Please pray for my Nicaraguan "Mom's" son who was in a motorcycle accident the other day. He's had two major surgeries on his skull and needs to stay in the hospital for 2 more weeks in Managua. He is not afraid anymore and is getting better but please pray for quality care from the hospital staff and full healing for his body. Please also pray for the family of another man who had been drinking and was killed by a bus just down the street from my house this morning. Thank you.
Today I went with a few new friends to church in Altagracia, on the other side of the volcano. People from many of the churches on the island gathered in the blockaded streets of downtown for a big fiesta celebrating the Bible. The music was upbeat and many of the pastors spoke about the history of the Bible and it's translation into Castellano 443 years ago (which is not spoken near Ometepe so I was confused about that), it's usefulness in our lives and as a way to know God and Jesus. The 2 young ladies in front of me looked like they were bridesmaid's in a 1980's wedding, you'll see in the photo below. Also note in that picture that the president, Daniel Ortega of the FSLN, is represented on a soccer jersey painted on the side of a building. As we roasted in the heat, I was thankful for the clouds...many folks rehydrated with bright red sodas, bags of sweet milk and colored snowcones (with cloves in them). Kids and adults alike snacked on deep fried plantain chips, wax candy with syrup inside and little gelatinous sugar cups. I bought a very large bottle of water and ate a protein bar I'd brought from the states. The bus I rode in had many holes in the floor. I noticed on the way back home that I could see the street moving through them. Below are a few photos of the day.
Please pray for my Nicaraguan "Mom's" son who was in a motorcycle accident the other day. He's had two major surgeries on his skull and needs to stay in the hospital for 2 more weeks in Managua. He is not afraid anymore and is getting better but please pray for quality care from the hospital staff and full healing for his body. Please also pray for the family of another man who had been drinking and was killed by a bus just down the street from my house this morning. Thank you.
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I decided to go for a jog today. The heat is pretty intense here even at night and it causes me to feel sleepy and sluggish. I am also eating a fair amount of heavy foods like diary, meat and carbs so I wanted to be active to increase my energy, support my mood and keep a healthy routine. I closed the barbed wire makeshift gate at the edge of our yard and started the timer on my watch as I began to jog the bumpy, dusty, sand street towards the volcano, concepcion where some families have small farming plots. I passed a man on a bicycle with a child on the handlebars, one on a motor bike with a little trailer cage carrying a pig and a man on a horse with a very skinny dog, likely returning home for lunch. As I casually jogged past the homes on my "street" back into the farms near concepcion, women were scrubbing laundry at the pilas (cement tubs where their running water flows into), children were playing in the dirt, clothes were drying on the line and animals were munching on whatever they could find. I wondered what people thought of me running...no destination in mind, no reason for travelling out to the farms, except to run. Most locals do not exercise, especially run. So I just wondered. The sand road ended when my watch said 12 minutes and in front of me were just barbed wire gates made from tree branches. I didn't want to intrude onto someone's land so I turned around and went home, feeling a little awkward about running this community. I'll probably try again if I can find a longer road. Maybe I'll get used to it. I did take a few photos of some things along the way. The view at the end of the road...a campesino's farm at the base of Concepcion volcanoA nicer house in town with a yardA plowed field ready to be plantedAn abandoned houseA family's home viewed from the streetI’m thankful for a great morning workout today. It felt good to exhaust my body physically through metabolic conditioning.... lunges, burpees, planks etc. I’ve also enjoyed observing the random farm animals (nicknamed RFA’s by the other docs) sauntering through our yard munching on the “grass.” They keep it mowed for us. Yesterday the small brown cow was fighting with the grey horse, not sure over what but he must have jumped 3 feet and skitted away once the horse came after him. Around 3 am I awoke to roosters crowing, around 4 were a few loud fireworks…then a little peace and quiet before I awoke to a horse munching outside my window. Here are some photos of the house, the NDI office, composting toilet and “yard.” 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.
I am looking forward to gardening here in Nicaragua...experimenting at least. This is the plot right now surrounded by a living fence made of tree cuttings and barbed wire. We'll have to prep the beds by pulling out all the weeds or using a machete or double digging. We aren't quite sure what will grow. I hope to do some companion planting to deter insects and make some natural insecticides. Any suggestions or resources on tropical gardening are much appreciated! Thank you to everyone who prayed for safe and smooth travels! I arrived in Managua last night with all my bags and today to Ometepe where I will be living.
Some observations from the first day here:
As I prepare to leave for Nicaragua this week I am sad to say goodbye to friends and family. I am looking forward to this new season in life, settling into a new community to serve, learn and grow. However, this time the change is more difficult. I am leaving for a longer period and it marks a new phase which may become more permanent, which is what I have been preparing for all along...to work in the developing world. Please pray for restful sleep and my health as I adjust emotionally and physically to these changes. Thank you to all my wonderful friends and family for your support.
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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
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