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So my time working in Danli is coming to an end. It's been an amazing experience (mainly personal more than professional) and really don't want to head home yet even though I think my time in the rehab centre is coming to an end. Its very frustrating working with patients who desperately need help and realising i don’t have the knowledge or facilities to help them in the way i would like.
This last week has been a pretty busy one. Have had lots of new patients but been great to see the same patients over a three week period. I often get given Platinos (soooo tasty fried in butter and syrup) or Rosquillos (little round biscuity things) as thanks for helping them. I feel bad taking stuff from them because most of them need it more than me. Its pretty humbling. I have put a few photos of my most memorable patients!
We teach English to locals every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at our house. We have a class for the kids and one for the adults. I gave one of the lessons this week on London - i really enjoyed it. Do you know the American
girls here haven't heard of Buckingham Palace was or knew how the United Kingdom was divided! Pah! So i have been trying to teach them to how to speak proper and they will be going back to the States with "Pucka, Minga, Chav, sorted and Freak" in their vocab.
Visited a cigar factory during the week. Cigars in Honduras are big business. During Castro’s era lots of Cubans came over here to help with tobacco growing techniques. Some of these experts remained in Honduras and helped make Honduran Cigars so famous. Unfortunately the wealth doesn't seem to stay in the surrounding area and is certainly not filtered down to the workers.
Each of the workers can roll between 300 - 350 Cigars a day and the cost price of 1 cigar is $6 so that’s $2000 of cigar made per worker per day (1000 pounds). These workers earn $5 a day - somebody’s earning a lot of money somewhere! We do get a lot of people in the clinic who work in these factories and come in with severe over-use injuries in their hands and shoulders and many with depression - go figure.
Just to put
things into perspective. To see a Doctor for a consult costs $10 so if you're earning $25 a week its not financially viable and also you may need to take a day off of work as you might live 2 / 3 hours away from a clinic and then you have to pay for your meds. Its not hard to understand why so many people are dying from such curable illnesses ( we've seen TB, Diabetes, Hepatitis, Malaria, Diarrhoea, Respiratory complications in the clinic just last week). Anyway enough of the rant.
We went to the poshest resto in Danli on Friday as one of the girls passed her MCATs (medical exams) and also our last Friday night together in Danli. The meal cost us about 5 pounds each (which is expensive for Honduras) and it was actually pretty mingin and a couple of us have been suffering ever since!
We met three cool guys from Paraguay on the street who invited us for a drink in a local bar. We had never been out in Danli at night before so it was pretty weird but were in a cool bar and the three burly Spanish speaking men
kept the other weirdoes at bay. After 40 Port Royals, 10 Chivas Regals and a few Salsa and Merengues moves later we bundled into a taxi and headed home. Was a good change to reading and watching tele behind bars and barbed wire every night!
Last night I went out to yet another club in the local town. We had to pay to get in which makes the club pretty exclusive so it was very safe. After a while i forget i was in Honduras and could have been in the UK. The dancing was great, I’m determined to take some lessons when I get back - I just need a man to go with me, any takers??? (preferably one with rhythm please :o) I was quite happy bopping along to Shakira and Beyonce and Risk Astley - but as soon as the Regaton music came on my hip shaking just couldn’t keep up with the rhythm. I’m sure there were a few locals who were laughing at the awkward looking Gringo!
So tomorrow is my last day at work. They are having a little party for me in the afternoon to say thanks. I think they appreciate
me more than I deserve - if only they understood how little i know.
Then off to the Islands to top up the tan and swim with some Dolphins if it doesn't freak me out too much. I can’t believe I have only a week left.
Mum and Dad - just to let you know this trip may be a yearly occurrence! So prepare yourselves. Far too many places in Central America to see!
Lots of love
Money (as the locals like to call me!)
xxx
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anonymous
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Can't believe it's nearly over. Sounds like you have had a great time and I'm inspired. Hey guess what?? Firstly I'm moving in with Neil over here (have I told you that already?) but also, we're moving home in January. He has been offered a job at his old school for 2 terms which means he can then get a really good job (hopefully) in September! yey yey yey! So I'll be back sooner than expected! can't wait to see you hopefully when I'm home. Lots of love Flooze xoxoxo