Today we visited a national park up in the Andes. We actually went a ways back up the same highway that we took to get to Cuenca from the coast. At one point we pulled off the road into a park entrance where our bus driver/tour guide took us on a hike above the tree line (appx. 13,000 ft) through lagoons, marshes, down into a small forest and back across the marshland. I won't go into a detailed description because I can't show you the pictures but I can say that it was magnificent. Our guide showed us a plant that the locals chew (like coca but much milder) to treat altitude sickness. Not surprisingly it tasted like sucking on ibuprofen would. It did get rid of my headache, though.
We came back, changed out of our muddy clothes then went to a Panama hat museum/store. Ecuadorians insist that Panama hats were actually invented in Ecuador. While I don't doubt that that is possible, the museum was kind of lame and since I could never see myself wearing such a hat with any kind of seriousness the whole experience was a little boring, though not long enough to really get on my nerves. We walked around the city for a while and I tried to keep some distance between myself and my obviously-tourist-because-I'm-wearing-flip-flops-in-the-rain-and-a-Panama-hat-I-just-bought colleagues.
A few minutes later we got on a tour bus that took us around the city. The tour was not very informative, but it was free and it took us to the top of a hill where we could see all of Cuenca so I'd say it was worth it. There is a gelatto parlour across from our hotel and today is the second time that I have purchased a cone for $1 which I think is a pretty good deal. My roommate had never tried gelatto so I made him do it last night. He went three times today. I suppose it's good that we're leaving tomorrow for Quito.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Cuenca Day 2 (30 May 2011)
Yesterday was Memorial Day. I hope you all had fun. As for me, I was already on vacation so I almost forgot. As for the day's activities we visited Incan ruins at about 10,000 feet elevation. I felt a little bit better than some of my fellow cadets as we hiked around because my roommate and I had gone for a run that morning in Cuenca, partially acclamating us to the thinner air. Still it wasn't easy and as I finished my struggle to the top of a hill any pride that I had in my physical abilities was dashed to pieces by a fourish foot Ecuadorian farmer carrying what looked to be about 150 lbs of llama feed on his back.
We got back to Cuenca, grabbed our swimsuits and headed over to another hotel whose pool was formed from a natural hot spring. That and the Turkish bath cleared out my sinuses pretty well, though perhaps too well because they dried out overnight and I've got a bit of a sore throat this morning. We got back from the hot springs, ate dinner and my roommate and I went out to see more of the old city.
I almost forgot! The absolutely greatest Catholic cathedral I have ever seen was just a few minutes off the path back from the ruins. Built on a steep hillside (what might be called a mountain in the eastern United States) the entire back wall of the chapel was the raw stone of the hill itself. From the outside it looked like a castle with several different steep winding staircases leading up to the chapel. One of the things that had been brought up at the Incan ruins was that the Spanish often destroyed Incan temples or appropriated stone for other building projects as part of their iconoclastic colonization techniques. I could see how this cathedral could have had an impressive psychological effect on any indigenous person trying to decide which god to place their bet on. All in all, a pretty good day.
We got back to Cuenca, grabbed our swimsuits and headed over to another hotel whose pool was formed from a natural hot spring. That and the Turkish bath cleared out my sinuses pretty well, though perhaps too well because they dried out overnight and I've got a bit of a sore throat this morning. We got back from the hot springs, ate dinner and my roommate and I went out to see more of the old city.
I almost forgot! The absolutely greatest Catholic cathedral I have ever seen was just a few minutes off the path back from the ruins. Built on a steep hillside (what might be called a mountain in the eastern United States) the entire back wall of the chapel was the raw stone of the hill itself. From the outside it looked like a castle with several different steep winding staircases leading up to the chapel. One of the things that had been brought up at the Incan ruins was that the Spanish often destroyed Incan temples or appropriated stone for other building projects as part of their iconoclastic colonization techniques. I could see how this cathedral could have had an impressive psychological effect on any indigenous person trying to decide which god to place their bet on. All in all, a pretty good day.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Guayaquil Day 3; Cuenca Day 1 (28-29 May 2011)
I did not go salsa dancing. It turned out, however, to be greatly to my advantage. As my colleagues informed me the cab driver had no idea how to get to the club that had been scouted out and ended up taking all the cadets to another club which could only be given the compliment of ''memorable'' and none other. Anyway the next day we spent the morning and afternoon in a city park that was part zoo, part botanical garden, and part recreated historical city. It was pretty cool but with the end in sight it's hard to convince myself to edit pictures and upload them. That will probably have to wait until I get back. We came back to the hotel and I had the chance to read my book and to talk to Ada. I miss her a lot.
