Continuing Promise
Puerto Barrios, Guatemala
Day 1 Scouting for Schools:
Due to the fantastic coordination of the ACE Team, we had obtained a
listing from Guatemala’s Minister of Education including the priority
schools for the area. Our next step was to investigate each school to
confirm if the numbers that were provided were correct. We needed to
make sure that we had the correct number of backpacks for the
students.
The day began with a ride on a Landing Craft Unit, we arrived to a
beach port of the local Navy-it was very pleasant similar to a fishing
port I would say. There were even old boats on either side of a gravel
path leading away from the main road; some had so much overgrowth you
would believe them to be there for several years. There was also a
canoe storage made of leaves, which reminded me of the Bahamas.
We rode to medical site 1 to await our transportation for the day. We
hopped into our van with our Guatemalan military escorts and headed to
a listing of sites that were pre-screened. The first school that we
arrived to was listed to have 285 students total; to our surprise when
we arrived they had well over 500 students. We were so thankful that
we had the opportunity to verify the number; otherwise we would have
been short quite a bit. We decided to focus on smaller three rural
schools in Puerto Barrios and were able to schedule the distributions
with the principles-we were so excited to work directly with the
schools. All of the schools had no grass, playground, or substantial
materials. We had a feeling that this experience would be amazing.
Day 2 Caserio Del Mitch:
Our intuitions were correct-the children were so loving and
appreciative. We had a few marines join us as well as Lyndsey Hodges
from the Greitens Foundation to help distribute backpacks, stuffed
animals, and some toys donated by Heather, our pediatric nurse friend
volunteering for Project Hope. We began by giving the pre-schoolers
stuffed animals, they were so cute and shy. They grasped onto the
animals with a look of curiosity, like “who are these people and why
are they here?” Their teacher helped to raise their level of comfort
and soon they were smiling.
We were surprised as after only our first class, some little first
grade girls started giving each of us Fantas-(My favorite). Orange and
grape flavored goodness! Their only water source was a pipe on the
edge of the property so to receive soda demonstrated a great
appreciation for our visit. We thanked everyone with hugs. The kids
loved pictures, especially with their friends-which gave them the
opportunity to throw peace signs behind unknowing friends’ heads-as
well as hugs. Each class did not want us to move on to the next class,
so they would attempt to keep us around by asking for more hugs and
photos. Each class had a few children that would wait outside the
classroom doors for us to swing back by for more questions and laughs.
We continued to each class, we finished the distribution in the
morning and distributed in the afternoon as well.
The kids loved their bags and toys. One of the marines played soccer
with the kids, he was all over the place-funny thing is the kids were
running circles around him. He was a good sport though trying his best
to keep up. So, I watched some girls walk over to the water spout and
fill up a water balloon. I was a bit confused because it was only one
balloon and in some areas they might drink water this way. However, as
it turned out the girls were plotting to throw it at someone but did
not know who to hit. My thoughts were to throw it at one of the
marines-of course. I pointed to two of the marines that had been
helping us out and they immediately all chose David, the marine who
was playing soccer. We all gathered in a crowd and approached his
position slowly. He had no idea what was coming. On command one of the
girls launched the water balloon, but unfortunately she completely
missed aiming at his feet. David, the marine, was still caught off
guard and we all laughed at the attempt. As we were leaving the
school, the children gathered around the windows of the van laughing,
yelling “Adios”, jumping, and waving us on our way. They were going
crazy! There was so much energy everywhere, I was sad to leave such
wonderful children.
Day 3 Escuela Barrio Mixo Rural:
We had five marines join us for our second distribution in Guatemala,
each time we try to get different marines that have not had the
opportunity to visit the countries prior. We arrived at our
destination and the kids were laughing from each of the classrooms.
You could sense that they were just waiting for their turn. The school
was settled in between buildings, the lot seemed similar as to where
you might see a residential space. However, they had managed to
construct an open space for the children to play despite limited
space.
We lined up the marines in four rows, the system worked well for
directing each kid up to the marine waiting on his knee with a
backpack and high-five. One of the marines and I grabbed some toys
that were donated and went down the lines passing out one to each girl
and boy. It was a little treat on the side. Janina did a fantastic job
organizing the classes and directing the children. Once we had
finished distributing to the children, the principle requested
additional backpacks for a few children that were absent. We were more
than happy to oblige. The principle and cook were also kind enough to
provide each of us with a chicken-sub sandwich and a local soda. We
felt so thankful to have received such a gift. Food really makes me
happy! We talked and hung out with the children for an hour or so
afterward. The children started taking some of their new notebooks and
pens and were requesting autographs from each of us. It was so
cute-one of the marines exclaimed “I’m famous, I’m famous” as he was
surrounded by children saying por favor (please) sign my paper. With
just a simple signature, we were able to bring additional smiles to
the kids, something small but impactful.
