March 15, 2010 A FULL DAY!

Today started out damp and mushy and humid after the rain last night, but finished off hot (and humid) and scorchingly sunny! It was a great day, though. Clinic was busy and we did some interesting things. Met more delightful people. We have one little old man that Trish is following for hypertension and afib. He said he came and slept here out by the church last night in order to be here at 9am 'fasting' for a BG like we asked Saturday. If only we'd known he had to go to such lengths! people just don't tell you that they walked 5 miles to get here. We know only such a little glimpse of the lives we come into contact with. And what you don't think to ask might be something you really wanted or needed to know. Lunch was again a welcome rest that allowed us to re-energize just enough to finish the rest of the clinic with smiles and laughter. Our translators, Innocent and George kept us plenty entertained with their comedic interactions while we made another scouting trip around the edges of Leogane at the end of the day.George took us to two orphanages that had been destroyed in the quake, both of which said they could use medical care. One has 85 kids here in Darbonne, and the other, located about 40 km away in the mountains, is a school with 250 kids,none of whom have had medical care in ages. The entirety of the first one was leveled by the earthquake, and they had cleared the rubble from the lot to hopefully rebuild. Meanwhile, they live in tents and huts out back, a now familiar sight that is the norm rather than the exception.

Then we stopped at the Darbonne market to look around. This is the area from which my translator, Innocent, comes from. He showed us the school churchyard where he used to play basketball, which was next to the market. The area is lively, but one of the most disheveled and poverty-stricken in appearance than any I've seen so far. Raw meat in open 5pm air and sun, with flies coating it like blackened pepper crust.

The sewage ran right through in gutters that criss-crossed the marketplace, and the tent city that rests behind it. Goats, cachetic cows, and the universal world dog all over among it.

Kids flying their plastic stripe sac kites (and very well, I might add!) seemed oblivious to their surroundings,happily. And as always, everyone greets you cheerfully, little kids and old ladies wave cutely, and yell out "Blanc!" (white!) as you go by, trying to get your attention. We tried to figure out what the appropriate response to 'blanc!' is, but not really sure except to smile and wave back. I don't speak Creole, but i understood when as we passed one lady in the market and everyone in turn greeted her with a "Bon Soir!", she says to the translator "Bon Soir is the only thing they know how to say, eh?" It was funny, and mostly true.

But we are trying! We have picked up a lot in the last few days, though mostly best applied in the context of the focused medical interview--so not exactly usable in the marketplace.

'Kijan ou rele?' - what are you called?

'Como ye?' - how are you?

'Sac passe~?" -what's happening? (we use that with friends, not pts)

'No pi mal!' - I'm not too bad

'Mwen bien' - I'm good.

'Quil age ou?' - what is your age?

'Ou fait mal?'- what part (body) is bothering you?

and several others that you don't need to know concerning private things...

Whenever we do have to examine something of a private nature, we are challenged since our clinic is basically in the front yard of a church. So, we take a headlamp and a chaperone/translator into the church building, back to the storage closet by the pulpit. There, we have them strip whatever garment is required, shine the light on the problem, put clothing back in place and march back out. No room to sit, lie or turn around in there. Kind of awkward but the people accept it like it's nothing out of the ordinary.

Now, after dinner at the compound of chicken tacos with homemade tortillas and pico de gallo, FOLLOWED BY homeade ice cream and chocolate syrup (!), we sit on the bench under the light bulb to write our updates, make nightly chats on facebook (Matt with his wife), and just let the day replay in our heads --or out loud if it was a funny moment we like to recall.

In the background is the sound of the neighboring church at service, singing, singing, singing. Even after 8pm. We walk past this church (chapel? very small) every morning and afternoon to and from our church clinic on the other block. I'll post a picture so you can see. It's basically a tiny room stuck into a narrow passage from one street block to the other, where people's homes were destroyed and in place are tents and tin, and the entirety of the daily living occurs in the corridor. There's a little boy that runs at large and is always ready to slap someone on the behind as they walk by. Matt has aptly named him the' Butt-slapper'. They have come to be comfortable with us, needless to say--and like to chase us from time to time also. Until we chase back, of course. :)