My two-month Masters of Public Health practicum placement with Primeros Pasos in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala started off on a dramatic and tragic note. Upon exiting Guatemala City’s La Aurora Airport, I immediately noticed an odd-textured rain falling down on me while I waited for a taxi to transport me to one of the city’s many bus terminals. Also noticeable was an intense smoky smell and texture of the air, which I at first attributed to air pollution. Once I arrived at the bus terminal, the bus driver urgently shepherded everyone waiting around onto the bus, informing us that the nearby volcano named “Fuego”, Spanish for “fire”, had had a major eruption. In order for the bus to get to its final destination of Quetzaltenango, it was necessary to first drive towards the volcano before passing it for higher ground in the Guatemalan highlands. Traffic, sirens, and noticeably thick and discolored air were a constant until we had traveled for about two hours north. It was at this point that my fellow passengers and I overcame our initial panic enough to realize that we all had what we now knew was volcanic ash coating our hair and clothes. After the strange “rain” had settled and dried, it had a sand-like consistency and a dark-black appearance.

Currently in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), 25 people are suspected to have already died from Ebola in the Equateur province. Four cases have reached the provincial capital of Mbandaka, prompting fears that DRC is on the cusp of an urban epidemic.

It is hard to believe this trip is coming to a close! A lot has happened since my last post. We traveled to Siem Reap and experienced the beautiful ancient temples including Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom. These temples left me speechless. Truly marvelous to think they were built in the 12th century by nothing more than elephants and man power!

Week 3: By week number three we felt comfortable in Cambodia; we were starting to pick up on some of the language; we were making new friends…. But we were also starting to feel a little bit home sick. But by the time we departed, I can honestly say I was sad to go back to our materialistic lives in America. I cannot WAIT to have the opportunity to go on another mission trip.