Blast off!

Wow, after weeks of anticipation, planning, translating, preparing and packing the day is finally here!  Chiapas Medical Mission 2015, here I come, ready or not.

My fellow interpreter on this mission, Katherine Allen, had to talk me down of my self-imposed last minute melt down. My back pack is too stuffed, I’ll never close it again (You have to understand, I am not a light packer in the best of times, and I am not a camper so putting everything I will need for 10 days, including sleeping bag and mat, into a carry on back pack is not something I do!   I’ll never learn all the terminology in time for the simultaneous lectures to the local doctors. Even though I’ve been madly translating all the lectures all week, there are still a lot of new WORDS to learn, big ones!  I’m too old for this!  What am I getting myself into?!

Okay, deep breaths. Enough of that silliness!  Everything is going to be OK. My adventure begins.  Back to Mexico, the land of my childhood, which I have not set foot in for about 40 years. I wonder if the jacarandas will still be in bloom?

So if you don’t hear too much from me, dear readers, it’s because we may have sporadic or unreliable internet access in San Andrés Larráinzar where we will be, up in the mountains of Chiapas.  Stay tuned and blessings on your adventures, whatever they may be!

Countdown to Chiapas!

Aerial view of San Cristobal church

A week from today, I board my first flight from our very own little Santa Rosa airport to LAX, where I will meet up with my fellow interpreter and dear friend Katharine Allen and the rest of the Mammoth Medical Missions team. Next day we board our flight to Mexico City, followed by another flight to Tuxtla, a drive to San Cristobal Las Casas and one more drive to our final destination, the highland village of San Andrés Larráinzar. In case you are wondering what this is all about, check out my post here.

It’s Saturday – my very favorite day of the week and I’m gathering my camping gear, making my lists, and checking them twice. So much fun!!

I’m also madly translating the handouts and Power Point presentations for the teaching week, and brushing up on my emergency room, physical therapy and obstetrical terminology. Talk about a crash course!

I am so grateful to all my friends and family around the world who have made it possible for me to join this event through their generous donations.  I am also so grateful to all the wonderful folks I have yet to meet, who have converged in their intention to bring some healing and training assistance to this village.

It’s amazing what goes into a medical mission. The hours and hours of planning. Fund raising. Sterilizing and packing medical equipment. Gathering supplies. Coordinating. Communicating. And countless other behind the scenes activities, all to make it possible.

It’s a global network of caring hearts, who are giving of their time, energy, money, resources, know-how and expertise to make it happen.

This particular configuration of Western medical providers, interpreters and support staff are about to converge and meet with a whole other world: the indigenous villagers of San Andrés Larráinzar, the local medical staff, the traditional birth attendants and local support staff.

It is always an unknown when such divergent world views come together…

Who knows what challenges we will face, what cultural bumps will present themselves?  And who knows what magic we will create together? 

Who knows what the power of such shared intentions can bring about – besides the obvious benefits of the no-cost elective surgeries, and the intensive skills training in maternal health, rural ER skills and physical therapy for local medical providers?

I can’t wait to find out!