Isla Grande

After an awesome week of clinical experience and learning so much, the group took a trip to Isla Grande today. It was a few hour bus trip and then a quick boat ride and we arrived at Banana’s resort at Isla Grande. It was like we were arriving at something straight out of a travel catalogue—the view was absolutely beautiful! The water was clear blue, there were hammocks to relax in, there was a wonderful pool…this blog definitely doesn’t do it justice. We spent the day tanning, snorkeling, having lunch, and swimming. Everyone had a great day soaking up the sun! We are now back at the hostel and getting ready for our day of visiting a Embera Village tomorrow.

I’m having a great time in Panama! I’ve really experienced so much! But, I miss everyone back home! Love you guys!

--Caitlin Brock

Health Fair

Today was the health fair! We were escorted by policeman to a school named February 13th (many of there schools are named after dates) with a mobile clinic to deliver vaccinations, Pap smears, take blood pressures, and inspect homes. My first activity of the day was to inspect homes for stagnate water. Stagnate water is a huge problem down here in Panama. Many of the homes do not have running water so people leave hug barrels outside their houses to collect rain water for washing clothes and cleaning. The problem with this is, though, is that standing water is a breeding zone for mosquitoes which carry dengue!!! Many of the homes we went to today had stagnate water and we educated the families on the importance of not leaving the water outside. Many of us today were able to assist with Pap smears and vaccinations. Many of the vaccinations were influenza shots for the children. The children were not too happy about this, but they were all good sports! We had a blood pressure stand where we took peoples blood pressure and educated them on the importance of healthy eating and exercise (well we didn’t exactly do it because we don’t speak Spanish very well, but the Spanish speaking nurses were a big help). The health fair went really well and we had an amazing turnout. Many families from the community came out to get their free screenings and vaccinations. The last half of the day we visited the University of Panama to par take in some of their festivities. They had a gathering for the crowning of the senorita enfermeria; I guess you could describe it as the “Queen”, like prom queen, of the nursing school. There were three girls in the running, each with their own section decorated and their friends cheering them on. There was music playing, people playing the drums, and dancing around! We were unable to see who was crowned because we had to leave, but I am sure we will find out when we visit the university again.
-Erin Smith

School Visit/Mobile Clinic

We went to the school called "February 13th". Yes, that's right, a date is the name of the school...it's a Panama thing! Each student had a different experience, with hands on experience with at least two or more of the following: gave Polio, Influenza, Pentavalente, Hepatitis or MMR vaccines...visited the homes nearby to educate people about where mosquitos breed and how to prevent various diseases...did (our first) Pap Smears...conducted surveys about HPV (Human Papilloma Virus)...and/or checked blood pressure. What a day! We really made a difference today =)

"When you're a nurse you know that everyday you will touch a life or a life will touch yours." 

For pictures from today, go to the link below:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2280924&l=6ed3&id=5124385

Posted by: Tania L. Cruickshank

clinic

Today we attended the clinic we have been at all week. We were divided up into pairs and rotated throughout mental health, growth and development, maternity, injections, blood pressure, and HPV teaching. Two students were also sent to a highschool where they administered injections and two students participated in home health nursing.
In the mental health group, students were able to listen to a psychiatrist speak to paitents about their mental illness and issues with their medications. Some clients were here by court order and attending their routinely visits.
Students who attended growth and development gave injections to children and the polio vaccine which is administered orally. For babies who were eight days old, students weighed their body and measured their head circumference.
In the maternity section, students performed and assisted in Papsmears where they were able to locate and identify the cervix and witness what it looks like to have an infection.
Two students gave over 200 influenza vaccines that were administered for free to anyone who desired and had a social security. By the end of the day we felt like pros.
In home health nursing, two students traveled to farms to administer vaccines to the local farmers. Each student administered at least twenty vaccines. When asked to describe their experience, they stated they felt like they were traveling through the jungle because they saw wild animals like monkeys and bulls. The farmers were very nice in return and provided the students with eggs and fruit which helped to make our delicious lunch of scrambled eggs.
Lastly, we provided the patients in the sitting room with a display on HPV and passed out questionaires to be answered on their knowledge of the disease. Over fifty surveys were completed and the patients were interested in the material we provided.
At the end of the day, we attended an orphonage, which contains children who were abandoned and abused. The orphonage was run by nuns and contained girls and boys up to the age eighteen. On their campus there was living quarters, a church, a school, and a play ground. The houses were divided between the age groups. The toddlers stayed in a two bedroom house with a play room and kitchen. There were two bedrooms with about nine cribs to a room. In the other houses there was the same kitchen, play room, and dining area plus two bedrooms. In both of those bedrooms contained bunkbeds, seven or eight to a room. Most of the girls were shy but some had smiles on their faces that made you melt. Their conditions were clean, they were fed, and clothed. You would think they would be so unhappy in this situation, but when you asked, they were just so happy to be in a place where they felt comfortable and loved.

