Pedro and Pablo

A breathtaking panorama of the mountains surrounding Antigua as seen from our hotel's rooftop

After a refreshing night the team woke up to a delicious breakfast from the hotel. The weather could not have been any better. Even as we drove through the bumpy roads of Antigua to the Hospital Nacional de Pedro Bethancourt, the leafy mountains provided a breathtaking backdrop to any line of sight. The picturesque scene was quickly cut off as we arrived into the large hospital. Pedro Betincourt is a national hospital that cares for any sort of person in any condition. It was a bit overwhelming starting out as there were several machines to fix that we had not previously known about and the team had

Anna and Daniel test
oxygen supply flow.

Daniel, Dr. Walker and Chris get together
before going into Hospital Nacional
Pedro de Bethancourt Friday morning

to split up in various wings of the building. It is quite an understatement to say that Dr. P did an astonishing job facilitating work for every separate group, running tools back and forth, talking with the hospital management, and help in fixing machines at the same time. It is with pride that I can say that the team also did an incredible job in staying flexible and adapting to the hectic environment. Sara, Daniel, and Anna spent their time verifying the function of all of the oxygen flow meters in the pediatric emergency unit, successfully fixing one. They also worked on a baby heater, replacing some broken fuses, and fixing some archaic blood pressure readers in the pregnant woman emergency ward. Dr. Walker, Nate, and Miranda worked on some incubators, replacing fuses and checking for a possible short. Michael, Casey, and Mary Kate donated a manual and pulse oximeter for a patient monitor that was thought to be giving errant measurements. However, after long testing and installing of the pulse oximeter the three were able to bring the monitor into full working power w
ith accurate measurements. The rest of the team worked hard on a hallway X-ray viewing box that was brought to normal functionality.

Miranda, Ally and Chris enjoying lunch together at Pollo Campero

Orlando, Daniel and Jake having some laughs before lunch,
proving that Orlando does indeed have teeth

After a long morning at the hospital the group drove to Pollo Campero for lunch. Though the restaurant was pretty westernized, the food was delicious. The team then took a stroll around Antigua, taking various pictures and doing sorority poses. After some loitering, which essentially meant trying to recharge from the morning in a local coffee shop.

The delicious Choco Museo of Antigua

The latter part of the day was filled with going to a chocolate museum and a delicious dinner. The chocolate museum was an instant hit with the team. Pablo (or was it Pedro), was our charismatic guide that taught us everything we would want to know about chocolate. From the intricate history of chocolate to how to literally make the same chocolate drink that the Mayans and Aztecs drank we were saturated with Pablo’s knowledge. I would greatly encourage anyone to go there. Seriously, buy a ticket to Antigua and go to the chocolate museum.

The team and Pablo celebrating the joys of chocolate.
To note: Dr. P and Dr. Walker clearly proud of their chocolate creations

Memorables:

•  The happy meal was invented in Antigua, Guatemala.
• Sara is a chocolate mashing guru.
• Orlando continues to say “shots fired”, creating animosity between him and anyone within ear shot. 
• Props to Michael, Chris, Anna, and Dr. P worked in what looked like Old World Catacomb.
• Chris got into a serious altercation and lost to the watery deluge.