Day 4 Escuela Barrio Mixo Rural- El Lara:
Our third school had a wide courtyard with a concrete space for soccer
or basketball, with a little bodega (store) on the side. It was
convenient for the children to have the ability to walk a few feet to
delicious snacks and drinks. It was brightly colored due to the
Coca-Cola endorsed sides, which was interesting as the stands seemed
to be a running theme-we saw similar ones at medical site 1 which was
a high school.
We had a veterinarian technician Jill (World Vets) and a nurse Brooke
from (National Nurses United) join our team for the day, along with
the marines that volunteered. We had to move quickly since the
majority of the distribution had the students standing in a line
outside as we rotated in and out to hand deliver the backpacks. It was
also a national holiday for Guatemala so the schools were all letting
out early. The scene ended up resembled an assembly line with
exchanges of pounds (fist to fist) between the volunteers and
students. There were a lot of older students at this school, finishing
out the sixth grade a bit later. There response to the donation
included a cool handshake and smile. We met with the director and a
few teachers before our departure and gave them some teacher satchels
and hugs. Next, we jumped in our red van and headed back to the
medical site for a change over in personnel.
A Naval Ace Team member (a friend by the name of “Panama” who is
amazing) helped us to coordinate our distribution in Guatemala and was
able to facilitate a donation for us to a small orphanage as our last
stop in that journey. When we pulled up to the orphanage all of the
kids were in their eating/meeting room where the military volunteers
were painting as part of their community relation project or Comrel.
There were bright blues and purples throughout some of the rooms with
Disney characters decorating the walls. It is amazing to see how much
Disney is integrated around the world, being from Orlando it reminds
me of home and also how lucky we are to get the opportunity to see it
in person.
One of the girls took me on a tour of their living quarters; it was a
concrete building up the hill with some pink paint. It was not obvious
at the time; however, later in a meeting on the ship I learned that
they did not have running water for a few months before the Navy came
and fixed their water pump. The girls slept in beds all in a row with
a variety of sheets and blankets. I remember wondering how it would be
to sleep in a building all concrete with nothing for windows but bars
and a ripped screen to keep out the critters at night. All of the
children were sweet.
We gave all of the children backpacks and left some extra for some
children that were not present. Due to the kindness of the other NGO
volunteers and some military we were able to collect some donations of
toiletry items (soap, shampoo, etc.) and clothing (shoes, pants,
shirts) prior to our visit to give to the children. Every little bit
helps and goes a long way. It was great to see the director’s
appreciation. As we pulled away from the orphanage all of the children
and adults stood in the entrance waving, smiling, and laughing. While
we all said goodbye, I knew that there was a great impact there and
hoped to surely return to Guatemala one day.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Dear Friends,
We are leaving Guatemala right now-and it was the best distribution
experience. The children were loving and appreciative. Lots of smiles and hugs.
We have approximately 1275 backpacks left, and they are moving to push
bigger drops starting in Panama, since the military is having a
difficult time with Nicaragua.
We are extremely limited with transportation since all of it will be via
helicopters.
Our US Navy have every intention in helping us be successful and get all of
the backpacks distributed amongst the last countries.
More updates coming soon.
Warm wishes,
Kari Williams
We are leaving Guatemala right now-and it was the best distribution
experience. The children were loving and appreciative. Lots of smiles and hugs.
We have approximately 1275 backpacks left, and they are moving to push
bigger drops starting in Panama, since the military is having a
difficult time with Nicaragua.
We are extremely limited with transportation since all of it will be via
helicopters.
Our US Navy have every intention in helping us be successful and get all of
the backpacks distributed amongst the last countries.
More updates coming soon.
Warm wishes,
Kari Williams
Monday, September 13, 2010
Continuing Promise Limon, Costa Rica
Continuing Promise
Limon, Costa Rica
Day 1 Engineering Site 2, Hone Creek School:
Stepping on Costa Rican soil was very different from the countries
that we had visited before-we walked right onto the dock in Limon. The
security and hoops that we had to jump through in Costa Rica was
astounding, it is amazing how difficult it was to receive clearance
for a medical mercy ship. However, with all of our passes in hand we
were ready to check out our options.
