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Deena Smith A
graduate of from NC State University in Raleigh, NC in Industrial Engineering in 1996. Deena works part-time in
the Emergency Department at UNC Hospitals while finishing her senior year at the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill’s School of Nursing. She also has been a medical observer with Durham County EMS for two years.
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| It’s hard for me to know exactly what to say about my experiences here in Honduras.
I have been thinking for days now, if I can put into words, how this trip has affected me. Or what I am going to
take back home. It hit me one day when one of the other volunteers, Dee Osborn, made a comment while we were talking
with one of the local villagers outside of Copan Ruinas. This man’s home sits in a green valley, amongst the most
majestic mountains I have ever seen. The beauty and lushness of the land is like nothing I could have ever imagined.
He has 7 children, all of who live with him in a one-room, 12x16 clay shack. It’s ironic that among these breathtaking
mountains there are numerous shacks that house more than one generation of the same family. Among them are the
children, who look like those I’ve only seen in a commercial. Despite the living conditions of this man and his
family, his spirit soared. He encouraged questions, and he did not hesitate to teach us about his surroundings,
his family, and his culture. I was taken back by his openness to speak with us despite the language barrier, and
the fact that we were “Gringos”. Dee put it perfectly when she said, “these people are the soul of the mountain”.
How perfect this statement is. There is so much tradition and culture that has been passed on for generations,
and the mountains have witnessed it all. The kindness of this man we spoke with was limitless. Throughout my entire stay in Honduras, every person I met possessed the exact same caring and warmth of this man that befriended us outside of Copan. It is next to impossible not to feel the love and sincerity of these people. Consequently, the most difficult thing to endure is to see one of them sick. Unfortunately, I did not see just one person sick, I saw many. People that are sick from malnutrition and other illnesses that are easily cured with just one dose of medication in the States. In addition, the people do not come to PFC until they are literally on death’s door. As you can imagine, this can be extremely overwhelming. All I wanted to do was to embrace them and make all the hardships vanish, but this is impossible. I had to think to myself that touching one person in some very small way has to touch others. In fact, the whole idea of PFC is a great example of how one person no matter where they are from, can affect more than one person. For example, those who donate even the smallest amount of money, supplies, or time, from anywhere in the world, can literally affect Copan Ruinas and the residents of this incredible valley. It can secure medical attention for those who would have never been seen by any doctor in the past. Especially if you are poor, which is the vast majority of the Honduran people. Even more, it touches the many tourists that come to visit Copan Ruinas to see the Mayan Ruins. Whereas, before PFC was established in this valley, there was no one to answer the emergency calls that we in the States take for granted. I have come to realize this is how the ripple starts. In writing this, I have realized to my surprise, that I too have been on the receiving end of the ripple effect. I have been given many gifts by the people of Honduras, all the volunteers from the Copan Ruinas rescue squad, and all who have donated to PFC in the past. I came here not expecting anything in return. All I wanted to do was aid this small charity in getting emergency medical attention to those who needed it. Instead, I have received so much love and joy from the people of Honduras and the people I worked with. The experiences and knowledge that I will come away with will stay with me forever. As a result of being on the receiving end, I have vowed to continue making ripples, that I pray will one day turn into waves in my own community and in my new career as a nurse. There is no way I can even begin to explain how I feel in my heart about my experiences in Honduras. However, I can tell you with absolute certainty that no matter where you give, if you give freely from your heart, as these people gave from theirs, it always ripples back to you! |
