://courtsliquidsunshine.blogspot.com (under construction)

MANDIE - http://paratopera.blogspot.com

Thanks to all of you who kept up with us in Honduras. We'll be posting pictures and maybe a few videos over the next few weeks here and at our personal blogs.

love,

C & M

Day 13 & 14

Yesterday was yet another “lazy” day.  We woke up for breakfast at 7:00 but did not leave the house until noon.  We were picked up by Suzy, and taken to yet another location within the ministry…Casa Lamb.  This is a beautiful house in a very nice neighborhood with breathtaking views from the windows and an overall peaceful environment.  The reason for our visit was to capture on video some of the happenings of the “Alonso Project”, for which a meeting was being conducted throughout the day.  We interviewed several of the people in leadership positions, and got several pictures of the meeting.

After lunch with the group, we headed back to Mision Caribe.  We were ready for a light afternoon of packing, napping, and fusebal – we needed rest before our long day of travel.  It was not long though, before we decided that we NEEDED ice cream.  Kathi joined us, and off we went in the pick-up truck to find chocolate.  The best part about this adventure was the great quality time we had to talk and just live life with each other.

That night we helped Dr. Ken and Dr. Pat with inventory of the trunks.  Dr. Ken had Mandie and I both help him with his special trunk.  Haha – we had specific instructions NOT to touch anything we were not instructed to and to count everything…including the bandaids.  It was fun.

We went to sleep late, hoping that we would get some much needed rest before our long day of travel.

This morning we woke, ate breakfast, and zipped up our finally packed bags.  It was important for us to be ready at 8 because Dr. Ken had a special patient in which he needed nurses Mandie and Courtney to assist.  We were really excited.  The patient arrived on time, so it was a good thing we were ready.  She is a beautiful little girl with wonderful English speaking parents…which made the visit much more enjoyable for me!  Haha… J Dr. Ken has amazed me beyond words.  In a baby with no visible veins, he was able, in one stick, to get three tubes of blood.  Mandie and I were astonished.  I have come to the conclusion that he has to have magical powers…it was the best stick ever.  After lots of exciting learning opportunities and a satisfied doctor and patient, we had one more thing on our agenda before it was time to leave.  We also set up a bathroom urine lab that would have made the OSHA people sick, but it worked for us!

In order for Kathi not to miss us too terribly now that her roommates are gone, we left behind little memories of ourselves.  This included short sheeting her bed (for the second time), putting hot chili on her toothbrush, covering the toilet seat in Vaseline, and replacing the soap in the bathroom with orange juice.  How will she ever forget us!  We love you Kathi… :)

We were dropped off at the airport at 9:45 am.  Since the Delta line did not open until 10:30, we sat on Mandie’s trunk and played cards.  I am pretty sure everyone in line believed we were crazy.  We were slapping cards, laughing, and of course, being unusually loud.  Eventually, the gate opened, we checked our luggage, and then were informed that our flight was an hour and a half delayed. 

We made the best of it though.  Our first distraction was Suzy.  She was incredibly sweet and stopped by the airport to say goodbye.  We had coffee and enjoyed conversation with her for quite some time.  Our next surprise was Jenny, Fanny, and Alejandra.  They came by as well to send us off.  We sat on the floor, as there were no tables, and ate tootsie roll suckers and talked.  They are some of the sweetest people I have ever met.  When it was time for them to go, Mandie and I grabbed a bite to eat and then went through security.  The flight was smooth and we are now in Atlanta waiting on our final connecting flight.  As we were waiting on our luggage after going through customs, we received our comment of the day.  It came from a nice gentleman who had been in the first class section of our plane and had been behind us in line during our card slapping, laughing, loud adventure previously this morning.   He said, “I have to ask…Are you two really nurses or are you in high school?”  Haha – we replied that we are in fact nurses but all three laughed at the question.

One fun note of the day is that I have officially broken Mandie of several of her “travel no-no’s.”  (Or at least some of them) We are in fact in matching t-shirts and for a portion of the trip have carried a camera around our neck.  The matching t-shirts have just increased the amount of times we are daily asked if we are sisters.  However, just to reassure you…we do not have our passports, travel documents, and boarding passes hanging around our necks…NOR do we wear white socks pulled up to our knees with shorts…and sandals.  :)

Courtney and Luis Fernando the night of Kathi's party... 