Our first day was an easy-flowing investigation to set up future
distributions. This time we looked toward working at the engineering
sites, which were schools, to partner and provide backpacks and
supplies. Once we loaded up on our bus around 6:15-6:30am we rode out
to a school on the outskirts of Puerto Viejo called Hone Creek. As we
pulled into the school with the Naval engineers, we noticed there were
a few children hanging around the site even though school was not in
session. I had a great time practicing the English and Spanish
versions for different fruits, while the children laughed at my
temporary memory loss. The principle for the school is Francisca, what
an amazing lady. We set up our distribution for a few days later,
dotting the I’s and crossing the t’s for the logistics. Francisca was
amazing at providing us the information that we needed and helping us
to organize the children.
Day 2 Engineering Site 2, Hone Creek School:
The big day was fantastic! For the first time in Continuing Promise,
we were able to have 10 marines come out with us to help give the
children backpacks and stuffed animals. They were wonderful. Once the
military got used to the process and was comfortable with the
children, high-fives and hugs were flying as we went through grade
levels. There were so many smiles and the marines brought a tremendous
asset to our team. Our friend Casey McCausland was wonderful again,
helping us to keep count of the actual distributions and getting us
the supplies that we needed to be successful. The navy, who were
painting the school, even jumped in here and there to get a piece of
the backpack action. Everyone really enjoyed their moments with the
children.
Another very important task for us that day was to ensure that the
teachers received their bags. These bags were more like satchels, made
out of leather in nice shades of blue and maroon. For the teachers,
the principle allowed us to present them their bags in front of their
students. A few of the marines and Janina and I walked from room to
room, and in some cases outside (classrooms), to give these lovely
ladies their gift. Having a mother for an educator, sometimes it is
difficult to explain in words just how much teachers mean to me,
hopefully the hugs, handshakes and smiles conveyed the respect and
love that we have for these ladies. Being with them that day reminded
me of my mother and warmed my heart to be spreading her love to in
Costa Rica.
The day moved on and we found ourselves saying goodbye, but not before
Francisca provided us an amazing opportunity to return later on that
week. We were invited to return for a closing ceremony-and we were not
going to miss it!
Day 3 Engineering Site 1, Westfalia School:
Janina and I decided to get creative for our second day of
distributions. We wanted to increase our efforts so I went to an
elementary school and Janina went to an orphanage. In the morning, we
walked onto the pier like before; however, I found a surprise of 10
marines waiting to come with me. It was so funny to me because
Westfalia was a very small school, yet in need of support and I had
almost one marine to a child. The marines were wonderful though, they
were so happy to be in Costa Rica as I asked and it was many of their
first times in the country. I was so thankful to have the opportunity
to work with them.
We arrived at the school and had a warm-hearted welcome from the
family that lived next door to the school. My new friend opened her
home to all of us. All of us sat in what I would call her front porch
area; she even brought out coffee and bread and butter for all of us.
It was amazing, Costa Rican coffee-fantastic. We tried to repay her
kindness, but she would not hear of it, not even allow me to help wash
the dishes. She was wonderful and so were her daughter and
granddaughter. Fortunately, her granddaughter liked the stuffed
animals and toys we had, it was a pleasure to see her enjoy playing
with them.
At 9:00 we moved into the temporary classrooms where the principle,
who is the only teacher, was instructing the children since the school
was being renovated by the naval engineers (SeaBees). When we walked
into the class the children greeted us with a big Buenos Dias and lots
of smiles. The marines lined up on one side of the room with the
children lined on the opposite side of the room. Each marine
personally helped the students put the backpacks on and each child
received a stuffed animal as well. It was such a cute site. The
children moved back into a line and the marines that worked with them
moved to stand next to their new buddy. All at once we instructed the
children to look inside the backpacks and the marines helped them to
check out their new supplies. The children were so excited, similar to
a reaction that you might see on Christmas morning.
Once the children had a chance to check out their backpacks, we
decided to move to another activity to give the children a chance to
learn and teach. The director told me that the children already knew
how to count through 1-10 in English and we decided to teach them
11-20. With the marines on one side and the children on the other, as
a Spanish and English number conductor we went through all of the
numbers. Each group had the opportunity to state the numbers in
English in Spanish. At the end of the number symphony, both the
marines and the children had learned something new. It was a lot of
fun! The children decided to teach us all some of their favorite games
and so we played with them for the rest of the day. The marines even
volunteered to help serve the children lunch, which made the meal
easier for the director.
Day 4 Engineering Site 2, Hone Creek School:
The day had come for us to attend the ending celebration with
Francisca and her wonderful school. It was not until the last day of
our celebration that I she told me that she wished to run an orphanage
as well as the school. Not only does this amazing woman bring
education to children she opens her home; she took in a baby at the
age of 19 to care and give that child a chance for a better life. I
was in awe of her.
