Saturday, September 25, 2010
Market day
Dulcine was slowed by market on Friday, but it was well worth it to
enjoy the sights,sounds, and yes even smells!
A patient with a dislocated left shoulder
dislocated shoulder on my iPhone and found a utube demonstrating the
process. Hooray for technology!
How great thou art
"how great thou art" in Creole as we opened our day on thursday I'm
prayer. Just listen, it's lovely, but don't look too hard as I was
accidentally holding my iPhone upside down so noone would get offended
that I was taking video.
Dulcine
Wednesday, we travelled outside Goniaves into a more rural community,
Dulcine, for clinic Thursday and Friday. This was the scene upon our
arrival at 7am... Folks had been waiting since the wee hours of the
morning. The patients/villagers are in the forground and the school/
church we used as a clinic is past the people... It is a thatched hut
with a tin roof. This part of Haiti is very dry and dessert like, much
like Africa or the American southwest.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Comi relief
I had seen some heavy stuff earlier (two kids with structural heart
disease who need surgery but there's no pediatric heart surgeon here
as well as a mother of seven so depressed that she's neglecting her 4
month old). The one in shades is 8 "Christina" and the one with the
doll is 11 "precious". They giggled and frolicked the entire time they
were here. Despite their living a 20minute walk away and the fact that
they and their mom were in line at 4am to be seen today, they looked
so pretty in their Sunday best!
Tears after cerumen disimpaction
for doll. Donated by VItas hospice folks! Thanks!
Monday, September 20, 2010
My own back yard
"cross-cultural" polination that i am always struck and frankly
humbled when I am reminded of our collective humanity. Sitting
outside Trinity Presbyterian Church this afternoon here in Gonaives
was one such time.
After a great first day in clinic (we saw 160-ish patients, saw
some interesting diseases like filariasis, and made some new friends)
and as dinner was simmering, our team and our native hosts lounged in
the yard and watched the sunset. A storm was rolling in and there was
a rainbow off in the distance. We revelled in the breeze, marvelled at
the rainbow, laughed about and analyzed our day as a kitten curled up
beneath Bill's feet and children played and laughed in the distance.
The sounds and smells strangely reminded me of my childhood in West
Virginia on a summer evening and I felt at home.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
On the road to Gonaives
roads on the main street had been torn up to "assess" the plumbing.
Really? And we can't find shelter for a million nationals still.
Oh well. We backed it up and went down some side streets to get to our
compound (essaie's church and property). Did you knowthat this city
(Gonaives) is the birth pls e of Haitian independance? Toussant
l'overture led the Haitians to freedom from the French and their
declaration of independance was signed here. The French charged this
country 14 million for its freedom (too expensive.... Even for
something French) setting into motion a cycle of debt and poverty.