We had such a good time on our dental humanitarian trip.
Dental Humanitarian Trip to Francisco Uh May Mexico - October 2023!
Some of our adventures included:
Luggage confiscated by Mexican authorities
Bribe to Mexican authorities to get luggage back
6 hour round trip to get luggage back from Mexican authorities
Giant lizards and cockroaches
Tons of mosquito bites
Snorkeling with turtles, stingrays, and beautiful fish
Mexican police with large guns patrolling hotel grounds at night
Octopus for lunch
Eating fish eye
Running on the beach and getting feet cut up
Chiggers from the sand
One Dentist caught Dengue Fever
Lots of dogs running around wild
Opening a new clinic in Francisco Uh May
Showed up our last morning to a huge line of patients wanting to be seen
556 total patients treated
Even more patients trained on oral hygiene
Wisdom tooth extraction with just local anesthetic (ouch!)
Saw soooo many cavities
Amazing ice cream
Sang a lot of disney songs and righteous brothers to distract the kiddos - no TVs or laughing gas
Dinner as a team each night trying out different restaurants in town. 1 with sand floor and swings as seats
Monkey/anteater/racoon animal
Running in humidity
“Supaaaaa” - we learned super is the same word in many languages. Taught to us by our friend from Germany that came to volunteer
17 total volunteers
8 days total
5 days in clinic
Ice cream for breakfast for the teenagers
Working with people from all ages, walks of life, and different countries
Pinata
Visit to Chichen Itza - one of the 7 wonders of the world
Snorkeling in a cenote
Families that returned with gifts and gratitude
Homemade tostadas from the Mayor’s secretary
Visit from the President of Tulum to thank us for treating his people
Playing hide and go seek in the airport on our long layover home
Sleep deprived but in other ways so fulfilled
Thoughts from Dr. Gardner: “I had a wonderful time helping the kids of Mexico. The children were amazing and so grateful for the service that we provided. I enjoyed teaming up with other volunteers that have big hearts, joined in the common goal of making the world a better place. It was really rewarding to work hard and to see how much we could help a town full of children over the course of a week. There’s so much need out there and it was a privilege to play a part in helping alleviate pain and promoting health around the world. It was a “super” experience and I look forward to doing it again.”
Thoughts from April: “It was such an amazing experience learning from the people in Mexico. I loved watching the sweet families that came to the clinic. They were so grateful for the dental care they were receiving. We worked with wonderful people from all over the US (and beyond) and it was a privilege to see how kind and caring they were with the children. Time away from the clinic was also very fun with these incredible people. I’m very grateful for such a wonderful experience.”
Thoughts from Natalie: “We all had sooo much fun and loved experiencing the culture, food, and especially helping the kids in Mexico. The country was beautiful, the people were warm and kind, and it was a fabulous experience to be able to help make a difference for the people there.”
Thoughts from Tyson (age 15): “We should have ice cream for breakfast every day. I enjoyed working with my dad on the humanitarian portion of the trip. It was fun getting to experience Mexican culture. I should have paid more attention in Spanish class.”
Thoughts from Lexi (age 13): “It was fun to serve together with people we didn’t know. By the time we went home, we felt like we had a family away from home. I loved that we could experience something different from our normal life and that we got to meet lots of new people. I now know what it means when my parents tell me I have a first world problem.”
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| Grandma is sooooo good to keep the kids again this year. |
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| Day of the dead bread or "dead bread" as we called it. |
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| My view point of Tyson while playing "signs" in the airport |
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