Kelly Holland

I returned late Saturday night from an amazing two weeks in Nicaragua. A group of seven girls and myself from Duke’s school of nursing completed our community health clinicals in Managua, Nicaragua from August 8-August 22. Not only did I have fun and learn a ton about Nicaragua’s health care system, but my Spanish had ample practice as well. One aspect of our program involved pairing us with a Nicaraguan nursing student with whom we worked with over the two weeks…it was full immersion and awesome. My language skills still got mad laughs and the “huh?” looks, especially when I tried to implement  patient education on safe sex and sexuality, but it was amazing how much I was able to remember and pull together when forced to use it.

 We spent the mornings in El Centro de Salud, a small clinic in a Managua neighborhood called Villa Libertad. This was mostly observing, but we had the opportunity to do some hands on…basically, we weren’t allowed to touch the “sharps”. The clinical offered an array of services including emergency, well baby check ups, prenatal, general med, HIV/TB, hydration, and vaccinations. I stepped way out of the way at the vaccination station, as the flying needles made me a little nervous….let’s just say they used a little bit of a different technique that I was taught. It was definitely a situation where people did the best they could with the resources that they had and the time they were given. The nurses had an average of 40 people to see in the morning and 40 to see in the afternoon. That’s a lot of patients, and certainly not a lot of time to discuss problems. It was wam bam, thank you mam….and right back through the revolving door. It was super interesting to see the differences. We were fortunate enough to see a tour of a public and private hospital one day as well, which was super interesting. The differences were huge. After seeing the public hospital I crossed my fingers daily that I wouldn’t get hurt while down there…

 I missed a lot of details in the morning, as the nurses spoke too fast for me to keep up while we were working with the patients. Luckily my Nicaraguan side kick filled me in along the way…she was great about slowing it down and explaining things simply. Good thing I wasn’t charge nurse.

After lunch at UPOLI, one of Managua’s universities, we spent the afternoon doing home visits with some low income families in Villa Libertad. UPOLI runs a very small clinic in the neighborhood, and all of our families lived within a few blocks of this base. My Nicaraguan side kick Evelyng and I were assigned a family that we worked with over the two weeks. We had the pleasure of meeting Fatima, her son Elyen, and her daughter Katti who were all soooo kind. We did health assessments, interventions, and referals that will hopefully add some benefitial elements to the family’s health.

We also had a quick trip to the beach over the weekend. We drove about two hours south toward Costa Rica and had a night in San Juan del Sur. We stayed in a beautiful villa with a beautiful pool and quick access to the beach. Unfortunately I came down with a cold the very day we left for the beach, so I spent the whole trip sleeping and recovering, but it was still a nice get away from the city.

 The trip was wonderful. I survived the mange street dogs and thus far I seem malaria and dengue fever free. I indulged in as many deliciously cooked plantains, as much carne asada, and coconut icecream as possible. Surprisingly I didn’t even get any GI issues to the very last day….there were few who could say the same. There’s nothing like the runs in Nicaragua, but after two days of parasite meds I was good to go. The only down fall is that I had to start back at school right away on Monday. At least it’s my last semester…yippee!

 All photos from my trip can be seen under my photos page, titled Nicaragua.

Thank you Lorie for being an awesome instructor, and thank you UPOLI and the Rivas students for the kind hospitality.

After moving our good friend Kirsten up to Virginia Beach, VA a few weeks ago we earned a free place to crash in her lovely, aqua-blue beach front apartment. It was a 24-hour whirl wind of lifting, loading, and undloading, so a two-minute glance of the beach was all I got during the move. Since things are only going to get crazier this month with finals and my trip to Nicaragua, I thought this past weekend would be the perfect time to check up on Kirsten’s Virginia Beach transition and cash-in on our free accomodations. We supplied the blow-up air mattress and Kirsten kep a room with our name on it.

 Dav, I, and Nanuq headed up on Friday night. We hit up Bubba’s for a seafood dinner and drinks, a pina colada for me, and headed home early. The next day we conquered the Virginia Beach boardwalk. It was a nice little Saturday that consisted of the four-man bike buggy, pomagranite mojitos, calamari, margaritas, nachos,…..and a little beach.

 The morning was perfect for a dog walk on the beach. Nanuq has yet to enjoy swimming, but he’s working on it. He was taking lessons from his bff Hendrix.

 We hit Chicks Oster bar Saturday and ate like royalty with crab, mahi mahi, and osters in the half shell….and wine of course. The night was topped off with ska music and dancing at the local hot spot…the Hot Tuna!

Good times in Virginia Beach….thanks Kirsten!

