“Thankful for…” (The Guatemala Version)

Thanksgiving Day is almost here for our readers in the United States and those who celebrate this holiday around the world. As we think of many blessings for which to give thanks, quite a few come to mind from Guatemala!

“Hugs!”

“Creativity.”

“Lake Atitlan.”

“Vibrant colors.”

“Flowers.”

“The smell of warm corn tortillas.”

“The people.”

With Guatemala in mind, what’s on your “thankful for” list?

The Vital Words Communications Team is also thankful for all of you who have partnered with us as we seek to help healthcare professionals, translators and many others to serve Guatemalans well. ¡Mil gracias!

Un Regalito Perfecto

Do you know anyone heading off on a medical mission trip to Guatemala this summer? How about someone who just graduated with a degree in Spanish? Or maybe someone who is going to be studying Spanish or medicine this coming school year?

Then, of course, there is Father’s Day…

Whatever the celebration, don’t forget that Understanding the Guatemalan Patient could be un regalito perfecto – a perfect little gift!

Order your copy today on Amazon or contact us for bulk pricing.

Now Available in Guatemala!

Exciting news! Understanding the Guatemalan Patient is now available in Guatemala thanks to Casa del Alfarero (Potter’s House) in zona 3, Guatemala City! Even better, proceeds of each book purchased through Potter’s House will support their health program. For contact information or to learn more about the work at Potter’s House, visit their “Contact Us” page: http://pottershouse.org.gt/contact-us/ . Glossary basket pic

 

Don’t live in or visit Guatemala? Understanding the Guatemalan Patient is still available on Amazon.)

¡Felicidades a Guatemala!

Congratulations to Guatemala on her new president-elect Jimmy Morales! We hope and pray that Jimmy Morales will be a true servant-leader for his country. May truth and justice prevail under his leadership, and may Guatemala flourish in the years ahead.

In honor of the election held this past Sunday, we are offering another “BOGO” (Buy One, Get One) sale on Understanding the Guatemalan Patient. For each copy you purchase (up to 10 copies) between now and midnight on Monday, November 2, you will receive another copy FREE! This is a perfect offer for organizations or teams working in Guatemala. No coupon code required, so make your purchase today!

Glimpses of Guatemala: Tikal

You start your day early and arrive at Tikal while morning’s cool touch still covers the jungle. As you follow your guide down the dirt trails, birds greet you with their chirps and whistles. You pass the great ceiba tree, the national tree of Guatemala. If you look down, perhaps you’ll see butterflies gathered around a puddle or ants intent on a destination.

Once you reach the Grand Plaza with the two temples facing each other, you take a break as you also take in the history and scenery around you.

Then you’re off to reach Temple IV further on in the jungle. Not fully excavated, Temple IV can be climbed by wooden ladder-steps. Somehow these look safer than the steep, uneven stone steps you saw at the Grand Plaza.

Up you go, step by step. When you finally reach the very top, you sit down and look. You are above the canopy of the jungle, so nothing impedes your view. What was that deep roar? A howler monkey? You read that they can be heard 5 miles away…

As you sit there, you welcome a sense of wonder. Wonder over the beauty before your eyes. Wonder over the diversity of the animals and plants you’ve seen. Wonder over the intelligence and skill of a people who built and understood so much centuries ago. As you make your way down the wooden steps and drive to a hotel for dinner, you certainly have plenty to think about.

I have been to Tikal 22 times and there was always something to wonder over. This part of Guatemala reflects the rest of the country in that it is a place of wonder. You could say it’s wonder-full.

Baby Cheeks & Folk Medicine Practices (A Story about Cachetes)

 

IMG_9973

Here’s a Guatemalan baby being carried on his mother’s back. Don’t you love the colorful fabrics?

“Aw, Tía Elena, look at that baby!” Emily said. Together, aunt and niece watched the little fellow being carried through the mall.

“Those cheeks!” Tía Elena smiled. “Now we might call those cachetes.”

Emily had to grin. As a Spanish-English interpreter, her Tía Elena couldn’t help dropping in a little language lesson now and then. “Cachetes, huh?”

“Sí, and it looks like his mamá took good care of them, too.” She stopped in front of a mirror and gave a silly smile. “Kind of like mine. No sagging cheeks for me!”

Emily giggled at her aunt’s antics.

“You can laugh,” Tía Elena said, “but if my mamita had stood me up on my little baby feet too early, my cheeks might have ‘fallen’ and been saggy for life!”

Emily raised an eyebrow. “Seriously?”

“Well, that’s what Mamá thought until a doctor kindly told her not to worry about it much. And look at me now!” She gave her cheeks one last playful pat before hauling Emily off to her favorite shoe store.

That night, Emily decided to check out Tía Elena’s story. Sure enough, her smartphone delivered  the answer: her tía hadn’t made it up! Hey, this Understanding the Guatemalan Patient looks pretty cool! Maybe I could get it for Tía Elena for Christmas. She’d like it. And it would even be small enough to fit in her huge-but-almost-full purse! Emily added the book to her Amazon cart and proceeded to checkout.

