The time had come...

* I apologize ahead of time for the formatting here. This website is terrible for arranging photos and text, but I am too lazy to try restarting this page with another company*

The time had come for more adventure in my life.  I have had a few years with plenty of local adventures, but my soul had been craving more.  2018 was the year.  Life finally worked itself out so that I could travel again.  There was Boston during a blizzard in Jan for work, Ohio to a 10,000 acre wildlife preserve ( https://thewilds.columbuszoo.org/) where I was able to interact with critically endangered White Rhinos and more, New Orleans for a wedding, and a big trip to South Africa to Safari with my sister before Minneapolis for work again.  Those trips all have great typical "Andrea stories" (including bringing home tick fever from South Africa- I will get that blog written at some point) but I was still longing for more.

The opportunity presented itself when a lifelong friend and supporter, Wendy, shared a post from a group called Caribbean Spay Neuter.  They were in need of more LVTs for their November Spay Neuter clinic in Suriname.  This would be their 6th one in that country, and from all the internet searches I could find, they appeared to be a reputable group.  After grabbing a map to figure out where in the world Suriname was (South America, near Brazil), I sent my resume off and was committed before I knew it!

Fast forward to November.  Suriname Airways only flies a couple of times a week at very specific times, and only from Miami.  When I booked the Miami leg, it appeared that I would have 2 hours in Miami to get my bags, and go back through customs and security (yes this was the only way to do it).  Well, not only was my first flight delayed, but I had no realized that the Suriname flight had bumped up... Lets just say I certainly got my workout, in winter clothes,  running through 3 terminals with 70 lbs of luggage.  I apologize to anyone who had to sit next to me on that next flight.

Almost like home!

Thanks to the wonders of social media, I met my first teammate at the gate- in true "Liz Lemon" fashion- panting, sweating, and looking for food.  Ciara and I became fast friends, as we have similar professional backgrounds and as we later found out, very similar work styles.

As we arrived in Suriname, we met the rest of the team.  A Canadian vet and her tech, a vet from Vermont and her tech, and a British Vet.  Our Mexican vet had arrived earlier.  None of us really knew where we were staying or many details at all.  This was a total adventure for all of us!

The founder of Caribbean Spay Neuter, Karin, met us right off the plane and we all felt instantly safe and comfortable as we took a bus back to the apartments that were to be home base for the next 10 days.

We were all pleasantly surprised at how nice these apartments were.  Clean, comfortable, and stocked with eggs, cereal, bread, and fruit!

Cannot take me anywhere!

Why is the hole in the front?

The beds came with Mosquito nets which, or course, I managed to pull down on day 2.  My roomie, Ciara, was beginning to get the full scope of who she was dealing with.

Ciara and I ready to set up!

The Team

The team got together the next morning to set up the clinic. We all had varying levels of experience with working in other countries but we all got on the same page and were excited to learn from each other.  There are limited option in this part of the world and we were super fortunate to have a lovely family donate their home for the week.  We utilized their driveway and garage as check in and pre-med for the patients, then they animals would be brought through the house to the backyard where we had our surgical prep and OR set up.  Then it would be back to the living room for recovery, monitored by awesome volunteers.

 We set up with donated supplies, went over protocols then headed back for a special evening.  It was Dinwalii, the festival of lights!

Day One of Clinics had us working through some kinks and learning to utilize our volunteers to their fullest.  I was nervous that not being in daily practice anymore may have hurt my skills and speed, but it all came back to me quite quickly.  Having a supportive group was key.

Dr Arturo from Mexico and Ciara preparing

Day one ready to go!

Each day presented new challenges, and each day this amazing team came up with new solutions.  I am incredibly fortunate to have found such a great group of talented people to work with. 

 

Prepped for her spay

I do not think I have ever sweat so much while not getting a tan!  Working outside in a Caribbean environment is not for the weak of heart or the unfit!  Hydration and a good attitude were key to survival! Not that we did not each have our cranky moments, but I was incredibly impressed with everyone's teamwork.

Day 4!

Day 2

Day3

Monitoring and preparing for surgery

We had some adorable patients

Lots of sleepy kitties

More cuteess

People had some interesting cat carriers

Hey look! I can still hit a vein!

Some patients required some extra TLC

  

 

All in all we had a great day and surpassed our goal number of surgeries!  We ended up performing 235 surgeries in four days of clinics with four vets and four techs- a really incredible feat!

In our down time in the evening, we would hang out in the apartments, or check out the local grocery stores.  There were some interesting and some unidentified items in these stores!  One stop shops if you will...

When we completed our clinic days, it was finally time to kick back and relax a little!  Karin again gave us great suggestions and set us up have a fun and relaxing day after so much hard work!

First we visited Karin's aunt who makes amazing peanut sauce, hot sauce, and soy sauce ( That I was able to pack safely enough to get home!) 

Then a little exploring of the city/shopping...and spa!  The markets were so colorful and I cannot even begin to describe the smells....

Finally Spa time!



After a few hours relaxing in the spa, we had a great group dinner back at the apartments as we prepared for the next adventure!