The day started off with a game of red light green light with the
children. It was so great to see the children so excited to run, walk,
stop, and run again till they reached home base (which was us waiting
to give them big hugs). Many parents and students came to support the
celebration. The teachers passed out American and Costa Rican flags to
several of the children and they loved taking pictures with their
flags. A stage was set up with speakers, a keyboard, and some plants
for decoration. We were walking around when a marine came up to us and
said, “she wants me to sing the national anthem”. He looked a bit
panicked, but all in good fun. It turned out that one of the teachers
had asked him to sing because they had one of their students singing
the Costa Rican national anthem. Well, with ten minutes to spare I
said I would sing with him if he liked-he ended up bailing and another
naval officer jumped up there with me and we sang together. I enjoyed
it, even though I was so nervous because I had never sung the national
anthem; however, “when in Limon” why not right?
The celebration continued with each grade level presenting a different
skit, dance, or song. There were the kindergarteners singing and
waving their hands to the older students dancing around the stage.
Commander Negus and several other Continuing Promise officials watched
the celebration with such appreciation, you could see on their faces
how they were soaking up the experience and loving it. The final
presentation was Francisca presenting the project leaders with
decorative plates to say thank you.
Loving life- and as they say in Costa Rica “PURA VIDA” or pure life!!!!
Limon, Costa Rica
Day 1 Engineering Site 2, Hone Creek School:
Stepping on Costa Rican soil was very different from the countries
that we had visited before-we walked right onto the dock in Limon. The
security and hoops that we had to jump through in Costa Rica was
astounding, it is amazing how difficult it was to receive clearance
for a medical mercy ship. However, with all of our passes in hand we
were ready to check out our options.
Our first day was an easy-flowing investigation to set up future
distributions. This time we looked toward working at the engineering
sites, which were schools, to partner and provide backpacks and
supplies. Once we loaded up on our bus around 6:15-6:30am we rode out
to a school on the outskirts of Puerto Viejo called Hone Creek. As we
pulled into the school with the Naval engineers, we noticed there were
a few children hanging around the site even though school was not in
session. I had a great time practicing the English and Spanish
versions for different fruits, while the children laughed at my
temporary memory loss. The principle for the school is Francisca, what
an amazing lady. We set up our distribution for a few days later,
dotting the I’s and crossing the t’s for the logistics. Francisca was
amazing at providing us the information that we needed and helping us
to organize the children.
Day 2 Engineering Site 2, Hone Creek School:
The big day was fantastic! For the first time in Continuing Promise,
we were able to have 10 marines come out with us to help give the
children backpacks and stuffed animals. They were wonderful. Once the
military got used to the process and was comfortable with the
children, high-fives and hugs were flying as we went through grade
levels. There were so many smiles and the marines brought a tremendous
asset to our team. Our friend Casey McCausland was wonderful again,
helping us to keep count of the actual distributions and getting us
the supplies that we needed to be successful. The navy, who were
painting the school, even jumped in here and there to get a piece of
the backpack action. Everyone really enjoyed their moments with the
children.
Another very important task for us that day was to ensure that the
teachers received their bags. These bags were more like satchels, made
out of leather in nice shades of blue and maroon. For the teachers,
the principle allowed us to present them their bags in front of their
students. A few of the marines and Janina and I walked from room to
room, and in some cases outside (classrooms), to give these lovely
ladies their gift. Having a mother for an educator, sometimes it is
difficult to explain in words just how much teachers mean to me,
hopefully the hugs, handshakes and smiles conveyed the respect and
love that we have for these ladies. Being with them that day reminded
me of my mother and warmed my heart to be spreading her love to in
Costa Rica.
The day moved on and we found ourselves saying goodbye, but not before
Francisca provided us an amazing opportunity to return later on that
week. We were invited to return for a closing ceremony-and we were not
going to miss it!
Day 3 Engineering Site 1, Westfalia School:
Janina and I decided to get creative for our second day of
distributions. We wanted to increase our efforts so I went to an
elementary school and Janina went to an orphanage. In the morning, we
walked onto the pier like before; however, I found a surprise of 10
marines waiting to come with me. It was so funny to me because
Westfalia was a very small school, yet in need of support and I had
almost one marine to a child. The marines were wonderful though, they
were so happy to be in Costa Rica as I asked and it was many of their
first times in the country. I was so thankful to have the opportunity
to work with them.
We arrived at the school and had a warm-hearted welcome from the
family that lived next door to the school. My new friend opened her
home to all of us. All of us sat in what I would call her front porch
area; she even brought out coffee and bread and butter for all of us.
