Com gitchya Kriol Kultcha heeya!

In the mid-1980s, Gales Point Manatee was threatened with the loss of its traditions. Economic difficulties forced the young people to leave the village to go in search of jobs. Soon drumming and dancing rarely occurred except on major holidays. The flow of cultural information from the village elders to the youth all but stopped. It was at this time that several young men of the village vowed to keep alive the drumming culture that they remembered so vividly from when they were children. Together they headed into the hills Boombay Andrewin to find the elderly Mr. Irving at his "drum shack" deep in the bush. Mr. Irving, a master drummer from the village, who lived the life of a hermit on his secluded farm, passed his skill on to the young enthusiasts. Today, the most prolific of the four young drummers that made that journey into the hills is Emmeth Young. Together they have formed the Maroon Creole Drum School and Cultural Center to help preserve the unique culture of Gales Point Manatee. CCSP had the opportunity to invite Emmeth’s group, Fore Afrique, to play for us here at Nabitunich. With rhythms like Djole, Kuku, Kakilambe, and Soli, the group shared their drumming expertise and cultural insight – plus we had a chance to get down and show off our best dance moves! What an incredible night for all!

WHO WE ARE & WHAT WE LIVE FOR

At its core CCSP is about giving students the opportunity to learn about shalom. This is not simply thinking about peace but thinking broadly about what the word shalom entails. Shalom means peace but it also conveys a sense of wholeness and balance. The Creation Care Study Program wants to help students to celebrate the presence of shalom, mourn its absence, and struggle to restore it in a broken world. This is a relational process that includes our relationship with God, with ourselves, with each other, and with creation. These “right relationships” are how Nicholas Wolterstorff suggests we begin to view shalom.

Today is October 16, 2007. It marks the seven-week mark that our community has been together. Living, eating, sleeping, playing, and learning alongside each other has been wonderful and challenging for each of us. Living at Nabitunich gives us an incredible opportunity to explore and practice the concept of Christian community. We have not been perfect in this experience but it has been good. We have had a lot of fun together, we have worshipped together, and we have learned from one another throughout the first seven weeks of this semester. We trust in God that there are more great moments to come and that in living with one another the presence of God would be felt by the members of the community and those who visit us this semester.

LEAH P. AT SAN IGNACIO MATERNITY WARD

My nursing observation was at the San Ignacio maternity ward. The hospital itself is so different than what one would see and experience in the United States. Separate rooms did not exist so all the mothers were together in one room with six beds and a curtain which was the only privacy they experienced when doctors were doing their rounds. Belizean mothers go through the labor process alone, and because of this, often to wait to come to the hospital until right before they are ready to deliver. Also, mothers never stayed more than 24 hours after delivery unless there were complications. I shadowed three different midwives, and was blessed with the opportunity to see the births of five beautiful babies. Everyday was so unpredictable and exciting. I never knew what I was going to see or experience. Since the fathers are not allowed in the delivery room, I was often the mother’s only source of encouragement during delivery. I was able to do many tasks such as taking vitals, measure the fetal heart rate, bathing babies after delivery, distributing medications to mothers, help start IVs, and so much more. I also had the amazing opportunity of sharing Christ’s love and comforting a teen mother who lost her baby late in the pregnancy. Overall, it was an incredible experience.

CRISTA AT GOOD SHEPHERD & OCTAVIA WAIGHT

My nursing observation was with Nurse Margret at Good Shepherd’s Clinic on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and at Octavia Waight Centre (a nursing home) on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This was a wonderful experience because I got to interact with people of all ages and patients of all kinds. My observation included prenatal, elderly care, infants and education. I was able to help with prenatal check-ups, which included determining due dates and finding the baby’s heartbeat, and with patients who suffer from chronic ulcers due to diabetes. I observed many patient visits at Good Shepherds clinic which helped give me a feel for the types of problems that face most Belizeans today. These common problems include lack of nutrients -iron and folic acid- from their diets and diabetes. At Octavia Waight I helped with basic tasks such as cooking, cleaning and playing an intense game or two or ten of bingo. This was a wonderful eye opening experience which taught me not only about health care and cultural differences but about what it means to be a compassionate caring person. I learned that nursing is not just about giving injections, changing bandages or taking blood pressure. Nurses should be the listening ear, crying shoulder or comforting touch that we all so desperately need in a world where depression is considered a weakness. These past two weeks have definitely changed my view of nursing.

