So I have seriously been putting off writing this blog, but I need to just get some thoughts down on paper (or computer screen). I apologize if this is long and/or very jumbled.
I read an article that Relevant had in their most recent issue on my first flight from TUL to MIA. It is actually a really good article if you are at all interested in the history and current state of Haiti http://www.relevantmagazine.com/digital-issue-46
One quote from this article said, "This is not reconstruction-it's construction". Another quote, "Some of the reports I heard about the chaos, well, that's just the way Haiti normally is. Being used to that, I guess it was often easy to overlook the earthquake."
If there is one word I could use to describe most aspects of Haiti, it would be "chaos" or on a lighter note, "disorganization." I was in an area of the country that was not directly affected by the earthquake and it was highly disorganized and things that are simple in the US are difficult in Haiti (transportation, electricity, water, etc).
I have been to other third world countries (Jamaica, Venezuela, Mexico), but none of them compares to the poverty that I encountered in Haiti. It seemed more normal there to not have electricity than to actually have it. It was so dark at night. Seeing the people bathe in the river leads me to believe that most people don't have running water. I also noticed what seemed to be a bathroom just outside of the hospital that had hours posted on the front, so I am assuming a lot of people don't even have that at their houses. Limited access to health care- I had one man tell me that he fractured his leg a long time ago and instead of going to a doctor, someone made him some sort of homemade brace.
Change, how does it happen? As a disclaimer, this is my opinion from my limited time in Haiti and my limited communication with people there. I think (like most things) that change must happen from the inside out. There is definitely a culture of "this is just the way it is", and "degage-do the best with what you have". These can both be very positive, but sometimes it can cause you to not take action to change anything.
Another aspect of the culture is that I noticed is one of handouts. I did not notice this as much in the clinic, but I did with people on the streets. They almost have this notion that if you are white, you are supposed to help. I was told a few stories from some of the people who are there full time that helped confirm this. Apparently, if there is an accident of any sort on the roads motorcycle, bicycle, etc, if there is a white person involved, he is automatically at fault and owes the Haitian money.
A couple examples of this on my own. One boy said he wanted to be "our friend", but quickly after meeting us was asking us to help him find a laptop. He made it sound like he would try to raise the money, but quickly it seemed like he wanted us to give him a laptop. Another guy asked us to help him find a translator job, which is exactly what you would like to hear, "help me help myself", I am all for that. However, he came to the clinic and while I was working with a patient, he basically said, if the translator job doesn't work out, I would like to ask you to pay for my school. I admire his desire to go to school (this is definitely what a lot of people need), but there is an element of I just want someone to get me there rather than working hard to get there. One good thing about both of these boys is that they were thinking more forward. One was thinking about a laptop to research things and another was thinking about school. This, from what I understand, is also rare. Most Haitians think about how to survive right now, not so much about what will help me in the long run. A lot of what they do is "survival". This is why 80-90% of Haiti is deforested, because they don't think about the long term consequences.
I think this culture of "take care of me" and living on handouts is most likely rooted in their culture of slavery. Unfortunately, that is how the country started, as a place to import African slaves. The article explained that to pay the debt owed to France for their independence, the Haitian government closed all schools and stopped investments in infrastructure. This is horribly sad, because the country and the people have definitely suffered because of it.
If I sit and think about all the needs, where to start, how to help, how to "save" Haiti, I can get very overwhelmed. I know I don't have the answer, but thankfully, my God is big and he is not overwhelmed by it all.
I have been wrestling with what is my role? I can't claim ignorance now that I have seen. It reminds me of a song written by Brooke Fraser called Albertine. It is about her trip to Rwanda and more specifically, a girl named, Albertine
"Rwanda
Now that I have seen
I am responsible
Faith without deeds is dead
Now that I have held you
In my own arms
I cannot let go till you are... "
"I will tell the world
I will tell them where I've been
I will keep my word
I will tell them, Albertine"
Now that I have seen, I am responsible. Those are powerful words. I am responsible to pray, I am responsible to give, I am responsible to tell about the people, tell their stories, tell about their needs. I am responsible to support the full time workers there. I am still praying and considering my specific role in Haiti, am I supposed to go for longer next time? Am I supposed to mobilize more people to go and give? Am I supposed to invest my time there more long term? All of this is so hard to know.
It has really been difficult to come from a land of such poverty to a land of such affluence. Some things here seem so frivolous. I sat yesterday on a pier in Miami watching college kids party on big, fancy boats. I drove past the fancy shops of Nordstrom, Saks, etc. Almost every other car here is a Mercedes or BMW. The homes here are so fancy and flashy.
I really hope and pray that I don't just go back to my normal life and forget all about my experiences, the people I met, and the need in Haiti. I pray that I stay thoughtful and prayerful about Haiti and my role there.
Thank you so much for your prayers for me and for Haiti. I could not have had this experience and helped the people without your support and prayers.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Picking up where I left off
This might be kind of difficult to do, because I have spent a lot of time thinking, talking, praying, etc, but I am going to try to pick up where I left off with last nights thoughts before I was rudely interrupted by the bugs. I am serious, this bug was dive bombing my computer screen last night (yes, I was inside, there are lots of bugs inside, it is hard to prevent them when the place is very open, lots of ants, beetles, moths, a few cockroaches, and lizards and frogs-more on this later)
So, the morning was stressful at work, the drive was absolutely insane, and the beach was peaceful and calm. I wish I could try to describe the difference I felt right as I got out of the truck. I really felt like we had gone somewhere completely different when we arrived at the beach. June explained that this place is lovely, but there is nothing to support it (economically speaking). I was very thankful time at the beach and even the crazy journey getting there because it helped me to experience a little more of Haiti.
I think after that journey, I had a lot more questions than answers. I got the opportunity to talk with Marvin and some with June about the Haitian people, their history, their needs, etc. (I plan to tackle my take on the situation, needs, etc in a separate blog). I really treasured my time talking with Marvin, June, and others who live there full-time. I wish I had more time with them and more time in Haiti overall. One week was just not enough.
Ok, back to the journey, so the beach was lovely, then we headed back the same way we came, but this time it was dark. In a lot of places, it was very dark as most of the people do not have electricity. You could see an occasional light here and there, but no street lights or anything the majority of the way home. We stopped at a gas station where there was music blazing and bright lights. This was a full service station as I assume most of them are as it is a way for locals to make a living and get tips. When we got into the city of Les Cayes there were tons of people in the streets, in parking lots, some selling things, some just standing around. Marvin explained that before the earthquake, Les Cayes was pretty peaceful in the evening as people would turn in pretty early, but since the earthquake there are so many people that hang out late and a lot of people who really don't have anywhere to go. After another trip down the scary fast road with lots of motorcycles, we turned off onto the neighborhood road towards the house.
The rest of the evening was pretty uneventful with showering, packing, and blogging. Ok, I think I will write more tomorrow, I will try to post my pics tonight. Thanks for reading!
So, the morning was stressful at work, the drive was absolutely insane, and the beach was peaceful and calm. I wish I could try to describe the difference I felt right as I got out of the truck. I really felt like we had gone somewhere completely different when we arrived at the beach. June explained that this place is lovely, but there is nothing to support it (economically speaking). I was very thankful time at the beach and even the crazy journey getting there because it helped me to experience a little more of Haiti.
I think after that journey, I had a lot more questions than answers. I got the opportunity to talk with Marvin and some with June about the Haitian people, their history, their needs, etc. (I plan to tackle my take on the situation, needs, etc in a separate blog). I really treasured my time talking with Marvin, June, and others who live there full-time. I wish I had more time with them and more time in Haiti overall. One week was just not enough.
