First day of clinics

Monday, April 28, 2014

A few of us got up early to go to the local farmers market.  It is open Mon-Sat, with Mon, Wed and Sat being the best days.  It opens about 6 am but is closed by noon.  We really wanted some nice fruits and vegies, the choices in the grocery store are limited and poor quality.

These little guys let any trespassers know that this was their territory!

The Market

The booths had mostly vegetables, but we did get a huge watermelon, pineapple, bananas and some local fruit… can’t remember the name.  But had to get it to try.  I think the cold watermelon, after a long day at clinics will be very welcome!  I had to carry it back to the hotel, all 22 pounds of it!  I would try to hold it in different positions, but my hands were so sweaty, it was tough to carry!!  Finally made it back (with a few rest stops and wipe the hands dry) and managed to fit the watermelon and the pineapple in the fridge!  Ate a quick breakfast then off to the clinics!

Getting set up for the clinic

We were picked up early (!!!) and taken to the work site which is near the little airport.  There were already people and pets waiting before 8am.  One young lady, Jessica, traveled from a village over 35 miles away to have her dog, Pepper, spayed.  She had to hitch a ride in the back of a truck to a nearby village to catch a bus to Punta Gorda, was dropped off at the street market then had to walk up to the clinic site.  After Pepper recovered from surgery, she and Jessica had to reverse the order to get back home.  That is some dedication to get her pup cared for!

Jackie and Carol cleaning instruments.

It was already hot and humid.  Thankfully the room is large and airy and there were several fans to help keep it cool.  Volunteers from the Punta Gorda Humane Society were a great help and lots of fun to visit with.  Many are expats and it is fun to chat with them to find out how and why they ended up in Punta Gorda, Belize!  One lady, Carol, and her husband have been here for 41 years!!  They were missionaries for 20 years, raised their three children here, and stayed on.  They now own a hotel.  Their two sons have moved back to the USA, their daughter married a local man and still lives in Belize.  What a great story!

Michelle spaying the local MD's dog.

We had a few cats, lots of dogs of all ages, from little puppies to old dogs.  Many were only presented for checkups, vaccinations and deworming.  We did get a lot of surgeries done, too.  My hands were so sweaty in the heat, I had to wear a size larger surgery glove just to get them on!

Justin and a patient

After a long, hot, busy day, we all got back into the van to go back to the hotel.  I got the watermelon out and chopped it up and we all enjoyed a luscious after clinic refreshment!  It was so sweet and juicy.  Best watermelon I have had in years!

A small group of us went off to a small restaurant for a simple dinner, back to blog, and time to rest for tomorrow!

Good night all!!

Jessica and Pepper.