In which I'm hot and sleepy and don't feel like writing

We went to two villages today - Nueva Vida and Quixaya. It was crazy hot out and I was tired all day. But - good day. It's amazing how quickly you can get used to an entirely new situation and environment. Everything is suddenly less vibrant and intoxicating as it becomes your reality. Que pena.

It's been so great to be able to experience firsthand what we learned in our maternity course. I hate to feel appreciative of other's disease or hardships, but I am grateful for the chance to be able to interact with these women and learn from them. I can read something in a textbook, but until I deal with it first hand, I have a hard time remembering or understanding the pathophysiology behind it. I also really appreciate the reminders to think critically and not make assumptions or create cause-and-effect relationships in our head, when there are often other variables to take into account.

It took about 20 minutes but with careful sleuthing, some of the ladies and I found "Mini Super Sally", the one store in town where you can buy wine (two varieties - boxed or bottled) and other American goodies like granola, whole wheat bread, and nuts. We also bought a bunch of fruit from local street vendors, which will be awesome after eating nothing but white bread roll, cheddar cheese, and tomato sandwiches for lunch every day the past week.