Ok, back to the journey, so the beach was lovely, then we headed back the same way we came, but this time it was dark. In a lot of places, it was very dark as most of the people do not have electricity. You could see an occasional light here and there, but no street lights or anything the majority of the way home. We stopped at a gas station where there was music blazing and bright lights. This was a full service station as I assume most of them are as it is a way for locals to make a living and get tips. When we got into the city of Les Cayes there were tons of people in the streets, in parking lots, some selling things, some just standing around. Marvin explained that before the earthquake, Les Cayes was pretty peaceful in the evening as people would turn in pretty early, but since the earthquake there are so many people that hang out late and a lot of people who really don't have anywhere to go. After another trip down the scary fast road with lots of motorcycles, we turned off onto the neighborhood road towards the house.
The rest of the evening was pretty uneventful with showering, packing, and blogging. Ok, I think I will write more tomorrow, I will try to post my pics tonight. Thanks for reading!
Friday, August 20, 2010
Stark Contrast
This day is definitely a day of contrasts or opposites or extremes, however you would like to call it. Today began very busy. We knew that we only had a half day to see our patients, because June wanted me to get a chance to see a different side of Haiti before I left. I really appreciated it, because up to this point, all I had seen was the neighborhood around the hospital and guest house. I figured that I would not even have a chance to see much because of the timing of things, so this was a great surprise!
So anyway, it started out very busy this morning with returning patients and new patients. I was running way late for lunch (they run a strict schedule for meals here) and then right as I was about to leave, another PT came in with a small 3 year old boy whose leg had been run over by a bicycle. She wasn't sure if he had fractured it or torn some ligaments. So I took a look at him, then a few others did, then off to the xray room he went and off to lunch I went. He ended up fracturing his tibia and fibula near the knee, so he had to get casted. I also did not have time to finish my documentation, so I went back to the clinic earlier than the meet up time to do so.
It took awhile for us to leave cause June had quite a few loose ends to tie up before we left. Me, Sarah, Heidi, and Marvin climbed in the bed of the truck and then June, Carmen, and Cindy were in the cab. The best way to sum up the drive is "Praise God I am alive!" There is absolutely no order on the streets, no stop signs, no yield signs, I saw one traffic light and one round-a-bout the whole (45 min drive). There are tons of people on motorcycles and they pass you on the left, the right, wherever they please. There were quite a few speed bumps called "Police couche" "sleeping police" in Creole, but that was the only thing that made anyone slow down. Also, did I mention there are people walking everywhere and a lot of times they don't even get out of the way. On the way back (in the dark), June had to slam on her breaks because a guy was walking in the middle of the road and then he got mad at us and even hit the side of the truck with his hand! On the way out there an SUV was riding our bumper like crazy, then he eventually passed us, which was also scary, cause he got soo close!
Ok enough about the crazy drive, I will try to describe what I saw, heard, and smelled. Lots of markets alongside the streets, lottery stands (Marvin says the lottery is huge here, this speaks a lot of the culture, which I will explain later), tombstones randomly in people's yards, A LOT of people bathing in the river (they apparently bathe everyday around 2-3 pm), people carrying all kinds of objects on their heads (water, sticks, etc), people yelling at us (because we are white, not because we are in the back of a truck), huge brightly painted buses, trash everywhere, one guy making kissing noises, another one dancing a bit provocatively (to put it nicely), smells of burning (wood, plastic, trash, etc), exhaust smells (honestly, I think the smells made me more sick to my stomach than the drive, but it is hard to determine), and then a beautiful countryside and a few great views of the ocean, some Haitians dancing and playing the drums, singing, and I am sure there is more, but that is what I can remember at 11pm. So we go through all this chaos to a little slice of paradise in the country.
The beach is called Port Salut. When you get there, you order your food because it takes 2 hours to prepare (really fresh fish and lobster). They have these nice huts with chairs set up underneath, a bar on the beach, and even some guesthouses yYou can rent for an evening or two. When we arrived there, there were only 2 other people on the whole beach other than employees. It was amazing! Apparently, Haitians don't really like the beach. The majority of people we saw there were not natives. This place was so peaceful, relaxing, and calm, I can see why the full-time people like to come here for some R and R. I will be posting pictures once I get to the US. Anyway, I ordered some yummy lobster and it came with fries, plantains, avocados, and rice with this yummy sauce. I also had the Haitian mixed drink: Rum and punch, it was good! (I made sure and had June order it with less rum and more punch...haha). Anyway, I spent about 15 min in the water and then Heidi, Sarah, and I went exploring. Since no one goes to the beach, there were tons of great finds in terms of shells and starfish..I didn't bring it with me, but there was a HUGE starfish washed up on the beach.
Ok, I am cutting this short because the bugs are swarming my computer and it's late. I will write more tomorrow.
Thanks for reading!
So anyway, it started out very busy this morning with returning patients and new patients. I was running way late for lunch (they run a strict schedule for meals here) and then right as I was about to leave, another PT came in with a small 3 year old boy whose leg had been run over by a bicycle. She wasn't sure if he had fractured it or torn some ligaments. So I took a look at him, then a few others did, then off to the xray room he went and off to lunch I went. He ended up fracturing his tibia and fibula near the knee, so he had to get casted. I also did not have time to finish my documentation, so I went back to the clinic earlier than the meet up time to do so.
It took awhile for us to leave cause June had quite a few loose ends to tie up before we left. Me, Sarah, Heidi, and Marvin climbed in the bed of the truck and then June, Carmen, and Cindy were in the cab. The best way to sum up the drive is "Praise God I am alive!" There is absolutely no order on the streets, no stop signs, no yield signs, I saw one traffic light and one round-a-bout the whole (45 min drive). There are tons of people on motorcycles and they pass you on the left, the right, wherever they please. There were quite a few speed bumps called "Police couche" "sleeping police" in Creole, but that was the only thing that made anyone slow down. Also, did I mention there are people walking everywhere and a lot of times they don't even get out of the way. On the way back (in the dark), June had to slam on her breaks because a guy was walking in the middle of the road and then he got mad at us and even hit the side of the truck with his hand! On the way out there an SUV was riding our bumper like crazy, then he eventually passed us, which was also scary, cause he got soo close!
Ok enough about the crazy drive, I will try to describe what I saw, heard, and smelled. Lots of markets alongside the streets, lottery stands (Marvin says the lottery is huge here, this speaks a lot of the culture, which I will explain later), tombstones randomly in people's yards, A LOT of people bathing in the river (they apparently bathe everyday around 2-3 pm), people carrying all kinds of objects on their heads (water, sticks, etc), people yelling at us (because we are white, not because we are in the back of a truck), huge brightly painted buses, trash everywhere, one guy making kissing noises, another one dancing a bit provocatively (to put it nicely), smells of burning (wood, plastic, trash, etc), exhaust smells (honestly, I think the smells made me more sick to my stomach than the drive, but it is hard to determine), and then a beautiful countryside and a few great views of the ocean, some Haitians dancing and playing the drums, singing, and I am sure there is more, but that is what I can remember at 11pm. So we go through all this chaos to a little slice of paradise in the country.
The beach is called Port Salut. When you get there, you order your food because it takes 2 hours to prepare (really fresh fish and lobster). They have these nice huts with chairs set up underneath, a bar on the beach, and even some guesthouses yYou can rent for an evening or two. When we arrived there, there were only 2 other people on the whole beach other than employees. It was amazing! Apparently, Haitians don't really like the beach. The majority of people we saw there were not natives. This place was so peaceful, relaxing, and calm, I can see why the full-time people like to come here for some R and R. I will be posting pictures once I get to the US. Anyway, I ordered some yummy lobster and it came with fries, plantains, avocados, and rice with this yummy sauce. I also had the Haitian mixed drink: Rum and punch, it was good! (I made sure and had June order it with less rum and more punch...haha). Anyway, I spent about 15 min in the water and then Heidi, Sarah, and I went exploring. Since no one goes to the beach, there were tons of great finds in terms of shells and starfish..I didn't bring it with me, but there was a HUGE starfish washed up on the beach.
