Photos (taken while kayaking):

Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nictannasa violacea)(left)

American White Pelican (Pelicanus erythrorhynchos) (right)

Today I had a telemed meeting with InterVol team members in Rochester, to discuss upcoming telemed activities for the new year. Among the things we've got on the agenda, we're planning to teleconference in to Grand Rounds at Rochester General Hospital, so that doctors in Belize can attend these informative sessions. We're also working on more teaching sessions by Rochester faculty, as well as continuing Bob Kane's work in setting up a hospice program here in Belize in conjunction with Rochester and Dangriga high schools.

Today, a staff meeting was scheduled for noon, but after several people showed up late and some not at all, the Chief of Staff rescheduled for 7am tomorrow morning, much to everyone's dismay. Most of those present were Cuban and the whole conversation took place in Spanish, and though much of what was said was fast and barely understandable to me, I did catch the "siete en la manana, manana" part. Because the Chief of Staff is frustrated about the lack of respect she gets from the doctors, she put in her letter of resignation weeks ago. However, the Ministry of Health is delaying the processing of it, because no one is willing to take her place.

On a positive note, this morning Dr. Lewis and I teleconferenced with Dr. Bernstein at Rochester General Hospital, for a consultation on a pediatric patient with post-infectious glomerulonephritis.

Sometimes in the mornings, the sea is calm and looks like glass. This was one of those mornings, so I went out at 6am on my housemate's kayak. I paddled alongside the beach, which eventually becomes a mangrove forest close to the mouth of the Sittee River, where the wildlife is very rich. The fish were jumping, and I saw parrots, pelicans, herons, and many other birds that I haven't had a chance to identify yet. Next time I'll bring my camera!

I'm back in Belize after my Spanish immersion in Guatemala. I now understand most of what I hear and am able to converse in Spanish. I've had a few Spanish conversations today at the hospital, so I will be able to use my new skill.

The hospital is very quiet. There are 3 Cuban doctors and 2 Belizean doctors working at the hospital these days, not including the anaesthesiologists. I'm told that patients here tend to avoid the hospital during holidays, but that we can count on January being very busy, e.g. with diabetic patients trying to get their sugar under control again.

Many doctors in Belize are taking vacation in the upcoming weeks, and because I need these doctors’ participation for my work, I have decided to use these weeks to learn as much Spanish as I can in a language school in Antigua, Guatemala. Being able to communicate with Spanish-speaking patients and doctors will be a great asset in Belize, as well as in the U.S. Although English is the official language in Belize, many Belizeans who live close to the borders of Guatemala and Honduras do not speak English. Also, most of the Cuban doctors who practice in Belize speak very little English.

So far, I've learned a lot of Spanish in several days, and Antigua is truly a delightful and charming town. The streets are all very similar, in Spanish colonial style and cobblestone streets (see photo, above).

Over the weekend I hiked up a nearby active volcano, Volcan de Pacaya (see photo, below). A challenging hike up, it satisfied my life-long desire to see flowing molten lava!