Partera's Christmas Party

Mom and Greg left Copan yesterday after spending a week here. We have had sunny days on and off since I arrived here but mostly rain. The day they arrived it cleared up and stayed hot and dry for the whole week! It was so much fun to hang out with them. They lived here two years ago for six weeks so had lots of old friends to visit. I found it to be a nice break from studying and enjoyed the company and comfort after I got my last wisdom tooth pulled and which turned out to be really really painful. I have to go back in a few days to get the stitches out…..

Today we had a little Christmas party at the main health centre for the midwifes in the neighboring villages. There was about forty in total ranging in age from the youngest who was seventeen and had a two month old child to women in their sixties. It was such an amazing feeling to sit in a room with all these women from different generations and levels of experience connected by one strong thread, to help women in childbirth. Many of the women were illiterate. I felt a sense of sisterhood with them, coming together against many odds to share space and time. There constant smiling faces and enthusiastic attitudes was a beautiful reflection of their work. Many of the women had to travel really far. One of them left her house at 3am and walked for six hours to be at the centre this morning.

There was a meal for the women and then presents were handed out that Dr. Carla, Anna, Ariel and I worked on wrapping last night. The presents consisted of plastic thermoses, plates, containers, sets of plastic cups and other odds and ends. Once all of the presents were handed out using a number and draw system the women started to open the present’s tentivley. The next thing I knew the room was filled with glowing and thrilled faces. Ariel and I talked about how different things are here compared to Canada. How if a set of three plastic plates were given to somebody for Christmas it wouldn’t be a big deal at all and laughed at as something that could simply be bought in a dollar store but here it made these women’s days. When everybody started to disperse there were many hugs and kisses and feliz navida’s from the women as they left the centre.


Things with the Life to Life program that I mentioned in a previous entry are starting to shape up fast. The website should be up in the next few days and word is quickly being spread. Different options for renting a clinic here in Copan are starting to be discussed and considered. I’ve decided to return to Copan in January and February to continue working with the program.