Ok, I am cutting this short because the bugs are swarming my computer and it's late. I will write more tomorrow.
Thanks for reading!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
So many needs, So few resources
I am very pensive today. Today was a little rougher for me mentally and physically. We went to the Bernice Johnson Center for Women with Disabilities. It is basically a small apartment complex with some rehab items on site. These ladies live here and they also learn to crochet and knit and their stuff is sold in the US. I wish I would have had my camera with me so that you could see the living conditions. They are good for Haiti, but they are definitely not good to US standards. They basically have to go to the bathroom in port-a-potty and take showers in a tent. They are actually well taken care of with women to help with getting around, cooking, and cleaning.
Anyway, here I had a difficult time trying to communicate with a patient. Communicating things to patients about their condition is difficult enough in English, I feel somewhat helpless with a translator, because he is unable to communicate my emotions effectively. Anyway, that was taxing and a lot of times you see how far these people are from getting "rehabilitated" it is a bit overwhelming. This patient has a external fixator in her lower leg started just below the leg, she recently fell, was flown to PAP to have a good doctor examine her, and then flown back. This poor lady has been in an external fixator since January!! Long story short, the doctor told her that she needs to start putting weight through her leg because she is developing osteoporosis (she is probably in her 20's or 30's). So, today she says, "I need to go to the bathroom", so I said ok, then as she was walking (with steps approximately six inches long), I decided to make it therapy and walk with her (the whole process took about 45 minutes). Unbeknownst to me, the bathroom is an outhouse about 300 feet away!! The lady was barefoot and was scared to wear shoes (I think because she fell while wearing her shoes), so her poor feet were getting burnt by the hot concrete. I finally convinced her to let me put on the shoe after she was done using the restroom. Then, as we were walking back, I find out that this is the first time that she has walked since January (and used the actual bathroom)!! I said, "Wow! C'est tres bon (that's very good) and then asked What motivated you to do that?!" She said, "The doctor told me to start putting weight through my leg".
This is a prime example of the personality of a lot of these people here. Talk about motivation and determination!! It is another example of the poor quality of doctors that work in Haiti. There is no reason for her to have not been putting weight through her leg by now. WAY TOO LONG (In the states, you leave them on for maybe 6-8 weeks). All this is frustrating and really makes me feel overwhelmed with the size of the need here. God drastically needs to intervene here. June says that a lot of people say "If God wills it" about Haiti getting out of its current state, which she completely agrees that it will take an act of God to help this country, but she said that she sometimes gets tired of people saying that because they end up not doing anything to help with the change.
So anyway, lots of things on my mind. How do you provoke change? How can Haiti be saved? How can we effectively help the patients here, the ones we are in contact with? What happens when they leave the hospital? A lot of them have no home to return to. How can the clinic be more organized? How can the people receive good continuity of care when people are coming in and out all the time?
Anyway, thanks for reading my rant. I know I need to spend some time praying about all these things.
Anyway, here I had a difficult time trying to communicate with a patient. Communicating things to patients about their condition is difficult enough in English, I feel somewhat helpless with a translator, because he is unable to communicate my emotions effectively. Anyway, that was taxing and a lot of times you see how far these people are from getting "rehabilitated" it is a bit overwhelming. This patient has a external fixator in her lower leg started just below the leg, she recently fell, was flown to PAP to have a good doctor examine her, and then flown back. This poor lady has been in an external fixator since January!! Long story short, the doctor told her that she needs to start putting weight through her leg because she is developing osteoporosis (she is probably in her 20's or 30's). So, today she says, "I need to go to the bathroom", so I said ok, then as she was walking (with steps approximately six inches long), I decided to make it therapy and walk with her (the whole process took about 45 minutes). Unbeknownst to me, the bathroom is an outhouse about 300 feet away!! The lady was barefoot and was scared to wear shoes (I think because she fell while wearing her shoes), so her poor feet were getting burnt by the hot concrete. I finally convinced her to let me put on the shoe after she was done using the restroom. Then, as we were walking back, I find out that this is the first time that she has walked since January (and used the actual bathroom)!! I said, "Wow! C'est tres bon (that's very good) and then asked What motivated you to do that?!" She said, "The doctor told me to start putting weight through my leg".
This is a prime example of the personality of a lot of these people here. Talk about motivation and determination!! It is another example of the poor quality of doctors that work in Haiti. There is no reason for her to have not been putting weight through her leg by now. WAY TOO LONG (In the states, you leave them on for maybe 6-8 weeks). All this is frustrating and really makes me feel overwhelmed with the size of the need here. God drastically needs to intervene here. June says that a lot of people say "If God wills it" about Haiti getting out of its current state, which she completely agrees that it will take an act of God to help this country, but she said that she sometimes gets tired of people saying that because they end up not doing anything to help with the change.
So anyway, lots of things on my mind. How do you provoke change? How can Haiti be saved? How can we effectively help the patients here, the ones we are in contact with? What happens when they leave the hospital? A lot of them have no home to return to. How can the clinic be more organized? How can the people receive good continuity of care when people are coming in and out all the time?
Anyway, thanks for reading my rant. I know I need to spend some time praying about all these things.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Interesting Facts
Things that I am learning about Haiti and the Haitians:
1. You can’t sleep past 6 AM even if you try, because the roosters crow outside your window.
2. It storms almost every night here.
3. The thunder is very loud, so loud that I had to wear earplugs last night to sleep
4. Haitians don’t like to get out in the rain as evidenced by there being no patients when we first got to the clinic this morning. It also rained again in the afternoon and the patients stayed away..kinda funny
5. It takes longer to do things here and often times you seem very busy, but look back and realize you did not do near as much as you would have done in the US. I seem really busy here, but I see A LOT fewer patients.
6. Degage- we were told this term means “doing what you can”. Often times, I feel this way, because I feel like I don’t know exactly what I am doing, but I am doing the best I can with the available resources.
7. Other than walking, the main transportation around here is motorcycles and bicycles
8. They really do balance objects on their head to transport them.
9. They seem very interested in photos once you have taken them. I had a couple of them sit and watch me go through the pics on my camera
10. Most of them have great voices and they enjoy singing. Today, Lynda (a patient) tried to convince me to sing for her. I tried to explain to her that I did not sing well, but she didn’t care. I am supposed to sing a song for her tomorrow..should be interesting
11. The people really do take things in stride, many times patients wait for a long time before getting treatment, casted, etc, but they never seem to get upset. No one has any sort of entitlement attitude like most Americans do.
12. A week is definitely not long enough to experience the culture and build relationships, I am pretty bummed that I did not arrange to stay longer, because I am enjoying it and I feel like I am missing out on a lot by leaving after one week.
13. If you have power, you have generators, batteries, inverters, etc.
I know there are more things, but I will write them as I think of them.
Overall, today was another good day. It started off slowly because of the down pour we had. Thankfully, June picked us up this morning so we didn’t have to walk in the rain and mud. One very exciting thing that I got to do today was walk with my patient, Rita (the one whose story I told earlier). She asked me if she could walk back to her room with her cane rather than being wheeled up in her wheelchair. She walked all the way up the stairs to her room with minimal assistance on the stairs; it was great! You could tell that she was really excited as well. Other patients were also cheering her on, very cool!
We are enjoying our time getting to know the other folks staying at the guesthouse as well. There is one Haitian family from PAP staying here, a husband, wife, and 3 children. He is a minister and seems to be just taking a short furlough here with his family. They are very warm and friendly. There is another group of two men with their sons here. They are both ministers coming to speak at a conference.
We walked around the neighborhood tonight after dinner and went further than we have before. There is a small market where people are selling things from stick huts lit with the small propane cans that you put under catering dishes. We saw cooked food, fruit, snacks, and even a laundry place (we think).
