In preparation for your
participation in the Cabo mission clinic, I am sending thoughts
before your departure for the sake of clarity. The project
remains a "work in progress" and as I bring Teams, I have
learned that some aspects require greater clarity to avoid
misunderstandings. While I hope that none of these thoughts will
be surprising (if not entirely obvious) I have come to
appreciate that it isn't always the case. This is my best effort
to make sure we are on the same page during your time here!
1. Transportation. In the past our groups needed
two cars to get around to and from the hotel and clinic. If you
decide to rent a car, I'd recommend that you shop around for the
best price. It is highly recommended to get FULL
insurance. Even if your credit card says it will
cover your insurance, the Mexican laws are different and it is
advisable to get the full insurance package. It is expensive,
but (in my opinion) worth it. For a standard vehicle (like a
Nissan Sentra) the cost is usually $40/day, which includes full
insurance. NOTE: more recently, groups have become
increasingly dependent on Ubers since they are cheaper than
renting. I think it's a pretty good idea, but diminishes your
flexibility. If you are staying at the RIU, you will need to
drive into town each time, since it is not "walkable." This is
entirely up to you to decide.
2. Social activities. The entire group is not
attached at the hip. We don’t do everything together and there
is no implication if some decide to "pass" on a given activity.
There should be no hurt feelings or sense of rejection if some
people take a side trip, go bar-hopping, want to para-sail while
others do not. Groups have time with each other at the clinic as
well as some of the meals, but I recommend each person do
whatever he/she wishes without expectations of others' wishes.
My goal is for each person to have a wonderful volunteer
experience and some vacation time and that can take on many
different forms. It’s good to agree that some things are shared
and others are not.
3. Dinner bills are difficult. When we eat together (if
you choose to eat somewhere other than the RIU) waiters are NOT
very good there about splitting bills-- they usually present a
group with one bill so that everyone is trying to figure
out how much she/he owes. Some people have pesos, others have
dollars and still others have a VISA (when it is accepted) so
the end-of-dinner ordeal can be trying. Previous groups have
asked if the bill can be split and have had some luck, but
generally not. It is very helpful if groups pay together and
then figure it out later. Some groups have literally sat at
tables for a half hour trying to determine who owes what!
4. Clinic equipment and materials. The clinic has been
set up according Dr. Psaltis's normal office materials and
equipment. That may not include everything that your Team
uses in your office, so it is appreciated if everyone can
be flexible and figure out a way to "make do" with what
is there. It has taken lots of energy and time (and cost) to
make the clinic a possibility and the focus is on the children
who come to see us, not on which little widget is missing or
which material a person wishes he/she had. Everything that is
necessary to accomplish excellent pediatric dental procedures is
here, but the clinic isn't a replica of yours. If you have any
“must have’s” please let Dr. Psaltis know, but as a rule, you
will find that the clinic is rather well equipped. I do
recommend you bring your own loupes (if you normally use them)
and your own masks (since there are so many variations with
pink/blue, over-the-ear/cup, etc). The clinic is now stocked
with plenty of N95 masks due to COVID, so if they are your
"norm," you won't need to bring any. There are NO gowns or
jackets in case you normally use them. If you want them, you
will need to bring your own. There are gloves there, but it is
difficult to stock small/medium/ large in
nitrile/latex/powderless, etc, so these are also items you
may want to bring one box for each person to suit everyone's
specific needs. The local dental supply house is actually
well stocked, but does not always have exactly what is needed.
We had a Dry Shield system donated, but we discovered that it
over-taxed the compressor and it will no longer be available.
There is rubber dam for isolation and we do occasionally have
patients who need only sealants and we also have dri-angles and
cotton rolls, so I hope you will find a way to operate in the
existing facility without difficulties.
5. Scheduling is erratic but getting much better. The
clinic is a work in progress. It is typically busy and efforts
were made to show the ADLN staff members who call the parents
how to best arrange appointments. Up until now, there has been
no considerations given to booking children, no matter the age,
no matter the procedure. Hopefully things will continue to
improve with the younger children in the morning and older ones
in the afternoon. I am also encouraging most restorative visits
in the morning and the “recalls” (as many children have now had
their care completed) in the afternoons. There are occasionally
times when a busload of children fails to show, so that there is
an hour or so of dead time. We have no control over this, so you
must be understanding of some of these limitations should this
situation arise during your stay. The hope is that the schedule
will improve each time groups go down, but you will typically be
busy no matter what. Normally about 3o children are seen per
day, but this can vary from about 18 to 40! Again, there
doesn't seem to be a predictable way to control this.
