SEPHA Diary: Day 2

The second day of my volunteer trip, we had to present a food safety lesson to a group of men (well, one man) and women who had diabetes.  We set out to the town of El Remate from the FIMRC clinic at 8:30 a.m.  During this time, Nicaragua's weather tends to be on the rainy side, so the roads we encountered were very muddy, since all roads in Limon are dirt roads.  We came upon an unexpected dilemma, as our van got stuck in the mud during a slight incline. 

Our driver, scoping out the road to see if we can pass

Our driver examined the area and all 11 girls got to work pushing the van out of the mud.  It did not budge.  Luckily, one local man saw that we were unsuccessful and lent a helping hand.  And with the addition of his strength, we were able to free our van from the mud.  Feeling good about accomplishing this challenge (even though it really was due to the help of that one man), we continued to our destination.

we made it out of the mud

We finally arrived to El Remate and were greeted with herds of cows, chickens and pigs.  Jessica, the clinic director, discussed what they do at each diabetic meeting.  During each visit, weights, blood sugar readings, notes about when they last ate, and blood pressure readings are usually taken.  We were able to observe past history data of some of the patients and noticed one person had a blood sugar reading in the 400's (which is very very high), while others were able to control their blood sugar readings with time.  Jessica demonstrated how to receive a blood sugar reading while Fotini, one of the volunteer ambassadors who is also a nursing student, received blood pressure readings.  We then gave our food safety talk, which was facilitated by me but since mi espanol es muy malo, my friend, Grethel, translated.  I talked to them about proper handwashing procedures, when they should wash their hands, and the importance of storing meat.
We then gave a cooking demo using fruits and vegetables that were available in their area.  Since they were a diabetic group we thought it was best to show them how they can replace noodles in their spaghetti dishes (yes, pasta and tomato sauce is common here) with pipian, a nicaraguan squash similar to zucchini.  Side note:  a few of the women thought we were going to make guacamole; their version incorporates mashing hard boiled eggs into avocado (surprising, I  know).  Before tasting the dishes, each woman washed their hands which showed they listened to my talk (I was very excited).  Most seemed to enjoy both dishes; one women even gave a thumbs up.  The avocado mango salad is definitely something I want to recreate this summer.

Their wood fire pit stove

We utilized their wood fire pit outside to make the fresh marinara sauce using tomatoes, chili, and garlic.  We sliced up the pipian into thin spaghetti like strands and cooked it with a little bit of oil until it was soft.  Then blended the sauce and the pipian together.  We also made an avocado and mango salad using tomatoes, mangoes, avocados, and lemon juice. 

Top:  Avocado Mango Salad
Bottom:  Pipian in Tomato Sauce

After a successful meeting, we headed over to Limon to have lunch at a host family's house.  Three volunteer ambassadors who have been in Nicaragua for about a month stay at host family's houses.  The previous day we had chicken, gallo pinto, and a cabbage salad, served with bread.  Today we had pasta with tomato sauce, chicken and bread.  I am not used to eating so many carbs in one meal.  Amanda, one of the volunteer ambassadors, said that her host family only serves her bread which seems they believe having bread is an "American" custom since they don't serve it for themselves.

Lunch Day 2

Lunch Day 1

It's interesting to see how other cultures view American culture.  After lunch we went over to the clinic and observed the pediatrician assisting different patients.  Most children came in with malnutrition problems and digestive issues, such as constipation.  We then went over to the local school to give myplate/nutrition talks to children of all ages.  The best part was watching three girls perform "Gangnam style" during recess.  Who knew that song reached the rural area of Limon, Nicaragua?  And if you're wondering....no, I did not join them in their dance!

dancing and singing to Gangnam style, don't they look cute?