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     Before going on my cross-cultural experience to Honduras, I had a number of different thoughts and emotions going through me. I learned of this trip over a year before it happened through a few friends of mine who had convinced me that I should join the Global Medical Brigades organization on campus since my major had a pre-pharmacy emphasis. I gave in to them and by the end of that semester I had put my money down to travel to Honduras. Initially when I signed up for the trip I was really excited at the opportunity to travel to another country and help supply them with medical needs. This excitement lasted all the way up until about the week before the trip. As that week before leaving for Honduras crept up on me, my emotions became not ones of excitement, but of nervousness. At this point in my life I had never traveled out of the country, so this would be my first time. I was beginning to wonder what is it like there?, would I be safe?, what if I didn’t make it back home? All those nerves were running through me, but I couldn’t let my family see that, I wanted them to know I was going to enjoy my brigade trip.

 

     As I awoke at 4 in the morning for my flight out of Milwaukee, I got to the airport and met with the other Carroll brigaders. It was so early in the morning for me that at this point I was just going through the motions of getting through airport security. However, as we sat there waiting for our plane, which wasn’t scheduled to leave until 7 that morning, I pulled out my phone and messaged my mom, dad, and brother that "I loved them, couldn’t thank them enough for making this trip a reality, I’d see them in a week, and I’d call them once we landed in Texas before leaving for Honduras."

 

Unsure what to expect

 

Helpful Hands in Honduras

Global Medical Brigades 2013

 

Brock Pavlik

Biochemistry Major with an emphasis in Pre-pharmacy

The image below is a picture of fellow class brigaders and myself (second in from the right side) next to the dentist we brought with us and a dentist from Honduras.

Above is an image showing the view from the balcony of our living quarters for the week.

Come tag along with me on my journey in Honduras as I discover more about my personal growth.  If you're not a person who enjoys reading a lot, there's plenty of pictures to look at that also tell much of the same story.  In looking at the images or reading the summaries of my seven day experience in Honduras, I hope you are sparked to embark on your own cross-cultural experience.

     On our three days spent at the El Censo clinic, we saw over seven hundred patients each day.  The days were broken down into two sections, a morning and afternoon, where we did two different jobs.  The main jobs I did were assisting in the pharmacy, working with the dentists, and working alongside the doctors to diagnose symptoms.  These three days spent at the clinic were some of the most amazing experiences from the entire trip.  You wouldn't think getting up at six in the morning world be fun, but when I knew it was to help people like these in need of medications, there was a drive within me every morning to want to do it more.  We spent long hours providing aid and it taught me a lot.

 

     It was a unique experience because while working with the dentist and doctors, I got to see firsthand how not having simple things like clean water, toothbrushes, and toothpaste affected the community.  As the patients came into the office and sat down to consult with the doctor, I took their blood pressure.  Just about all of the patients reported symptoms of parasites and headaches, along with sore throats.  I talked with the doctor after the patients left the room and one thing I remember him telling me was that it is common for people to have these complaints because they only see doctors about once every three months.  Since they don't have drug stores like we do, even if on that day they don't actually have headaches or a sore throat he still gives them the medicine to use later when no doctor is able to see them.

 

     In the dentist room, we saw all sorts of teeth problems.  The most common problem was bad tooth decay and it was generally multiple, not just one tooth.  In most of the situations, the teeth were to the point that they couldn't be filled in and had to be pulled out.  You could see that the lack of nutrition in their diet had a direct impact on their teeth.  Many adults were missing on average three to four teeth.
 

So much to be thankful for!

