“How was your trip?”
This question has been asked so many times since my return from Guatemala. There are many words that come to mind. Tiring work, amazing smiles, and an intense disconnect to understanding what these patients experience every day. Another word really sticks out for me though, color. Color is the one word I take away from this medical mission trip experience.
In the United States I live in a grey house, with grey walls, I own grey car, and a grey coat. I live close to a big city full of highways, bridges, guardrails, and they are all grey; a monotonous color. And I feel like there is no room for color.
In Guatemala there is so much color. The landscape is lush, green, and full of stunning foliage. There are mountains and valleys everywhere that create texture and shades of color. The clothes the people wear, both traditional clothes and modern clothes, are full of color. Often the traditional clothes are handmade with bright colorful textiles, with extra embroidery to make the item personal. The older women wear aprons that they use to carry everything; like a purse or handbag. These aprons are decked out with fancy ribbons, shiny thread, and are an item of pride for the owner.
We had an opportunity to visit two local markets full of stalls selling their local Guatemalan items, often handmade, and so full of color. Extra details on handmade pottery, sneakers with patches of multi-color fabric, dresses with multi-color embroidery and elaborate designs. Textiles that are hand-woven with symbols of their national bird, the Quetzal. The Quetzal is a multi-color green, red, and blue bird. A bird that is considered a sacred animal in the Aztec culture and only caught to harvest their long tail feathers and then released back to the wild.
While at the clinic, in 4 days we saw a total of 1505 men, women, and children. The dental clinic saw 204 patients and the medical clinic saw 1,303. In addition, we had a physical team, spiritual counseling, children’s activities area, and were able to provide over 650 glasses through Global Vision 20/20. We brought 16 people from the United States and we teamed up with staff from Centro Moore, United Rescue Alliance, local youth that are in medical training to provide translation, and many other local volunteers. We were set-up on the property of a local pineapple plantation with tents and grass huts to provide shaded areas to treat patients.
The number of people is just a number, but the people are an individual. The clinic was bustling every day, but there was no stress. There was a community feeling, with energetic children running around playing games. A man came through to sell cotton-candy to the patients waiting. Another individual came to sell snowballs from the back of her little white coupe. Friends were meeting at the clinic that had not seen each other in a while. Embracing in hugs and sharing joyful smiles. This was our second year returning to this site, so there was embracing hugs from our team reconnecting with volunteers, and patients that had been treated the year before. The environment was so colorful with community, life, and joy. The town people were so thankful and joyful we were there. Our team members were full of joy to bring whatever hope or relief they could provide. Some patients came just for vitamins and toothbrushes. Others came because they had never seen a doctor in their entire life and were seeking relief from chronic pain, headaches, and dehydration. Many patients hung around for hours to visit with friends and family and soak up the fellowship being provided.
So “How was your trip?” is an easy and a difficult question to answer. You feel guilty on your return and answering the question “How was your trip?” by saying you had a great time. The clinic was fun and full of colorful people with wonderful stories. The trip was not a sacrifice; the trip was a privilege to be a part of experiencing people taking care of people and seeing the people as a person.
-Nora A. D. Lanahan, RN