Day 1:

I woke up at 3am in Redondo Beach excited and nervous to begin my adventure in Honduras. Having recently finished my first year of college at UCLA, I had not taken the time to realize the impact Honduras was going to have on me. I arrived at LAX exhausted but ready to go. One connection in El Salvador and many hours later... I landed in Tegucigalpa, Honduras! After getting 50+ bags of medication through security, we drove to our compound 2 hours away in San Lorenzo, Honduras. It is located on the South-West coast. By the time we reached the compound, it was already late but our night was just beginning. It took several hours to pack all of the medicine into individual bags. 

Tegucigalpa

Our plane

Tegucigalpa                                  

Meds Packing 

Meds Packing 

Meds Packing 

Day 2:

I woke up early in the morning on Tuesday to get ready for the first day of the brigade. We had to drive from San Lorenzo to a port where the Honduran Navy was waiting to transport us to the island of Amapala. All 4 days of the brigade were on this island at the Naval Base. For my first brigade day, I was assigned to dental. Before we could enter the dental building they had to smoke it so that there were no mosquitos. I witnessed and assisted with extractions, fillings, and sealings. My responsibilities included handling the tools for the dentist, preparing syringes, and holding the hands of scared little kids. One of the craziest things I saw was the dentist removing an impacted wisdom tooth on a lawn chair with only local anesthesia.    

View from the Naval Base 

View from the Naval Base 

Naval Boat at the Port 

Port in San Lorenzo 

Amapala

Amapala

Smoking the Dental Building 

Dental Group 

Main Dental Room 

Extraction Tools

Day 3:

On this day of the brigade, I worked in the pharmacy. We were responsible for filling the prescriptions that the doctors had given the patients. The medication we dispensed included antibiotics, vitamins, inhalers, pain medications, hydrocortisone cream, allergy, and many others. After the prescriptions were  filled, we would run the medications out to the patients and explain how to take them. It was a great opportunity to practice my spanish.  

The pharmacists 

Medication

The plastic bags are the patient's prescriptions 

Medication

Medication

Pharmacy

Patients Receiving Their Medication 

Day 4:

I was assigned the to public health for this day of the brigade. We taught little kids how to brush their teeth and what a healthy meal looked like. This part was very rewarding, and made me realize how important public health education is. The kids were so cute! 

Teaching the Kids!

Teaching the Kids!

One of the groups that came through the public health part of the brigade

Practice Brushing

Healthy Meal 

Day 5:

On the last day of the brigade, I worked in triage. We would get their initial history so that the whole process could go as quickly as possible. We took the patient's blood pressure, pulse, and respiratory rate. For the kids we also took their temperature, height, and weight. It was a great opportunity to interact with the locals and hear some interesting stories.   

Day 6-7:

We only had 4 brigade days, so for the next couple of days we learned more about the NGO that we were working for, Global Brigades. I was very impressed with their holistic model where they essentially find communities in need and give them the tools to be self-sustaining. Global Brigades is the world’s largest student-led global health and sustainable development organization. Since 2004, Global Brigades has mobilized thousands of university students and professionals through nine skill-based service programs to improve quality of life in under resourced communities. There are different brigades including: Architecture, Business, Dental, Environment, Law, Medical, Microfinance, Public Health, and Water. On the last day, we also visited a town in the mountains near Tegucigapla called Valle de Angeles. 

Awards the Honduran Navy gave us.

One of the Co-Founders of Global Brigades.  

Our Security Guard Luna 

Valle de Angeles 

Valle de Angeles 

Valle de Angeles