I can’t believe I only have 2 more working days here. The day itself seems long, but when I think about how quickly I am going to leave, it seems very short.
It continues to be a very pleasant experience for me even though I have definitely felt stretched with the treatments (I have never worked with people with amputations before) and with the disorganization. I can easily see myself coming back and helping on a regular basis.
1. You can’t sleep past 6 AM even if you try, because the roosters crow outside your window.
2. It storms almost every night here.
3. The thunder is very loud, so loud that I had to wear earplugs last night to sleep
4. Haitians don’t like to get out in the rain as evidenced by there being no patients when we first got to the clinic this morning. It also rained again in the afternoon and the patients stayed away..kinda funny
5. It takes longer to do things here and often times you seem very busy, but look back and realize you did not do near as much as you would have done in the US. I seem really busy here, but I see A LOT fewer patients.
6. Degage- we were told this term means “doing what you can”. Often times, I feel this way, because I feel like I don’t know exactly what I am doing, but I am doing the best I can with the available resources.
7. Other than walking, the main transportation around here is motorcycles and bicycles
8. They really do balance objects on their head to transport them.
9. They seem very interested in photos once you have taken them. I had a couple of them sit and watch me go through the pics on my camera
10. Most of them have great voices and they enjoy singing. Today, Lynda (a patient) tried to convince me to sing for her. I tried to explain to her that I did not sing well, but she didn’t care. I am supposed to sing a song for her tomorrow..should be interesting
11. The people really do take things in stride, many times patients wait for a long time before getting treatment, casted, etc, but they never seem to get upset. No one has any sort of entitlement attitude like most Americans do.
12. A week is definitely not long enough to experience the culture and build relationships, I am pretty bummed that I did not arrange to stay longer, because I am enjoying it and I feel like I am missing out on a lot by leaving after one week.
13. If you have power, you have generators, batteries, inverters, etc.
I know there are more things, but I will write them as I think of them.
Overall, today was another good day. It started off slowly because of the down pour we had. Thankfully, June picked us up this morning so we didn’t have to walk in the rain and mud. One very exciting thing that I got to do today was walk with my patient, Rita (the one whose story I told earlier). She asked me if she could walk back to her room with her cane rather than being wheeled up in her wheelchair. She walked all the way up the stairs to her room with minimal assistance on the stairs; it was great! You could tell that she was really excited as well. Other patients were also cheering her on, very cool!
We are enjoying our time getting to know the other folks staying at the guesthouse as well. There is one Haitian family from PAP staying here, a husband, wife, and 3 children. He is a minister and seems to be just taking a short furlough here with his family. They are very warm and friendly. There is another group of two men with their sons here. They are both ministers coming to speak at a conference.
We walked around the neighborhood tonight after dinner and went further than we have before. There is a small market where people are selling things from stick huts lit with the small propane cans that you put under catering dishes. We saw cooked food, fruit, snacks, and even a laundry place (we think).
I can’t believe I only have 2 more working days here. The day itself seems long, but when I think about how quickly I am going to leave, it seems very short.
It continues to be a very pleasant experience for me even though I have definitely felt stretched with the treatments (I have never worked with people with amputations before) and with the disorganization. I can easily see myself coming back and helping on a regular basis.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Day 3
The day began with less chaos, although, the rooster still crowed. I seemed to sleep a bit better, I only woke up 3 times as opposed to 6 or 7. This morning for breakfast was heavier on the carbs and lighter on the protein, but I survived with a cliff bar later in the afternoon.
We arrived at 8 AM, because that is what time June told us to be there. Well, there were patients there, but we had no translators! No one showed until around 8:30 (which is when we will get there tomorrow), then we met for prayer, worship, and a teaching from Frankel. It was fun trying to sing a hymn in Creole. Heidi and I winged it as best we could. Many Haitians can sing well, so it is great just hearing them. Sometimes, we can hear people break out in song upstairs in the hospital.
We only had a couple of patients at first, but then out of nowhere comes June with literally a “truck full of patients”! She went the Bernice Johnson Center for Women to pick up the ladies who need rehabilitation. The clinic was packed very quickly. I saw about the same amount of patients as yesterday, maybe a few more. I got to work with a few of the patients that I saw yesterday, so that was nice (continuance of care is always good).
Probably one of my favorite parts of this day was working with Rita again. She is the one I spoke about who my heart really went out to yesterday. I asked the translator to help translate her story for me if she was willing to tell me. The gist of the story was that she was in her apartment/home on the 4th story lying in her bed when the earthquake happened. She remembered feeling things shaking, but then the next thing she new she was lying in the same position somewhere else. She said that it was hard for her to determine where she was. Apparently, she was thrown from her house and was lying on top of another house pinned under concrete. She remembered awakening and praying to God for help. Some men came to help (not sure on the time elapse) and got her son and her husband and then had to get the concrete off her. She ended up losing her 13 y/o son in the earthquake. She said she got some medical attention in PAP, but then was able to come to the hospital here. Minus a few weeks when she went to a different hospital, she has been here since the earthquake (January). I noticed that she was wearing a different gown today, so that made me happy.
The language barrier is very tough for me. In the US, I spend a lot of time talking with my patients and learning about them, here it is much more difficult. Even with a translator, you feel things are lost in translation. I would love to grab a translator after hours and just go up and visit with some of these people. I pray that God will open more doors in the future for relationship building.
I am finding that my French background is coming in very handy here. A lot of times, I can get the gist of what someone is saying and I can communicate a few words to my patients. Some of my patients speak French, so I will try my best to talk with them in French. I think that, with practice, I could learn Creole. It seems to be much easier than French in terms of conjugation and sentence structure.
We walked by the large church today (I believe it is a Baptist church). We stopped and listened to the service they were having for a bit. I might try to go back by tomorrow evening wearing appropriate clothing (I was in a tank top and long shorts) and see if they have a Wed night service.
So I pretty much sweat or feel sticky all day here. It isn’t uncomfortable enough that it affects what I am doing, but it is definitely different than what I am used to. I am sure that if I lived here longer, I would not notice it as much. In the evenings I have noticed that I feel like my skin is literally giving off heat, similar to how you feel when you have a sunburn, but not painful. Weird, I know.
Ok, well, I don’t get to sleep much past 6 with the rooster and the heat, so I better take a shower and get to bed.
Thanks again for reading and for your prayers!
We arrived at 8 AM, because that is what time June told us to be there. Well, there were patients there, but we had no translators! No one showed until around 8:30 (which is when we will get there tomorrow), then we met for prayer, worship, and a teaching from Frankel. It was fun trying to sing a hymn in Creole. Heidi and I winged it as best we could. Many Haitians can sing well, so it is great just hearing them. Sometimes, we can hear people break out in song upstairs in the hospital.
We only had a couple of patients at first, but then out of nowhere comes June with literally a “truck full of patients”! She went the Bernice Johnson Center for Women to pick up the ladies who need rehabilitation. The clinic was packed very quickly. I saw about the same amount of patients as yesterday, maybe a few more. I got to work with a few of the patients that I saw yesterday, so that was nice (continuance of care is always good).
Probably one of my favorite parts of this day was working with Rita again. She is the one I spoke about who my heart really went out to yesterday. I asked the translator to help translate her story for me if she was willing to tell me. The gist of the story was that she was in her apartment/home on the 4th story lying in her bed when the earthquake happened. She remembered feeling things shaking, but then the next thing she new she was lying in the same position somewhere else. She said that it was hard for her to determine where she was. Apparently, she was thrown from her house and was lying on top of another house pinned under concrete. She remembered awakening and praying to God for help. Some men came to help (not sure on the time elapse) and got her son and her husband and then had to get the concrete off her. She ended up losing her 13 y/o son in the earthquake. She said she got some medical attention in PAP, but then was able to come to the hospital here. Minus a few weeks when she went to a different hospital, she has been here since the earthquake (January). I noticed that she was wearing a different gown today, so that made me happy.