Melissa Skrzypek

Panama 2008

To me time seems to be going by so fast, To think we have been here for a little over a week and a half and to think about all the wonderful things we got to experience is quite amazing. The first week was a sort of meet and greet week, with a lot of touring and letting others know we were in country. The nursing experience really started taking shape when we were able to visit El Valle. For those who don´t know El Valle sits inside a concave mountain top that was once a volcano dating back three million years ago. Yes, the place was beautiful to say the least. The over night experience was one that will soon not be forgotten. I do have to say thank you to Mellisa for taking care of the zipp lining experience and Jessica M. for getting the majority of us on a horse back trip. These activities really increased the whole El Valle experience. We got back to our hostal on Monday and were to get ready for the next experience at Arraijan. We are spending the next four days there. Monday night was a interesting one to say the least, put 15 intelligent nursing students together to make a poster for teaching and what do you get. Well three card board boxes, eight colorful folders, lots of large print (in Spanish), a roll of duct tape and one bed sheet later our presentation was ready. Well just have to see if the people we get to teach enjoy the display. As for my personal experience I have been able to give vaccines and test peoples blood sugar, the experiences have been eye opening due to the procedural differences between the U.S. and Panama. It is exciting to listen to each other at the end of the day when we try and describe the experiences we had that day. It is difficult to understand if you have never experienced it but it seems that everyone is having some sort of eyeopening situation that helps them look at themselves and others differently. It is almost time to depart for the clinic, I hope that all the family and friends are doing well and I'm sure the girls that you sent over here can not thank you enough.

To my family and friends I am so grateful for all the help and support you are giving me back in the states.

- Jason Merry -

Photos!

Here are some pictures from El Valle!

Arraijan

Today was our first day in the Arraijan clinic here in Panama. When we first arrived we were taken to the director of the hospitals office where he welcomed us to the hospital and the city. Next we were given a tour of the facility. There were so many people there, you could barely move through the hallways. It seemed like every where you turned there was a lobby of some sort with tons of people piled in. Some of us were then split up and placed with nurses throughout the facility. I was sent to observe the maternal/women’s health nurse. Her office was very tiny with one exam room in the back. Each patient was brought in one at a time. I assisted with vitals and communicated the best I could with the patients. Most of out patients today received Pap Smears. I was able to assist with 4 Pap smears; it was really a great experience. (Especially since my clinicals are at the VA, it was nice to have a female patient for a change) Next we took a tour of Arraijan city. It was a big eye opener to see the way people live here. Before we had mainly seen the nicer areas of Panama, and this was nothing like we have seen before. Many do not have running water and have buckets outside their houses that they use to catch the rain water. They will then use this rain water to clean with. The houses were very run down and there was a lot of trash in the streets. We were able to visit a school during the tour. The kids were so excited to see us; they all wanted to have their picture taken. They would swarm us (knock some of us down actually) and gives us hugs. It made me realize how many of us are so unhappy and we have a lot, compared to those children who have so little but are full of such happiness. Today’s experience was a real eye opener and one that I will not forget.

