Today is Domingo in Antigua and that means rest for the weary, right? Well, not for me. After a restless night with rain, something lingering in the house that makes me stuffy, and the sound of one of my housemates throwing up all night from a mysterious bug, I rose ready to work at Casa Jackson for my first morning shift. Carolina takes Sundays off, so luckily I had some fruit and snack bars to have for breakfast. Jen, a medical student from NYC, and I walked down to Market St where we were able to hail a Tuk tuk for a ride over to Casa Jackson.
Once at Casa Jackson, we quickly became engulfed in the overwhelming busyness of only having three volunteers present for the needs of 13 babies, plus it was the first day in several that the babies were well enough (virus that had spread to all of them) for them to have baths. Jen, myself, and Rafa (aka, the crazy guy from Spain) bathed, dressed, fed, changed bedding, and gave nebulizer treatments to each of them. Not a lot of time for hugging and loving today, but I definitely fit lots of quick loves and squeezes in!
It really dawned on me that I have not felt emotionally overwhelmed by this environment of underdeveloped babies as it seems some of my co-volunteers express. These babies are precious and wonderful, don't take me wrong. I presume my filters are still in place from so many years working child abuse cases and recognizing the importance of showing love and empathy, but maintaining a protector status rather than entering into a sometimes vulnerable sympathetic realm where emotions become so over-stimulated that it becomes difficult to separate yourself from what you do vs. who you are. We'll see how I fare in the next several days.
I went on a canopy tour this afternoon where we zip-lined over tree tops of the Filedelfia Coffee Plantation. The longest line was about 450 ft where I was able to see the peaks of all three volcanoes that overlook Antigua- Agua, Fuego, and Acatenango. Since I was the only zip line veteran on the tour, I was volunteered to go first. This one was definitely easier than my first experience in Puerto Vallarta because this time I didn't have to be my own brake service. You'll see no photos of me flying though, because I wasn't about to pay the extra 100Q for one picture.
It began raining hard and fast again tonight just before dinner. The other gals and I planned to go to a burger and bar called Lava to eat. I wasn't thrilled about walking in the rain clear across town to dinner and mentioned grabbing a tuk tuk for the trip. Then one of the many 20 year old gals here threw out to me, "oh, live on the edge sometimes". My competitive self took over and I found myself stomping through puddles, water being sprayed in my face, gripping flip flops with my toes to stop them from sliding off my feet, and getting splashed by tuk tuks driving by me throughout the next 20 minute walk. Okay, okay-- I know its all about the experience, right? But, after dinner, I told the girls I was getting a tuk tuk to take me home because I'm old enough and experienced enough, that I know to pick and choose when I do and don't want to live on the edge! I had one other in the group who agreed with me and we enjoyed a dry ride home...
Photos are of me w/ gear; and four of my housemates (left to right, Jen, me, Annette, & Katelyn).
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