The language barrier is very tough for me. In the US, I spend a lot of time talking with my patients and learning about them, here it is much more difficult. Even with a translator, you feel things are lost in translation. I would love to grab a translator after hours and just go up and visit with some of these people. I pray that God will open more doors in the future for relationship building.
I am finding that my French background is coming in very handy here. A lot of times, I can get the gist of what someone is saying and I can communicate a few words to my patients. Some of my patients speak French, so I will try my best to talk with them in French. I think that, with practice, I could learn Creole. It seems to be much easier than French in terms of conjugation and sentence structure.
We walked by the large church today (I believe it is a Baptist church). We stopped and listened to the service they were having for a bit. I might try to go back by tomorrow evening wearing appropriate clothing (I was in a tank top and long shorts) and see if they have a Wed night service.
So I pretty much sweat or feel sticky all day here. It isn’t uncomfortable enough that it affects what I am doing, but it is definitely different than what I am used to. I am sure that if I lived here longer, I would not notice it as much. In the evenings I have noticed that I feel like my skin is literally giving off heat, similar to how you feel when you have a sunburn, but not painful. Weird, I know.
Ok, well, I don’t get to sleep much past 6 with the rooster and the heat, so I better take a shower and get to bed.
Thanks again for reading and for your prayers!
Monday, August 16, 2010
1st day of Therapy
We arrived at the hospital or Clinique du Centre Saint Lumiere. We had absolutely no idea where we were going once we got there, but Heidi was told to look for the Prosthetist, Walter (who we later found out was named Marvin). We eventually found the therapy gym and found Marvin. Shortly therafter, another physical therapist arrived. Her name is Ulrike (a full time missionary originally from Germany), she lives about an hour and a half away from Les Cayes (shortened Cayes and pronounced like K-ie) and volunteers off and on as needed. She specializes in pediatrics. She was very helpful, showed us around the hospital, and showed us the therapy ropes. We found out that Marvin and his wife, Carmen are here full time as missionaries with Medical Teams International. Marvin stays very busy fitting and making prostheses. Carmen assists Marvin as well as performing wound care if needed.
Let me tell you, I felt very ill prepared starting out because we didn’t get a true orientation or anything, we were really just “thrown to the wolves”. However, one of the guys who helped get the program started(can’t remember his name) did give us some encouraging words and prayed for us. This was very refreshing.
I ended up seeing about 6-8 patients (some are inpatient and some outpatient). Most of the patients had orthopedic problems, so that made it a little less intimidating. I saw one guy who was injured in a motorcycle accident, one guy who was attacked by a guy with a machete, and one lady who was injured from the earthquake along with her husband and children. Those are just the stories I know so far. I am very interested to hear more about the lady as my heart really went out to her. She came in with an old night gown that was safety pinned together. When I asked more about her, I found out that she has been in the hospital since after the earthquake along with most of her family. Her husband has since improved and moved back to Port au Prince to work. She had two external fixators (google it) because her legs were so broken from her injuries and this caused her to have to lie in awkward positions, so she has now developed a scoliosis and is complaining of back pain. Anyway, I am looking forward to working with her more, hearing her story, and helping to meet more of her needs.
Two very sad things that I saw today: An orphan baby (now 4 y/o) was left on the hospital steps with hydrocephalus (the babies with the abnormally large heads). She has been at the hospital for a long time, but has no family to care for her and has been struggling to stay alive. Some missionaries have come to care for her, but it seems the staff has lost hope for her. The other thing that happened today was that an elderly man came in who was very ill, Sarah (the other volunteer who is a nurse) started his IV, and not long after he passed away. I ended up seeing them roll him out on the stretcher, very sad.
Another great thing about today, I got to meet and talk a lot with the director, June. She invited us over to her house. I heard her story, how she came to faith and her heart for the Haitian people. She would like to rename the program “With open hands” to exemplify how we receive love from God and give to others. I asked a heavy question as it got later, “Can you explain the spiritual/religious climate in Haiti” and she said that she would like to answer this question, but would like to wait until Marvin and Carmen were there to hear the answer as well. Anyway, I enjoyed our time talking with her, and I look forward to more talks.
Food update: I have been eating well. 3 square meals and I tried to cram in some snacks when I had time in between patients. Either way, I survived without any major physical set backs. Something that will make all friends who read this laugh: I ate a hot dog today, actually, not just one, but two! Beggars can’t be choosers here, if you want your protein, you eat what you are given. I even ate goat meat for lunch!! It was quite tasty, actually. Tastes like beef, not chicken :)
Well, I had better get off to bed, a long day of rehab tomorrow. I might also get the chance to go to another rehab center tomorrow, which happens to be all women. I am looking forward to many more great experiences and stories.
Thanks for reading my lengthy updates.
Let me tell you, I felt very ill prepared starting out because we didn’t get a true orientation or anything, we were really just “thrown to the wolves”. However, one of the guys who helped get the program started(can’t remember his name) did give us some encouraging words and prayed for us. This was very refreshing.
I ended up seeing about 6-8 patients (some are inpatient and some outpatient). Most of the patients had orthopedic problems, so that made it a little less intimidating. I saw one guy who was injured in a motorcycle accident, one guy who was attacked by a guy with a machete, and one lady who was injured from the earthquake along with her husband and children. Those are just the stories I know so far. I am very interested to hear more about the lady as my heart really went out to her. She came in with an old night gown that was safety pinned together. When I asked more about her, I found out that she has been in the hospital since after the earthquake along with most of her family. Her husband has since improved and moved back to Port au Prince to work. She had two external fixators (google it) because her legs were so broken from her injuries and this caused her to have to lie in awkward positions, so she has now developed a scoliosis and is complaining of back pain. Anyway, I am looking forward to working with her more, hearing her story, and helping to meet more of her needs.
Two very sad things that I saw today: An orphan baby (now 4 y/o) was left on the hospital steps with hydrocephalus (the babies with the abnormally large heads). She has been at the hospital for a long time, but has no family to care for her and has been struggling to stay alive. Some missionaries have come to care for her, but it seems the staff has lost hope for her. The other thing that happened today was that an elderly man came in who was very ill, Sarah (the other volunteer who is a nurse) started his IV, and not long after he passed away. I ended up seeing them roll him out on the stretcher, very sad.
Another great thing about today, I got to meet and talk a lot with the director, June. She invited us over to her house. I heard her story, how she came to faith and her heart for the Haitian people. She would like to rename the program “With open hands” to exemplify how we receive love from God and give to others. I asked a heavy question as it got later, “Can you explain the spiritual/religious climate in Haiti” and she said that she would like to answer this question, but would like to wait until Marvin and Carmen were there to hear the answer as well. Anyway, I enjoyed our time talking with her, and I look forward to more talks.
Food update: I have been eating well. 3 square meals and I tried to cram in some snacks when I had time in between patients. Either way, I survived without any major physical set backs. Something that will make all friends who read this laugh: I ate a hot dog today, actually, not just one, but two! Beggars can’t be choosers here, if you want your protein, you eat what you are given. I even ate goat meat for lunch!! It was quite tasty, actually. Tastes like beef, not chicken :)
Well, I had better get off to bed, a long day of rehab tomorrow. I might also get the chance to go to another rehab center tomorrow, which happens to be all women. I am looking forward to many more great experiences and stories.
Thanks for reading my lengthy updates.
