Rural Living - Finally!!

Between living in the sticks and having problems each time we get to the internet, we have not been able to post this blog. We created this post on Monday June 4 so it appears older but we posted it today June 12.

So, finally we may be able to get caught up. We will start with us and a picture with our host family from Paxot 2. This is the family of Tomas and Manuela Quino. Juan Quino, green shirt, is one of our health promoters.

Well, we are back in town (Chichi) for the weekend after living in Paxot II for the week. Tomorrow we head back there after clinic to stay another week with our friends the Quino Bernardo family. They are taking great care of us and we are learning a few words and phrases each night. We have noticed, though, that our brains don't absorb as much as we thought they would! But, little by little we hope to improve our vocabulary. We have gotten to visit around with the neighbors and have been invited to drop by other peoples house this coming week. We have a modest but clean and tranquil room to ourselves and they even have a hot water shower! We are surrounded with avocado trees, peach trees and corn fields; chickens, ducks and turkeys. The only problem is, they are feeding us too much! Oh, well. It is quite the little hike from the house up to where we are parked.

We have really enjoyed our time there and have appreciated their good care. Lisa got to take a bath in the sauna house (and adobe dome with an adjoining fireplace. Kemmel couldn't quite get up the nerve!

Next week we do a student interchange

We also got our students into their homes. For two weeks we have six students with us. Amanda Royse, Dylan Carey and Michael Patterson are in Xepocol. Jeff Muszynski, Megan Kite and Sara Manley are in Paxot II. It was fun making the rounds to each house. As we dropped off bags and luggage at one house, everyone would accompany us to the next house to drop off the next student, until we get to the last one. Despite the rain, it was fun and we were all well received.

This is Sara on entry into her host home.

This is Jeff with is host family, the homes are not built for american height.

This is Amanda with Pedro and Ana and 2 of their boys, Tomas and Everardo

This is Michael at his host home.

So far, clinic has been good with resonable numbers despite the heavy rains. The students are learning to take vital signs and interview patients. We even got to go on a hike to a waterfall in Chuchipaca after clinic on Saturday. It was a good time of fellowship with our health promoters and some of their family as well.

Sorry for the delay in reporting, we are trying to figure out how to start internet service out in Paxot!!!