Trinidad (Part 3)

On Friday, we had the day off from clinic. Half of the team took a little puddle jump over to the other island of Tobago (I signed up for the trip so last minute, that I missed the opportunity to do this!). Instead, I went on an amazing adventure with the other half of the group to a tropical rain forrest! The ride up was a real thrill! I got to sit up front with our driver where I got a close-up view of everything and a real education about Trinidad, too!

We had a police escort, too! This is a two lane road (and we are in a bus!). It was really scary a couple of times (especially the times where there was no side rail and a precipice on the side! :)

 Everything was SO green! And to complete the experience of the rain forrest, it was raining on our way up!

Here is the view from the veranda of the house where we ate lunch:

 Our adventurous hike begins with this tiger lizard:

 Beautiful plants! What an awesome Creator we have!

 The group:

 This is a termite nest! Our guide said that we could taste a termite if we wanted too! I decided that I was in the middle of a rain forrest in Trinidad, and that it would be an experience I might not have again, so why not just try?!

 Getting one of those critters ready!

 Termite!

 Yes, I might be a girly-girl, but I can eat a termite!! :) They actually are not that bad--they taste like carrots.

 More beautiful surroundings:

 Raining! (My roommate Connie forgot her raingear, so we had to improvise!)

 Stunning!

 Back at the main house, there were tons of feeders that attracted a number of exotic birds. The humming bird is Trinidad's national bird!

 The last day of our trip, we held a clinic at the police station for the officers and their families. Pastor Ricky and MTW have built a close relationship with the police force and we wanted to provide services for them. We also held CPR training for them! That night, they invited us to an appreciation dinner for all that we had accomplished during the week. We got dressed up and took a team picture before heading to the dinner:

The ladies:

 So sweet of them to make us feel so appreciated!

We were entertained by some very talented individuals with a little local flare!

 At one point, they even had us all up dancing!

 They called each of us to the front by name and thanked us for the work that we did!

I still get overwhelmed thinking about all that happened during that week. It will definitely require some more processing on my part! It was an absolutely amazing trip--a dream come true!! I am so thankful for the opportunity to go and for God's watching over the details of the trip! I can't wait to go back, Lord willing!

Trinidad (Part 2)

The 3rd and 4th day of clinic, we went to Chase Village, which was close to Pastor Ricky's church. The neighborhood has a large Indian and Hindu influence. We set up clinic in this restaurant:

 Here is the outdoor area where everyone was triaged (and where I spent most of the day playing with the kiddos!). Behind the sheets is the "dentist office!" This picture is from the end of the day after most everyone had already left.

 The pharmacy:

 The lab (practicing on one of our nurses!):

 Eye glasses:

 A little more medical play with puppets:

 Coloring:

 Precious little baby! (Please excuse how I look! It was so humid, there was not much you could do except keep your hair up and away!)

 The Trini children LOVED bubbles!

 One day, Dr. Wendy (our dentist) and her husband Ken celebrated their 27th wedding anniversary. I was joking with them at breakfast about how we needed to have a re-enactment and have them redo their vows. Another team member took the idea and ran with it, so that evening, we had a "wedding" complete with a bridesmaid and best man. The chaplain on the team preformed the ceremony. It was a sweet time of hearing them reaffirm their love and commitment to each other. They were such a sweet encouragement to me the whole week the way that they served together as a team!!

 All the single ladies lined up for the toss (and we even did a little "Cupid Shuffle!")



 Part Three (the part where I eat termites) coming soon!

Trinidad (Part 1)

I am back from Trinidad! It is really hard to put into words all that happened during those 8 days, so there will be lots of pictures! It was an amazing trip!! I met so many sweet people, and have so many precious memories!
On the plane:

 Once we arrived in Trinidad, we had to clear ALL of this luggage through customs. Of course, I was one of the ones singled out to have my bags go through x-ray while others in the group just passed on through! (this always seems to happen to me!). We had a ton of medical supplies, so we were thankful to get everything we brought through customs!

We were picked up and taken to T and T Urban Ministries where we stayed for the week:



 Here is my room which I shared with Connie (a sweet nurse from NC who I had never met before):

 The bathroom(don't be fooled, I know it looks like there is a handle for hot water, but there is NO hot water! Learned to take super FAST cold showers!):

On Sunday, we worshipped with our Trini brothers and sisters at Pastor Ricky's church. I met some of the sweetest children, and enjoyed talking to them!

Monday was our first day of clinic. We were taken by bus to a small area called Laventille. We received a police escort which was quite entertaining! One car led in front and another behind. The traffic parted before us like the Red Sea! We did a lot of praying as several times we squeezed through traffic with only inches to spare on each side of the bus! :)



 

 Entering Laventille:

The community center where we set up clinic for two days:

 The pharmacy and some exam rooms:

It amazed me that we could take a couple of suitcases full of medical supplies, and within an hour have a fully functioning medical center with lab, pharmacy, medical providers, and dental care.
My job was to work with the children. We had Bible story time, sang songs, did crafts, blew bubbles, and did medical play for hours on end! It was so rewarding, but exhausting, too!

 The view from upstairs in the clinic:

Second day of clinic--more fun times with the kiddos! Lots of really great conversations about medical stuff, Jesus, and life in Trinidad!

A little medical play:

After the second day of clinic, the police officers wanted to take us to a scenic overlook, so that we could take some pictures:



 It was an amazing view!

 Port of Spain:

Bus ride home after a long day:

 Pretty sunset:

 More to come in Part 2...

January...

As much as I love the holidays and all of the Christmas decorations, there is something refreshing about a new year and taking down the greenery and replacing it with winter white! This is part of our new mantle arrangement...we are going to be adding some more white soon (the yellow flowers were from a baby shower we had), but here's a sneak peek...

 My roommate received this wreath as a Christmas gift from her cousin (she made it out of acorns--gotta love Pinterest). Love how it looks in the window frame..

 In other new year happenings...my department at work has started wearing uniforms. The whole hospital is now color coded (nurses in blue, respiratory in green, etc.). The Child Life Department is pink and black. I will have to say that I was not too happy about the idea of a uniform...I loved wearing cute outfits to work, and considered it an art putting outfits together that looked classy yet fun for the kiddos! So, I decided that my new uniform needed a little flare! Since I am a little taller, and scrub pants always feel too short, I let the hem out and added a ruffle! Which was perfect for both extra length and a fun twist to a boring uniform! :) They turned out pretty cute!
Before:

 After:

In other news, in just a little over a week, I am going with MTW on a medial missions trip to here:

Every since I became a Child Life Specialist, I have wanted to join a medical team overseas on a short-term missions trip. God clearly opened the door for me to go to Trinidad this month...when I called MTW about the trip they told me there was one spot left, and it needed to be a person comfortable working with children!!! How perfect! Can't wait to share about all that God will do while we are there!