Ultima dia!

Ahhh,
Tengo mucho Espanol viajando en mi cabeza.  Este noche voy a ensuenar en Espanol. 
I have no idea how to put the accents and n -ays on the letters so Im not even gonna try.

Speaking of try, it was a trying last couple of days.  All is well, but its been a long week of a lot of work.
Andrew and I went out on Saturday to collect water samples in the field for the last time.  We went to some of the poorest places I have ever been.  We found a few mothers who didnt speak any Spanish, only Mam, with a sick baby.  This family didn't even have a latrine, they used the bathroom in any of the trees around their house.  We collected a sample of their water from their well.  It was filthy.  I pulled up the metal container while Andrew watched.  I said to all the little girls that were watching, "las mujeres hacen todo el trabajo".  They laughed.  They got the biggest kick out of us white folk getting water out of the well. 
After we did the sampling, the mother asked me about her sick child.  This baby was 3 months old and had a cough and fever.  I listened to the baby's lungs although it is extremely hard for me to assess a child.  I dont have any pediatric training, and part of the culture is to keep the babies covered so they don't get evil eye by being seen by a drunk man.  I heard some coarseness in the left lung and advised the mother to go to the clinic.  We brought her, the 3 month old and another young child of hers to the clinic.  They prescribed Amoxicillin, which I guess is standard here.  She was very appreciative as she had had a baby die in her arms before.


Pretty heavy. 
We went to a few other homes and certainly made the most of the experience.  It's simply amazing to see how people live and what they live with and the depth of culture.  I can't say enough about it, but because I've already said a lot about it, I'm not going to write more here.
Andrew and I finished up the bacteria counts in the lab and were stoked to have been able to do this project to meet our expectations.  Woo hoo! 
We enjoyed some Gallo beer with Maya, and Carolina made dinner for us all.  We were really happy to be finishing up.
Today we woke up at 5am so Carolina could bring us to Xela, and then we took a 4 hour bus ride to Antiqua, and then another hour ride to Guate City. 
Currently were here at a "home stay".  Its been an amazing way to end this trip.  We're staying with the sister of one of the ladies that works in the office that we were in in San Lorenzo. This family is lovely! The whole family lives here, Grandmother and Grandfather with the grandmother's son and his family, as well as 3 Spanish veterinary students. We spent some time hanging out with the family and the 3 month old dog with endless energy.  We went to the local mercado and just debriefed and relaxed.  Later, Andrew and I had dinner with the vet students and spoke Spanish Spanish.  It was great practice and very fun. 
By the way... Dad, I ate the steak and it was really good. 
Ok, one more day of traveling and were home.  Both of us are looking forward to being home. 
This whole experience was amazing.  It was a lot of work, but it was truly unique.  I learned so much about the Mayan culture as well as Guatemalan culture.  I was able to practice my Spanish and learn about collecting data in the field. 
This experience gave me a new appreciation for research and cross cultural relations.  I also have an even deeper respect for water, the source, collection and its cleanliness.  I will continue to work towards greater environmental and public health through nursing.

Hasta luego amigos!  MANANA!