6. It is helpful if people coming down can read through Dr.
Psaltis's Cabo guide, which appears on his website (www.psaltis.info). It has lots of information
about restaurants, things to do, etc, so that people can, at
some level, plan out their stay, including which places sound
most interesting to them. There are a couple of places that are
considered "musts" but also many, many that can please various
tastes and budgets, so it's a good idea to at least familiarize
yourselves. You might want to print off a single copy, which
would give everyone some reading material on the flight.
7. At the strong recommendation of one of the previous
volunteers, it is a good idea to bring a cell phone that has
a Mexico plan to enable you to access google maps. When
using an Uber, Gay can give you the coordinates to tell the
driver, as the CSL clinic is in a neighborhood and not a "known"
location without help.
8. Speaking Spanish is not essential. It is helpful, but
not critical. There are a couple of sheets with important
phrases that the non-Spanish speakers can study and learn. Very
often, those who have gone have said that they wished they had
known more Spanish. As we all know as pediatric practitioners,
it is our ability to communicate with the children that drives
our visits. Knowing a few key phrases and words makes a
difference.
9. Regarding money, it is best if you have a credit card
that you can use internationally without a fee attached. The
best rates you will get are with a credit card. However, some
places only accept pesos, so bringing an ATM card is also a good
idea. Dollars are accepted almost everywhere, but with the
fluctuating exchange rate most restaurants do NOT convert their
charges at the most recent rates. For example, a restaurant may
present a bill to you for 200 pesos (which at the February, 2022
exchange rate) would be $9.70 in American dollars. However, they
will give you the option of paying the bill in pesos (200) or in
dollars, but at the rate of (for example) 16 pesos/dollar, so
that you end up paying $12.50. This may not be a big deal in
situations like this, but for bigger bills, it can run the costs
up. I do not recommend getting pesos ahead of time, as the US
banks will sell them to you at a far lower rate than you can get
them at ATM machines in Mexico.
10. The airport. You will go through immigration and
then pick up your luggage. When going through customs, you must
each go individually, not as a group. You will be asked on
the customs entry form (on the airplane) if you have brought
any professional materials or samples and you should say “no.” In the airport customs
area you will push a button that will either light up green or
red. If it is green, you are good to pass through without
further stops. If it is red, they will open your bags and look
through them. If they find anything that may appear unusual
(like gloves) you should have a good response prepared,
such as they are for your personal use or could be for “allergy
issues,” etc. You do not want to say
they are for dental work! If you say that, the material(s)
will be confiscated and/or you can be asked to pay duties on
them. It is for this reason that I suggest you minimize any
dental gear you bring. Once through the customs area, you will
then pass through two rooms that are filled with salesmen who
will claim to want to help you with taxis, etc. Keep your eyes
down (to avoid eye contact) and walk through both rooms. There
are taxis and shuttle buses available and if you are renting a
car, you will find the agent for your company waiting just
outside the doors.
11. Work schedule: typically groups work from about 9:00
until about 2:30-3:00, but this varies from day to day. There is
no form of sedation, but the children are really quite
cooperative. Most groups arrive on a Wednesday, work Thurs-Fri,
have the weekend off and then work Mon-Tues. There is plenty of
time in the afternoons and weekend to relax, shop, sight-see,
etc.
12. Lunches are provided on working days by the Amigos de los
Niños (the non-profit that owns the clinics) and are delicious.
There are also grocery stores to buy snack items (for the work
days) but otherwise you will either eat at the clinic (work
days) and decide to eat at the RIU or go out to dinner.
Breakfast is included at the hotel that is provided by the
non-profit. If you choose to stay at Playa Grande, you will need
to purchase breakfast items at the grocery.
13. Passports. Please be sure everyone has a passport.
“Enhanced drivers licenses” do not work for flights into Mexico.
I just learned this one with one of the previous groups!
14. Safety. I feel entirely safe in Cabo, so I would
suggest that you not make that a concern at all. All groups have enjoyed the
experience and I’m confident you will, too, but as “issues”
arise, I came to realize that I needed to prepare the groups a
bit more than I had. Hopefully with the thoughts here, you will
have a clearer idea of the how the days go by.