Today we got up a little later, some people went to church but I missed that phone call because I had gone to the hotel gym. At about 1100 we left for Cuenca. The drive was incredible. We drove through the fog for about forty-five minutes before coming out of the cloud cover. From then on the mountain view above the clouds was fabulous all the way until we came down into Cuenca. I immediately fell in love with the city. Architecture from every high point in society is visible, from some pre-Columbian ruins to Gothic and Baroque cathedrals to colonial plazas to early twentieth century homes. OK so I know I said that I wasn't going to bother with photos but this place can only be appreciated by seeing it. Unfortunately this computer is really slow so you will have to wait for another day. Sorry. Tonight I will finish The Brothers Karamazov and try to figure out how to get something else to read that I would be dedicated to finishing.
Today we got up a little later, some people went to church but I missed that phone call because I had gone to the hotel gym. At about 1100 we left for Cuenca. The drive was incredible. We drove through the fog for about forty-five minutes before coming out of the cloud cover. From then on the mountain view above the clouds was fabulous all the way until we came down into Cuenca. I immediately fell in love with the city. Architecture from every high point in society is visible, from some pre-Columbian ruins to Gothic and Baroque cathedrals to colonial plazas to early twentieth century homes. OK so I know I said that I wasn't going to bother with photos but this place can only be appreciated by seeing it. Unfortunately this computer is really slow so you will have to wait for another day. Sorry. Tonight I will finish The Brothers Karamazov and try to figure out how to get something else to read that I would be dedicated to finishing.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Manta 11-12; Guayaquil 1-2 (May 24-27 2011)
Ok so I really haven't written that much in the last few days. Since the last time I wrote I spent the first half of our last day in Jaramijó processing patients into the site. The second half I spent in general medicine. Like last time, about 2/3 kids, the rest adults. The next day was the closing ceremony for the operation, even though some of the doctors were finishing up at the site with some left over patients. We attended the ceremony rather than work with the doctors. The local translators had us covered.
The rest of the afternoon we spent learning to play Ecuavolei on the beach. Ecauvolei is like volleyball, but you play with a soccer ball instead. The net is considered in, but the post is still out. The only other difference is that one is allowed more time for contact with the ball. That is, you're allowed to sort of catch the ball and throw it as long as you do it quickly. It is, however, useless to ask an Ecaudorian exactly how much time one may hold onto the ball, since the answer is always, "eeeeeeh...just a little." Later that evening we played soccer on the beach with some locals.
The next morning we left for Guayaquil. It was a three hour ride and I got to read a lot. I finished the Qur'an a couple of days ago wo now I was reading The Brothers Karamazov. That book was on hiatus during last semester but now I will most likely finish it before I leave. Once we got to Guayaquil we went to a small park in downtown filled with iguanas. After that we visited a Catholic cathedral and managed to get an insider tour that took us up all the way to the highest bell tower. The last to stories we climbed on ladders. Not being a huge fan of heights, I loved the view and the pictures I got (sadly, they are on my friends camera at the moment), including a video of me ringing the bell, but I was also glad to get back on the ground. We went to the Guayaquil Historical Museum and later that night we saw Pirates of the Caribbean IV. I was a little disappointed.
Today we climbed up a hill where the colonials had set up artillery in defense against the Spanish. It's a touristy place now, but it wasn't bad because it was the morning so it was mostly just locals getting ready for the day. After that we walked down the boardwalk that was right there and walked a couple of miles along the shore in downtown. We walked back, got in our van, then headed up to the LDS temple. This evening we are supposed to take a class on salsa dancing. We'll see how that goes.