JANINE AT SAN IGNACIO HOSPITAL

I spent these past two weeks at San Ignacio’s Out Patient Clinic. Sister Garnett placed me under the guidance of Nurse Westby – a sister in Christ who has also become a dear friend. The week started me off with taking vital signs and blood pressures of the patients who came in. At ten in the morning the clinic receives patients for injections and bandaging. By day three I was mixing and giving injections under supervision and changing the bandages on most patients by myself. As a sophomore nursing student I was thrilled at the hands on experience! Nurse Westby is always on call for the ER and would transfer patients from Out- Patient to beds in the ward when needed. I was able to help with stitches and IVs and saw a lot of how S.I. hospital handles registering of patients. I had to rely on observation, as most of the time I was unable to understand the language. It is amazing how you learn to see things when you cannot understand what is being explained. Overall the experience was amazing; I learned so much!

LEAH J. AT ST. GABRIEL'S

My name is Leah Johnson and I spent two weeks working at St. Gabriel’s clinic. While I was there I shadowed and assisted Dr. Rene Godoy. I got to do cool things like help pop back in a dislocated shoulder, clean out some sores, and put casts on broken legs. I also had the awesome opportunity to be the operating room while the doctor removed a gallbladder. Although I wasn’t aloud to exactly participate in the operation, I felt like my job of turning the lights off and on was pretty special. The two week observation gave me confidence, knowledge, and an affirmation that nursing is the career I am supposed to pursue. In the picture featured I am listening to a patients heart beat.

BETHANY AT THE MOPAN CLINIC

Hi! My name is Bethany Bickmore and I did my nursing observation at the Mopan Clinic in Benque Viejo. It was a cute little clinic on a dirt road with some amazing people inside that I had the privilege of working with! I got a lot of practice taking blood pressures and doing glucose tests at the diabetic clinic, and had the AMAZING experience of feeling a baby and listening to it’s heartbeat at the prenatal clinic! I also learned how to give shots, which was very exciting, and a little scary, but I was determined to learn! I was able to go on a mobile clinic with Nurse Hall, an amazing woman who was truly passionate about people. I saw many heartbreaking living situations and gave lots of reassuring smiles to young kids as they were given their immunizations. I had many chances to practice my Spanish which almost turned into a love/hate sort of experience. I loved to communicate as best I could, but there were many times the words all blurred together and I’d just stand there with no idea what anyone was talking about! Overall, this was a truly amazing experience and I am so grateful for the opportunity!

MELISSA AT SPANISH LOOKOUT CLINIC

During my two weeks of nursing observation, I was blessed to spend time at both the Spanish Lookout Clinic and La Loma Luz Adventist Hospital, both of which gave me a unique look at healthcare from a Christian perspective. The clinic in Spanish Lookout is run by the Mennonite church and is staffed entirely by Mennonite women who have been trained as EMTs and midwives. During my time at Spanish Lookout, I saw the benefits of having a community-based clinic and the absolute necessity that speaking the vernacular is in healthcare. My supervisors, Mathilda and Aganetha, allowed me to help with prenatal checkups, counting and packaging pills in the pharmacy, and even collect specimens for Friday morning labs. I was so encouraged to see the compassion shown by these women who were offering healthcare to not only the Mennonites, but the native Belizeans as well. For my second week, I was blessed to spend three days observing and helping at La Loma Luz Adventist Hospital in Santa Elena. Spending mornings assisting in the vitals room gave me some great practice at taking blood pressure, pulse, temperature, and weight, and I was blessed to have the opportunity to observe four surgeries while I was there.

CHELSEA AT LA LOMA LUZ

My name is Chelsea Ruhl and I’m a nursing student at Messiah College. My nursing observation was at a private hospital called La Loma Luz (L.L.L.). I was placed here because I am very interested in surgical nursing and L.L.L. is one of the surgical hospitals in Belize. I have had an absolutely incredible experience here. I have seen several surgeries as well as had the opportunity of assisting doctors with patient prep. I also have attended to many patients in the emergency room, but I definitely prefer the O.R. My favorite surgery by far was a spinal operation performed by Dr. Cervantes, the only neurosurgeon in all of Belize. It was an 8-hour procedure to remove a bullet from a man’s spinal cord. I was allowed to observe the entire procedure and it was just incredible to see an actual human spine. I find the blending and mixing of cultures here very interesting. There are three main languages spoken in Belize: English, Spanish and Creole. The interesting part is when I am dealing with a patient who does not speak the same language that I do. It has been neat to see how the medical staff at L.L.L. deal with these potential barriers. Overall, this has been an experience of a lifetime!

