So....its been a looooong time.

Wow, I didn't realize just how long it has been since we've been back. Time seems to have flown. Mary and I are getting ready to graduate (16 days and counting....) and as PA school is wrapping up I find myself reflecting a lot on my experiences. Guatemala was one of the best experiences I have ever had. It opened my eyes and heart to the people, it gave me experiences I never expected (having all of my meals cooked over an open fire), and helped me realize what things in my life are really important. Being gone for 6 weeks was hard in many ways, but I was blessed because of it.
Eric and I got engaged shortly after I returned and have recently been talking about going to Guatemala after he graduates to work for an extended period of time. I would love to be able to return and work with the people in Guatemala. Please pray for us as we consider this opportunity and try and begin talking to the appropriate people to make it happen! Also, I would love to hear from any of you that may still be reading this blog. How are things? What has been going on in your lives? Email me. nicolereece@gmail.com



This is Eric and I....awww....


This is Mary and I when we got back.

Wowie Kazowie!

This is just a quick note to say that Mary and I are enjoying our 5 vacation days to the utmost! The internet is very expensive at our hotel though...so I think we will blog all about it when we return to the states. Keep on praying for us and our travels!

Mas Fo-Toes!

Here are some pictures from our last week of clinic! A team from our school (Harding) came down to work for the week and we were oh so glad to see them. We had a wonderful week with four days of clinic and are now all enjoying the high life in Antigua. When Mary and I first entered our hotel we almost shed tears at the sheer beauty of it all. There is a ton of shopping, a Burger King and Mary and some others even enjoyed the pool! Personally, I opted to take full advantage of the amazing showers they have here - woo hoo! After 5 weeks in the hills, myself and everyone around me were thankful for the showers here.

I will write more later, but for now I am out of internet time. Hasta la vista.

This is the moment when Mary and Ben saw each other for the first time in 4 weeks. I shed a tear.

Here, Mary and I are modeling the latest trends in Guatemalan fashion...or just looking like hippies.

This little guy has been very well trained to breathe through his mouth when a stethascope is being used...

This is our Harding team. Lance, Mr. Tobin, Sarah Kate, Mr. Hill, Jenny, Caleb, Laura, Dr. Murphy, Nicole, Ben and Mary. Aren´t we cute?

Here is the actual difference in size between Lance and Dr. Josefina...hahaha

Barkey

Today, I tried to adopt a Guatemalan dog. I named him Barkey and snuck him a tortilla. Mary told me that if I put him in my backpack the customs men wouldn´t let me back in the states....so the adoption has been post-poned. Also his owner was trying to get me to pay $100 for him. I laughed.

Speaking of laughing, today our group laughed a LOT. It was Josefina, Sherri, Gaspar, Juan, Mary and myself and we went and did a mobile clinic. (Lisa and Kemmel went to see the Pepperdine group off) On the way there, Sherri somehow managed NOT to see a lot of the speed bumps we went over. We all ended up screaming ¨tumolos!!¨every time one came into view and then laughing our heads off. We also laughed a lot at lunch when I attempted to cover my uneaten beans with a bunch of spoons and a tortilla. Needless to say, the beans remained in view.

Just wanted you all to know that we´re still alive and well and having fun!

This is Barkey eating his tortilla.

This is when Barkey and I fell in love....don´t tell Riley.

These little gals were having a ball playing with my hair and my earrings.

Here is Mary with baby Miguel. He was one of the cleft lip repair patients from our surgery week. Look how well he is healing!!

The hike back to the truck after a day of clinic. We´re getting more muscles every day....soon we´ll be able to beat up anyone you know.

Primavera

Yesterday we had clinic in a new community, Primavera. There is a congregation in this community but they meet in peoples homes. So our clinic was at a person´s home. This makes for an interesting set-up. A tarp was hung between two of the small adobe rooms and that was the consult area. The exam area was in one of the rooms. A group from Pepperdine is here so we had about 15 students and 4 doctors. It wasn´t ideal but it definitly worked. I can see how medical missions and mobile clinics would be appealing to a flexible creative person. It was a new experience for us in Guatemala.

The waiting room

View from Primavera

The pharmacy....Walgreens better watch out. We are taking over.

Small hike to the clinic in Primavera.