     Landing in Honduras was a surreal experience for me.  Once we got out of the clouds and could see the capital of Tegucigalpa where we were to land, all I saw was brown dirt and what looked like very small houses.  From the air, the houses appeared to be made of cement with metal roofs.  Once our flight landed at the Tegucigalpa airport we could imediately feel the heat.  Back home in Wisconsin it was cold and snowing, but in Honduras winter was eighty-five degrees and sunny.  I must say that was an added plus to the trip.  We walked off of the plane and stood in line to have our pasports checked before grabbing our luggage.  After grabbing our luggage, we met up with the Global Brigades Honduras team that we were to partner up with.  They took our luggage and put it in their trucks, covering it with tarps.  In the meantime we went on the bus, met the driver, and waited for them to finish packing our luggage.  We still had a two hour ride to the compound where we would be sleeping for the week.  Everything was going very good on our drive to the compound until we came to a dead stop about an hour into the trip.  We had no idea why there was such a traffic jam, but nobody appeared to be going anywhere soon.  The traffic was crazy; unlike the U.S., in Honduras there isn't much organization for decicated lines of travel.  Low and behold, all this traffic was for a dump truck that had lost a tire.  After this minor delay we arrived very late to our compound where we learned of our living quarters, settled in, and had a good dinner. The last thing before bed was to hear a presentation of tasks we would do the next day, which included packing medication for the following day's work.
 

Nervous, But Inspired

Landing in Honduras                             January 12, 2013

The El Censo Clinic       January 14, 2013- January 16, 2013

     On the second day, we awoke after a good night's sleep to a warm morning and great homemade Hondurian breakfast made by the staff of Global Madical Brigades.  Following breakfast and a shower, we got right to work.  We began sorting all of the medications we had brought from the U.S.  After sorting them, we began the long process of bagging them according to the requirements of the Global Medical Brigade team.

 

     After finishing our task for the day, we ate lunch and discussed the afternoon plans.  We got to go to an orphanage about twenty minutes away from our compound, and this would turn out to be an amazing experience unlike anything else I've ever done.  It may have been only a few short hours, but it left a lasting imprint on me. 

 

     When we arrived at the orphanage I was one of the last people to get off of the bus.  Everyone was already ahead of me, walking down one of the streets in the gated orphanage.  As I started to catch up with the group, I noticed a young boy sitting on the curb quietly watching us walk by.  We caught a quick qlipse of one another, but I kept on walking.  A few moments later I felt a small hand grab mine, and as I turned to look and see who it was I noticed it was the young boy who had been sitting on the curb.  He pulled me the opposite way of where the group was going.  As he pulled I started walking, but he was running and soon I was too.  Then he started skipping and looked at me funny when I wasn't so I joined him.  By this point the group had turned to watch what was happening.  We skipped all the way to the nearby soccer field where many of the other boys and girls were playing.  With me not being able to speak much Spanish and him not being able to speak any English, it made communication a bit difficult, but to him it was like I was his missing big brother.  As it came time to go I realized the impact this little boy had on me thaat day.  He made me realize that sometimes all we need to make a good day is a friend to smile with.

 

What a day, looking forward to helping tomorrow

Visiting the Orphanage                        January 13, 2013

     After three very busy days of working in the Clinic at El Censo, we got to go visit a different community in Honduras called Las Champas.  Global Brigades had been working much longer with this community than with the one we were at.  The idea of going to this community was to show us that long term work in the communities of Honduras can and will help to fulfill essential needs for the community.

   

     When we arrived at the community we met in one of their classroom in the school they had built.  We were welcomed by the counsel of the community who took turns sharing how global brigades had helped them get their community to where it is today.  The also shared with us that they had begun to build their first ever bank in the community.  They invited us to come see the progress of the bank that they were building.  They had never before had a bank in which they could go to receive loans, so this was going to be a very new and exciting thing for the community.

 

     After going and seeing the progress of the bank, our group of brigaders broke into smaller groups to personally get to go see someones house from the community.  My group and I got to meet with an elderly lady in the community.  She told us she had been living in this exact house her entire life.  When she showed us the house it only had three rooms, a bedroom, a living room and a kitchen.  She showed us her stove which had been build by a previous brigade group a few years back.  Looking in her house and kitchen I noticed she didn't really have much.  All I saw for food was water and rice so we asked her what she does, to which she plesently responded that she produces coffee.  As she continued to tell us more she told us she often goes days without any money, but that when she needs some food her neighbor is always more then happy to share.  We all felt really bad, but we noticed she didn't feel bad for herself and we wondered how she could be in such a happy mood.  She explained to us that everymorning she gets to see one of the most amazing views from outside her house and thats something money can't buy.  In fact I will completely agree, the view from her house was outstanding.  Getting to know this elderly lady was a true blessing, but knowing she had no money I had to do something.  As we said goodbye to her I gave her some money telling her thank you, after all she didn't have to show us her house she did it because thats the kind of person she was.  I knew that giving her the money, was better then me keeping it because I knew she would use it more then I would.

