Honduras Reflection

The start of my Honduran adventure was landing at the Toncontn International Airport,
Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Landing at this airport is difficult due to the mountainous terrain and
short runway. All the passengers clapped when the plane landed and some prayed prior to the
planes decent. Of course, this was all interesting to me considering this was my first time flying
and it just so happen to be on a flight with a tricky landing. As we got off the plane, the high
visibility of AK-47 assault rifles was disarming, literally! Our luggage was loaded on the bus,
and we got a bite to eat. As we were boarding the bus, there were people trying to sell items and
asking for money. As we road towards the hotel down the bumpy disheveled streets of Honduras,
I began to ponder the various experiences I would encounter. The next day, we approached the
rural area, which was so beautiful and scenic. It was typical to see a bull, a herd of cows, horses
or other farm animals in the road.
The greatest personal challenge for me in Honduras was the feeling of helplessness. I felt
I was unable to help so many people due to the limited resources available. I also had a difficult
time accepting the lack of privacy in the local hospital. There was absolutely no privacy because
everyone was in one room, with not even curtains as partitions. Some rooms had no airconditioning and the room in which the mothers were waiting after having their baby was
malodorous, some were two to a bed, no linen on the beds and the cushion coming out the inside
of the mattress. It was a stark contrast to conditions in the States. No doubt, these folks know
nothing about HIPPA. The ratio for women and babies to nurse was staggering (30 to 1), the
male ratio was a little better. The mothers stood in the crowded nursery to breast-feed their
newborns. We were informed that the food and linen were provided by the patients family. The
babies in the pediatric area were lined around the walls of three sectioned areas. The kitchen was

outside, with a dirt foundation, pots hanging on a fence and sticks for the fire. These findings
were truly shocking, which helped me to reflect on my perceptions of privacy and acceptable
standards of care.
We visited a local school not far from the ranch, which was funded by the ranch.
Education only went to the ninth grade, thus the family would have to relocate to the city of
Tegucigalpa to receive a 12th grade education. This saddened my heart to hear that the kids in the
rural area were not even given the opportunity to attain a 12th grade education. Further, the desks
were worn, no air-conditioning, no running water, the bathroom consisted either of an outhouse
or a whole in the ground. Another revelation came from talking with Carlos, an interpreter, who
stated the average salary is about seven dollars a day for people in the village and that they
cannot afford to up move to the city. They survive by growing as much of their food as the can
and the school year is determined by harvesting in order for the kids to help their parents. This
made me think about the prices at the grocery stores or any store for that matter. It would be hard
to survive off roughly $35 dollars with those prices, because nothing was cheap.
For clinic, the locals were very happy to see us and expressed their gratitude through
expression, hugs, and kisses. I felt overwhelmingly appreciated, but disappointed that there was
not more I could do. When we ran out of anti-parasitic medication, several parents still were
asking for their children and themselves. One woman in her late 50s said she walked 13 hours to
see us, yet we could do nothing for her vision. She needed glasses and had cataracts, which
required surgery, but she could not afford it. I felt so helpless. Others came that needed referrals
to cardiology, nephrology, gastroenterology and neurology. The doctors on site explained to them
that they would need to see a private physician, but they could not afford it. A feeling of
overwhelming helplessness came upon me with each person we could not help.

We met young girls who were married as young as 13 and had children. This illustrates a
need for education on contraception, as well as family planning. Furthermore, there is a great
need for education on sexually transmitted diseases. There is no local health department or
physicians office around the corner, thus education on appropriate preventative measures are
vital. Moreover, large populations living in rural villages are indigent and access to medical
treatment are limited due to costs and distance. Education on water safety, self-breast exams, and
prevention of STDs, contraception, vaccinations, ways to control obesity, hypertension, diabetes,
and other comorbidities is important. Knowing when to seek medical treatment is important as
well, but primary prevention is the essential ingredient in addressing issues in the villages.
I think that I got a serious crash course in MacGyver nursing. I realize how much of a
blessing it is to have clean, functional equipment, comfortable settings to perform assessments,
and access to medications to treat people. I believe my assessment skills and communication
skills have improved because of this experience. The language barrier was truly representative of
what would happen if the patient does not speak English and must utilize an interpreter.
To improve upon the trip in the future, I would suggest additional interpreters and support
staff to assist with communication, and organization. I would also that there be more water and
Gatorade available. The weather was extremely humid and the rate at which we were sweating
left me feeling dehydrated most of the time. Also, if there were a way to have more ice for
cooling off the water, that would be fantastic. I learned that even in the worst conditions, people
are just that, people. I came back from this trip with a renewed appreciation for life's blessing
such as air conditioning, running water, smooth roads, and flushing toilets. I walked away from
this experience realizing that people back home have no idea how blessed they are, being able to
drink the water, opportunity to receive an education, and access to healthcare. I would do it again

if an opportunity presented itself. There is nothing like being able to help distant neighbors,
bonding with people, experiencing a different culture, and attempting to speak a foreign
language, which the natives do not understand. There is a great need for improvement in the
hospital, and I learned from Dr. Woodall that there is some collaboration between local
companies to improve conditions. In the future, I plan to continue to aid in providing this type of
humanitarian efforts to the people of Honduras and look forward to opportunities to assist in
their growth as a country.