On Tuesday I traveled from Santiago Atitlan to Guatemala City and then up to Flores. The first part of the trip was much easier than expected as I was able to share a shuttle straight from Santiago to the airport instead of first taking a boat and then a bus. It got me to the airport in only about 3 hours rather than the 5 or 6 it would have taken otherwise, but then I had 5 hours in the airport. FYI, there is NOTHING to do or to see in this airport. For the first 2 hours I happily sat in the wonderfully clean food court and eventually enjoyed a Subway sandwich. All of this without any insects to speak of! Eventually I went to the terminal, listened to several Fresh Air podcasts and wandered in and out of ridiculous stores (crystal, ties, watches, makeup etc). After sitting at the gate for an hour or so I began pacing. Soon the caged-animal-like pacing turned into discreet dancing as I had switched to music by that time. I successfully fought the urge to break into a full run up and down the terminal. I don´t know why the caged bird sings because quite frankly I wanted to scream. But, finally I got on the plane which landed in Flores less than an hour later.
Flores is a cute little town on an island in the middle of a lake. I have eaten delicious food (lots of fruit and veggies, not to mention amazing french fries) and visited the Mayan ruins of Tikal. The ruins were spectacular and we had a good guide, but I have to admit that I was even more impressed by the monkeys and birds and strange large rodents that we saw. I will post some pictures later.
Yesterday I went to a small museum on another tiny island in the middle of this lake. Basically it is just the house of a family who loves all-things-radio. History, technology, broadcasting etc. Our guide through the museum knew very little about any of the objects and it was almost funny to hear him holding forth on ´ancient´objects that he clearly had no idea about. However, after the museum part we went into the radio broadcasting studio and talked to the older woman and her son who still live there. There was a broadcast going on, but they both took time to talk to us about the equipment they had in the museum and about radio in general.
I´m about to get on a bus to San Ignacio, Belize where I´ll meet Chris and Laura and Chad. HOORAY! Hopefully next post will contain some pictures :)
Friday, December 5, 2008
Saturday, November 29, 2008
T-day 2008!
I've finished my last full week at the Hospitalito! The time has flown by (mostly) :) Last week was a blur: clinic on Monday and Spanish class, on call on Tuesday, slept on Wednesday and got sick enough to actually not even go to work on Thursday, T-day dinner that night which I unfortunately couldn't resist, and clinic again yesterday with Spanish class and a B-day celebration afterward (complete with pinata!). Some disconnected musings:
1) Thanksgiving dinner was very impressive. Traci and her husband Jared, who are volunteering here in Santiago for a year and are the 'Mom and Dad' at Las Milpas where most of the Hospitalito volunteers live, cooked up a storm! (Here is their blog.) They even got a turkey! Someone who recently came down also brought canned pumpkin and cranberry sauce :) Different people made their favorite T-day foods which were fun to try, and I made an apple crisp (thanks Anne and Stephen for the recipe!) which was a hit. All things considered, it was an excellent T-day (besides the being sick part), but it certainly did make me miss everyone at home! Here is a picture of the feast:
2) Last night we watched the movie 50 First Dates, a romantic comedy with Adam Sandler. It features Drew Barrymore who, a la Groundhog Day, can't remember anything day to day. Now, she certainly 'lives in the moment', but that phrase must mean something different from the inability to make new memories. Any thoughts?
3) Today I finally felt well enough to have a piece of pineapple. If you are not already familiar with my attachment to fruit, suffice it to say that I adore and crave it probably as much as chocolate. Well, I guess I chomped down too hard on my fork. Here is before and after:
I had a little filling between my two front teeth that is no longer there! It is kind of funny because a similar thing happened to me in Morocco when I was very excited about eating salad. I bit down too enthusiastically on the fork and chipped my tooth. Coupled with the GI distress I seem to be prone to acquiring, the tooth problems make me think that perhaps fruits and veggies are a true menace!
4) Today a veterinarian came to town to fix dogs and cats. Some of the other volunteers were saying that it is a lot more efficient in terms of 'family planning' to fix a male dog or cat. I'm not sure if I lost a bit of brain when the filling between my two front teeth came out, but I can't seem to understand. Of course I understand that gestation takes time and so that in one year a male could father many litters. However, as far as I learned in the 80s in school, each baby needs a mother and a father -- so how can it be more efficient to neuter one versus the other? If there are, for example, 2 males and 2 females in the entire population, how does better control the population to neuter one male versus one female? Please please explain this in a way that makes sense. It is driving me crazy.