The rest of the afternoon we spent learning to play Ecuavolei on the beach. Ecauvolei is like volleyball, but you play with a soccer ball instead. The net is considered in, but the post is still out. The only other difference is that one is allowed more time for contact with the ball. That is, you're allowed to sort of catch the ball and throw it as long as you do it quickly. It is, however, useless to ask an Ecaudorian exactly how much time one may hold onto the ball, since the answer is always, "eeeeeeh...just a little." Later that evening we played soccer on the beach with some locals.
The next morning we left for Guayaquil. It was a three hour ride and I got to read a lot. I finished the Qur'an a couple of days ago wo now I was reading The Brothers Karamazov. That book was on hiatus during last semester but now I will most likely finish it before I leave. Once we got to Guayaquil we went to a small park in downtown filled with iguanas. After that we visited a Catholic cathedral and managed to get an insider tour that took us up all the way to the highest bell tower. The last to stories we climbed on ladders. Not being a huge fan of heights, I loved the view and the pictures I got (sadly, they are on my friends camera at the moment), including a video of me ringing the bell, but I was also glad to get back on the ground. We went to the Guayaquil Historical Museum and later that night we saw Pirates of the Caribbean IV. I was a little disappointed.
Today we climbed up a hill where the colonials had set up artillery in defense against the Spanish. It's a touristy place now, but it wasn't bad because it was the morning so it was mostly just locals getting ready for the day. After that we walked down the boardwalk that was right there and walked a couple of miles along the shore in downtown. We walked back, got in our van, then headed up to the LDS temple. This evening we are supposed to take a class on salsa dancing. We'll see how that goes.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Manta Day 9-10 (22-23 May 2011)
I been a little tired to write very much. Yesterday I was in dermatology. We didn't see very many patients because it was a specialty that most people didn't really need. I got to see a couple of interesting, simple surgeries to remove skin growths, though. After the day at Jaramijo we came back to the hotel, ate dinner and went to church on the ship. It was interesting to see which of the officers we had worked with turned out to be members. There were also the volunteers from LDS charities plus ourselves. I passed the sacrament. We went back to the hotel and I fell asleep reading.
Today I was in general medicine again, with a lot of pediatric patients. Not much interesting happened. I now have a much better idea what a doctor does day in and day out, and an even better conviction that I would not like to do that for the rest of my life. I once considered being a doctor, but I am glad that I found something I was made for. Tonight we are going to go to the daily officers' debriefing as part of our professional development. I'm dying to go. Seriously. I mean it.
Today I was in general medicine again, with a lot of pediatric patients. Not much interesting happened. I now have a much better idea what a doctor does day in and day out, and an even better conviction that I would not like to do that for the rest of my life. I once considered being a doctor, but I am glad that I found something I was made for. Tonight we are going to go to the daily officers' debriefing as part of our professional development. I'm dying to go. Seriously. I mean it.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Manta Day 7-8 (20-21 May 2011)
So yesterday we were took a day of liberty because the site at Roca Fuerte shut down so there were more than enough translators at Montecristi. We took a drive southward and for $25 each we got a boat ride to Isla de la Plata. We left between 9:00 and 10:00 AM so most of the small boat fishermen were coming back to unload their catch.
We saw some shark fishermen unloading and preparing their catch for sale right there on the beach.
After we left the shore we had about a 45 minute boat ride out to the island. As we approached I was worried that it would not be as cool as I expected. The environment was quite arid and as we got closer I thought it the perhaps they should have named it Lots of Creepy Birds Island.
But things got better fast. As we came ashore the water was crystal clear and I could see some fish, inlcuding some sea turtles.
This bird (blue-footed boobie, above and below) reminded me of Matthias, but there were a lot of them.
We also visited the creepy birds that included two species of vulture.
I swear I'm not fat. That shirt is billowing in the wind.
We came back to the boat and found a good spot for snorkeling. I'll spare you the photo of my half-naked body snorkeling amongst them, but we really did get to go right in the middle of these angel fish.
We came back to the boat and found a good spot for snorkeling. I'll spare you the photo of my half-naked body snorkeling amongst them, but we really did get to go right in the middle of these angel fish.
