La Ruta

Of the many (many!) things that make us happy in this world, it's safe to say that a mix of hiking, smiling babies, sunshine, and doing some good are always shoo-ins.

So you can imagine our joy when our dear Doctora Somarriba-- our jefa (boss) for the month-- told us that this month is "La Ruta" in Nicaragua?! What does this mean for us you may be wondering? Hiking, smiling babies, sunshine, and doing some good! Seriously.

For the month of March, Nicaragua has a national vaccination campaign ("La Ruta"); this is made possible through the national healthcare system (which guarantees free healthcare for all), and countless dedicated volunteers, nurses, and doctors walking door to door making
sure everyone receives their vaccinations. And among these amazing people... Us! All month, we will spend at least two days a week to "La Ruta," walking from house house in various areas of Chacraseca making sure children receive polio vaccines, vitamin A (for their vision),
deworming medication, as well as providing tetanus and pneumococcal vaccines for adults.

The days are simple: we wake up at our now standard time of 6am, eat our chef Yadira's fine desayuno (breakfast), then hop on the back of a truck to a community in the Chacraseca area. We (usually a nurse and doctor plus us Buchholzes) then start walking. We carry a small cooler with us filled with vaccines, a clipboard, and a bag full of syringes. Stacen has mastered giving shots at rapid speed (as well as giving the oral polio vaccine), and I handle the cotton swabbing, deworming pills, water, and playing with the smiling babies.

Not only does this work give us the instant gratification rush (we are deworming children and preventing blindness and polio!!), we also have been given the gift of truly getting to know the incredible warm and kind people in the communities. People welcome us into their homes, often pulling chairs out of thin air. We are thanked, offered tortillas, and --one blessed time-- lemonade with ice. These are precious things that people give us with a smile of gratitude.

We will always remember these walks because they give us such An intimate look into these peoples lives. 

Below are just of the few things we are fortunate enough to see.

On the road! Richard, one of the head nursing students at the clinic, is obviously awesome.

Unloading our supplies next to the truck

Dra. Somarriba, Richard, and Stacen start walking.

Richard vaccinated a pregnant 14-year old

Bella!

We ambushed a school and got these unsuspecting kids!

Deworming medication; moments later, she spit it out.

Niño divino! He just won me over in two seconds.

He knew my weakness for his adorableness and quickly walked me over to meet his family.

Proud grandma

Proud mama

Hola!

Stacen makes a lot of friends.

Standard welcome from families

Mama handles the shot (thanks to Dr. Estacen'so gentle hands) like a champ.

We caught this sweet little boy and his baby cousin during shower time!

Beautiful wood oven and tortilla

Walking to another home

Karen, the head nurse, plays with a very happy baby!

Unforgettable eyes