5) I've been busily making plans for the next month or so. On Tuesday I'm heading up to Tikal, and on Friday to meet Chris, Chad and Laura in Belize. We'll be there for a week with part of the time on the beach :) After that I'll meet my mom in Mexico City for 9 days!! I'll work my way back South stopping at San Cristobal de las Casas and stay back here in Santiago Atitlan over New Year's. Jess is coming to visit from the 5th to the 12th and we will have a few glorious days in Guatemala before I come home. I'm not sure how much I'll get to blog in the next few weeks, but I will take some pictures and post them later ... I hope that everyone is doing well and I would love to hear from you :)
1) Thanksgiving dinner was very impressive. Traci and her husband Jared, who are volunteering here in Santiago for a year and are the 'Mom and Dad' at Las Milpas where most of the Hospitalito volunteers live, cooked up a storm! (Here is their blog.) They even got a turkey! Someone who recently came down also brought canned pumpkin and cranberry sauce :) Different people made their favorite T-day foods which were fun to try, and I made an apple crisp (thanks Anne and Stephen for the recipe!) which was a hit. All things considered, it was an excellent T-day (besides the being sick part), but it certainly did make me miss everyone at home! Here is a picture of the feast:
2) Last night we watched the movie 50 First Dates, a romantic comedy with Adam Sandler. It features Drew Barrymore who, a la Groundhog Day, can't remember anything day to day. Now, she certainly 'lives in the moment', but that phrase must mean something different from the inability to make new memories. Any thoughts?
3) Today I finally felt well enough to have a piece of pineapple. If you are not already familiar with my attachment to fruit, suffice it to say that I adore and crave it probably as much as chocolate. Well, I guess I chomped down too hard on my fork. Here is before and after:
I had a little filling between my two front teeth that is no longer there! It is kind of funny because a similar thing happened to me in Morocco when I was very excited about eating salad. I bit down too enthusiastically on the fork and chipped my tooth. Coupled with the GI distress I seem to be prone to acquiring, the tooth problems make me think that perhaps fruits and veggies are a true menace!
4) Today a veterinarian came to town to fix dogs and cats. Some of the other volunteers were saying that it is a lot more efficient in terms of 'family planning' to fix a male dog or cat. I'm not sure if I lost a bit of brain when the filling between my two front teeth came out, but I can't seem to understand. Of course I understand that gestation takes time and so that in one year a male could father many litters. However, as far as I learned in the 80s in school, each baby needs a mother and a father -- so how can it be more efficient to neuter one versus the other? If there are, for example, 2 males and 2 females in the entire population, how does better control the population to neuter one male versus one female? Please please explain this in a way that makes sense. It is driving me crazy.
5) I've been busily making plans for the next month or so. On Tuesday I'm heading up to Tikal, and on Friday to meet Chris, Chad and Laura in Belize. We'll be there for a week with part of the time on the beach :) After that I'll meet my mom in Mexico City for 9 days!! I'll work my way back South stopping at San Cristobal de las Casas and stay back here in Santiago Atitlan over New Year's. Jess is coming to visit from the 5th to the 12th and we will have a few glorious days in Guatemala before I come home. I'm not sure how much I'll get to blog in the next few weeks, but I will take some pictures and post them later ... I hope that everyone is doing well and I would love to hear from you :)
Monday, November 24, 2008
Comfort
Yesterday a very surprising thing occurred. Someone dropped off my package! Thank you very much Gary and Sue :) I am currently enjoying butterscotch krimpets (Tastykake), cinnamon tea and sitting in bed writing by the light of candles as well as the glow of my computer screen. What a treat to be able to do this, and at 7PM none-the-less ...
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Travelling Across Lake Atitlan
Yesterday we went to Pana in the morning and did touristy things until about 2PM. The day after that point was quite terrible but before I tell you about it I want to show you a painting I got from a gallery/meditation garden/workshop of a Mayan painter from Panajachel. We had a wonderful tour by the artist's wife and one of the many bizarre things we saw is this cow/monster painted onto the natural face of the rock. I see an elephant in the picture that I got, but what I like most is that it reminds me of this wonderful museum/studio.
Well, then we went to lunch which was lovely until we received a phone call from the Hospitalito. I was with a family medicine doc, a pediatrician, the volunteer coordinator and her husband. The information we got from the hospital is that a boat had sunk in the lake, and there were about 12 people on board some of whom had died before being rescued. The survivors were being brought to the Hospitalito but there were only 2 people working at that time: one doctor and one nurse. We were called and asked to come back immediately.
The ride over to Pana had been a little rough, but to be honest I didn't think it was that bad (compared to going to San Pedro on Tuesday). But sometimes the wind does pick up in the afternoon and with it the waves as well. So we had a bit of a dilemma because we could either take a big, slow and perhaps safer boat back or take a small, fast and perhaps less safe boat back to Santiago. In the end we hired a small boat just for the 5 of us and made sure there were enough life jackets (which we all wore). It was, to say the least, a nerve wracking 30 or so minutes. We saw from the boat that there were about 100 people or so all crowded at the boat dock where we later learned two bodies had been taken to shore.
