Upon arrival in San Pancho we felt that we were immediately immersed in the Mexican culture. There is a real sense of community here and being that this is the fifth year that the field school has been in existence here, we have been welcomed as San Pancho residents. We have completed one week of clinic at Entreamigos community center. I have come to a realization of how much we take for granted of all of the equipment that we use in our school clinic, such as the swivel operator chairs and overhead lights. My adaptability skills are vastly improving while we had to piece together an entire clinic from materials we found around the recycling area of the community center. I also noticed that people not only bring themselves to the dental clinic for their appointments but they also bring their entire family. I have several theories as to why but will think about that more before I write it down. The gratitude and appreciation that we receive from all of the amazing clients that we have seen so far is unforgettable.
I have learned more from this experience already than I could ever imagine. I still have a lot of work to do on my Spanish but I am improving every day. The food is all so fresh and colourful. I am trying to be adventurous and try new foods every day. So far I have had sautéed octopus, smoked marlin, and mole sauce on turkey enchiladas. I am really looking forward to next week where we will be going to the schools and providing oral hygiene education, performing caries screening and applying fluoride varnish to about 250 children. Adios for now!
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