-Erin Smith

First week in Panama

Our first week here in Panama has been quite a unique experience. Day one was incredibly long and exhausting and eye opening. The four-hour layover in Miami was brutal. When we finally landed in Panama and got through customs, we boarded a bus to take us to Hostal Amador (our home base). On the way we got our first glimpses of Panama and it was amazing to see all the poverty right next to new, luxury, high-rise condominium constructions. On the second day we went to the Miraflores Locks, which was very interesting. It was so cool to see the process of huge ships passing through. Next we went on a tour of the old city. We got more up close and personal to the poverty and it really made me appreciate what I’ve got even more. About half way through the old city tour, my camera broke! :( On the third day we toured a couple of local Universities. At the University of Panama we learned that students start the four-year program right out of college, after taking an entrance exam of sorts. It only costs them an average of $50 a semester to go through the program. The Latina University, a private school, seemed to have many more resources. Their program is 3 ½ years long and cost about $1400 to go through it. On the fourth day we went to the City of Knowledge. We walked around for a bit, visited the USF health office and had a meeting in the UNICEF building. The UNICEF meeting was about AIDS in children and was very interesting and I thought it was so cool that USF has an office in Panama. On the fifth day we visited the US Embassy, and the security was unreal. We also had an interesting meeting about disaster relief. It had never crossed my mind that donating clothes, shoes, and other items could end up being a burden. The woman pointed out that people have to actually go through and sort all that stuff and that takes away manpower, which could be used for something else. She said it’s just best to send money to a trusted organization. The sixth day was our free day. We got to sleep in some and went to a couple of artisan markets (where I found some amazing things). Later that night we all met up with some girls form the Latina University and some of their friends for dinner and dancing.

Day 6, 7, 8, and 9

Day 6, Saturday, May 24th, 2008: Today was free day and it was a great time! We actually had a day to sleep in a little bit! A few of us girls went to the pool that was located on the causeway. It rained everyday we have been here but today it was bright and sunny...perfect for a pool day. There was a beautiful view of the pacific ocean behind the pool and it was so relaxing. After that we visited the Artisan Market where you could bargain prices for souvenirs. That was an interesting experience. After that, everyone got ready to go to dinner and dancing with the girls from Universidad Latina which is the private university here. That was a blast! We partied the night away but had an early rise the next morning for the head to El Valle!
Day7, Sunday, May 25th, 2008: El Valle here we come. Today was a day that we got to participate in outdoor activities! We all went zip lining which was such a rush! All of us had such a great time doing it and it was so funny to see the nerves of everyone as they were about to go off the first zip line! There were 4 different lines to zip down all with great views. We also went horseback riding but it was a bit depressing because the horses were so skinny! I felt as if these horses couldn't even carry me! Afterwards, our last stop was at the hot springs where we applied mud facials. We failed to get in the hot springs though because we caught a glimpse of someone with ringworm sitting in it. We went back to our hotel to rinse our masks off.
Day8, Monday, May 26th, 2008: We all went to the El Valle clinic today which was an eye-opening experience. Fortunately, we had a doctor that was able to speak English to us that explained to us about the clinic. It was a hands on experience fulfilled with many shots to patients and Lindsay even got to do wound care! It wasn't a very clean clinic but they did use alcohol before giving injections! The disposal for sharps was what looked like an old, used, plastic bleach jug. They did use the sterile technique when cleaning the young boys wound! After the clinic we visited their market where they sold multiple things like cashews, fruit, veggies, and some souvenirs. After that we headed back to Panama City on the awful 2 hour bus ride that consisted of very bumpy and very winding roads. It was all worth it though!
Day 9, Tuesday, May 27th, 2008: WOW, what a trip today! We visited the Arraijan clinic and the amount of people in this clinic was unreal. There were people standing in the hallway and they were from all walks of life! Meaning men, women, children, teenagers...everyone needed some sort of health care. The part that was intriguing about this clinic when compared to home was all fields of health care were at one place. Including, General health, pediatricians, mental health, women's health, etc. The sanitation was even worse than at the El Valle clinic. The health care personal didn't use gloves for vaccinations and there was no running water anywhere at the clinic! That means infection, infection, infection. The bathrooms were shocking! You could not take a fresh breath inside them and there was actual feces on the grounds around the toilets. We had to take the bus elsewhere just to use the bathrooms. It was a great experience though because it really made me appreciate what I do have available at home!!!!

