It's been a busy week for the team. By mid-afternoon Saturday, when we knocked off work at the clinic, our 4 doctors (Mari Kay, Jay, Kristin and Kendra) had seen 630 patients. Mind you, this is the total range from goiter to prenatal to possibly colon cancer to maybe PTSD. Galen is filling a new role for the team this year as counselor, and he's had some really moving (not to mention interesting) interactions. Sara has been checking eyes and prescribing glasses where possible, while our scribes (Rachel, Nixon, Nikki, Natalie, Paul) have been busily taking notes. All this is in the back half of the clinic.
In the front half, Lacey and Diana have been checking folks in with height and weight while Jeff and Diana S-C have been doing blood and urine lab work in their space to one side of the entryway. On the other side, Debbie, Lynn, and Margie scurry all day in the pharmacy. Connie, our dietician, was working with classes of kids during school time, and doing consults after school, while Cherri has been helping out with other classes and just jumping in where possible. Matt has blown everyone's mind by jumping in with the construction guys who are working on the future vocational building next door. These guys are out in the sun mixing concrete, moving rock and assembling rebar, and Matt was right in the middle of it. We all have a new appreciation for how hard folks work here, but none more than Matt. A nice Haitian lady told him he needed to slow down, though.
As for me, I'm very much the rover. On good days, there's a lot to do and I can jump in to get stuff done. On other days, there's a lot of backtracking and poor communication and just sitting alone in a room counting pills. Ooof. If nothing else, on those days, I feel like I'm getting a good dose of Haiti: roundabout, complicated, and frustrating. Things work very differently here.
In the meantime, we are well-fed and thoroughly watered. The guesthouse is fairly posh for Haiti, with good backup power and not-too-shabby wifi. We are still asked not to brush with tap water, and TP goes in the trashcan, like most of Central America. The views off the back patio remain worth writing home about (hey, Mom, the view here is great!), and there are little lizards everywhere. The largest is about 8" long and has been named Rupert. We haven't had much of a chance yet to leave the compound, though there's rumor of a possible trip out tonight. 'Cause...yeah...it's a compound: 10' walls, check; padlocked gate, check; 4 Rotweilers, check; a couple guys who walk around at night, check check. Compound.
Which makes the daily walk to and from the clinic that much more of a highlight. Most of the team rides over in the truck (described Wednesday). No problem, but a little more skittery than I like. I don't feel like rain actually improves the odds for the truck, not that rain has been much of an issue. The rest of us, and it ranges from 6 to 10 people, walk up to the main road, down through the village to the Goat Path (featuring several actual goats) that leads to the riverbed. In the morning, it's all in shade, and quite lovely. Crossing the river bed to the main road puts you right in the sun, and the hike up the other side is a little strenuous. So, yes, after the walk, I don't smell so good and the locals get a nice chuckle over the sweaty 'blan.' One lady, who had ALREADY walked up to the clinic in the cool of the morning, and I had a good laugh at my expense. I was hands-on-knees and pretty red-faced still; she told me the walk uphill was "good for me." 'Builds character,' you might say. I couldn't agree more. This walk, while tiring, has been my primary exposure to actually Haitians, who have been quite friendly.
The big highlight for the trip was Sunday service. We walked BACK up to the clinic this morning, since the church IS the school, and right next door to the clinic. We talked at length with Dave, a Haitian kid who work on his English every Sunday with the visiting teams. Super-sweet guy, 23 and very funny, although the conversation took kind of an unexpected turn. Dave wants me to come back next year with a wife. Yes....Dave.
The service itself was, unsurprisingly, heavy on excellent music. Two drummers, three guitars, a flute and a keyboard (Derek Lamson in the house...). Our own little group provided a nice rendition of Wailin' Jennies' "One Voice," as part of the music program, and what sounded like extended singing prayers. The high point was a passionate sermon delivered by the leader of the Lawrenceville, GA, team, which was working at the nearby orphanage. Willem, who runs MountainTop, and who got his start as the lead CNN translator when US marines came ashore in 1994, translated completely on-the-fly, and frequently before he had finished his sentences. They were gesturing in unison, pausing in unison and nearly speaking in unison. It was something to see. The content didn't go over so great with our diverse group (who, at the very least are Quaker, Catholic, Jewish, Lutheran, atheist and agnostic) but there was no denying their speech craft. Going to a Haitian Creole service, I little expected Southern Baptist fire and brimstone, but I can't say as it felt out-of-place.
Uh, more later...we're off on our excursion.
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