Greatest Friends

Hermanas (sisters)

Baby Feet

This is Mary.
Last night at dinner my family told me I have ¨baby feet.¨ This came as a surprise to me. I thought I had rough outdoorsy chaco feet. Then they asked me why my feet are so white and soft. Then informed me that it must be because I don´t eat enough tortillas. I found this interesting so I ate two tortillas so maybe I will get a tan. Probably only a sunburn.

Things are going well. I have been playing go fish with my little brothers at night before dinner and Juana taught me to make a tortilla, when I say make I mean form a tortilla from the dough she already made. Mine didn´t look so hot. Then she told me I have to make a tortilla for Ben when he comes. Poor Ben. He is not going to get a very good tortilla.

Also at dinner my brothers tell me adivinanzas (riddles). I am afraid I am not brilliant and always get them wrong.
Example: What wears a crown but is not a king??? You think on it and let me know what you would answer. Hint- it is an animal.

Well now you have a little taste of night life for me. It is interesting and fun.

Nicole and Dr. Josephina- She has become our very good friend while we have been here. We will miss her a lot.

Man on the Catholic church steps in Chichi- Proof that you are only as young as you feel. Never too old for a good lollipop.

My Guatemalan mama (Juana) and me- Notice the difference in tortilla skin and bread skin. She is great and I love talking with her! She takes amazing care of me.

In need of some shut-eye

Horray for some unexpected internet time!

Currently it is Tuesday night, and I am sitting in an internet cafe next to Señor Rick Harper, Mary and Sherry the new nurse with Health Talents. We´re having a regular little party here!

The rest of the group is at Mactzul III showing the Jesus film in Quiche. They´re scheduled to come back sometime around 10.

I´ve decided tonight to blog about my current state of ever-increasing tiredness. I think that it is a combination of

1- Constantly having to think in Spanish

2- Having my personal space invaded daily

3- Being in the middle of my fourth week away from home

4- The mouse that lives in my ceiling

Yeah...all of these things seem to be contributing to a general feeling of tiredness. I´m sorry to admit it, but this tiredness is sometimes affecting my attitude as well. Please continue to pray for me, especially to make it strong through these last 2 weeks of seeing patients.

Now about that mouse...

About a week and a half ago the mouse and I had our first encounter. I was all snug as a bug in a rug in my little cot when I heard the scooting sounds of tiny feet running across the plastic that lines my ceiling. Of course I shot out of bed and tried scaring the mouse by jabbing my toothbrush holder at it...but that was only a temporary fix. That mouse has been back every night to scoot across my ceiling. I guess it wouldn´t be so bad except that the plastic that separates this mouse from falling onto my bed is really really thin and already has some holes in it. Needless to say, I haven´t slept very well for the last week and half. I wake up on average 8 or 9 times a night. Last night I took 2 Benadryls and only woke up twice...but I am really looking forward to a night in the hotel - mouse free.

This is my bedroom. You can kind of see the plastic on the ceiling and how it is perfectly placed if by chance a mouse fell through onto my bed.

I am also really looking forward to our Harding team coming on Saturday! It will be so wonderful to see faces I love and speak freely in English! I know Mary is really excited to see Ben especially. Poor Ben who is only going to have room in his suitcase for 2 tshirts and a pair of underpants because both my boyfriend and my mom are sending me packages through him :) I mean...I´M not complaining...and Ben is pretty wonderful for doing that.

Well, I was going to try and add some more pictures...but the internet is not cooperating with me tonight. Next time...

Later Taters

Real Quick Update

Its Thursday and our internet time is limited...so I am going to make this really quick...but I promise to blog more Saturday and even put up pictures...even if it takes me 2 hours and 50 Quetzals.
1- Did anyone else know that they turn off the water for the entire city in the afternoon...so its near impossible to find a bathroom that works?
2- For all you Clinic Ezell people:
Last week we had a patient who was operated on on Sunday. Sunday night she had some complications and had to be rushed back in for emergency surgery. Everything seemed ok and she went home. Well, that lady came into our clinic today for her post-op visit and is doing great! She and her husband are not currently members of the church, but I think they told Lisa that they are now interested in visiting! Praise God for the wonderful things that can come from mission trips.
Loveyouall!

