Tamra was the lucky one to be the first to see one of the hospital's resident rats today. Glad it was her and not me! The thing that is the hardest for me to get used to is the unsanitary conditions. Maybe that's because I'm cleaning most of the surgical instruments and the area is in a dark little corner with a sink where the water comes from a big barrel that sits next to the sink. I never feel like I'm getting things clean but at least they have a sterilizer that works well. There isn't any area in surgery where you can wash well and dry your hands. Nothing like any of us are used to! Thank goodness for hand sanitizer and wet wipes. Our meals have been very good here at the compound and we've tasted some excellent Nicaraguan dishes. The Nicaraguan people are very appreciative of our help and continually offer us their blessings for what we are doing here. Time is going fast and tomorrow might be our last day in surgery. We all have accomplished a lot and have worked well together as a team. We have also met a lot of neat people from the other teams who were helpful to us in the beginning to get us rolling. We are thankful to them for all their help. The last of the California team is leaving tomorrow and we wish them well. It was a pleasure meeting them and working along side them. Thank you to everyone who has shown an interest in our mission. Carolyn & Dean