Field Trip

Here is a picture of the bus that we rode in. Most buses in Nicaragua, and probably most of Latin America, are old buses from the US and Europe that were discarded because they were old. This was a former "activity bus," the kind that you'd take on field trips in the US. Amazingly, I think all of the windows worked okay and there wasn't the notorious "bad window" that always got stuck. There was, however, in the back of the bus, a little hole in the floor and you could see the ground. Also of note is that the bus is driven with the main door wide open all the time. I asked one of the med students if it was only for ventilation since it seemed a little dangerous. She said yes, but they close the door if the police come by since they get a bit upset about it.
Enough about the bus already. In the background is a picture of the health center in Malpaisillo. This little community is one area of the outbreak. This is located in "el campo", or the countryside. Almost all of the roads are dirt and most people have some chickens and a pig or two on their property. I joined a group of med students and we went around to houses handing out information sheets, looking for sick people, and explaining what precautionary measures need to be taken. The other picture is of us discussing final procedures before beginning to visit the homes.