A great little Spanish house in Valle de Angeles...

One of the sweet children that we would have liked to bring home...

Cindy, who lived with me before she went to live at the children's home. I can't believe how big and beautiful she is!

Day 12

Today was filled with new and exciting adventures.  The plans included shopping in the morning and a surprise birthday party in the evening.  What a fun day!  We began our day early as we headed for Valley of the Angels for a morning of shopping.  Although Mandie and Kathi went on Saturday, Mrs. Pat and I missed the opportunity due to the Honduran sickness.  Nevertheless, the Saturday trip was cut short, so all four of us were excited for the adventure.  We traveled down beautiful winding mountain roads, passed many donkeys tied to trees, and eventually found ourselves in a small village lined with shops and restaurants.

Mandie and I spent the morning in and out of shops.  We had several conversations in which Mandie chose to either be very fluent or understand no Spanish, depending on which she thought would be more convenient for the situation. It was actually quite comical.  We bought several things, and when we were content with our purchases, we found a unique restaurant on the corner of the plaza square, chose a table outside and ate a long lunch while we talked and enjoyed “people watching.”

One our favorite past times of the morning was to find a street curb in which something interesting was happening across the street.  We would act nonchalant as we snapped pictures of the events taking place in front of us.  We actually got some wonderful candid shots!

After lunch and a stop at our favorite coffee location, Espresso Americano, we headed to find Mrs. Pat and Kathi.  We reconnected, shopped a while together, and then headed back to town.  On the way home I found it interesting to notice so many donkeys tied to random trees.  It is as though they are dogs, and their owners just tie them randomly on the side of the road until they return.  My thought…”I would forget where I left my donkey!”

Mandie: This was my first trip to Valle de Angeles in which I was not responsible for a group of Americans, a handful of children, or shopping for specific gifts for friends back home. It was wonderful to just be free to enjoy the town with no agenda. I got a migraine while we were there and had the chance to fell asleep on a sunny spot of grass while the medicine kicked in.  There’s nothing I like better than a nap in the sun. Courtney finished her last errand and then we headed back to town. I also got to eat my first plato tipico, which is a big plate of all the common Honduran foods: chorizo, beef, fried plantains, stinky cheese, beans, rice, salsa, and tortillas. It was absolutely wonderful. What a perfect day! Heavenly!

When we returned, Mandie and I laid in bed and looked at the pictures of the morning; however, our picture fun ended as we both fell into a deep sleep. We’ve been going strong for a while now and I think we both needed a nap.

After our naps, it was time to begin the preparation for the surprise birthday party for Kathi at Mision Caribe.  We had all of the decorations, and the guests were instructed to arrive before 6. (And Mandie’s instructions included…”This is an American six o’clock not a Honduran six o’clock!”) The plan was for Mrs. Pat to need Kathi to drive her to the store, and while they were gone, Mandie and I would decorate while the guests arrived.

After they left, the decorations began to blossom.  Since we did not have a helium tank to blow up the 60 balloons, we graciously allowed the guests to help us inflate them.  We put up streamers, taped balloons to the ceiling, and prepared for the big surprise.  And surprised she was!  She was grinning from ear to ear – she had no idea!  We had a great Honduran dinner of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans, followed with a beautiful cake and flan. Everyone enjoyed chatting and catching up on each other’s lives and then began the Honduran tradition of palabras or “words”. It happens at almost every birthday party or going away party. All the guests take turns giving “words” to whomever the party was for. Everyone had beautiful things to say about Kathi.

After palabras we played fusebol, had balloon fights, and slowly said goodbye to everyone. In spite of our long nap  and relatively easy day, we are exhausted and headed to bed as soon as we wash the dusty day off. Fortunately, there’s water tonight, which means hot showers! :)

Day 10 and 11

Courtney's littlest Honduran friend, Linda.

