It’s been awhile. The holidays are long gone but I haven’t
done any cooking I desired to write about until these last 2 weeks. At the end
of February I went on a medical mission with Cascade Medical Team, http://www.cmt-oregon.org, to Guatemala. The
team itself had about 78 volunteers. The additional number of people
included military guards, interpreters and personnel from the parent
organization of our team HELPS: http://www.helpsintl.org . The team’s goal
is to provide medical care for the Mayan indigenous population in rural
Guatemala. We left on February 24 and returned on March 7.
I have no medical skills but I can cook. So I signed up for
the kitchen team. Officially, we are called Culinary. Much more prestigious if
you ask me, right up there with Julia and Jacque. There were 4 adults and 2
teenagers assigned to Culinary. Then we had a couple of ringers (those who had
served on the Culinary team in the past) who dropped in on various days to help
out. And a few other team members dropped in to help now and then. Plus two wonderful young Guatemalan women who kept our pots clean, the fruit sliced and the onions chopped.
I have cooked large meals. I did a lasagna dinner for 50,
once. I helped do a Mexican dinner for 50, once. There were meetings prior to
the trip. The team leaders gave an overview of the work but really you have no
idea what’s about to happen until you get there. A lot of the meals and days
are a blur. The following may not be totally accurate but by the end of the
week I was so tired and happy it doesn’t really matter.
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| Arriving at the Clinic |
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| Dining Area |
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| The Kitchen |
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| Setting up Lunch |
