Wednesday 2/25

My alarm clock this morning, at around 4:30am, was the sound of a woman screaming outside of the clinic. Barbara (my fellow early riser and a retired Labor and Delivery RN),  said it had the distinct sound of a woman in labor. I could see the flashlights, and hear the sounds of the clinic staff moving her into the Annex building. Another exciting day in Terre Blanche has begun...Bon Joo! I have come up with a plan of attack, for Mme. Bluette's training, now all I have to do is make it work. As with the last trip, I am already dreading having to leave here so soon after my arrival. So much unfinished business, and there is so much more I could do, if I could only stay another week...or month... It's  a slippery slope. The sun is just starting to rise, and the kitchen staff has made tea and coffee, so I am going to have a cup of tea, watch the sunrise, and mentally prepare for the day. 

The morning with Bluette went so well! I find that I am consistently revamping and scaling back my training plans, in order to make it successful. It is so important to design a program that will not intimidate the people I am training, or set them up for failure. As frustrating as the cultural difference can be, there is so much enthusiasm, desire, and passion in the Haitian people. These are the traits that keep us coming back. I scanned my first set of Haitian twins today, a boy and girl. The mother came to the Midwife, because she felt so tired all the time, more so than her prior pregnancies. She just covered her face, shook her head in disbelief, and laughed when I told her. At least I was able to diagnose her fatigue. :) As exciting as twins may be, especially to a culture that strongly believes that children are an investment in their future, its a dangerous prospect in this country. I am, once again, reminded of the lack of resources here. I scan a lot of twins back home, and they are monitored closely and frequently, a luxury that is not an option to Haitians.  

I spent the afternoon working in the main clinic, and had a great deal of interesting pathology. It's unbelievable how much I learn when I am on these trips, and I love the opportunity to consult with so many specialists. I have a list as long as my arm of resources I want to look into when I get home...and if I have another 3 or 4 hours in every day, I might get to all of it before I die of old age. It was a very warm day, but that always makes for a wonderful evening. Most of us got a walk in before dinner and the didactic lecture, we all had dinner on the roof, and we are back up here tonight sharing our day. We have only had Internet for about 30 minutes, yesterday, which has been frustrating for most of the group, but it has also encouraged us to spend more time together. This is not the first, or last, time that I will mention how much I enjoy this group. I not only respect them professionally, but a lot of them are exactly the kind of people I love having in my life as friends. 

On our walk this evening, we went to the house and garden of one of the women I visited on my last visit, Madame Meeshoo. She is a descendent of a long line of agriculturists, and she is well known in this area for her exceptional gardening and farming skills. It was great seeing her and her family again, they are very close to Joe and Linda, and love showing off their farm animals and papaya trees. Last October, she wanted her photo taken with her donkey, this time I took a great photo of her with her pigs. Our group was swamped with children, giggling and begging for photos, and we made quite the scene when four of us squeezed onto their moped. I can't wait to share all of the photos! Signing off for the night. Bon Nwit!