bound for central america

i leave tomorrow for 13 days in a rural, mountainous town in southwest honduras. i will be going with 19 nursing, medical, and social work students (plus a few actual nurses, doctors, and social workers [me]). i am expecting this trip to be exhilarating, exhausting, and life-changing. i came across this quote from anthony bourdain, which i plan to share with our group:
"Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you- it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you… Hopefully, you leave something good behind."
this absolutely sums up my vision for this trip. i know we will have more good done for us than we will do for others and i know we will return bleary-eyed and conflicted about our privileges,  but i believe the gestalt of this trip will be something that will forever alter each of us.

this is a picture of the community where we will spend most of our time

p.s. i really hope the mark this trip leaves on my body is not in the form of chigger bites.