Monday May 26th - Christine Doherty

Yesterday we went on the zip line and horseback riding! It was a lot of fun, but by the end of the day we were very tired. We went to bed early, and woke up early this morning to work at the clinic in el valle. We saw the difference in sanitation, and it made me appreciate everything that we have in the United States. We gave injections, took vital signs, and observed the physical exams. Tonight we finished our presentation that we will be giving on HPV this week at a different clinic. We all worked hard putting this presentation together and now we are ready for bed. :-)

-Christine

Our trip to El Valle started off early as we headed on our two hour bus ride to get there. After many twists in turns through the mountains we arrived and we’re excited to get our day going. We began by ziplining through the rainforest. WOW is about all I can say. It was such a beautiful view and a huge adrenaline rush all at the same time. We were able to see a beautiful waterfall and lush plant life. After our exhilarating ziplining experience we decided to go horseback riding. We were able to see the mountains and just enjoy ourselves. For some, it was their first time on a horse. We then decided mud facials sounded like a fun thing to do! After all our adventures for the day we ended by having a nice dinner at our hotel together. We ate on the top floor and sat in hammocks and enjoyed our time relaxing. The next morning we headed off the El Valle clinic. It was a small rural clinic. It was such an eye opening experience. We were able to give injections, take vitals, perform wound care, and more. We learned a lot about their cultural practice in the public health care system and we are continuing to enjoy the new experiences we have each day. The doctors and nurses have been wonderful in sharing information about the health needs here in Panama. As we continue our clinical experiences here we hope to be as helpful as possible and take back to the States all that we have learned down here.

PS- photos to come!!

- Jessica Dorey

My first week

WOW is the phrase that comes to mind when I think of this first week. The amount of places we have seen is somewhat overwhelming but it just puts into perspective that this world is so much bigger than any one person can conquer.

Day 1, Monday, May 19th: Getting to our Hostal Amador was a shock. Walking in to the humidity of no air conditioning made me realize what I had gotten myself into. Then, the bedrooms were assigned and thank God there was air conditioning! This first night we just settled in and got a good night sleep because tomorrow we were starting off bright and early.
Day 2, Tuesday, May 20th: Today was Panama Canal day. We visited the visitors center at the Miraflores Locks which was very interesting. We got to watch the process of one huge ship go through and it wasn't a quick process whatsoever. It was a good experience to actually see the canal rise and fall and see the locks open and close. We didn't get just and ordinary visit though. We actually got to go on the locks as they were closed and take pictures. I felt special because usually only workers are allowed to be at the level of the locks! Then we went to "old town" which was the second city of Panama. That experience was so humbling because there were so many living conditions that you just would never expect people to live in. As we were walking , there was a little boy that came to his door in a diaper, a t shirt, and no shoes. Problem them was there was no door. It was simply an opening. Then I looked up and realized that their roof was roting. It made me think about how blessed I am to have a roof over my head with a door. In that perspective, the air conditioning is simply a luxury.
Day 3, Wednesday, May 21st: This day was a day for us to experience college here in Panama. First stop was the Universidad de Panama. Here, the nursing students start their education directly out of high school and all they take to get in are exams. There is no exit exam which means they have no certification or license. They just start once they graduate and the first to get hired are the male nurses which occupy about 16% of the Nursing student population. The cost of tuition per semester is only $50! We asked about the salary of a nurse and it is only about $600 a month starting out with a CAP of $2000 a month which takes about 30 years to get to. To earn that CAP you have to be a nurse manager. I find that very interesting because there are so many nurse managers in the States that are newly out of college themselves. We also visited the private university which was called Universidad Latina. It only had about 14 students per semester and went a duration of 8 semesters before one could graduate. The amount of credit hours they take per semester is amazing. The amount the first three semesters are about 29 hours and after that the lowest is about 19 hours. The cost of semesters there is $14000!
Day4, Thursday, May 22nd: Today we visited the City of Knowledge which was the old base for the American army when we had control of Panama. This place does so many things for Panama I could talk about it for days. One of the places there was something called UNICEF which has been one of my favorite things we visited. UNICEF main focus is children around the world and the health problems they endure. One of the big problems here in Panama is the amount of children living with AIDS/HIV. Mostly contracted from their mothers while delivering. Prior to recently testing amongst pregnant women was not required but now there is a law for it. It is becoming an endemic here in Panama though because there is just a stigma about AIDS/HIV. Often the health care personnel will not even give the tests and they are not penalized by the government because they do not have a form of regulation like the States do. It is a big problem that hopefully can be resolved. I would love to do work in a field like this and hopefully one day I can contribute to something like UNICEF.
Day 5, Friday, May 23rd: Today we visited the US embassy which I have to honestly say was nothing special. (forgive me teachers) The building and location was quite a site but the lecture we received did not pertain to nurses. The information was informative and was nice to know so I appreciated the experience. We then went and learned about disaster relief through the World Health Organization and I enjoyed that. I noticed that a lot of disasters occurred in 1985 which was the year I was born. I found that interesting because I was born during Hurricane Elaina. That was a busy year for this earth! Next stop was the Smithsonian Institute. I loved it because we got to see many creatures of the wild and plants. The best part was the view of the Pacific Ocean. Absolutely gorgeous. I swear the weather cleared up just in time to take amazing photos. God was looking over us. The tide was low so we got to walk out on rocks and take pictures. There were these pillars sticking up out of the ground that used to have building built on them. Come to find out, they used to be Quarantine houses for yellow fever. People were forced to go there and die and then the bodies were disposed of. Such a beautiful place but yet such unethical things happen there. Yet another humbling experience!