Fo-Toes

Here are a few more pictures for you all to enjoy! Sorry they are so few and far between...the internet is a bit slower down here.

This is proof that I actually do work.


Here, Mary and Dr. Lisa are praying with a patient after a consult.




This was the biggest stack of chairs that any of us had ever seen. Hey Mary, could you climb that?










I don´t know how well you can see it...but this is my attempt at getting a shot of the giant cow in the tiny truck.










Here is Mary´s awesomely 80´s hair!

Pollo Dorado

This is Nicole.
I am pretty sure that Mary is blogging on the computer next to me, so hopefully we won´t repeat too many things.
Today Mary and I ended up staying in Chichi instead of going out on the mobile clinic. This is because one of Health Talents´pickup trucks had an unfortunate accident. Apparently one of the bolts connecting the tire to the axle broke yesterday while we were driving around the countryside. We heard the truck making funny noises, but had no idea it was that bad. Today Kemmel was getting that truck fixed and so only one truck got to go out to mobile clinic...unfortunately Mary and I were too fat to fit in that truck. Ok..not really...but there were too many people for all of us to go. Instead, we got to stay here in town and count pills. We have already counted about 5,000 and decided we needed a break - thus the blogging.
Last night was our first nights back with our host families and they were really glad to see us! I was so happy to be back that I did a little hop-skip out of my front door on the way to the bathroom only to land funny on a rock, twist my ankle and fall on my butt in front of about 8 Guatemalan children. Fortunately, only my pride and my second toe on my left foot were hurt. I am keeping a sharp eye on that toe to make sure it does not get infected from the Guatemalan dirt that was in it. So far so good.
Last night I was also able to give my host mother a gift. Somebody at Clinic Ezell ( I think maybe Sarah?) had put together some bags of various toilet items - toothpaste, hairbrush, soap, nailpolish, etc... - and just happened to have 2 extra at the end of the week. She gave Mary and I each one to give to our host families, and let me tell you...my host mom loved it! She was so appreciative....it really made me (once again) reflect on the things I take for granted. I mean, cinnamon flavored toothpaste is nice...but I don´t really think twice about it. Guatemala continues to be a place of learning and reflecting for me and I am so thankful that I am able to experience it.
Also, I LOVE the comments and emails I have been getting. You all have no idea how much I look forward to this internet time and to seeing who all has been reading the blog and is thinking of us. Love you guys!
-Nicola-ola

Character Building

I think I am feeling better. I hesitate because yesterday I believed I had been healed and ate my peas at dinner only to revisit them around 1:30 in the morning. Moral of the story don´t eat peas. This may gross some of you out but if you want to be a part of the true experience.... so far so good today.
Thanks for all your prayers. I know it could definitly be worse and God has allowed me to be active during the day and not stuck in bed for to long. I guess a series of humbling experiences is critical in character building. So Nicole and I should have a lot of character by the time we get home.
On a serious note- This trip has taken all my security blankets away forcing me to see that God is in control and not me. He is using this experience to change my perspective and focus. It is so easy at home to attempt to take the wheel. But as many of you know, it only results in a lot of anxiety and sleepless nights. As alot of things in my life are changing and needing answers (or so I think- like for instance where will I get a job? Nicole needs a job too) it is nice to be awakened again to the power and mercy of God.

