Nicaragua 2009 - San Juan del Sur and starting work .. June 16, 2009
Posted by jennie on June 16th, 2009
On Sunday, Federico and Alden took me to see “town”; San Juan Del Sur. SJDS is about a 15 minute drive from the Finca. We had a yummy lunch at a beach side restaurant and then walked along the water and through town. It is very noticeably hotter and more humid in SJ then at the Finca. We also visited the newly built center, which is being called “Centro de Nutricion Comunitario” (Center of Community Nutrition). The intent is to have a niche population of Diabetics and those at risk for diabetes (not a small group in this community!) and to provide basic consultation services as well as group education classes. As well, the Center will serve the employees of Finca Las Nubes (FLN) with basic health needs and education.
On Monday I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Rufina Carmen Garcia (Carmen) who is a Nicaraguan trained doctor that was just hired by Federico and Alden to be the main Dr. at the center. She is wonderful — very knowledgeable, friendly, community-oriented, and patient (especially with my Spanish!). Most of Monday, Alden, Carmen and I worked on the center’s strategic plan; including goals and objectives. They have already done quite a bit of work on this but I was able to help out. It was fun to use what I’ve learned in school without a deadline looming over my head!! Shockingly, Alden and Carmen were totally impressed with my computer skills! (I know what many of you are thinking!). All I did was work on some formatting, play around with shading and bulleting and they think I’m a genius! I couldn’t help but imagine how hard Mike would have been laughing had he been in the room.
It gets dark here around 7 pm so it has been strange to change my cycle a bit; I’m going to bed early and trying to get up early (around 7:30am). It’s sort of like I’m camping.
Lest you all think I’ve gone soft and am living in the lap of luxury, I must inform you that today we had an ant infestation, and I saw 3 scorpions!! Apparently the scorpions are not deadly but it’s still a bit unnerving! I am obsessed with making sure the bed is clean of all creepy crawlers and then making sure my mosquitero (mosquito net) is super tight around the bed before I am able to sleep! Some nights it is hard to fall asleep even with a powerful fan, since the doors have to be shut to keep the insects out, which makes it a bit hot.
Today we continued work on the strategic plan, which has to be ready by week’s end to present to MINSA (the Ministry of Health) in Rivas for approval and then go on to Managua. We also met with a former colleague of Carmen’s, Dr. Beyo who works with the Clinca Comunical in SJDS. She reviewed our plan and discussed the proposed activities of the center.
Our routine is to work until lunch, have a little siesta and then work again until dinner. It’s a quite relaxed yet productive way to work (are you listening US of A??!!). Alden is encouraging me to go surfing soon. I have been invited to go by an American girl who lives in SJDS and teaches at a womens surf camp. She is currently staying on the Finca with her family. So, I hope to do that sometime soon!!!
Ok, off to bed. It’s after my bedtime (8pm). 
To learn more about the Finca: http://fincalasnubes.com/
Love, Jennie