So I can definitely say this was an eventful week that I found to be fulfilled of amazing experiences. I am looking forward to the rest of experiences we will be enduring. This was a very long blog but it is mainly for my parents and grandparents. Without them I would not be here right now.
***Mom, Dad, Nanny, & Paw Paw: again, thank you so much! I will remember this for the rest of my life and am so grateful for the love you provide me. I cannot wait to see you and I love you all very much!

Panama Day 3 & 4

The group is having an awesome time so far! Even though we haven't even began our clinicals, we have already had some events that are changing the way we view things, and like Lindsay mentioned, have made us realize how much we really do have to be grateful for back home.

So for now, I'm just going to give a brief overview of our third and fourth days in Panama. Yesterday (Wednesday), we visited the University of Panama's nursing school (Universidad de Panama, Facultad de Enfermeria) and the Latin University of Panama's (Universidad Latina de Panama) nursing students. The schools were definitely different than our own College of Nursing in ways that one would expect, but what surprised me more was that there was so much of a difference between the two right in the same city here in Panama. The University of Panama is a public university, while the Latin University is private. The students at University of Panama pay less than $500 for the 4 years, while the Latin University students pay $14,000 for their 3.5 year track. We all know that money matters, so the differences in supplies and facilities differ at these two schools. None the less, they were both learning things similar to each other and to what we would learn at USF College of Nursing. We also met some great, welcoming people at both of these schools and have plans to go out on Saturday with the girls from the Latin University--should be fun!!

1. A picture of Shadae, Melissa, Tara, Caitlin, Tania, and Lindsay in next to the welcome sign that the University of Panama Nursing School made us!
2. A picture of the whole group along with the dean of the University of Panama Nursing School's Dean
3. Clinical manequins right in their lecture classroom

Today, we went to la Ciudad de Saber (the City of Knowledge) and had another amazing experience. This is one place that really is working to better the world. We were introduced to the Ciudad de Saber by one of the administrators who had AMAZING English skills. We had the chance to visit the UNICEF (United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund) Office and meet with a representative from UNAIDS (the committee of UNICEF that focuses on AIDS). This conversation was insightful for sure. We heard devastating stats about the HIV prevalence in Panama, but fortunately there are organizations going to better the situation. We also saw the USF Health office, yes USF is in Panama! We met the wonderful ladies that have helped coordinate our trip. The day was a good one and I look forward to going to the US embassy tomorrow!!

--Caitlin Brock

Day 3 Panama- Trip to the Universities

Our day started off nice and early as we headed off to the University of Panama. We arrived and were greeted by one of the administrators from their nursing program. We were blessed by her ability to speak English as she served as our interpreter throughout the day. The dean from their college of nursing then came and spoke to us. We meet in a lecture hall and were joined by fellow nursing students from the University of Panama. It was wonderful to feel so loved and welcomed. They were so excited to show us all of their facilities within the college of nursing. We saw some similarities between their facility and ours and of course we saw some differences. I think its wonderful to get another culture's perspective of health care and observe their way of learning and teaching. One fun fact we found out was the average cost for one semester at the University of Panama was only $50.00!!! WOW! A lot cheaper than in the States! We've all learned so much about the Panamanian culture already and we are eager to continue to learn more!!! After experiencing the University of Panama's nursing college, and their cafeteria food (which was only 50 cents per plate!), we headed off to the Latina University. The Latina University is a private college. Their college was quite different from the University of Panama. A lot smaller amount of nursing students and their technology was more advanced. It's $14,000 for the whole program at their college. Once again we were greeted by their dean and treated with so much respect and care. We were blessed again by some students who spoke English and were able to answer a lot of our questions. They were so nice we're going to be going out with them one night for dinner! Overall, it was an amazing day of experiencing another culture and their nursing programs. I believe all learned and are looking forward to the days to come!!!

