Brazil trip - Day 2

Woke up early of course and headed to the upper deck for my devotions.  Was nice to have a little quiet time before the day starts.  Got my first good looks at the river.  It is HUGE!  Lynn came up and was being our tour guide after a few other early risers made their way up.  It was amazing to see all the dolphin swimming nearby.  After a great breakfast of ham and cheese, fried bananas, and a "pastry" made of manioc, oh and sweet coffee, it was off to count meds.

 They have a nice setup here so we didn't have to much prep work to do.  We were still several hours from our first stop, so we sat on the upper deck and played "Would You Rather," which is always good for a few laughs.  I also enjoyed talking books with Guy and Lynn.  We all agreed that "Unbroken" was one of the best books we've read.  Then came lunch time...we swear all we do is eat around here, but the food is good.  We had chicken, rice & beans, salad, and passion fruit custard - which is delicious by the way!  We were told we wouldn't have clinic today, so after lunch everyone settled in for reading and naps in the hedgies (hammocks).  Just as I was falling asleep, I heard Guy say we were stopping at an upcoming village to have our first clinic.  As tired as we all were, we jumped up and sprang in to action.  I think everyone was just excited to be doing something.  I got assigned to play with the kids while they waited for their turn to see the doctor, and thoroughly enjoyed it.  We colored, painted nails, played "Let's Go Fishing" and made paper airplanes...yea, I've still got skills!  It was a steady day, but nice for us all as we are getting adjusted to the flow.  Having a clinic on a boat has its own unique problems to say the least.  After we started cleaning up, one more patient showed up with a bloody foot.  He told Lynn he got bit by a fish.  With all the blood we saw, we were expecting a good sized wound, but it ended up not being that exciting.  I cleaned it out so Guy could steri-strip it, and off he went.  Closest thing to trauma for me today. Next it was "snack time" which consisted of bread and cheese.  I opted for just water since I realized I hadn't drank anything all day.  Then it was off to worship time with the local church.  It was great seeing all the kids from the clinic and worship with the village.

 The American team sang 2 songs that we had never practiced together, and I'm sure it showed.  I was able to say a few words on behalf of our group through a translator.  Jander (one of our translators) told the crowd I was single and would be accepting offers after the service.  I'm sure I turned 5 shades of red!  After the service, we passed popcorn out to the kids and gave out goodbye hugs!  Then back to the boat for dinner.  I told you all we do is eat.  Makes me think of "Lord of the Rings" when the Hobbits are discussing all their meals.  Tonight's dinner was rice & beans, chicken, some type of casserole, and a coleslaw type dish.  (not like my favorite Pikliz in Haiti!)  We also got to try a local soda called Guarana which tastes similar to cream soda to me with a hint of ginger ale.  We also tried cashew juice.  Apparently in Brazil they eat the cashew fruit and just throw out the nut, which are toxic until processed.  The Americans were laughing that we pay a hefty price for cashews and the Brazilians are throwing them away.  The juice was pretty good I have to say.  So funny thing tonight during our debrief time.  Nathan was trying to save Tiffany from a large beetle that was hanging around.  He jumped up off his white plastic lawn chair and as he did he snapped the 2 front legs off, and hit the ground.  Without missing a beat, he jumped up and stomped the beetle.  We got a good laugh out of it!  We are staying docked at the village tonight, so it should be quieter...which means I will hear my room-mate snoring for sure!