First Full Day

I have been here for 24 hours now! It's been quite the culture shock! Unlike Mexico, very few people speak English here and I have been piecing together my Spanish. Today we had an exciting day! It started first with a sleepless night. Our hotel is attached to a casino and apparently the party doesn't get started here til Midnight. Even with my industrial strength earphones I heard constant (and I mean constant!) blaring loud Latin music. Add to that horns that play musical tunes, bass that rocks the ground, and car alarms going off every ten minutes. The part didn't stop until 5am and we finally got about an hour of sleep!

Today we went to a small puebla (village) and ran a ob/gyn clinic for 75 women. We enjoyed the scenic ride there through the mountains of the Dominican Republic. Seeing how people really live here was quaint and heartbreaking at the same time. When we arrived at the clinic site we were in awe of the women lined up already in the hot Dominican sun waiting to see us. At first it was obvious we were American and u definitely felt watched as I exited the car. But putting on a big smile and saying "hola! Buenas Dias!" was all that was needed to get big smiles back from them. They offered to carry our bags, brought us fruit and bottled ice water, and immediately started rambling in very fast Spanish when they knew I could speak some Spanish too.

Can you imagine lining up and standing in the heat and humidity to have your pap smear in a school with no electricity that has been made into a makeshift clinic? There were four pregnant moms too that we performed vital signs in, found fetal heart rates, and gave prenatal care to. One young, first time mom was actually in early labor. The doctor had me follow him to an exam room and pointed to the box of gloves. Of course I had studied cervical exams, but this is how I got to perform my first one. I explained to the doctor that I needed help and he smiled and showed me exactly what to do. I felt so bad for the poor mom. First he roughly examined her and then it was my turn. I gently examined her while the whole time talking to her and telling her to breathe deeply. No one enjoys cervical exams in labor! She was 3 cm and was told to go to the hospital.

After that I helped with our main job of the day, pap smears. It was truly fascinating; and I hate pap smears too( in case you are wondering!). Let's just say I got to view the procedure from a different perspective!! The women were truly grateful for our help and many of the older ones thanked and hugged us. Before we started the clinic they all prayed with us. The youngest girl was 11 and there were many who were in their seventies. It was rewarding to help!