The thunder rolls and the rooster crows
How was my first night sleeping in Haiti? Well, it took me awhile to fall asleep due to the heat, but eventually I did. Then, at about 11 pm, I hear Heidi say, "Someone is trying to get in the house". Oh my, Sarah and I jumped out of bed and went into the living area. Three men walked into the house holding room keys that looked just like ours. After Sarah and I grilled them pretty hard, it turned out that they got here two days ago and are doing some sort of job here in Haiti. One guy explained that his company got him the keys. This was all very confusing to us, because the leader of the guesthouse, Sheila was not expecting anyone until Wednesday, however, she also explained that she had just gotten back to Haiti, so maybe that is why she had no idea. So we had the guys call Sheila to let her know and we proceeded to go back to sleep. This was also difficult due to the adrenaline rush!
Once asleep, I was way more susceptible to noises. There was a big storm last night and the thunder was LOUD! I woke up almost everytime there was a loud thunder. I think I was mainly trying to make sure it wasn't someone trying to get in the door!! Then, the storm finally stopped, and I slept for awhile.
At 5:45 what happened? You guessed it..a rooster crowed RIGHT outside our window! He was loud and he was telling us it was time to get up. I got up and went to the bathroom and then came back and tried to go to sleep. I slept off and on for awhile. We all woke up before the watch alarm. I am now trying to decide if I want to brave a very cold shower this morning. I know I sweat some last night, but not sure if it is enough to make me want to take a cold shower.
Ok, that's all for now. I had to share while it was fresh and I had sometime (thanks to the rooster).
Once asleep, I was way more susceptible to noises. There was a big storm last night and the thunder was LOUD! I woke up almost everytime there was a loud thunder. I think I was mainly trying to make sure it wasn't someone trying to get in the door!! Then, the storm finally stopped, and I slept for awhile.
At 5:45 what happened? You guessed it..a rooster crowed RIGHT outside our window! He was loud and he was telling us it was time to get up. I got up and went to the bathroom and then came back and tried to go to sleep. I slept off and on for awhile. We all woke up before the watch alarm. I am now trying to decide if I want to brave a very cold shower this morning. I know I sweat some last night, but not sure if it is enough to make me want to take a cold shower.
Ok, that's all for now. I had to share while it was fresh and I had sometime (thanks to the rooster).
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Day 2: From Miami to Les Cayes, Haiti
(Warning:I am treating this like my journal, so it is lengthy) This morning started off quite a bit less eventful than yesterday with no baggage issues, the carabineer worked nicely. Once I made it to the gate, I waited for awhile and then bought a sandwich and some extra water for when I was going to be waiting for my regional flight. Boy, was I glad I did this.
Arriving in Haiti was quite interesting. We debarked via jet bridge, walked down this long, semi-air conditioned hallway, were greeted by a nice Haitian band and then went back outside to a shuttle bus that took us to the baggage/immigration/customs area. It was pretty chaotic in the baggage area, but I was able to get a cart and get my bags and get out. This is where the real chaos began, there were many taxi drivers trying to help me push my cart, asked me if I needed a ride, etc, etc. I got one guy to leave me alone, but then another actually started pushing half of my cart with me, it was pretty silly looking. I ended up having to give him a tip just to get him to leave me alone. So, I walk out to this gated area where there are tons of Haitians lined up with signs waiting to give people rides. Unfortunately, I did not see the one with the “Medical Teams International” sign. After waiting about 15 minutes and constantly telling the drivers that I had a ride, I called the director. I was soooo thankful that I could use my phone, because I am really not sure what I would have done. So through a 45 minute or so period of time between phone calls, the director decided that I should go ahead and take a regular taxi to the other aiport. She had me hand the phone over to whom I thought was a driver, Jeudi to explain to him where to take me and how much it would cost, $10. Come to find out, this guy is only the “get the tourist to the taxi” guy, so you have to pay him and then also pay the driver. I know I overpaid, but I was out of small bills. He wanted $10, so I ended up giving it to him. The taxi drive was pretty uneventful thankfully. When I arrived at the airport, I was again bombarded with helpers. I didn’t want a helper, because I didn’t have anymore small bills. Needless to say, the persistent helper got 10 bucks off me!! Dangit!
The airport was very small and very low tech. They had hand written tickets and of course, the plane was a prop. At this airport, I was easily able to spot my teammates, Sarah and Heidi. They had been waiting longer than me and the driver didn’t show for them either. There was some sort of miscommunication, because the driver thought we weren’t supposed to arrive until tomorrow.
The plane ride: I stepped onto the plane to see our bags stacked on the last few rows of seats. We all had to basically hold our carry on luggage in our laps or put it on the floor in front of us. On the plane, I met a man who works with a company called Shelter 2 home. They basically sell shelters that can eventually be converted into homes. He was also doing some work with some orphanages in Les Cayes. He had a lot of good tips and sounded like he was helping a lot in Haiti.
We arrived in Les Cayes and quickly found our driver and another lady who helps out the mission(Sheila), she is in charge of the guesthouse. This area of the island is very beautiful. The poverty was still very apparent here, but it is amidst beautiful mountains, tropical foliage, and some random livestock. I saw a lot of goats, pigs, donkeys, chickens, and a few cows on my way up here.
The guesthouse is very nice. Sheila gave us a brief orientation. I am staying in the same room as Sarah and Heidi. They are in bunk beds and I am staying in a single. The house has electricity 24 hours a day, running water and clean drinking water. We will be fed 3 meals a day. If the meals were as good as dinner was tonight, I am gonna be set!! Our cook’s name is Madame Junot. She made a lovely shepherd’s pie, some carrots, bread, and some sort of yummy cake. We also had a nice refreshing lemonade. After dinner, we went for a short walk to see the clinic and hospital area and then headed back. It gets dark fairly early around here, 6:30-7:00, so we didn’t want to stay out too late. We met a 16 y/o boy named, Yven, pronounced ee-ven. This was a good story and I hope to blog specifically about him in the future.
I am thankful for God’s provision today. I was safe and I didn’t run out of food, feel sick, or get any of my hypoglycemic symptoms despite not having a real lunch (the sandwich was pretty gross, but I scarfed it down, gotta have some nutrients!) I met up with my teammates, who are both very nice and friendly. They seemed very pleased to have finally met up with me as they were asking different random American women, “Are you Amira” throughout their journey So yeah, God is good. I forgot to mention that the blackberry is the only phone (from the US) that gets service down here, so yet, another small detail that God worked out. I am not sure what I would have done if I hadn’t gotten ahold of the director.
Thanks for reading my lengthy entry. I plan to treat this like a journal, so I can understand if you don’t want to read it. Check facebook for some pics, I hope to post them soon.
Arriving in Haiti was quite interesting. We debarked via jet bridge, walked down this long, semi-air conditioned hallway, were greeted by a nice Haitian band and then went back outside to a shuttle bus that took us to the baggage/immigration/customs area. It was pretty chaotic in the baggage area, but I was able to get a cart and get my bags and get out. This is where the real chaos began, there were many taxi drivers trying to help me push my cart, asked me if I needed a ride, etc, etc. I got one guy to leave me alone, but then another actually started pushing half of my cart with me, it was pretty silly looking. I ended up having to give him a tip just to get him to leave me alone. So, I walk out to this gated area where there are tons of Haitians lined up with signs waiting to give people rides. Unfortunately, I did not see the one with the “Medical Teams International” sign. After waiting about 15 minutes and constantly telling the drivers that I had a ride, I called the director. I was soooo thankful that I could use my phone, because I am really not sure what I would have done. So through a 45 minute or so period of time between phone calls, the director decided that I should go ahead and take a regular taxi to the other aiport. She had me hand the phone over to whom I thought was a driver, Jeudi to explain to him where to take me and how much it would cost, $10. Come to find out, this guy is only the “get the tourist to the taxi” guy, so you have to pay him and then also pay the driver. I know I overpaid, but I was out of small bills. He wanted $10, so I ended up giving it to him. The taxi drive was pretty uneventful thankfully. When I arrived at the airport, I was again bombarded with helpers. I didn’t want a helper, because I didn’t have anymore small bills. Needless to say, the persistent helper got 10 bucks off me!! Dangit!