Rap music and Phenergan

Well dear readers...
1. I felt a lot like Ann Landers writing that.
2. Have Mary and I ever told you that they play crazy American rap music in the internet cafe we go to? Because they do.
3. I have unexpectedly found myself with some extra internet time today. As Mary said earlier, we were supposed to go back to our families this afternoon...however....as Mary was typing she pretty much crashed on me and we had to head back to the hotel room. There she proceeded to get sick (N-V-D kind of sick). I did what a good PA would do and gave her drugs and called the doctor. I also bought her some crackers and the coldest Sprite-like drink I could find. Right now she is kind of knocked out from the Phenergan and I got a little restless, so I took a break. But if you could all pray for her, we would both appreciate it. Mary has pretty much been sick since we got here with some sort of Super Allergy Attack and it seems only to be worsening. I know she isn´t enjoying it, but it is also heartbreaking to watch her be sick and not be able to fix her. Honestly, Mary has been somewhat of an anchor for me on this trip. I don´t know what I would do without her - other than cry. She has constantly been encouraging, uplifting, someone to laugh with and someone to share doubts and fears with. I thank God for blessing me with her friendship and I think you should all know what an amazing person she is.
4. Also during some unexpected down time I started reading my Bible. Isn´t amazing the way that God can speak to you today through his word? As I have shared on here, I have recently been thinking a lot about my future and worrying about what I should do, where I should go etc... Well, today I opened my Bible to Romans and read this passage ¨Those who live as the Spirit tells them to, have their minds controlled by what the Spirit wants¨ How comforting is that? I was instantly comforted. I also read some about how there is nothing on this earth or in the spiritual world that has the ability to separate us from the love of God. I love being able to read and find passages that rephrase concepts that I feel like I already know.
5. I will try later to post pictures of the Giant Cow in the tiny truck. I also got a great shot of Mary´s Awesomely 80´s hair.

Giant Cows in Tiny Trucks

So we are now back in Chichi and planning to return to Xepacol this afternoon. We did a little shopping this morning in the market till we had enough pushing and shoving and decided to take a break. This place is out of control on market days. All the tourists are here and the Guatemalans come to buy and sell goods.
I tried to make a plan for this blog entry but all i came up with was a list of things which doesn´t really help me much. Like Nicole said we were pretty bummed after everyone left Saturday morning but we are recovering. The ride home was fun. We saw a tiny Izuzu pickup truck with a giant cow in the back. The cow was about 300x to big for the truck and I think the bumper was almost dragging the ground. This may not be funny to you but Nicole and I simultaneously busted out laughing while Nicole was desperately trying to take a picture. Then we passed a man on the side of the road with his cow tied to a stake. The cow was eating some grass and the man was laying down talking on his cell phone. This also made us laugh really hard. And then there was the issue of my hair which somehow ended up looking like 80´s rockstar hair because we had all the windows down. So after all of this, we ended up being pretty happy.
So far this experience has been amazing. Living here for just the brief time has been a very unique experience. Often when you become accustomed to one culture it is hard to fit another one in without some painful rearranging. Sometimes I wonder if it is worth it and I always come up with the same answer. Yes. There are so many people in this world with a unique story and it is interesting to see life through their eyes.

The end of Summer Camp for Grown-Ups

So here it is, Friday of our second week. Mary and I are the last of the North Americans at Clinic Ezell. The rest of the group left this morning for Antigua. I am amazed at how sad I was to see them go! Not that they are horrible people (quite the opposite), but I just was not expecting at all to make such good friends this week. That may sound weird, but really I only expected to come here and work. Instead, I had an amazing week that in many ways parallels summer camp for me (and if you know me, you know that is a big part of my life). But now everyone is gone. At first I was really sad and I walked all around listening to sappy music on my ipod and looking at all of the empty rooms....but then I decided that I needed to get pumped about going back to my host family, so I turned on some Wolfmother (you know you like them Bradley) and packed up my backpack. After that it was only about 10am ....so then I also packed up Mary´s backpack.

I really appreciate the comments that have been left about my last blog. I am still having a ton of different thoughts swirling through my head about my future, but it means so much to know that there are people out there who care about me and who are praying for me. Thank you.

Here are some more pictures from our week at Clinic Ezell:

Here is our little group that decided to take our own field trip. We went out to the tienda and then down to the bridge. I think that the bridge was made or designed by some Lipscomb people? I´m not sure, didn´t have a tour guide.

From left to right: Wayne, Stephanie, Morgan, Bradley, Mandy, Leslie, Nicole and Mary

I thought this was a good shot.

Cute cute little girls at the river.

All of the kids in Guatemala somehow know what a camera is and are always asking for you to take their picture. As soon as you do, they want to see it. Funny how some things become common knowledge worldwide.

My littlest patient friend.

Late night ponderings...