Yesterday was our first somewhat “lazy” day.  Although we woke early for breakfast, we laid in bed for over an hour just talking before we began our day.  Our mission for the day was to go to the neighborhood of Flor del Campo and interview several of the people working in the institute.  This is the location of the first official buildings in the ministry, and there were several important video clips we needed.  Unfortunately, I am a blonde and Mandie somehow forgot, and during our first interview our camera informed us that it had low battery.  So our day at Flor was cut short meaning we would have to return the following day.  Because this is the neighborhood in which Mandie previously lived, she was easily recognized and many people were excited to see her!  We even received free orange juice from one of her previous landlords.

Since our day ended before lunch, Mandie decided to take me to one of her favorite Chinese resturaunts in the city, King Palace.  It was delicious!  Because we had no other agenda for the remaining part of our day, we were able to sit back and enjoy a long lunch.  On our walk back to the mission house we stopped for ice cream, which is always such a wonderful way to end a great afternoon.

Once we were back at the house, we uploaded the one video we were able to record and worked for several hours on our project.  We cropped, edited, listened to lots of potential music, and had a great time seeing the beginning of our project piece together. Suzy happened to drop by so we were able to show her what we have so far and she liked it. :)

Later that afternoon, one of the employees, Melissa, became very ill.  She had been to the hospital the night before and received an IV, but had developed more serious symptoms and was in no way improving.  Instinct kicked in and Mandie and I quickly became her nurses.  We sat with her for a while, and because there was no doctor presently available we did all that we could to comfort her.  We truly were nurses for most of the afternoon. It turned out to be Classic Dengue (as opposed to hemorrhagic Dengue), so she should be discharged from the hospital tomorrow morning.

Later, we had dinner, played a round of Mexican Train Dominoes, worked a little more on the video, watched a movie, and headed to bed.  Overall it was a very relaxing yet successful day.

This morning we awoke a little earlier because we had to make up for lost time at Flor.  With a charged battery, we headed back to the LAMB Institute, ready this time to complete our mission.  After several hours of interviewing both children and adults, we were content to leave. 

We left in a taxi (which Mandie proudly got at the Honduran price!!) and headed to Jenny’s house to visit for a few hours.  We were able to spend some great quality time in their wonderful home.  Around noon, we left to pick Alejandra up from school.  We walked some distance but were able to see the market and several other “Kodak memory” shots around the area.  Fir the fist time, I experienced children living in garbage cans.  They live in the dumpster outside of the market because scraps are thrown there throughout the day.  It was a heartbreaking site and something I will never forget.

Fanny bought us, her children for the day, ice cream as we walked to Alejandra’s school.  When we made it to her school she was elated.  She is full of such joy.  We walked hand in hand as she talked about her day.  On the way back to their house, we passed a very large hog eating out of the river that everyone dumps their trash and sewage into, and she giggled beautifully at the site.

Upon returning to their house, we ate lunch (which was absolutely wonderful) and then had to say our goodbyes.  They put us in a taxi, and off we went back to the mission house.

Jorge and Ana, two medical students in Tegucigalpa, picked us up at 3:00 to take us to the hospital and show us around.  The hospital here is very different from the ones in the states.  Our first obstacle was the guard at the gate.  Jorge and Ana are students, so they were easily passed; however, Mandie and I were not sure how we were going to get the guard to let us pass.  Luckily, since we were American and possess very blue and green eyes, he smiled and let us pass without even a question.

Hospital Escuela is the teaching hospital of Honduras and Jorge and Ana go to school in an adjoining building, completing some of their clinicals in this and other hospitals.  We entered into the Emergency waiting room and I found myself extremely wide eyed.  There were people everywhere.  They were laying on stretchers made of metal, patients with NG tubes connected to nothing, and a woman with a rotting, bleeding, swollen foot.  They were all in one loud room with absolutely no order other than the line of people trying to manage to push themselves closest to the front of the door.  Jorge said that people come in regularly with arms cut by machetes and major lacerations, and they just have another person in the waiting area help stop the bleeding.  There is no since of urgency or order relating to the seriousness of the condition.  I was tempted to ask if we could just sit and watch.  They said that in a matter of minutes there would probably be someone with major bleeding or something else which we would have been able to fix.
 