When we came back to shore I saw a bird driving a boat. Weird, huh.
Anyway, that was my day yesterday.
Today I was back at Montecristi for the last day there before they shut that site down. I was in family medicine again, so a lot of kids and a few adults. I've gotten very comfortable asking women some very personal questions. I just hope that doesn't spill over into the rest of my life. Goodness knows I already have trouble saying whatever pops into my head...
Tommorow we will be in Jaramijo, and the plan is for us to attend church on the Comfort. I'm pretty excited about getting to go to church for the first time in about a month. Last week some of us spoke with a few of the ladies from LDS Charities and they told us when sacrament meeting would be held on the ship. Though I am married, I am the only married cadet of the 9 male LDS cadets and when we mentioned that we might try to make it, the word got around quickly. We could not attend because of our schedule but the LDS Charities ladies told us the next day that sacrament attendance on the ship was a record high since they put out to sea, the additional members being a large number of very dissappointed female sailors.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Manta Day 6 (19 May 2011)
Today I was on the ship. We had to ready to go at 0545 so I did my exercise the night before by running to the port and back on the beach with some of my colleagues. We went and picked up some local translators at their hotel on the way there. I had been informed how to ask permission to board (a courtesy of formality on naval ships) but since the ramp up to the ship wasn't properly secured yet the whole process was more of a hurry-up-so-you-don't-get-hurt situation. Anyway, we ate breakfast on the ship, where I used some very fancy but worn out silverware. For some reason I was not allowed to have bacon and hash. I am still not quite sure if this was an actual rule or an assesment the cook made of me personally.
I was assigned ICU for the day, isolated from the rest of the process on the boat. It was not really ICU, since the sterile portions of the facility were locked and the lights turned off. All we were doing in there was taking care of patients who needed more focused observation. Three of our four post-op patients had escorts, some kind of family member with them, except one. Since everyone else had someone to come and ask me to communicate with the doctors I mostly camped out by my fourth friend who, on top of not having anyone, was recovering from corrective surgery for a cleft palate so he couldn't speak easily. The rest of the time that they didn't need my services I tried to finish my book and teach the nurses some Spanish.
In the afternoon I got bored and decided to conduct a reconnaissance. I had heard through the grapevine that there were some inadequacies in the translator shifts, so I went around to the different medical bays to find out their needs and see if maybe we cadets could do anything about it. Basically, the answer was yes, there are inadequacies, yes, I could do something about it, no, I was not allowed to take initiative and fix the problem because it might embarass someone who outranks me to fix what is essentially his only responsibility. All I could do what present the information in a concise, persuasive way and pass it on to the colonel so that he could make an informed decision if he decided that it was important enough to get involved. Otherwise there's not much more I can do.
When we got to our room today there was a note on the nightstand apologizing for the fact that the area outside of our room was going to be a rockin' party into the early morn', so that was pretty exciting. We had a bird colonel come eat with us tonight and talk about being a FAO. I think it's something I'm going to seriously consider, if I can convince Ada that it would be fun to live in Africa. Anyway, back to my room to be sweetly serenaded by a professional karaoke salsa singer. Que Dios les bendiga.
I was assigned ICU for the day, isolated from the rest of the process on the boat. It was not really ICU, since the sterile portions of the facility were locked and the lights turned off. All we were doing in there was taking care of patients who needed more focused observation. Three of our four post-op patients had escorts, some kind of family member with them, except one. Since everyone else had someone to come and ask me to communicate with the doctors I mostly camped out by my fourth friend who, on top of not having anyone, was recovering from corrective surgery for a cleft palate so he couldn't speak easily. The rest of the time that they didn't need my services I tried to finish my book and teach the nurses some Spanish.
In the afternoon I got bored and decided to conduct a reconnaissance. I had heard through the grapevine that there were some inadequacies in the translator shifts, so I went around to the different medical bays to find out their needs and see if maybe we cadets could do anything about it. Basically, the answer was yes, there are inadequacies, yes, I could do something about it, no, I was not allowed to take initiative and fix the problem because it might embarass someone who outranks me to fix what is essentially his only responsibility. All I could do what present the information in a concise, persuasive way and pass it on to the colonel so that he could make an informed decision if he decided that it was important enough to get involved. Otherwise there's not much more I can do.
