Day 6

The days seem to creep by so slowly but the week has flown by! I can't believe I just completed day 6!!!

Today was pretty steady in the ER, with a distal thumb fracture, humeral shaft fracture, abscess debridement, cellulitis, lateral collateral ligament tear, and your typical fevers, coughs, abdominal pain, and arthritic pain. I've already done more casting in the past 3 days than I did during my entire ER rotation! Also, constipation related abdominal pain seems to be more common than it was in the States....and that's just crazy! So many young girls come in with the complaint of diffuse abdominal pain for months, just to take an x-ray and see tons of stool and gas. Too much white rice and spicy food! 

After clinic, I set out to make the trek to town to go shopping and put down my deposit for tomorrows adventure! I put on my longest shorts, loosest shirt and sunglasses in attempts to blend in and avoid excessive cat-calling. As I walked down the steep driveway to the main road, one of the hospital staff asked if I wanted to split a cab ride with her. Thankfully I agreed, because it was much further than I expected..and super cheap ($2.50 Belize, $1.25 US)! Mapquest said 1.2 miles but it seemed so much longer on the bumpy roads and narrow bridges! There were fruit stands, supply stores, and woman selling home-cooked food, all along the road to downtown San Ignacio. The taxi dropped me off at Burns Avenue, one of the main streets, and I wandered around for awhile, picking up various items from the stores. I was in desperate need of baby powder.....now I understand why whenever I do a physical exam, the locals are covered in baby power. You sweat so much and your shoes begin to wreak! At least mine did...I dumped a hefty amount of powder into my shoes this evening. So glad I brought two pairs of sneakers! I also grabbed an extra towel, shampoo and conditioner, chocolate, and instant coffee. I should be set for the rest of my stay :-D I couldn't find cheap flip-flops anywhere, so I figured I'll just replace my 3-year old Rainbows when I get back to the States and not worry about getting them wet.

I finally tried the sweet corn ice-cream!!! So delicious. Its like creamed corn mixed with extra cream and sugar...I'm sure you needed the explanation.haha I eventually made my way to Eva's restaurant where Sergio, the tour guide, has his office. I contacted several tour groups earlier this week, asking if anyone had openings for one person to join a group tour; I got several responses, but Sergio was the first and the cheapest! Tomorrow the van is picking me up at the bus stop in front of the hospital at 8am for an all-day trip to Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave. My sister said I absolutely HAVE to go, so I put it first on my to-do list. ATM cave is a popular tourist spot and contains 4 skeletons, ceramics, and stoneware left by the Mayans. It is best known for "The Crystal Maiden", the skeleton of an adolescent whose bones became calcified and appear sparkling and crystallized. Unfortunately camera's are no longer allowed, but I'll steal some good photos off of google to share ;-) I can't wait to tell you all about it!!!

The long, narrow building I told you about

La Loma Luz, "The Light on the Hill"

Mi Casa