Today I spent the morning getting my room set up, doing laundry, hanging out with Adam and Trish, the other 2 doctors working here with NDI, cooking food and with the host family I had stayed with on my first volunteer visit here in February. I am thankful that although we are trapping a few mice daily in our house and I picked up a beetle from the counter thinking it was a piece of food, I live in a relatively nice and clean home. The screens on the windows mean I can hang out in the evening without getting bitten too much and there is a TV that has been working well to watch movies when we need to zone out for a bit...if we can find some. We have a stove with an oven, running water and so far consistent electricity...this is all so much more than the locals have. It is difficult to have so much and yet it has allowed me to feel comfortably welcome and ready to begin in the clinic this week. I spent the afternoon by surprising my friend Amada (my host mom when I was here in february) with a visit. As I opened my barbed wire fence make-shift gate and stepped over the rocks that separate my "driveway" from the "road," I felt a deep sense of joy and thanks to be living amongst this community. I really enjoyed staying with my host family in February and recalled walking the 2 blocks down the dusty street full of dogs, chickens, food scraps and cow dung each day to the clinic. As I turned the corner and passed the large ramshackle hut with black tarp walls keeping the sun off the drying tobacco leaves, I wondered where they sell these or if they export them. A few catcalls from Nico guys and sleeping dogs later I reached the pulperia that I had bought a notebook with pokemon like characters on it last time I was here as well as passion fruits yesterday (very tasty sour jelly like seeds inside). The many pulperias in town are a room in the front of a family's home where they sell miscellaneous things, a few veggies that may be in season, many of which have already gone bad and are laden with flies, cheap plastic flipflops, alkaseltzer, tuna with seasoned veggies, eggs when they have them etc. Soon I came to a corner in the dirt street where a large pig with a rope around its neck was grunting through the weeds looking for food, kicking up dust and there was Amada and Orderli's home. "Buenas," I called out the typical greeting as I stepped onto the dirt path towards the backyard where I remember spending evenings with their grandkids, Martin and Cesia, playing cards and with their piglet, Palome (who has since been eaten to my disappointment but understanding). After a few more hello calls I was about to turn around assuming she was either napping or at church again. Then I saw her through the holes in the cement block wall getting up to come to the door. What a wonderful surprise she said as we hugged. It was so nice to see her again. We sat in the back yard on chairs remembering all the memories from 8 months ago and I soon told here I'd be staying in the community for 15 months working with NDI. She was excited to hear this, welcomed me to their home anytime I was able to come and I soon returned a few hours later to join her and the family for an evening church service where I was welcomed by the congregation and did my best to understand the message...I will need to practice my Spanish but was so grateful to be already becoming a part of the community here.
Rachelle Price, NDI am a naturopathic family physician, a graduate of naturopathic medical school at Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington. After many years of feeling a call on my heart to pursue further education in health care to better serve in the developing world, I attended naturopathic medical school a few years after earning my Bachelor's of Science in Biology from Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota. I have since partnered with organizations in the developing world and United States offering hope, inspiration and healing.
My passion is learning from and serving my community. I focus on helping people discover the root cause of illness or pain and find wholeness for the mind, body and spirit. I also enjoy being active outdoors, photography, cooking, gardening, singing and working with medicinal herbs. Living simply, sustainably and creatively are important to me as well as laughter, music, friends, deep discussions and growing within a supportive community. And did I mention I love to have fun! :) Please peruse this website, check out my linked in profile or email me to learn more about me and how I practice naturopathic medicine. Archives
October 2021
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