When we got to our room today there was a note on the nightstand apologizing for the fact that the area outside of our room was going to be a rockin' party into the early morn', so that was pretty exciting. We had a bird colonel come eat with us tonight and talk about being a FAO. I think it's something I'm going to seriously consider, if I can convince Ada that it would be fun to live in Africa. Anyway, back to my room to be sweetly serenaded by a professional karaoke salsa singer. Que Dios les bendiga.
Manta Day 5 (18 May 2011)
I was in pediatrics today again. I'm learning a lot as I deal with all the same questions. Every parent thinks their kid should be getting fatter. That's because you gain weight quickly as an infant but then slow down anywhere between 2-8 years old as your body gets taller. Then, anywhere between 6-10 years old the weight gain picks up again as the body prepares for puberty. If your toddler isn't eating much because of this, then it's better to give them small portions of a lot of food rather than giving them large portions so that they just pick their favorite and eat that. Some of the other common concerns that I learned about are the ages when frecuency of illnesses rise and subside, intestinal pain, all the different symptoms that tooth decay can cause, and so on.
As I've learned the different causes and remedies of each problem and the way that each doctor likes to explain it, most of the doctors have been glad to allow me to simply launch into the discussion without waiting to do an actual ''translation'' per se. That allows the doctor to do the paper work and physical exam of the child while I calm the parents' fears and teach some preventative medicine. With evey different area that I've been able to work in it's been a lot of fun because I get a lot of contact with the people and I get to have a more personable interaction rather than just a language processor for the doctor.
Today was unique, though, on top of having people stand in line and taking a variety of patients, several commercial buses went to two different schools that all got tagged for pediatrics, regardless of thier issues. Two difficult situations arose as a result. One, I had to tell a bunch of parents whose kids had specific problems like teeth or eyes that they would have to come back, stand in line, and get their kid rebanded for a specialty if they wanted to be seen for anything other than pediatrics. Two, we stayed over two hours late at the site seeing kids well after all the other doctors' shops were closed up. I was exhausted.
All in all, a good day. Tomorrow I go to the ship.
As I've learned the different causes and remedies of each problem and the way that each doctor likes to explain it, most of the doctors have been glad to allow me to simply launch into the discussion without waiting to do an actual ''translation'' per se. That allows the doctor to do the paper work and physical exam of the child while I calm the parents' fears and teach some preventative medicine. With evey different area that I've been able to work in it's been a lot of fun because I get a lot of contact with the people and I get to have a more personable interaction rather than just a language processor for the doctor.
Today was unique, though, on top of having people stand in line and taking a variety of patients, several commercial buses went to two different schools that all got tagged for pediatrics, regardless of thier issues. Two difficult situations arose as a result. One, I had to tell a bunch of parents whose kids had specific problems like teeth or eyes that they would have to come back, stand in line, and get their kid rebanded for a specialty if they wanted to be seen for anything other than pediatrics. Two, we stayed over two hours late at the site seeing kids well after all the other doctors' shops were closed up. I was exhausted.
All in all, a good day. Tomorrow I go to the ship.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Manta Day 4 (17 May 2011)
I don't feel like writing a lot because I'm a bit tired and I want to do some other things before I go to bed. Today I was in Optometry. Not a lot of translating since the doc and the techs knew how to say all the basic things they needed in order to process simple cases. They kept me on hand in the few cases where they needed more information or when the patient wanted to convey a lot of info to the doctor. Almost everyone wanted sunglasses and eyedrops but they didn't seem to realize that we didn't have enough for everyone to have them for free so we needed to save them for people with an immediate and significant medical need. It even got to the point where I would go out and give a speech to all the people in line about it because everyone who didn't want to leave without eyedrops and sunglasses were backing us up.