BEKAH AT SAN IGNACIO HOSPITAL

Life is beautiful. So delicate, and yet so strong. Full of joy and of pain. I have seen this in a new way during my two weeks at the San Ignacio Hospital Campus. I worked in the Voluntary Counseling and Testing Center (VCTC) for HIV and spent several days in the Labor and Delivery unit as well. In these two weeks I saw life, and the destruction of life. Nine tests for HIV, six births. I felt nervous with each HIV test, breathed and pushed with new young mothers, sweated, was stretched, and got a taste of health care in the developing world. I finally saw beyond what my books talk about and heard people’s stories firsthand. I saw the effects of HIV on Belizean society, and witnessed the toll AIDS takes on an individual’s body as TB, fatigue, weight loss, and other sickness take over. I offered my smile to a sick man and my hand to a pained woman; each beautiful as they pressed on. There’s something about those few seconds of connection, a silent message, affirming both their battle and my dream to be a nurse. Yes, I have learned that life is beautiful. It is emanated from the joy and pain of those I had the privilege of meeting this month.

AVERY AT SAN IGNACIO HOSPITAL

Hi my name is Avery Johnson and I did my nursing observation at the Out-Patient Clinic of San Ignacio Hospital. I worked alongside Nurse Westby, an amazing nurse who runs the Out-Patient Clinic. She inspired and challenged me to do things I never thought possible this early on in my nursing education. The Out-Patient Clinic was exceedingly busy every day, as we had patients from all of the surrounding towns. I got plenty of practice taking vitals (blood pressure, pulse rate, respiratory rate, temperature, etc). On Thursday we hosted a diabetic clinic where I tested blood sugar levels of patients. Also, I saw some pretty intense wounds and had the privilege of cleaning and bandaging several. By day three I was mixing medications, preparing injections, and giving shots! I helped out in the Emergency Room on days that were especially busy, where I assisted in setting up IV’s and inserting catheters. I had an unforgettable time at my nursing observation and have gained so much knowledge through this experience. I was truly blessed to work with Nurse Westby, as we both share a strong Christian faith. I have so much to take away from this experience but the moments spent sharing Christ’s love with patients and employees were truly the highlights of my observation.

ALLI AT GOOD SHEPHERD CLINIC

I did my nursing observation at the Good Shepherd Clinic, in Succotz, as well as at the Octavia Waight Center. At the Good Shepard Clinic I was able to experience health care provided for a very small fee to those who can barely afford it. Following Nurse Margaret allowed me to learn to evaluate all aspects of a patient when they visit, and to be sensitive to mental, emotional and spiritual aspects, along with physical health. I was able to see the need for education in small rural towns in developing countries, where many health problems stem from a misunderstanding or unawareness in the people of the community. At the Octavia Waight Center I was able to get a glimpse of elder care in a developing country, and realize the challenges that they face in receiving adequate care. The resources are very few, and it has only been recently that elder care has been advocated and is getting some attention. The center only has about thirty residents, and is at maximum capacity, and with donations still doesn’t have adequate resources, human or medical. This really opened my eyes to the continued need of awareness for all age groups in developing countries such as Belize.

ABBY AT SAN IGNACIO HOSPITAL MATERNITY WARD

I spent my two week nursing observation at San Ignacio Hopsital Maternity Ward. While I was there I saw six babies born—five boys and one girl! I got to be there for the women when they were in labor, making sure they were as comfortable as they could be, getting them water and holding their hands. I checked fetal heart rates and learned to feel for the positions of the babies. I talked with nervous and excited mothers about baby names and their other children; I reassured them that I would be there for them when they went into the delivery room. I held brand new babies, not even minutes old! I bathed the babies and measured and weighed them. I talked with knowledgeable nurses about their careers in Belize and the things they would like to see changed about their healthcare system. I learned of their frustrations and some of their best and worst moments being midwives. I saw so many differences in the way that a maternity ward in Belize works compared with one in the U.S. I learned so much about this field of nursing and made many new friends in my two weeks at the hospital. I am looking forward to the future and my own nursing career.

AUBREY AT LA LOMA LUZ

I am Aubrey Fulmer, a nursing major at Messiah College. The past two weeks of my time here in Belize, have been spent at La Loma Luz private hospital. It has been quite the learning experience about a developing country’s healthcare and myself. A majority of my time was spent sterilizing tools and cleaning operating rooms with the incredibly entertaining employees. On my first day, there was a surgery of a cyst removal. Unfortunately I ended up on my own hospital bed staring at a ceiling fan due to passing out. But, I was not discouraged, really laughed it off. I went in for the next two weeks and was able to experience a hysterectomy, natural birth, C-section (amazing!), D & C, and a few other minor procedures. On the busy ER days, I saw split open skulls, scooter crashes, inhalation of toxins, and a few other accidents. It was an extremely exciting time in which I learned many things and was also able to practice taking vitals and give IV injections. Practicing Spanish was also a huge part of it since a majority of the time the employees and patients spoke it to one another. One of the biggest things I learned was to be extremely proactive and jump into situations; it will most definitely build your confidence. Overall, my nursing observation at La Loma Luz was an excellent one and I highly encourage you all to take this opportunity!