About Month Two: Boaco

Time flies when you’re preparing for exams!  School may have hindered me updating my blog, but preparations my trip carried on!  Today I'll talk about my hospital assignment that I received a week or so ago.  I've had time to do my research, so here it is!

For the second month of my trip I will be living and working in Boaco, Nicaragua:

[Image from citypictures.org]

This is the capital city of the Boaco district and is about 55 miles east of Managua, the capital of Nicaragua.  And, as is clearly visible, the city is located in the mountains!  Boaco’s nickname is “La Ciudad de Dos Pisos,” or “The Two-Story City” because there are only two flat places in the entire city.  The city’s major yearly event, which honors Boaco’s patron saint Apostle Saint James, is held on July 25th, and I will be there for it!  How fortuitous!  I found a couple of videos on Youtube about the kind of festivities that go on.  I can't wait to experience it for myself!





I’ll be working in the hospital Boaco José Nieborowski, one of the most modern hospitals in Nicaragua.  It was built in 2008, and funds for its construction and medical equipment were donated from Japan.  It has beds for 120 and at least three operating rooms.  I’ve read that they have a hard time keeping doctors here because with the same training they could be making more money elsewhere, in Mexico, for instance.  I’ll be curious to see if that’s the case.  In any case, I’m sure there will be plenty for us to help out with here!