So here it is, 3 in the morning and I am still awake. This is because technically, I am working a night shift in the recovery room....but all 6 of my pediatric patients are sleeping soundly and are not scheduled to get any more meds until 5. Soooo....I guess that gives me a solid 2 hours to write to you - unless of course there is an emergency, in which case I will cease writing abruptly and go tend to it.
Tonight-this morning I think I´d like to write about how this trip has affected me thus far. Of course it has made me appreciate many things which I have taken for granted - walls, hot water, toilets that flush - but it is also starting to affect my outlook on my future. Being a 24 year old, almost done with grad school, I kind of thought I was starting to get things all figured out. Turns out that is not the case. I have been thinking a lot about the possiblity of working down here for a few years after I graduate....or at least coming back annually to do mission trips...and I realized that in my own plans for my future I hadn´t really counted on this desire popping up. This is kind of scary for me because it would mean a lot of change and a lot of action. You can ususally count on me to get pumped up about an idea but sometimes I fall through on the follow-through. Tonight Mary and I talked about how going on trips like this causes you to be (almost) completely removed from your everyday life and allows you to refocus on ideas or plans or goals that may have gotten lost in the everyday humdrum of things. I love times like this because of that, but also it scares me - again with the need for change and action.
I guess I am typing all of this out because I know I am going to be needing some prayer. Please pray for me to have wisdom and clear vision about what God wants from my future, and that I can be strong enough to follow through with whatever that ends up being.
Love you all,
Nicole

Hello from Clinic Ezell

So I saw that Mary blogged earlier today, and I don´t know if you can tell by reading it, but she was really tired from working her night shift last night. Right now she is asleep (and probably sweating a lot) in our room.
Clinic Ezell is pretty amazing. I had no idea it was so huge! There are really nice dorm rooms and a huge dining room, 3 surgery rooms and a recovery room with 50 beds! Plus the grounds are beautiful. I think I will try and get some more pictures to put on here.
As far as experiences, Mary and I have gotten to be translators during patient interviews, we have been able to observe and assist in some OB-GYN surgeries, observe some plastic surgeries, count and pack pills for the mobile clinics, and Mary has worked the recovery floor. All in all we have been able to get a pretty big variety of experiences out of the 2 days we have been here so far. I believe there are surgeries scheduled for tomorrow and Thursday and I have night shift tomorrow night, so there will be many more experiences before the week is over.
I´m afraid that after this week we will have to become re-aquainted with Mountain life....I can´t speak for Mary, but it was really easy for me to get back into the swing of taking a shower every morning. It has also been wonderful to be able to use the internet freely and to have cold Cokes available for free in the fridge!
Well, I will work on putting more pictures up here....I believe that the link to the right works and that you can see some of our pictures on a site called Snapfish.
Keep praying for us and we love you all!

Clinic Ezell

We are currently residing at Clinic Ezell for the week. The clinic is on the coastal plains but still two hours from the ocean. We drove through some beautiful country on the way down from the Highlands. It is definitly a tad bit hotter here but the grounds and facility are amazing. God has blessed this ministry and allowed it to reach many Guatemalans. There is a plastic and ob/gyn surgery team here till Friday. A typical day begins with surgery around 8:00 till anywhere from 5:00-7:00. The plastic surgeon has been correcting cleft lips. Which is pretty amazing because one of the youngest patients is about 4 months old. Consults arrive around 12:00 and are seen in between cases for the next day. I had the opportunity to work in recovery last night from 11p to 7a. I got to see what all goes into taking care of a recovering surgery patient. The little ones are adorable but it isn't much fun when they are in pain. But luckily any problems were resolved quickly and it was a pretty quiet night. Nicole was lonely without me. She is currently observing/assisting with surgery while I am supposed to be going to bed. Fortunately the internet is faster in the morning, so I am taking advantage of that. All of the surgeons, nurses, and students are great. We have enjoyed meeting new people but sometimes we feel like 10 year olds at summer camp because everyone knows everyone else. So we are trying to be outgoing, so far so good. By the end of the week about about 40 surgeries will have been performed.
That's all I have probably Nicole will give better information later. She's pretty creative. I'm glad we are sharing this experience together. It is a very mind rearranging event.
I'm off to get some sleep. I miss everyone!






Courtyard at Clinic Ezell- Our room is on the left


Entrance to the clinic


This is Manuel- He had a cleft lip repaired. He was rescued by his adopted mom.
They rode to Clinic Ezell with us from Chichi.