I did get to feel really useful, though, when we had a couple of more severe cases. The system for getting more serious cases onto the ship (not boat, as I have been informed by several people) is not organized in a way that made me confident that I could simply hand the patient off so I escorted a few of them through the process to make sure that the people who needed the most help really got it. I guess I felt responsible because over the last few days I have come the conclusion that it is impossible to offer free surgeries and such to people that really need it without having to process a bunch of people whose problems are much more minor. The only solution is to process as many people as possible so you can get to as many important cases as possible. I guess I felt like if I didn't get help for the really sick people then the rest of the work we were doing was not helping us reach our full potential.
Overall it was a good day. We got some really sick people help and we gave glasses to over 150 people. I don't know what I'm doing tomorrow but I hope it's hard work.
I did get to feel really useful, though, when we had a couple of more severe cases. The system for getting more serious cases onto the ship (not boat, as I have been informed by several people) is not organized in a way that made me confident that I could simply hand the patient off so I escorted a few of them through the process to make sure that the people who needed the most help really got it. I guess I felt responsible because over the last few days I have come the conclusion that it is impossible to offer free surgeries and such to people that really need it without having to process a bunch of people whose problems are much more minor. The only solution is to process as many people as possible so you can get to as many important cases as possible. I guess I felt like if I didn't get help for the really sick people then the rest of the work we were doing was not helping us reach our full potential.
Overall it was a good day. We got some really sick people help and we gave glasses to over 150 people. I don't know what I'm doing tomorrow but I hope it's hard work.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Manta Day 3 (16 May 2011)
Yesterday I left Manta to go to a town named Roca Fuerte. Today I went to Monte Cristi. This town is much closer since we must have traveled more than 40 minutes to get to Roca Fuerte yesterday. Conversely this ride only took us a few minutes outside of Manta. I had been there yesterday when we dropped off the other cadets on our way to Roca Fuerte. The clinic itself had taken over the local school (built by CPO Labrada's Sea Bees three years ago). The school is practically on top of Monte Cristi itself. We could see the whole village from the playground area and the entrance.
Today I was with ''Family Practice'' which seemed to be mostly overflow from pediatrics and general medicine. I am really excited to help people who really need it, but we spent a lot of time (like yesterday) talking to parents who had healthy kids and were just overly worried about colds and growing pains. Whatever children come in with we send them away with vitamins and parasite treatments, so that could have something to do with the heavy traffic. Today the really important cases that came in were an 18 year-old young man who had broken his arm a year ago that nearly had to be amputated. The arm had grown crookedly but had a metal plate in it, so the doctors would not have been able to rebreak it. We did refer him to a special clinic that will be held on the ship so that he can learn some exercises that might give him more function in his arm and maybe some more feeling in his hand. Unfortunately it was already badly atrophed.
Another case was a young boy that had had a bone infection three years ago and was operated on, but now his foot was curling and twisting. By then the X-ray machine was down so we also referred him to the orthopedic clinic on the boat. The last serious case was girl with parasites that had moved from her stomach to elserwhere in her body. Uncomfortable, but a fairly easy fix.
I was persona non grata in the radiology clinic when I asked a young man in Navy camos how his day was going. Apparently he had heard that us cadets were staying in a hotel instead of on the ship. I asked him if he was aware that the Navy uses ships when he joined, at which point he directed me to his rank that showed that he was, in fact, a marine. I left it at that instead of informing him that he had, regardless of being a marine, joined the Navy...
But I really do feel like a jerk living the high life while everyone else crams on the boat. Personally I'd rather live like everybody else, but our budget was much larger and our purpose was different so I guess they felt the need to give me a room with a beachside view,
in a hotel with a view of the whole bay.
I hope I didn't just kill any sympathy that anyone had for me being far from home. As fun as this is I wish Ada were here to experience it all with me. BTW, the Comfort is that tiny white square at the very tip of the bay.
Today I was with ''Family Practice'' which seemed to be mostly overflow from pediatrics and general medicine. I am really excited to help people who really need it, but we spent a lot of time (like yesterday) talking to parents who had healthy kids and were just overly worried about colds and growing pains. Whatever children come in with we send them away with vitamins and parasite treatments, so that could have something to do with the heavy traffic. Today the really important cases that came in were an 18 year-old young man who had broken his arm a year ago that nearly had to be amputated. The arm had grown crookedly but had a metal plate in it, so the doctors would not have been able to rebreak it. We did refer him to a special clinic that will be held on the ship so that he can learn some exercises that might give him more function in his arm and maybe some more feeling in his hand. Unfortunately it was already badly atrophed.