   [here's a link to a post that Mandie wrote about Hospital Escuela last year]

We continued our tour and my eyes remained just as wide.  As Jorge, our very animated tour guide, walked us through what he called “hallways of gold, lined with mahogany benches and crystal lamp fixtures” I was amazed at the condition of the hospital.  He asked us at one point how the hospital would be rated in the states, and simultaneously Mandie and I both stated…”CLOSED.” There were holes in the ceiling with water dripping down from who knows where, mop buckets of muddy water, broken windows, etc.  One of the most astounding aspects of the entire hospital though was their complete lack of patient confidentiality.  As we walked the various hallways there would be bins along the halls labeled “Results.”  Inside of these boxes, being monitored by no one, were all of the patient’s lab result sheets.  You thumbed through the entire stack until you came to yours, and there you could read about your tests.  On the psychiatric ward, there are glass boxes filled with patient consults.  We were able to walk up to the boxes, see the patients, name and remaining patient information, and read their entire list of notes from the consult.  It was astounding.  After walking into the ICU, adult unit, and a failed attempt to enter labor and delivery, our final hallway was the Morgue.  Ana was absolutely terrified.  Nonetheless, we ventured onto the floor, and walked the halls.  It was eerie but very interesting.  We then found ourselves back in the Emergency waiting room, still lined with people on stretchers and various body parts bleeding, and eventually made it to the exit.  It was an experience I will never forget.

After the hospital, we had time to swing by the Mall Multiplaza, which is as great as any mall you’d finding the states (better, in fact, than the mall we have in Charleston). We bought coffee at the Honduran version of Starbucks (Espresso American), browsed Pink, the Honduran version of Victoria Secret, among other stores. Jorge and Ana are a super cute couple and it was fun to just listen to them talk and hear about their lives. On the way home, we started crunching numbers and found out that Courtney’s starting salary as a new graduate nurse is almost twice as much as a master’s prepared nurse makes here in Honduras. Wow!

So…a few days back, Courtney beat Jorge at fusebol. He swore that she cheated, but really he was just a sore loser. Anyway, when she found out that he doesn’t have a facebook account, they made a deal that if she could beat him again, he would open one. Tonight, she not only beat him again, but beat him so bad that now he has to open a facebook account AND use it for a whole year. Ana was so glad Courtney beat him. He made her stand far away from the fusebol because she was “distracting him” (whatever!), but she had a big cheering section going on from her banished position on the couch. We expect friend requests from Jorge by the end of next week.

So…our feedburner says that like 20 people sign on to read this blog every day and we want to know who you are! There’s a link below that says comment and if you click on it, you can leave your thoughts about what we wrote and make us so so happy.  :)

Our Honduran tour guides for the day...so proud to be wearing their whites!

My little friend Aaron Josue. Doctors didn't think he'd live. His parents didn't want him. He's absolutely precious.

We've been doing a lot of this all week...

comment...comment...comment!

Day 9

Yessenia...at the San Buenaventura playground...where kids can fly...

Today was our first official “video day”. Suzy picked us up a little after 7:00 and we drive the 45 minutes out to the children’s home.

This is my first trip back to Honduras in over 3 years and lots of people know how unsure I was of what I would feel upon returning. The first things I noticed were smells. Stepping out of the airport, I met a whiff of diesel fuel and smoke. It has almost felt like with each new smell, I repossess some of the “me” that was born here in Honduras. The “me” that lived on much less, the “me” that had children and spent every waking hour invested in their lives, the “me” that went days at a time without speaking any English, the “me” that I left here.  At Mision Caribe, I walked into the bathroom and smelled the black water that backs up into the sink drain when the city water goes out. Honduran toilet paper has a clean, dusty smell that reminded me of every time I’ve refilled the toilet paper here. Then the smell of fresh plantains sizzling in the frying pan in the morning made memories of crisp Honduran mornings jump into my mind. Then my sense of touch kicked in. Hondurans are very touch oriented. When they talk to you, they often reach out and put a hand on your arm for the duration of the conversation. Every greeting and goodbye is accompanied by a kiss on the cheek and often a hug. When we arrived at the children’s home in San Buenaventura today and I felt warm little hands slip into mine and looked into deep brown eyes that conveyed the sincerest admiration and delight, I remembered why I came here in the first place.