Mary and Jose (a plastics patient- he had a rough night but is much better
this morning)


The scenery on the way to Clinic Ezell- Hopefully we will get to visit this lake with Lisa and Kimmell in our last few days in Guatemala. They have prosmised to be our tour guides :)
They said we get to take a speed boat ride across to some small towns.
We are very excited!!!!


Nicole in her surgery get-up. She's smiling in case you were wondering.

We're HERE!!!

YAY!!!! Estamos aqui!!!

Mary and I have safely arrived in Guatemala. We are currently in the middle of our 5th full day and are taking a break from seeing patients to connect with the outside world at the internet cafe. So far things are wonderful....very different, but pretty amazing. Our families are so wonderful, it's humbling.

We have been out to see patients twice so far. The first time was actually in our own village - Xepocol - and yesterday we went to a town that I cannot pronounce. Xepocol was nice, because it was a slow day and good for transitioning. Yesterday though, we saw 60 patients!! There are 2 doctors we work with, Dr. Lisa and Dr. Josefina. Lisa is from the states (which is nice, because she speaks fluent english!) and Josefina is actually from Guatemala. Around here it is a HUGE accomplishment for someone to go to college - especially a woman - and even bigger to complete medical school. Needless to say, I have a lot of respect for Dr. Josefina. Mary and I get to trade doctors each day so that we are able to see how they work with the patients. So far our patients have been very nice. Most people bring their entire families when they hear that the clinic will be in their town!

Life in Guatemala is very different. I have my own room, which is actually its own building, with a cot and a floor covered in pine needles. The rest of my family ( 8 people in all) sleep in another room together. There is also a kitchen-room. These three rooms-buildings make up 3 of the four walls of my house. The fourth is made of bamboo. In the middle there is an open space which my Guatemalan mother has decorated with many flowers. Behind my rooom is where my family keeps their chicken coup.....so I am woken up every morning at about 3 by a rooster. I have a new found hatred of roosters. HA!

Well, we are in an internet cafe and my hour is almost up. Mary says "ditto" to everything I have written so far and we plan on writing more on Saturday!
Hasta Luego!

No, we haven't forgotten about our blog....

Hello one and all!

Just so you all know, Mary and I have not forgotten about our blog....we've just been kind of busy. You know, getting Tetanus and Typhoid shots, copying our passports, thinking about packing, and talking to Rick Harper about more details for our trip. We did that last one yesterday and found out a lot of good information. For instance, Mary and I WILL be able to see each other once we are back in our host town of Xepocol (shepocol)....we were worried that once we got home at the end of the day we would be banished to our rooms (0k, not really...)

We also found out that both of our host "dads" are elders in the local church and have only sons...so maybe the mothers will welcome some female companionship. These are our family assignments along with the ages of family members:

Mary will be with the family of Gaspar Chan Sente. Gaspar is a health promoter that works with us in the mobile clinics.
1. Gaspar Chan Sente (36) and Juana Xirum Calgua (36)
Children: 4 sons
Tomas – 17
Manuel – 15

Noe – 13

Josue – 9

Gaspar’s work:Health Promoter for Health Talents Family Trade: Weaving, Juana and the 3 older boys make cortes which are skirts used locally.

Agriculture:Corn, Avocados, Apples, Peaches, Plums. Some of these are for family consumption and some are for sale. Gaspar’s mother is a mid-wife and his father has a small store. They live close by.

We were told that the "white girl" is not part of Gaspar's family :)

Nicole -The family of Juan Chan Salvador. Juan primarily works in agriculture and other jobs around his community, anything from building, etc. He is one of the goto guys if you need something done.

1. Juan Chan Salvador (42) and Maria Sen Sut (38)
This is Gaspar’s uncle
Children: 6 boys
Sebastian – 19
Tomas – 15
Esteban – 10
Julio – 7
Emilio – 5

Juan’s work: Agriculture (may have more land than the others as this is his primary source of income)

Agriculture: Corn, Avocados, Apples, Peaches, Plums.

This is probably our most exciting news as of late! It is really amazing to start to put faces to the names we've been hearing about. As the time gets closer I am getting more and more excited, but also a little nervous. Please continue to pray for Mary and I!

Oh, and if anyone is planning on getting a Typhoid shot any time soon....they make your arm really sore...so don't get it in the arm you write with :)