The airport was very small and very low tech. They had hand written tickets and of course, the plane was a prop. At this airport, I was easily able to spot my teammates, Sarah and Heidi. They had been waiting longer than me and the driver didn’t show for them either. There was some sort of miscommunication, because the driver thought we weren’t supposed to arrive until tomorrow.
The plane ride: I stepped onto the plane to see our bags stacked on the last few rows of seats. We all had to basically hold our carry on luggage in our laps or put it on the floor in front of us. On the plane, I met a man who works with a company called Shelter 2 home. They basically sell shelters that can eventually be converted into homes. He was also doing some work with some orphanages in Les Cayes. He had a lot of good tips and sounded like he was helping a lot in Haiti.
We arrived in Les Cayes and quickly found our driver and another lady who helps out the mission(Sheila), she is in charge of the guesthouse. This area of the island is very beautiful. The poverty was still very apparent here, but it is amidst beautiful mountains, tropical foliage, and some random livestock. I saw a lot of goats, pigs, donkeys, chickens, and a few cows on my way up here.
The guesthouse is very nice. Sheila gave us a brief orientation. I am staying in the same room as Sarah and Heidi. They are in bunk beds and I am staying in a single. The house has electricity 24 hours a day, running water and clean drinking water. We will be fed 3 meals a day. If the meals were as good as dinner was tonight, I am gonna be set!! Our cook’s name is Madame Junot. She made a lovely shepherd’s pie, some carrots, bread, and some sort of yummy cake. We also had a nice refreshing lemonade. After dinner, we went for a short walk to see the clinic and hospital area and then headed back. It gets dark fairly early around here, 6:30-7:00, so we didn’t want to stay out too late. We met a 16 y/o boy named, Yven, pronounced ee-ven. This was a good story and I hope to blog specifically about him in the future.
I am thankful for God’s provision today. I was safe and I didn’t run out of food, feel sick, or get any of my hypoglycemic symptoms despite not having a real lunch (the sandwich was pretty gross, but I scarfed it down, gotta have some nutrients!) I met up with my teammates, who are both very nice and friendly. They seemed very pleased to have finally met up with me as they were asking different random American women, “Are you Amira” throughout their journey So yeah, God is good. I forgot to mention that the blackberry is the only phone (from the US) that gets service down here, so yet, another small detail that God worked out. I am not sure what I would have done if I hadn’t gotten ahold of the director.
Thanks for reading my lengthy entry. I plan to treat this like a journal, so I can understand if you don’t want to read it. Check facebook for some pics, I hope to post them soon.
Adventure to Haiti: Day 1
The morning started off kinda crazy with some baggage issues. First of all, I was trying to make my bag light enough while using a small WW scale. This proved to be a difficult task, but I felt like I made a good effort. I finally got a reading lower than 50#, so I just hoped for the best. When I cinched up my supposedly sturdy military duffel bag, the part of the clasp that kept the whole bag shut snapped in two! At this point, I had not eaten breakfast and it is time for us to leave. I then frantically scoured through the condo trying to find some duct tape. I seriously thought we had some. Emily was kind enough to help me with my search (as well as make me a lovely breakfast sandwich), but our search ended with things falling from our shelves in the laundry room and my finally opting to try packing tape. This seemed to do the trick for the time being, so off we went. FYI: Duffel bags are much harder to transport than fancy luggage with wheels. I guess this helps the military guys feel tough, because it was definitely hard to carry.
We arrived at the airport with time to spare thanks to my roomie’s driving skills. I even got to check my luggage curbside (quite a blessing). Oh, and the lady had some sort of scale in her arms as she was able to determine my bag was under 50#, just by picking it up. This skill would definitely come in handy as a traveler.
Everything went smoothly at security and then I made it to the gate where the children were having foot races and the parents were cheering them on. I thought this was quite interesting, but then with more thought (and Em’s suggestion), I decided that it was the parent’s attempt to exhaust the children’s energy before the long plane ride. I think one of the kids did not get out enough energy, because he was kicking my seat a lot of the plane ride.
Today, dad and I searched for the right part to make my bag sturdy. We finally found the correct sized carabineer and then dad filed the piece down and covered it with tape to ensure its safety. We also had to get me another water bottle, because for some reason, mine decided to leak on my bag and was also leaking when I was drinking from it.
My stepmother cooked a lovely late lunch that included shish kababs on pita and tabouli..excellent! Then dad and I went to the beach for a couple of hours. After a nice relaxing time on the beach filled with Iraq’s history (I was asking a lot of questions), we came back to the apartment and had a seafood feast as my dad called it. It consisted of salmon, bay scallops, and shrimp on a bed of spinach and bell peppers…again tasty! I have a feeling I won’t be eating much like this in Haiti. After dinner, we went for a walk and I ended up getting some gelato. Dad was “disgusted” at the $4 price tag, but I assured him that it was expensive everywhere not just Miami.
Well, tomorrow is another adventure. I am not sure exactly what to expect, but it will be quite a drastic change from today. I am praying that God prepares me mentally, physically, and emotionally for tomorrow and the rest of the week.
We arrived at the airport with time to spare thanks to my roomie’s driving skills. I even got to check my luggage curbside (quite a blessing). Oh, and the lady had some sort of scale in her arms as she was able to determine my bag was under 50#, just by picking it up. This skill would definitely come in handy as a traveler.
Everything went smoothly at security and then I made it to the gate where the children were having foot races and the parents were cheering them on. I thought this was quite interesting, but then with more thought (and Em’s suggestion), I decided that it was the parent’s attempt to exhaust the children’s energy before the long plane ride. I think one of the kids did not get out enough energy, because he was kicking my seat a lot of the plane ride.
Today, dad and I searched for the right part to make my bag sturdy. We finally found the correct sized carabineer and then dad filed the piece down and covered it with tape to ensure its safety. We also had to get me another water bottle, because for some reason, mine decided to leak on my bag and was also leaking when I was drinking from it.
My stepmother cooked a lovely late lunch that included shish kababs on pita and tabouli..excellent! Then dad and I went to the beach for a couple of hours. After a nice relaxing time on the beach filled with Iraq’s history (I was asking a lot of questions), we came back to the apartment and had a seafood feast as my dad called it. It consisted of salmon, bay scallops, and shrimp on a bed of spinach and bell peppers…again tasty! I have a feeling I won’t be eating much like this in Haiti. After dinner, we went for a walk and I ended up getting some gelato. Dad was “disgusted” at the $4 price tag, but I assured him that it was expensive everywhere not just Miami.
Well, tomorrow is another adventure. I am not sure exactly what to expect, but it will be quite a drastic change from today. I am praying that God prepares me mentally, physically, and emotionally for tomorrow and the rest of the week.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Yes, I am a planner!
As most of you know, I am a planner. You may also know that I like to be productive.What does this mean exactly? Well, it means that I am typically doing something and if I am not, my brain is planning to do the next thing. Also, I have a hard time relaxing. To get my brain off of the daily tasks, I typically have to watch something (like a movie or TV show) or be talking to someone.
So all these little facts about me can make me hyperfocus on things, which is ultimately what I am doing for this trip. There are a lot of details that I must attend to. I am normally not super worried about forgetting something, but from what I hear, if I don't bring it with me, I won't be able to find it in Haiti.
Needless to say, I have been doing a lot of preparing for Haiti. Making lists, buying things, making piles, and then, lastly, packing. I will actually begin my packing endeavor tomorrow.
In a lot of ways, this trait is helpful as I get things done and am typically prepared for most situations. In other ways, it isn't helpful, because I don't just rest and I must find other ways to take my mind off the present task.
