With only one week left...

I'm at my favorite coffee shop, Casa Choc, and down the street Barcelona is playing Madrid in a soccer match on TV and I can hear them cheering and screaming from here.

It's another hot, sunny, beautiful day in Puerto and I spent my morning in the best possible way.  I went to volunteer my time with teenagers who want to learn English and cannot afford private classes.  They were so excited and nervous and I could tell they loved having me there - a real American to practice with.  I taught them all the important words, like 'so cute', 'very cool', and 'you guys are awesome'.  Turns out that's how I talk and they were like, um, what?  One told me in broken English that I am very nice and pretty, and I was so touched.  Afterwards, the teacher told me that I changed their lives.  I don't know about all that, but it sure felt good to hear. :)

This past week I got to meet another partera (midwife) and she was wearing a Chicago t-shirt (classic).  She was so happy to talk to me, and show me her herbs and gave me a big hug when I left.

I spent time in the local administrative office for Seguro Popular (their local public health system).  It's amazing how well they track statistics and trends without really any technology.  It's all done with pen and paper until it finally makes it to the main office in Oaxaca to be tabulated.  I chatted with these giggling nurses there, who record and distribute everything having to do with vaccinations.  They were hilarious, and we were laughing the whole time.

I also attended a couple trainings for doctors and nurses in their last year of residency during which they are doing their 'year of service' and have to work in one of the local Centros de Salud (many of the clinicians I met in the clinics were in fact these doctors and nurses).  The training was about how to put in the subdermal implant for birth control, and they went ahead and did some demos right on the spot...

The previous week I spent in Chila again, but this time in the clinic instead of chinche-hunting.  I was a part of two 'platicas', which are discussions with the local women (who are required to attend to maintain their level of financial support from La Programa de Oportunidades) based on family planning.

I also watched in fascinated horror as this insanely huge abscess on an old man's back get sliced and drained of pus for like a half hour, and met a little boy who had so many cavities in his teeth I could actually see them as black shadows.

Aside from all the medical stuff, I'm still getting to the beach.

Here is the sky the other night after the sun had set from the beach, La Punta.

A picture speaks a thousand words, so 'nuff said. :)