Another case was a young boy that had had a bone infection three years ago and was operated on, but now his foot was curling and twisting. By then the X-ray machine was down so we also referred him to the orthopedic clinic on the boat. The last serious case was girl with parasites that had moved from her stomach to elserwhere in her body. Uncomfortable, but a fairly easy fix.
I was persona non grata in the radiology clinic when I asked a young man in Navy camos how his day was going. Apparently he had heard that us cadets were staying in a hotel instead of on the ship. I asked him if he was aware that the Navy uses ships when he joined, at which point he directed me to his rank that showed that he was, in fact, a marine. I left it at that instead of informing him that he had, regardless of being a marine, joined the Navy...
But I really do feel like a jerk living the high life while everyone else crams on the boat. Personally I'd rather live like everybody else, but our budget was much larger and our purpose was different so I guess they felt the need to give me a room with a beachside view,
Manta Day 2 (15 May 2011)
I decided that keeping a journal and keeping up with everyone was too time consuming so I decided that I will just write this as if it were a journal, excluding anything that I should not as per OPSEC. Today I was in Roca Fuerte in a community center (larger than the one yesterday) and this time I was with Pediatrics. At first I was doing translation for both doctors, switching back and forth as much as I could. After about an hour another translator came in and I was able to stay with one doctor the entire time.
At first we just went through as many people as we could. After another hour or so I told him that I needed to use the bathroom and grab some water. I also went and found my lunch (We got started a little late so it was about lunch time anyway). I made it clear that it was my intention to simply work as much as possible and eat a little bit at a time between patients so that we could see as many people as possible. I thought for a moment that this might have bothered the commander (the doctor) since he may have been expecting me to ask for a break and then take one himself at the same time. Conversely the other doctor left for about an hour and the line started to back up. That's when things got interesting.
At about 1:00 a sailor came in and said, ''We need the translator.'' I stood up and started walking towards the door. As I moved toward them I asked,
''Why? What's going on?''
''A riot'' I was told. I ran to the door and looked out at the seating area constructed a few feet away from the examination room. The ''riot'' was about seven adults standing up and shouting at each other about who should be in line in front of whom. Some people assumed (correctly) that the line was first-come-first-serve. Others concluded that those with the lowest dossier number (semi-randomly assigned based on type of infermity) should be moved to the front of the line. Furthermore, the nurses had started weighing some children in line to move things faster. By the time they had come back -the scales were all of ten feet away- someone had taken their seats and expected them to go to the end of the line.
I explained the situation to everyone and went back to translation. At the end of the day I overheard the commander telling his superior that we hadn't had a lunch break (I got worried again that this might have upset him). Whether he was or not, he appeared to take my attitude as positive.
''He did well,'' the LTC said still speaking to his commander, ''I hope I get him tomorrow.''
The final tally was 32 children examined by the commander and me, plus the three or four that I did when I was pulling double duty. The commander said his record was 52, but we started 1 1/2 hours late today so I guess we did pretty well. Sorry, no pictures today, we were just really busy.
At first we just went through as many people as we could. After another hour or so I told him that I needed to use the bathroom and grab some water. I also went and found my lunch (We got started a little late so it was about lunch time anyway). I made it clear that it was my intention to simply work as much as possible and eat a little bit at a time between patients so that we could see as many people as possible. I thought for a moment that this might have bothered the commander (the doctor) since he may have been expecting me to ask for a break and then take one himself at the same time. Conversely the other doctor left for about an hour and the line started to back up. That's when things got interesting.
At about 1:00 a sailor came in and said, ''We need the translator.'' I stood up and started walking towards the door. As I moved toward them I asked,
''Why? What's going on?''