It was wonderful to be with the children again, and to feel like I could absolutely just enjoy their company without feeling responsible for their welfare or spiritual development. J Five of “my” six children were there today and while I enjoyed playing with each of the fifty-some children there, it was especially wonderful to see Reina, Julio, Wendy, Jimmy, and Cindy again. I can’t believe how they’ve changed. I remember the first day I met about half of the children we saw today. The others have arrived since the last time I was here. For those who I knew before, it became a game to ask me over and over, “What was I like when you met me?”, “How old was I the first time you saw me?”, etc. For children who have few positive memories of their past lives, I imagine it was exciting to hear the sweet things I remember about them from years ago. I told Cindy about how we taught her sign language before she learned how to talk. I told Suyapa about how I remember her taking care of the younger children when she came to kindergarten. I told Gina about the time I spent the night in Las Tapias and we read bedtime stories in her bed. They loved it.

Another sweet moment was snack time. At 10:00, the kitchen cooks called the kids over for their morning snack. Courtney and I held back a ways and took pictures of them lining up and praying. The prayed for children on the streets who won’t get a snack today. As they slurped up their cherry jello, a hand motioned me over to the kitchen door. As I peeked inside, Reina handed me two big cups of jello. I thought about the many snacks that Jenny, Annabel, Katie, Ruth, and I had made for those precious kids…and how neat it was that now one of them was watching out for me.

We spent the rest of the afternoon playing games, climbing on the playground, wobbling on the see-saw, and sitting close to each other talking about life. An impromptu game of baseball started up in a nearby field and we sat in the shade to watch. Wendy, who wasn’t playing, ran up to me with what was obviously a treasure in her hands. “Look, Mandie”, she said excitedly, and placed a rock in my hands. A few people know that I bring a rock back from almost every place I visit. Sometimes I write a verse or a word on them that reminds me of what God did there... or of that season of my life. There is a little silver dish in my bedroom where a growing pile of pebbles reminds me of where I’ve been, what God is doing, and why I will always continue to follow him. I don’t have a rock from Honduras yet, but the children’s home property is full of rocks and I was sure I would find one there. The significance of this particular rock is hard to put into words and will mean infinitely more to me (and the few people who know my WHOLE story) than it will to anyone else. It is exactly the shape of Africa. Receiving it from Wendy, in Honduras, on February 1^st, felt like Jesus putting his hand on my head and saying, “Well done. I can’t wait to show you what’s next.”

Courtney and I came back to Mision Caribe around 5:00 and were immediately filled in on Dr. Ken’s neuro patients for the day. He saw a young boy who has a variation of Turner’s Syndrome, which is extremely rare, as well as several other interesting cases. We did a little bit of pharmacy work after dinner and then proceeded to look through and edit the 427 pictures we took today, not to mention the 30+ videos.

It’s late now, and we’ve got another long day ahead tomorrow, so I’m going to say goodnight. Thanks to all of you who are reading these updates and praying for our time here. We’re having a blast!!

Courtney adds:

Children – what a joy!  My passion for them never changes no matter what country I find myself in.  Today we spent our time at the children’s home in San Buenaventura.  Upon our arrival we were rushed with smiles and hugs.  With too many hands to count holding onto our ten fingers we began snapping what ended up being 427 photos.  Because we were able to spend all day in their community, we were able to do much more than just take photos and video of their lives.  We were taught many “Miss Mary Mack” clapping games and the girls sang and danced to Hannah Montana “Hoedown Throwdown.”  Inside we played card memory games, dominoes, and Go Fish, and outside we played on the slides, monkey bars, and a see-saw.  What a day!

We ate, sang, laughed, played, and loved the children all day today.  It was wonderful to be a part of their lives for such a brief moment. 

One thing that I have become accustomed to during my time in Honduras is a slight variation to my name.  My Honduran name is Corey. J Haha – I now respond to it just as much as Courtney because the children could not seem to master the “t”. 

I believe Mandie has said it all…I am watching her hang her head off the bed, which I have actually learned to enjoy and elevate her legs, which she just informed me I should join her…for twenty minutes…to help with circulation.  This will be fun.  Good night and sweet dreams!

Joel, Courtney's newest admirer...

How many people can we fit on this thing before it breaks?

Courtney and Joel. They've become best friends in spite of only being able to say about 6 words to each other.