The second Monday!

Today started with no hot water in our casita. Hot water has been an ongoing problem but Laurie got some last night so I was counting on some this morning. Unfortunately it was not to be so my shower had to be put on hold.

We had a great day in the clinic and actually finished by about 3:30 today. Our patients arrived with us at 8:15 this morning. Typically they were arriving a little later so we were just getting organized when the masses arrived. It's crazy to see this whole stream of people arriving at once. The charts are all numbered based on arrival. Seems they all may arrive within a few minutes of each other in the early morning hours but are assigned a number based on where they are in line. Most of them will spend many hours with us and some the whole day. Most of it is wait time.

I had one man today who had travelled 15 hours on bus from Tikal to come to the clinic for a working hearing aid. The travel time was clearly less important than the ability to HEAR. It's hard not to be moved. We gave him extra batteries, hearing aid tubes, as well as custom building him molds for each ear so he could bounce his hearing aid from ear to ear. He was very grateful and left to catch a 5pm bus which will get him home tomorrow morning at 8am.

I think we are down to only about twenty hearing aids left which means we will certainly need to shut the clinic down by Wednesday. One man I fit last week was anxious for his mother to get a hearing aid but her appointment wasn't until the 5th which is tomorrow. He was concerned that we wouldn't have one left for her! I hope we can fit her tomorrow. We have no severe or profound hearing aids left. Just those in the mild to moderate loss category.

After work 4 of us from the clinic headed to the bank and then out for ice cream. I have made some wonderful new friends with the other women who have volunteered at the hearing clinic. It has been a great group to work with and we have a good rhythm going. I am hopeful I will be invited to return next year and I will get to see this group again.

When we got home I had literally a 5 minute break to sit in a hammock and check my "Facebook" account. We, as usual, were running late (we are just trying to fit so much in) so Livinia, our wonderful Mexican Canadian translator, Laurie and I hailed a tuk tuk to head to a free salsa class. It was great fun! Besides dancing with the 3 male dance instructors our partners were several Japanese students who spoke english.

Then off to Don Rodrigo for a typical guatemalan meal of chicken, rice, black beans, fried plantains, guacamole, tortillas, and salsa. The setting was once again out of this world. Beside us a woman was making our fresh tortillas and a marimba band was playing live music. As we were preparing to leave a hostess came over and encouraged us to stay on as a Guatemalan dance troupe was going to be performing a traditional dance. So we stayed! It was fun until one of them passed me a maraca and made me get up! It was Laurie's fault she refused and forced me up. Unfortunately instead of dancing in the traditional Guatemalan style I tried using some of my salsa moves but Laurie says it looked more like I was dancing the river dance! We just keep laughing recalling my ineptness.

Pictures
1. Man from Tikal with Lavinia and I
2. My 5 minutes in the hammock
3. Salsa class