Spring break was great…and sooo needed. I’ve never craved a break like I did this one. School has been taking its toll, but a little Florida sun with Grams was just what I needed. It was a week in Lady Lake, Florida, sitting by a pool, hitting golf balls, and driving the golf cart like it was Grandma’s Cadillac. Awesome. It was a twelve hour drive, but it included a stop in Augusta, Georgia for a visit with Fabien (fellow french friend and tennis star) and a quick stop over in Savannah, Georgia. It was just a glimpse, but we stopped long enough to hop on a scenic tour trolly through historic Savannah. Nanuq was even jumped aboard for the fun…It’s a beautiful southern city that is at the top of my must-see-again list.

I’ve spent the entire fall and this winter in a life foreign to me….it has felt like a completely new identity. While I’ve always seen this as a challenge and adventure, it taken some time to adjust. I’ve sat in front of the computer screen on multiple occasions with a blank stare; I just haven’t known what to write.

(Nanuq has to humor me while I dress him in human clothes, but he’s happy) 

There’s no pics of high, snow capped mountains, gnarly couloirs, or beautiful summits. My fear has shifted from avalanches and high-risk exposure to pharmacology and pathology exams. I’ve traded my freedom of the mountains for an opportunity to gain a freedom greater than I’ve known before….the freedom to help and heal. It’s taken me these last several months to see that my adventure here may be subtle in comparison to before, but vast in its own way.

I’ve struggled to find comfort in this path that I’ve bolted my feet upon, but I finally feel that there is a lot to share while I’m here. I’ve seen a lot….I’ve learned a lot. I’ve seen illnesses and pain that I’d never known. I’ve seen a man die in a matter of minutes. And I’ve seen people heal and gain hope. It may not be the glamorous Aguille de Midi, but it’s beautiful in a different way. It’s a detour back to the path I knew before, and I want to share it.

(Christmas time in Durham) 

Durham is my home for now, and I had an awesome Christmas break that allowed me to visit my home in Montana and my buds in Utah. It was a nice breather, and I have a highly anticipated spring break coming up after this week of school. Florida and sun, here I come!

(Alta at Christmas break with Rach and David)

(The family at Bridger)

(Ice skating Christmas Eve)

(My brother the Lobster…I live vicariously through Wade while he studies in Sevilla, Spain this spring and dresses in funny outfits for Carnival.)

I’ve done a horrible job of updating, but the last few weeks have been a complete whirl wind….including my final days in France, back to Utah for two days, a four-day road trip with my mom through America’s southern states, and a new begining in Durham, North Carolina. I’m officially a nursing student at Duke University. I can’t express how strange life feels right now…yet so exciting.

 My last few weeks in France were amazing, almost more than I can express in words, or show in pictures….a magical dinner in the mountains of Cevenne with a wonderful French man, another beautiful day on the moto, pina coladas by the pool, midnight skinny dipping, a tour through the old Roman city of Nime, and good times with good friends….I miss it so much. I boarded my plane for America just moments after leaving one of Montpellier’s infamous disco techs…an all-night-er, full of dancing, was the way to do it…I slept like a baby on the 10-hour flight from Paris to SLC.

Pina coladas, poolside with Delphine

The crew on a day full of moto (Delphine, me, Laure, Alain, and David….my french family)

Lavender of Languedoc…one of Southern France’s wonders

 My last night in Montpellier…several hours before my flight.

I left a special place when I left Blancardy this summer. I left a best friend that I’ve shared countless adventures with over the past six years, I left a love, and I left some incredible people that became unforgettable friends. Rachael Burks has been at my side for so long via roommate, ski buddy, travel companion, or just straight up best friend that leaving Blancardy had a major significance…I was taking an entirely different path for the first time. Leaving was hard.

Sunset on  horseback…Rachael does Blancardy right.

More moto with Delphine, David, and me (with the really big head)

Best Friends….I’m pretty sure the best ever…and Team Struggle forever….Equipe Galerer!

From the moment I landed in Salt Lake City I had one and one half days to unpack, do laundry, repack, throw the dog in the truck, and get on the road. My loving and awesome mother joined me on my journey East.

I had less than a week to make my orientation at Duke. After four days in the car and a pit stop at Mesa Verde, Colorado we pulled into Durham on a Saturday morning. I found my new studio, which I love, moved in, and accepted my new existence as a Blue Devil, far, far away from the snowy mountains of the West. But I also embraced the realization that I have a whole new journey and a great education in nursing ahead of me…after sixteen months, I’ll be a nurse. I’m stoked on my new challenge, and so far, I’m pretty stoked on North Carolina. It’s different, but it’s great…and really green! It has been said more than once this summer, so I’ll say it again….there are no good byes…only see you later. So, to all my friends that I’ve left behind, including my best friend in all the world, see you later….and thank you for being awesome.