Looking for a gift for a medical interpreter or a language lover? Full of interesting words and folk medicine/cultural tidbits, Understanding the Guatemalan Patient is sure to bring hours of education and fun. And with our “BOGO” (Buy-1-Get-One) special offer through midnight (CDT) on Monday, October 19, 2015, there’s even more reason to check it out today! (No coupon code required.)

 

Glimpses of Guatemala: Tecpán

When people picture Central America, many of them probably envision balmy tropical weather. However, thanks to high elevations, parts of Guatemala can be chilly, especially in the winter months. A favorite of these just-right-for-chocolate-caliente places is Tecpán.
IMG_0477

Located in the departamento de Chimaltenango – Guatemala has “departments” instead of “states” – Tecpán offers a rural escape from the bustle of Guatemala City near enough to make it a one-day outing. After the drive, start with brunch at a restaurant…

IMG_0812

…then hike the pine-lined hills, and, of course, browse the shops filled with the eye-catching Guatemalan artistry we love.DSC05131

 

 

 

 

 

You can also visit the nearby Iximché ruins or perhaps learn about the culture of the Kaqchikel Maya people. Top off your outing with a treat, like a choco-banano (a frozen banana dipped in chocolate and rolled in nuts) if all that activity has warmed you up or enjoy a steaming cafecito. ¡Buen provecho!

 

Choco BananoAt Understanding the Guatemalan Patient, one of our goals is to help medical mission teams be better prepared to communicate with the Guatemalan people they serve. Are you heading to the mountains of Guatemala on a mission trip sometime this fall/winter or do you know someone who is? Check out Understanding the Guatemalan Patient on Amazon today! 

A little tip for those serving Guatemalan babies and their families…

One glance at the baby makes the diagnosis obvious. “Tiene ictericia,” you tell the Guatemalan mother. Bewilderment covers her face. You carefully explain the causes and treatments for jaundice. All of a sudden, the mother smiles and says, “Pues, es como amarillo, verdad?” Amarillo? Yellow? Of course, that could make sense. That’s when you remember the pocket-sized book you stuffed in your bag a while ago. You find it and look through the English-Spanish section. There it is:

jaundice amarillo 

Now it’s your turn to smile. “Sí, es como amarillo,” you confirm. As you answer a couple of the mother’s questions, you make a mental note to look through that Understanding the Guatemalan Patient tonight.

It started at the dinner table…

Dinner table post pic

By Kristen A. Hammer

It started at the dinner table in our home in Guatemala – the same dinner table that Dad (Dr. Steven Hammer) and some friends had made years earlier out of two sheets of plywood. At that dinner table, Dad began pulling bits of paper out of his shirt pocket. Those bits of paper held his notes about words or folk medicine practices he had learned from his patients that day. As he read his jottings to us, some made us curious and ask questions, some made us groan, and some made us laugh.

You see, while Guatemala’s national language is, of course, Spanish, twenty-some Mayan languages are still spoken there as well. During the nine years Dad spent in Guatemala, he served many patients who spoke Spanish as a second language and, thus, used some words differently or mixed with their Mayan tongue. Combine that fact with an average education level of second grade and you have a recipe for some pretty interesting health ideas! Throw in Guatemalans’ love for slang, and your conversations are bound to be as flavorful as a Christmas tamale.

I personally found those mealtime conversations intriguing. After all, I was the girl who had considered becoming a brain surgeon and a writer. Dad’s stories from the clinic melded my interest in science and my love for words and people together. Those mealtime conversations were the start of Understanding the Guatemalan Patient: A Glossary of Spanish Medical Terms and Folk Medicine. More importantly to me, they and other conversations with the many visitors who ate with us are among my favorite Guatemala memories.

In the 21st century, many families find it hard to gather around the dinner table together. However, the benefits – like healthier eating habits and lower incidence of drug and alcohol use in youth – make it worth the fight. The healthier eating habits associated with family meals may especially benefit Hispanic youth and other minorities who face a higher risk of diabetes.[1] So, whether you are getting into your school-year routines in the US or heading toward school vacations like our friends in Guatemala, why not make the effort to gather around your table often with family and friends? Since September 15 started National Hispanic Heritage Month, you may even want to include some Hispanic food in your bill of fare. Whether it’s quesadillas, tacos, platanos fritos, chiles rellenos or mole poblano, enjoy the time together. Who knows? Someday you might even be saying, “It started at the dinner table…”

 

[1] American Diabetes Association, “Overall Numbers, Diabetes and Prediabetes” http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/statistics/  (accessed 21 September 2015).

There are many articles online about the value of shared meals. Here are a few that I read in preparing this post that you may find useful as well:

Amber J. Hammons, PhD, Barbara H. Flese PhD “Is Frequency of Shared Family Meals Related to the Nutritional Health of Children and Adolescents?” http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/127/6/e1565.full 

Sarah Klein, “8 Reasons to Make Time for Family Dinner” http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20339151,00.html 

Jeanie Lerche Davis, “Family Dinners Are Important: 10 reasons why, and 10 shortcuts to help get the family to the table.” http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/family-dinners-are-important