Eighteen Hoban students traveled to Honduras in early January with 50+ doctors, pharmacists, nurses, dentists and opthamologists to provide healthcare for some of the country’s destitute. Each day, the students traveled to a different town and translated for the various medical professionals, encountering hundreds of patients and giving out thousands of prescriptions. The people of Honduras, in desperate need of more than just medical assistance, radiated a happiness and simplicity that made the 5:30 a.m. wake up calls, two hour bus rides and treacherous roads tolerable.  

The most inspiring encounter was that with an aged yet energetic woman by the name of Tía Mae. Serving as the head coordinator for medical brigades at the Nuevo Paraíso orphanage, Mae became a successful paralegal living in Los Angeles, but a promise to her dying mother brought her back to Honduras.  She soon realized that she had a duty to help the people and children of her country, and she has since committed her life to this cause.

Juniors Rick Baumgartner and Lexi Talmage, along with senior Ryan Davis, agreed that the poverty they experienced helped them appreciate what Americans take for granted, such as healthcare and clean water.  They will miss their Honduran friends and the peoples’ genuine kindness and care for one another.

“I experienced poverty and nothingness in a way I had never seen or known before,” said Lexi.  “I was able to grow as an individual, create new relationships, and open my eyes to what is truly important in life.”  

Baumgartner, Talmage and Davis were left with phrases and words that embodied their time in Honduras.  From “tos y gripe” (cold and cough, ailments that many struggle with in Honduras because of the parasites in the water) to  humbling, genuine, happiness, simplicity and even “GRINGOS” and hope. Each word conveys a story and memory personal and permanent for each individual.

Through this cultural immersion and deep level of service, a new appreciation blossomed for both life in a third world country and life in America.