Day 25-26

Yesterday we worked in ER during the morning and took the afternoon off. We headed into Managua to see Transformers 3. I've seen four movies in theaters here for the price of a little more than just one ticket in the States. This morning we were up early to head to San Juan del Sur, a small beach community an hour and a half outside of Masaya. Somehow we were lucky enough to get bright blue, sunny skies even though it's the middle of the rainy season here! Each day it has been pouring for at least a few hours. It was so nice to relax, swim in the ocean, and enjoy a seafood lunch on the beach.

Tomorrow will be our last day in the hospital. I will be back in Fayetteville late Tuesday night to start summer classes at 8 AM on Wednesday. It's hard to believe my time in Nicaragua has come to an end. I will always cherish my experiences here. In the coming days, I will post my last blog entry (as well as more pictures from the end of the trip). Thank you to everyone who has been keeping up with me over the past four weeks. All of your support and kind words have meant the world to me!

Day 24

Quick update tonight- We returned to Masaya to work in the hospital today. We split up into two groups. In the morning, Chris and I spent our time in the OR and Labor and Delivery. One of the doctors taught us to take the fetal heartbeat as well as how to determine the strength of contractions and dilation. We scrubbed in an orthopedic hand surgery of a 30 year old woman who had a needle lodged into her bone from a sowing machine. It was by far the oddest x-ray we have ever seen. In the afternoon we rotated between the ER and pediatric unit where I inserted my first foley catheter, saw a young boy with dengue fever, helped drain an enlarged belly from cirrhosis due to hepatitis, and watched a doctor tell a patient's family he was on his death bed.

Tonight we are all relaxing a bit and enjoying a game of cards. Leslie just submitted her medical school applications. She is freaking out! After looking over her 13 page page primary application, I'm getting a little nervous for the future... Tomorrow morning we are working in the hospital again. We are taking the afternoon off to see a movie and eat at our favorite gelato shop for the last time!