PS- I love and miss all you guys back home! ( especially you mom and dad!!!)

Day 2 Pictures

please note the description for the pictures is in the opposite order from what they posted.

Day 2 - Panama Canal and City Tour

Hola!!!
Well Jason did an excellent job at filling everyone in on our arrival, so i decided to take this opportunity and talk about our experience during day two. As scheduled, all 14 girls, Jason, and our two instructors Ms.Gottel and Dr. Johnson-Mallard were ready to go bright and early at 9am for our journey through the city and to the Panama Canal. Our adventure started off with a stop at the Panama Canal. This is one thing I decided to research prior to traveling here just to simply understand the basic concept of traveling a ship from the Pacific to the Caribbean and vice versa, and it was absolutely everything I looked up and so much more. Our entire group took tons and tons of pictures, it was simply overwhelming. The one thing that stands out in my mind from the trip to the Panama Canal is the fact that our group was fortunate enough to get up close and personal to the Miraflores Lock. We were the only tourist who had the opportunity to get exclusive access to the locks, escorted by our new nurse companion from the Panama Canal Clinic. This experience was a once in a life time event and I am so fortunate enough that myself and fellow nursing students were able to experience.

p.s. wear tennis shoes to the Canal, 4 of us decided to wear flip flops, myself included, and we had to borrow a fellow nursing students shoes to have this opportunity.

Hours passed and many memories were captured at the Panama Canal, but it was time to say goodbye and travel on to have a historical and city tour, thanks to the help of Bianca, our tour guide, whom everyone adored. On our way to the old city of Panama to begin our tour, we stopped to grab a bit to eat at a restaurant off the causeway, called Mi Ranchito Restaurante. The food was excellent, I had fried shrimp and french fries, very American I know, but it was delicious. Other students ate either chicken, shrimp, or fish and chose from sides of french fries, fried plantain's, and white rice. Congrats to Shadae who ordered a whole fried fish and loved it!

Now the time had come, it was time to depart to begin our city tour. Bianca guided us through the Old City of Panama, a place that like any other had very run down apartments and buildings as well as newly restored ones. From this bus ride through the city, I felt as though many of my fellow students were in shock over the condition of some of the buildings and homes. Its especially hard to express in words just how run down and dilapidated these buildings were, but I can truly say it was an eye opening experience many realized how grateful we all should be to live in the United States. From the city tour the one point that stands out in my mind was being able to see the presidents home, aka "white house", his quarters, and his families residence. The gates were guarded by individuals I'm assuming were the Presidents security and our group had the opportunity to enter through and take pictures in front of the presidents house with the guards, and see inside his quarters through the front door, where there hung a huge Chandelier.
Moving on in the tour we walked the streets, enter shops and many of us purchased souvenirs to take home.
Overall, this was a very memorable day and filled with amazing opportunities many individuals never get to experience. This should fill everyone in on our time in Panama thus far, theres so much more to come. I know I can say for myself and I'm sure everyone else, We miss all our family and friends and hope all is well.

Buenas Noches (good night) - Lindsay

Pictures posted include: 1. Departure of the Panama Canal. 2. Group shot upon entrance to the Panama Canal. 3. Picture in front of Presidents House with guards. 4. Bridge that connects North America to South America. 5. Lock at Canal.

Team Volusia County

Monday morning came early for us all, very little sleep on Sunday night and an early departure on Monday morning lead to a very exhausting and LONG day. Small little factors such as a flat tire on the way to the airport couldn't stop the Panama Group from leaving on time. 4:15 am was extremely hard for us all, thankfully there was STARBUCKS to the rescue. A short little hop to Miami and then the waiting period began. 4 hours later we finally got to get on the plane heading for Panama. Battling customs in a foreign country was an interesting situation with a group of students that packed A LOT of bags for the trip. A fun bus trip through the city of Panama, and one quick stop off at the grocery store, we were at our destination, hostal amador. Getting situated and settling in for the night, with a quick dinner at the local cafe, leads us into the time for sleep....FINALLY. Good night to the group and all the family and friends involved.