''A riot'' I was told. I ran to the door and looked out at the seating area constructed a few feet away from the examination room. The ''riot'' was about seven adults standing up and shouting at each other about who should be in line in front of whom. Some people assumed (correctly) that the line was first-come-first-serve. Others concluded that those with the lowest dossier number (semi-randomly assigned based on type of infermity) should be moved to the front of the line. Furthermore, the nurses had started weighing some children in line to move things faster. By the time they had come back -the scales were all of ten feet away- someone had taken their seats and expected them to go to the end of the line.
I explained the situation to everyone and went back to translation. At the end of the day I overheard the commander telling his superior that we hadn't had a lunch break (I got worried again that this might have upset him). Whether he was or not, he appeared to take my attitude as positive.
''He did well,'' the LTC said still speaking to his commander, ''I hope I get him tomorrow.''
The final tally was 32 children examined by the commander and me, plus the three or four that I did when I was pulling double duty. The commander said his record was 52, but we started 1 1/2 hours late today so I guess we did pretty well. Sorry, no pictures today, we were just really busy.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
First Day in Manta
Yesterday was our first day in Manta. While two of the temporary clinics were being set up elsewhere, I went to the municipal clinic to help with surgical screenings. Everyone we saw had already been seen by an Ecuadorian doctor and knew more or less what the problem was. They simply can not afford the surgery so the navy will do it for free. Here's us getting some last minute advice from Sea Bee Chief Petty Officer Labrada. Basic message: People are watching everything you do, so represent your country properly.
Most of the time I was with the ophthamologists (sadly my colleague who is not here has the pictures) but I also spent some time taking down personal information and creating charts so that the doctors could just fill in the important information. I had to ask for some personal information for about 30 seconds and then spend five minutes copying the same information on four different forms. In order to pass the time and be personable I told jokes. This is when I told a man, ''So if I understand correctly sir, you're here because you've decided to donate your heart to science?''
I had a lot of fun meeting people who needed and help, plus the people that I worked with. The woman on the left spent all day trying to get me to give her my hat:
But it wasn't all fun; these people had serious problems. At one point as I was translating for the ophthamologists I had to tell a young man about my age that his retinal pigmentosis had no cure and that he would be blind for the rest of his life. He took it pretty well which makes me think that most likely he had already had a diagnosis and was hoping that American doctors would have something else to say. Unfortunately, as the doctors said, there is no cure even in the most advanced countries.
Things were mostly good, however. Most people just needed surgery for a cataract or some other growth on their eye. So here is your Kodak moment for the day, helping with an eye exam for a little girl that needed corrective surgerey for her lazy eye:
Most of the time I was with the ophthamologists (sadly my colleague who is not here has the pictures) but I also spent some time taking down personal information and creating charts so that the doctors could just fill in the important information. I had to ask for some personal information for about 30 seconds and then spend five minutes copying the same information on four different forms. In order to pass the time and be personable I told jokes. This is when I told a man, ''So if I understand correctly sir, you're here because you've decided to donate your heart to science?''
Things were mostly good, however. Most people just needed surgery for a cataract or some other growth on their eye. So here is your Kodak moment for the day, helping with an eye exam for a little girl that needed corrective surgerey for her lazy eye:
I love all of you and I hope to be sending some more pictures soon!
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Manta
We got to Manta last night and man, this is a blast from the past. Above all what I'm reminded of most is the smells. The ocean, fish markets, all the cars burning diesel instead of unleaded, every smell reminds me of the last time I was in the Pacific. Besides the smells there is the music everywhere, the engrossing contrast of abject poverty and vibrant society. I love this place.
I still miss my wife, though. Fortunately we have plenty of work to keep ourselves busy. Today we help set up the temporary clinics in Manta. Next week I will be stationed on the U.S.S. Comfort for four days (still sleeping in the hotel, though) but until then I will be rotating sites whose locations I do not know. Wish me luck!
I still miss my wife, though. Fortunately we have plenty of work to keep ourselves busy. Today we help set up the temporary clinics in Manta. Next week I will be stationed on the U.S.S. Comfort for four days (still sleeping in the hotel, though) but until then I will be rotating sites whose locations I do not know. Wish me luck!
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