It was amazing, Costa Rican coffee-fantastic. We tried to repay her
kindness, but she would not hear of it, not even allow me to help wash
the dishes. She was wonderful and so were her daughter and
granddaughter. Fortunately, her granddaughter liked the stuffed
animals and toys we had, it was a pleasure to see her enjoy playing
with them.
At 9:00 we moved into the temporary classrooms where the principle,
who is the only teacher, was instructing the children since the school
was being renovated by the naval engineers (SeaBees). When we walked
into the class the children greeted us with a big Buenos Dias and lots
of smiles. The marines lined up on one side of the room with the
children lined on the opposite side of the room. Each marine
personally helped the students put the backpacks on and each child
received a stuffed animal as well. It was such a cute site. The
children moved back into a line and the marines that worked with them
moved to stand next to their new buddy. All at once we instructed the
children to look inside the backpacks and the marines helped them to
check out their new supplies. The children were so excited, similar to
a reaction that you might see on Christmas morning.
Once the children had a chance to check out their backpacks, we
decided to move to another activity to give the children a chance to
learn and teach. The director told me that the children already knew
how to count through 1-10 in English and we decided to teach them
11-20. With the marines on one side and the children on the other, as
a Spanish and English number conductor we went through all of the
numbers. Each group had the opportunity to state the numbers in
English in Spanish. At the end of the number symphony, both the
marines and the children had learned something new. It was a lot of
fun! The children decided to teach us all some of their favorite games
and so we played with them for the rest of the day. The marines even
volunteered to help serve the children lunch, which made the meal
easier for the director.
Day 4 Engineering Site 2, Hone Creek School:
The day had come for us to attend the ending celebration with
Francisca and her wonderful school. It was not until the last day of
our celebration that I she told me that she wished to run an orphanage
as well as the school. Not only does this amazing woman bring
education to children she opens her home; she took in a baby at the
age of 19 to care and give that child a chance for a better life. I
was in awe of her.
The day started off with a game of red light green light with the
children. It was so great to see the children so excited to run, walk,
stop, and run again till they reached home base (which was us waiting
to give them big hugs). Many parents and students came to support the
celebration. The teachers passed out American and Costa Rican flags to
several of the children and they loved taking pictures with their
flags. A stage was set up with speakers, a keyboard, and some plants
for decoration. We were walking around when a marine came up to us and
said, “she wants me to sing the national anthem”. He looked a bit
panicked, but all in good fun. It turned out that one of the teachers
had asked him to sing because they had one of their students singing
the Costa Rican national anthem. Well, with ten minutes to spare I
said I would sing with him if he liked-he ended up bailing and another
naval officer jumped up there with me and we sang together. I enjoyed
it, even though I was so nervous because I had never sung the national
anthem; however, “when in Limon” why not right?
The celebration continued with each grade level presenting a different
skit, dance, or song. There were the kindergarteners singing and
waving their hands to the older students dancing around the stage.
Commander Negus and several other Continuing Promise officials watched
the celebration with such appreciation, you could see on their faces
how they were soaking up the experience and loving it. The final
presentation was Francisca presenting the project leaders with
decorative plates to say thank you.
Loving life- and as they say in Costa Rica “PURA VIDA” or pure life!!!!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Continuing Promise-Colombia
Covenas, Colombia
Day 1 Medical Site 1:
The first day in Colombia began with a premier event-my first military helicopter ride! What an amazing beginning to a new adventure and new country. I had wanted to visit Colombia for quite some time. We gathered our materials and ventured toward the shore on our metal bird. Looking at the water below and the coast not far off, I thought how did I get here? We landed on a Colombian military base off the coast and jumped onto a nice, air conditioned bus-very different from Haiti – and headed to medical site 1.
My volunteer job for the day was to help translate Spanish for the ophthalmologist and her medical team and to help facilitate the pre-screenings for the eye surgeries on the ship. I had such a wonderful time greeting and helping the Colombian patients receive services. Fortunately, I received additional help from several Colombians from Bogota, who volunteered to help translate more advanced Spanish at the site. The team worked throughout the day and visited with around 20 patients. There were a few who met the qualifications for the screenings and were scheduled for surgeries. We wrapped up the day with smiles and loaded the bus to head back to the ship. We caught a landing craft unit (boat) back to the ship and I watched the sunset as the day faded into the sea-loving the unique opportunity, love Colombia.