 

     To end the day we got the opportunity to take a tour of the community leaders house and see how they produce coffee beans as their main way of income.  The tour of the house was a lot of fun, but getting to see how they made their coffee beans was a unique experience.  He was even nice enough to suprise us with some freshly brewed coffee for each of us to try.  He also told us that he had bags of coffee made the "Hondurian Style" if we were interested in buying any.  The day ended great with big get together at the community leaders house.  This trip to Las Champas showed me how Global Brigades has had such a positive impact on the community here.

 

Awesome to see what our help can do to a community

Visit to Las Champas                                                                                                              January 17, 2013                                                                                                                        

     Unfortunately the time came when we had to pack up and head back to Wisconsin.  My time spent here was a blast and I will never forget this opportunity that I had.  Getting away from all of the technology back home and focusing on our mission here was the thing I enjoyed the most.

 

     Before heading to the airport the bus had to stop and fill up for gas.  While we were waiting for the bus to fill up a young boy walked around it trying his very hardest to sell plantanes, a type of chip in Honduras, to us.  I was impressed by his willingness to try to get us to by them, afterall you couldn't see through the tinted windows of the bus, so he couldnt even for certain that their was people in the bus.  Once filled up we headed to the Tegucigalpa airport where we borded the plane back to the United States.  Once up in the air, I was saddened, but excited at the same time.  You never want to leave a place that has left so many good impressions on , but you also want to share those experiences with people.  

 

     In the end I'm not sure who was impacted more, the people of Honduras, or our group of medical brigaders.  We all left with great satisfaction, knowing we had helped to provide medical necessities to a community. We also knew that we would all gladly come back and help more communities if the opportunity arose.  When you are given such great opportunities in the United States such as education and health care, coming to a third world country where these things are not the norm really casues you to feel for the people.  That's why we came to Honduras in the first place, to help and give support to those who weren't as fortunate as us.  It was a bit sad knowing we couldn't stay longer and help more communities, but I also couldn't wait to get back to Wisconsin to share all my stories and pictures with my friends and family.

 

Can't wait for another opportunity like this

Packing Up, Flying Out                                                                                                          January 18, 2013                                                                                                               

     After returning back to the United States, I realized that ny cross-cultural experience to Honduras has changed me in a number of ways. One way I have changed since the experience is it has made me more appreciative of the little things in life. Before traveling to Honduras I wouldn't say I didn’t appreciate the opportunities we as citizens of the U.S. are given, but I took them more for granted. After my return back from Honduras I realized how simple things such as going to school to get an education, having running water, or even heat in my house was a luxury that not everyone had. Most importantly, I learned from the people in Honduras that no matter how wealthy or poor you are, or how much you have or don’t have, your family is the most important.  I look back at myself prior to my travels and see things that I complained about to my parents or friends, such as the television going out because of bad weather or the shower water turning cold. When I returned, though, none of that mattered to me. I was so grateful for the house my parents had bought for our family to live in. I became much more aware of the little things my family had done and I realized that sometimes you don’t need everything you want. A unique thing I saw while in Honduras was that the communities there seemed to be happier then a lot of people back in the U.S. This was not because they had more than people in the U.S., in fact most of them had very little, but they were some of the happiest people I'd ever met because they were grateful for any little item they received. This trip was meaningful because once I came back to school for the next semester I realized how truly fortunate I was to have the opportunity of being able to attend college and further my education.

 

Simplify Life

Reflecting Back

After eating breakfast on the last day in Honduras,  we had a few hours to finish packing and take some time to do whatever we wanted before we headed back to the Tegucigalpa airport.  I had already packed eveything up so I took some time to reflect back on my experience in Honduras.  This is the spot where I sat reflecting on my experiences: between the two trees over looking the mountains.

The Perfect Reflection Spot

Pre-Travel

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