If I start searching deeply for the reasons I am this way, it probably stems from a desire to be in control of the situation. I definitely understand that, in life, I am not in control and anything can happen, but I guess it's my feeble attempt to control something. I know that God is in control of every aspect of my life, including this trip. I think sometimes it is hard for me to understand that he even cares about the small details and that if I forget something, he will provide a different way or that thing won't even matter. I would like to rely more on God for the small details of my life. This reminds me of the scripture in Matthew 6:25-27
25Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[b]?
So all these little facts about me can make me hyperfocus on things, which is ultimately what I am doing for this trip. There are a lot of details that I must attend to. I am normally not super worried about forgetting something, but from what I hear, if I don't bring it with me, I won't be able to find it in Haiti.
Needless to say, I have been doing a lot of preparing for Haiti. Making lists, buying things, making piles, and then, lastly, packing. I will actually begin my packing endeavor tomorrow.
In a lot of ways, this trait is helpful as I get things done and am typically prepared for most situations. In other ways, it isn't helpful, because I don't just rest and I must find other ways to take my mind off the present task.
If I start searching deeply for the reasons I am this way, it probably stems from a desire to be in control of the situation. I definitely understand that, in life, I am not in control and anything can happen, but I guess it's my feeble attempt to control something. I know that God is in control of every aspect of my life, including this trip. I think sometimes it is hard for me to understand that he even cares about the small details and that if I forget something, he will provide a different way or that thing won't even matter. I would like to rely more on God for the small details of my life. This reminds me of the scripture in Matthew 6:25-27
25Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[b]?
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Medical Teams in Haiti
I found an article about the medical situation in Haiti. I thought I would share it here on my blog. I will be a part of the Advantage Program in Les Cayes
6 Months After Haiti Earthquake, Medical Teams International Remains Committed
7/12/2010 4:26:49 PM
Emphasis on Trauma Counseling and Prosthetics
(PORTLAND, Ore., July 12, 2010)— Six months after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, Medical Teams International remains committed to working toward recovery. Targeting their efforts on trauma counseling and prosthetics, Medical Teams International will help those who have been left physically and emotionally disabled by the earthquake.
“The situation really hasn't changed much,” said Bas Vanderzalm, president of Medical Teams International. Vanderzalm is currently in Haiti and said “the people in those camps are still struggling."
Rehabilitation and Prosthetics - Dr. June Hanks will manage rehabilitation and prosthetics work called “the Advantage Program” in Les Cayes, where more than 88,000 Haitians have moved from Port-au-Prince.
For the next two years, Advantage Program staff will:
Provide Haitian-made prosthetics, equipment, rehabilitation and emotional support to people with disabilities.
Conduct seminars and training sessions with community leaders, teachers and pastors to help raise awareness and increase support for the disabled communities.
Improve the quality of life of people with disabilities at the community and government levels.
Locally-Based Staff - To help transition from relief to recovery, Medical Teams International has established a presence in Haiti. This team of Haitian and non-Haitian staff continues to funnel lifesaving care and long-term help to families in Haiti.
Six-Month Impact - In the past six months, Medical Teams International sent 18 volunteer teams - the first one arriving only three days after the disaster. In total, 109 doctors, nurses and other health professionals have been sent to work in Port-au-Prince, Leogane, Les Cayes and Carrefour.
More than $5 million worth of supplies and medicines have been distributed to local hospitals and survivors living in tent cities to benefit more than 186,000 earthquake survivors.
The earthquake damaged many health care facilities in the affected areas. Medical Teams International met the needs of those who were injured and ill by:
Deploying mobile medical units to various tent cities and rural communities serving nearly 23,000 people.
Supporting Quisqueya Crisis Relief through funding, medical staff, medicines and supplies.
Supplementing hospitals with medical staff, supplies, medicines and emergency orthopedic surgeries.
Transporting critically ill and injured people to the U.S. for lifesaving treatment.
Medical Teams International received overwhelming support from individual and corporate donors. To date, more than $4.6 million dollars in cash has been raised for the Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund. More than $5 million in medicines and medical supplies have been shipped to Haiti. Donations are accepted online at www.medicalteams.org/haiti or by texting HOPE to 253-83 for a $10 gift.
6 Months After Haiti Earthquake, Medical Teams International Remains Committed
7/12/2010 4:26:49 PM
Emphasis on Trauma Counseling and Prosthetics
(PORTLAND, Ore., July 12, 2010)— Six months after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, Medical Teams International remains committed to working toward recovery. Targeting their efforts on trauma counseling and prosthetics, Medical Teams International will help those who have been left physically and emotionally disabled by the earthquake.
“The situation really hasn't changed much,” said Bas Vanderzalm, president of Medical Teams International. Vanderzalm is currently in Haiti and said “the people in those camps are still struggling."
Rehabilitation and Prosthetics - Dr. June Hanks will manage rehabilitation and prosthetics work called “the Advantage Program” in Les Cayes, where more than 88,000 Haitians have moved from Port-au-Prince.
For the next two years, Advantage Program staff will:
Provide Haitian-made prosthetics, equipment, rehabilitation and emotional support to people with disabilities.
Conduct seminars and training sessions with community leaders, teachers and pastors to help raise awareness and increase support for the disabled communities.
Improve the quality of life of people with disabilities at the community and government levels.
Locally-Based Staff - To help transition from relief to recovery, Medical Teams International has established a presence in Haiti. This team of Haitian and non-Haitian staff continues to funnel lifesaving care and long-term help to families in Haiti.
Six-Month Impact - In the past six months, Medical Teams International sent 18 volunteer teams - the first one arriving only three days after the disaster. In total, 109 doctors, nurses and other health professionals have been sent to work in Port-au-Prince, Leogane, Les Cayes and Carrefour.
More than $5 million worth of supplies and medicines have been distributed to local hospitals and survivors living in tent cities to benefit more than 186,000 earthquake survivors.
The earthquake damaged many health care facilities in the affected areas. Medical Teams International met the needs of those who were injured and ill by:
Deploying mobile medical units to various tent cities and rural communities serving nearly 23,000 people.
Supporting Quisqueya Crisis Relief through funding, medical staff, medicines and supplies.
Supplementing hospitals with medical staff, supplies, medicines and emergency orthopedic surgeries.
Transporting critically ill and injured people to the U.S. for lifesaving treatment.
Medical Teams International received overwhelming support from individual and corporate donors. To date, more than $4.6 million dollars in cash has been raised for the Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund. More than $5 million in medicines and medical supplies have been shipped to Haiti. Donations are accepted online at www.medicalteams.org/haiti or by texting HOPE to 253-83 for a $10 gift.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Haiti Bound
Well, this is my second attempt at using a blog site. I was a member of xanga back in the day when that was the "cool thing to do" and have not really blogged since. So this will be my second go round of blogging. I figure for the most part that I don't have enough to say that warrants people "following me" or hearing what I have to say, but I figure it is a great mode of communication for mission trips, so thus I begin my adventure recording.
As many of you know, I will leave on August 14th to Miami, and then on August 15th to Les Cayes, Haiti to volunteer as a physical therapist in a hospital. I am very excited as this is my first time on a mission trip with a medical emphasis and my first time performing physical therapy internationally. I look forward to this challenging and rewarding experience. I hope to have a chance to update my blog daily from Haiti, so if you are interested in "following me" I hope you will do so.
Thank you to all my friends and family members who have already given financially and who have been praying for my upcoming trip. Words can't express how grateful I am!
As many of you know, I will leave on August 14th to Miami, and then on August 15th to Les Cayes, Haiti to volunteer as a physical therapist in a hospital. I am very excited as this is my first time on a mission trip with a medical emphasis and my first time performing physical therapy internationally. I look forward to this challenging and rewarding experience. I hope to have a chance to update my blog daily from Haiti, so if you are interested in "following me" I hope you will do so.
Thank you to all my friends and family members who have already given financially and who have been praying for my upcoming trip. Words can't express how grateful I am!
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