Day 2 Medical Site 1:
My second day began with a boat ride to shore; we landed on a beautiful beach. I wanted to stay there and hang out under the tiki huts, but also was excited to get to help with the screenings again. As I arrived to the medical site, I was so happy to be in Colombia again. The night before I had created a new system to help keep the patients in order using cardboard numbers. I have to give credit to my friend Casey who helped cut the squares. The system worked great; as the assistants called each patient by their numbers we could keep track of who needed what screening. Each patient had to be screened at three stations; it was fun and dynamic trying to keep everyone in order. The team finished selecting patients for surgery and we ended the day with a nice trip back to the ship on the landing craft unit.
Day 3 Medical Site 1-Give a Kid a Backpack Delivery 1:
Our third day in Colombia started well with a ride to the beach. This time we had to get some help from military to hand carry our backpacks and Loving Hugs stuffed animals to shore. It was fun balancing the boxes on my head while walking through the water. We missed our bus but fortunately were able to catch another bus ride with the Air Force band. The band helped us load and offload our materials. We were ready to get started with the distribution. We set up in the check out area, so that when the children passed by with their parents we were able to give them a backpack or animal depending on their age. The smiles on the children’s faces were wonderful. In the early afternoon, we received notice that there were some school children standing outside by the stage area who might need backpacks. We were told that there were around 40 children total. We decided to take 40 backpacks outside and give them to the children. Janina headed onto the stage to make an announcement to the children about the distribution. Well, soon afterward we had tons of children from everywhere coming to receive a backpack. It started to rain as we moved faster and faster to hand out the backpacks. If the Colombian military was not at the scene, we would have been overwhelmed by children and parents. Surprisingly, the parents were the most unruly, pulling and tugging on our clothes to get our attention. We understood that they just wanted to get additional backpacks for other children not in the area. However, to be fair we decided that the children who were present were the ones who would receive the backpacks.
We continued to hand out backpacks to the children coming through the checkout and toward the end of the day we finished. We had several stuffed animals, which finished not too long after the backpacks. It was interesting to see how many adults were interested in the stuffed animals.
After we finished we went back outside the compound to hear the music that was playing and to see what was going on around the stage area. We received a big surprise as there was dancing and Janina was pulled onto stage while I filmed. It was awesome! Later on we both danced with a Colombian dance troop during their performance, we had a blast.
Day 4 Medical Site 1-Give a Kid a Backpack Delivery 2:
We had some help for our second distribution in Covenas. One of the members of the Navy joined us by helping sort materials and handing them out to the children. We had a great time, she was a natural. The children enjoyed their gifts. We made new friends and had fun taking pictures with all of the Colombian students who were escorting patients as well as our military and the Colombian translators. It was our last day in Covenas. The people were so warm and friendly. Three little boys that were brothers became very special friends of mine. Throughout the last two days we would joke and practice English and Spanish. As I was leaving, they gave me a small wooden table with their names etched on it with a piece of paper saying do not forget us. I could never forget these boys. They were so full of life and kindness. I hope to be able to see them again one day.
Don Gabriel, Colombia
Day 1 Medical Site 3:
Our adventure began with a helicopter ride through the Colombian mountains to a remote medical site a couple of hours off the coast. The ride was beautiful; Colombia has rich green foliage and rolling hills with beautiful farming land in between. We touched down in the far end of a plowed field. The funny thing was that we were hurried off the helicopter; however, we could not run due to the mounds of clay. The helicopter pilots decided to push our supplies off just enough to drop them the rest of the way down. It was a funny sight to watch the materials slide out of the back of the craft. However, some water filtration packages busted in the process. We walked to grab some materials. I grabbed my backpack, our night bag and a case of water. I definitely had my hands full. There were Colombians waving from the fence surrounding the field. I was caught off-guard by what happened next- as I walked with all my gear I stepped into a muddy hole and my shoe was swallowed. I stood in disbelieve at what just happened, my friend Casey said “did you just lose your shoe”, I laughed and said yes. I moved with purpose to get to the camp and help carry our backpacks. Many people joined in to grab our materials. We arrived at Med site 3, which was at a school in Don Gabriel. It was amazing! There were Naval engineers working on buildings, children running around playing soccer, US Air Force Band members getting ready to play, and locals everywhere. There was life everywhere. We finished dropping off our materials and toured the site. I hung out with lots of local adults and children. They pardoned my Spanish, since I am still learning and know I sound funny talking. The day moved on and we waited for the next move. The camp was situated with two rows of while tents facing each other. There was volleyball net in the middle and latrines at the far end-thank goodness. Just kidding Actually, as a side note the United Kingdom-made port-o-johns flushed, who knew! They were pretty amazing if I might say. We learned that we would be dropping off materials the next day and spent more time adjusting to this dynamic environment.
