Thursday, January 17, 2013

Nursing in Jamaica - Home

Hello, everyone!

I am happy to announce that I am safely back in good old Missouri.

Before heading home, the group spent at the most beautiful resort I've ever seen (okay, so it is the ONLY resort I have ever seen).  There were were able to shop and eat and dance and swim in the beautiful ocean. It was a fun experience, though I have to admit it was completely different from the experience I have had of Jamaica so far.  Even though it was the Jamaica most travelers know and fall in love with, it wasn't the Jamaica I knew.  I fallen in love with a different part: dirty streets that goats travel down,  crowded market places, and a clinic that needed us more than words can say.

Even now I can't help but reflect back on there.  I enjoyed my time at the resort, but it doesn't equal the joy that I felt those first five days serving the Jamaican people.  It was hard to leave because I know there is so much work left to be down, and I console myself knowing that even though the faces of those we weren't able to help stay with me, there was so many who had received our services. We were able to see 258 patients, not including the time spent at the schools.  Also, we the combined efforts of the group, we were able to leave one last thing behind:  a donation to the infirmary of a commercial blender, since theirs had broken down, along with medication, blood pressure cuffs, and much more.

Matron wrote a letter expressing her gratitude.  But I am much more grateful to her.  That there are woman like her in this world makes the world a much more beautiful place.

On Sunday, we spent all day traveling -- including as six hour layover in Atlanta (Yuck!).  It was a rough flight back to Kansas City, but we landed safely. As soon as I stepped from the airplane, a blast of cold air hit me, my breath froze, and I knew I was back in Missouri.  It was so good to see my family again and to tell them about the adventures I've had, but I'm surprised about how much I honestly miss Jamaica.

I miss the warmth, of the son and of the helpers down there.  I miss working with the people everyday.  I am relieved to be home, but a part of me, I think, will always miss the places that felt like home, even for just a few days.

My lesson: We can all make a difference, and no difference is so small that it doesn't matter.  Go out in the world and do good wherever you can.

I want to keep the attitude I learned down in Jamaica with me.  As matron taught, love is the most important thing you can give to someone.  It is what I felt from the people in Jamaica, and that spirit of Christ's love is what I want to carry as I go through life.

I feel completely blessed to have had this experience, and I am hoping that in a few years, the opportunity will present itself to go back.  And I will go, in a heartbeat!

Here to wishing you a life full of adventures!

~Chante'


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