The night could not have been more amazing. Our Air Force Band started off a musical medley. My attention was especially peaked when they played Stevie Wonder’s Superstitious, a favorite. Next, came a Colombian rap trio. I could not understand much but they rocked that reggaeton? probably not spelled right-beat. The last band was my favorite as they played typical music and I learned to dance bianato-probably spelled wrong-for the first time. We danced for two hours, funny thing was not that many people danced-I thought why not right? The night ended and so did my intense dance work out-showers-ha-no showers, just baby wipes baby!
Day 2 Medical Site 3:
We experienced an interesting thunderstorm in the Colombian mountains the night before. Needless to say there was little if any sleep; however, we awoke to a beautiful day for giving out backpacks. We munched on some readymade meals and hung out at the camp. When the time arrived for our distribution, we hopped into a truck with some Colombian marines and we rode out to a remote school which was situated pretty far from the main town-well if you did not have a car. I waved and smiled at all of the marines that protected our way along the curvy, dirt road. We arrived at our school and the kids were already lining up. There were a few donations being distributed, our backpacks and some hygiene kits as well as some additional folders. It was like Christmas. Some Naval engineers jumped in to help us and the distribution went well. We hopped back on the truck and rode back out to the Med site. We were able to take a tour of the nearby town, which was nice. A sweet lady allowed us access into her bamboo made home, it was an art piece.
Once back at the site we distributed stuffed animals, candy, and some bracelets. We decided to let the Colombian marines handout the candy because we were getting grabbed on all sides again-crowd control very important. Everyone received something and was pleased. We said goodbye to our friends and loaded onto a helicopter back to the ship-what a fantastic time with the kids camping!
Day 1 Medical Site 1:
The first day in Colombia began with a premier event-my first military helicopter ride! What an amazing beginning to a new adventure and new country. I had wanted to visit Colombia for quite some time. We gathered our materials and ventured toward the shore on our metal bird. Looking at the water below and the coast not far off, I thought how did I get here? We landed on a Colombian military base off the coast and jumped onto a nice, air conditioned bus-very different from Haiti – and headed to medical site 1.
My volunteer job for the day was to help translate Spanish for the ophthalmologist and her medical team and to help facilitate the pre-screenings for the eye surgeries on the ship. I had such a wonderful time greeting and helping the Colombian patients receive services. Fortunately, I received additional help from several Colombians from Bogota, who volunteered to help translate more advanced Spanish at the site. The team worked throughout the day and visited with around 20 patients. There were a few who met the qualifications for the screenings and were scheduled for surgeries. We wrapped up the day with smiles and loaded the bus to head back to the ship. We caught a landing craft unit (boat) back to the ship and I watched the sunset as the day faded into the sea-loving the unique opportunity, love Colombia.
Day 2 Medical Site 1:
My second day began with a boat ride to shore; we landed on a beautiful beach. I wanted to stay there and hang out under the tiki huts, but also was excited to get to help with the screenings again. As I arrived to the medical site, I was so happy to be in Colombia again. The night before I had created a new system to help keep the patients in order using cardboard numbers. I have to give credit to my friend Casey who helped cut the squares. The system worked great; as the assistants called each patient by their numbers we could keep track of who needed what screening. Each patient had to be screened at three stations; it was fun and dynamic trying to keep everyone in order. The team finished selecting patients for surgery and we ended the day with a nice trip back to the ship on the landing craft unit.
Day 3 Medical Site 1-Give a Kid a Backpack Delivery 1:
Our third day in Colombia started well with a ride to the beach. This time we had to get some help from military to hand carry our backpacks and Loving Hugs stuffed animals to shore. It was fun balancing the boxes on my head while walking through the water. We missed our bus but fortunately were able to catch another bus ride with the Air Force band. The band helped us load and offload our materials. We were ready to get started with the distribution. We set up in the check out area, so that when the children passed by with their parents we were able to give them a backpack or animal depending on their age. The smiles on the children’s faces were wonderful. In the early afternoon, we received notice that there were some school children standing outside by the stage area who might need backpacks. We were told that there were around 40 children total. We decided to take 40 backpacks outside and give them to the children. Janina headed onto the stage to make an announcement to the children about the distribution. Well, soon afterward we had tons of children from everywhere coming to receive a backpack. It started to rain as we moved faster and faster to hand out the backpacks. If the Colombian military was not at the scene, we would have been overwhelmed by children and parents. Surprisingly, the parents were the most unruly, pulling and tugging on our clothes to get our attention. We understood that they just wanted to get additional backpacks for other children not in the area. However, to be fair we decided that the children who were present were the ones who would receive the backpacks.
We continued to hand out backpacks to the children coming through the checkout and toward the end of the day we finished. We had several stuffed animals, which finished not too long after the backpacks. It was interesting to see how many adults were interested in the stuffed animals.
After we finished we went back outside the compound to hear the music that was playing and to see what was going on around the stage area. We received a big surprise as there was dancing and Janina was pulled onto stage while I filmed. It was awesome! Later on we both danced with a Colombian dance troop during their performance, we had a blast.
Day 4 Medical Site 1-Give a Kid a Backpack Delivery 2:
We had some help for our second distribution in Covenas. One of the members of the Navy joined us by helping sort materials and handing them out to the children. We had a great time, she was a natural. The children enjoyed their gifts. We made new friends and had fun taking pictures with all of the Colombian students who were escorting patients as well as our military and the Colombian translators. It was our last day in Covenas. The people were so warm and friendly. Three little boys that were brothers became very special friends of mine. Throughout the last two days we would joke and practice English and Spanish. As I was leaving, they gave me a small wooden table with their names etched on it with a piece of paper saying do not forget us. I could never forget these boys. They were so full of life and kindness. I hope to be able to see them again one day.
Don Gabriel, Colombia
Day 1 Medical Site 3:
Our adventure began with a helicopter ride through the Colombian mountains to a remote medical site a couple of hours off the coast. The ride was beautiful; Colombia has rich green foliage and rolling hills with beautiful farming land in between. We touched down in the far end of a plowed field. The funny thing was that we were hurried off the helicopter; however, we could not run due to the mounds of clay. The helicopter pilots decided to push our supplies off just enough to drop them the rest of the way down. It was a funny sight to watch the materials slide out of the back of the craft. However, some water filtration packages busted in the process. We walked to grab some materials. I grabbed my backpack, our night bag and a case of water. I definitely had my hands full. There were Colombians waving from the fence surrounding the field. I was caught off-guard by what happened next- as I walked with all my gear I stepped into a muddy hole and my shoe was swallowed. I stood in disbelieve at what just happened, my friend Casey said “did you just lose your shoe”, I laughed and said yes. I moved with purpose to get to the camp and help carry our backpacks. Many people joined in to grab our materials. We arrived at Med site 3, which was at a school in Don Gabriel. It was amazing! There were Naval engineers working on buildings, children running around playing soccer, US Air Force Band members getting ready to play, and locals everywhere. There was life everywhere. We finished dropping off our materials and toured the site. I hung out with lots of local adults and children. They pardoned my Spanish, since I am still learning and know I sound funny talking. The day moved on and we waited for the next move. The camp was situated with two rows of while tents facing each other. There was volleyball net in the middle and latrines at the far end-thank goodness. Just kidding Actually, as a side note the United Kingdom-made port-o-johns flushed, who knew! They were pretty amazing if I might say. We learned that we would be dropping off materials the next day and spent more time adjusting to this dynamic environment.
The night could not have been more amazing. Our Air Force Band started off a musical medley. My attention was especially peaked when they played Stevie Wonder’s Superstitious, a favorite. Next, came a Colombian rap trio. I could not understand much but they rocked that reggaeton? probably not spelled right-beat. The last band was my favorite as they played typical music and I learned to dance bianato-probably spelled wrong-for the first time. We danced for two hours, funny thing was not that many people danced-I thought why not right? The night ended and so did my intense dance work out-showers-ha-no showers, just baby wipes baby!
Day 2 Medical Site 3:
We experienced an interesting thunderstorm in the Colombian mountains the night before. Needless to say there was little if any sleep; however, we awoke to a beautiful day for giving out backpacks. We munched on some readymade meals and hung out at the camp. When the time arrived for our distribution, we hopped into a truck with some Colombian marines and we rode out to a remote school which was situated pretty far from the main town-well if you did not have a car. I waved and smiled at all of the marines that protected our way along the curvy, dirt road. We arrived at our school and the kids were already lining up. There were a few donations being distributed, our backpacks and some hygiene kits as well as some additional folders. It was like Christmas. Some Naval engineers jumped in to help us and the distribution went well. We hopped back on the truck and rode back out to the Med site. We were able to take a tour of the nearby town, which was nice. A sweet lady allowed us access into her bamboo made home, it was an art piece.
Once back at the site we distributed stuffed animals, candy, and some bracelets. We decided to let the Colombian marines handout the candy because we were getting grabbed on all sides again-crowd control very important. Everyone received something and was pleased. We said goodbye to our friends and loaded onto a helicopter back to the ship-what a fantastic time with the kids camping!
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