When we arrived at the Hospitalito there was one French woman who was hypothermic and had aspirated quite a bit of water. I think that her husband had died shortly after arriving at the Hospitalito. I don't want to say too much more to respect their confidentiality, but here is a link to a news clip about the accident. The Malaysian archbishop also died in the accident. Apparently this was the first accident/drowning in 7 years on the lake. We ended up stabilizing the woman and transferring her to a private hospital in Guatemala City. Riding in the back of the ambulance on Guatemalan roads through mountains was, well, not easy on the stomach. It took a little bit over 3 hours to get to the hospital, but it seemed like a very good hospital where she would be in good hands. Here is a picture of Jen (family medicine doc) on the way home in the ambulance. I slept (quite soundly) on the floor of the ambulance on the way back and didn't wake up until we arrived back at the Hospitalito around 2:30AM.
I've thought a lot today about the accident, the people who died and their families. It is still a shock that something like this could have happened. Hundreds of people travel in these boats across the lake every day. I travel in these boats several times a week without ever having seriously considered that something so awful could happen. I did go out on the lake today in a kayak, but stayed very close to shore and wore my life preserver. Apparently the passengers on the boat were urging the captain to go more slowly or turn around but he didn't listen. I believe he is currently in police custody. Supposedly it might be safer for him with the police as I've been told that the community sometimes takes justice into their own hands.
Well, I think that is enough to report for one entry. Today Lago Atitlan, supposedly one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, feels to me like a monster.
Well, then we went to lunch which was lovely until we received a phone call from the Hospitalito. I was with a family medicine doc, a pediatrician, the volunteer coordinator and her husband. The information we got from the hospital is that a boat had sunk in the lake, and there were about 12 people on board some of whom had died before being rescued. The survivors were being brought to the Hospitalito but there were only 2 people working at that time: one doctor and one nurse. We were called and asked to come back immediately.
The ride over to Pana had been a little rough, but to be honest I didn't think it was that bad (compared to going to San Pedro on Tuesday). But sometimes the wind does pick up in the afternoon and with it the waves as well. So we had a bit of a dilemma because we could either take a big, slow and perhaps safer boat back or take a small, fast and perhaps less safe boat back to Santiago. In the end we hired a small boat just for the 5 of us and made sure there were enough life jackets (which we all wore). It was, to say the least, a nerve wracking 30 or so minutes. We saw from the boat that there were about 100 people or so all crowded at the boat dock where we later learned two bodies had been taken to shore.
When we arrived at the Hospitalito there was one French woman who was hypothermic and had aspirated quite a bit of water. I think that her husband had died shortly after arriving at the Hospitalito. I don't want to say too much more to respect their confidentiality, but here is a link to a news clip about the accident. The Malaysian archbishop also died in the accident. Apparently this was the first accident/drowning in 7 years on the lake. We ended up stabilizing the woman and transferring her to a private hospital in Guatemala City. Riding in the back of the ambulance on Guatemalan roads through mountains was, well, not easy on the stomach. It took a little bit over 3 hours to get to the hospital, but it seemed like a very good hospital where she would be in good hands. Here is a picture of Jen (family medicine doc) on the way home in the ambulance. I slept (quite soundly) on the floor of the ambulance on the way back and didn't wake up until we arrived back at the Hospitalito around 2:30AM.
I've thought a lot today about the accident, the people who died and their families. It is still a shock that something like this could have happened. Hundreds of people travel in these boats across the lake every day. I travel in these boats several times a week without ever having seriously considered that something so awful could happen. I did go out on the lake today in a kayak, but stayed very close to shore and wore my life preserver. Apparently the passengers on the boat were urging the captain to go more slowly or turn around but he didn't listen. I believe he is currently in police custody. Supposedly it might be safer for him with the police as I've been told that the community sometimes takes justice into their own hands. Well, I think that is enough to report for one entry. Today Lago Atitlan, supposedly one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, feels to me like a monster.
Friday, November 21, 2008
The Home Stretch at Hospitalito!
Well it is 8 PM Friday night and I am finally relaxing in bed. It has been kind of a long week; I worked 7AM Monday to 7AM Tuesday, 7AM Wednesday to 7AM Thursday, Thursday afternoon and all day today. But, both call nights I got quite a bit of rest and I had Tuesday off. Let me share with you some of the week:
Monday: I got to catch a baby! Mom had a post-partum hemorrhage which was kind of scary but bimanual pressure on the uterus (one in one out) actually seemed to help stop the bleeding. Later in the night there was a woman who had a spontaneous, incomplete abortion at 9 weeks. She has 5 kids already but this was her 2nd in a row and needless to say it was tough.
Tuesday: This was the last week of one of the volunteers (Camilo) and so I tried to go with him to the lake-side town of San Marcos. However, the lake was so rough that not very many boats were running and as it turned out the first boat ride to San Pedro was more than enough for us. I felt pretty sick but was kind of relieved to see that the Guatemalans on the boat also looked scared and sick. I'd rather be vindicated but unsafe rather than wrong and safe! So Camilo and I spent the day hanging out in San Pedro. We at a lot:
Luckily the boat on the way back was less terrifying and as an added plus the sunset was gorgeous. Here I am at the front of the boat and also a view of Santiago from the lake:
Wednesday: On call again. A 13 year old came in unconscious and having vomited blood. She had a blood glucose of 11 (very, very low). The family said that this happened all of a sudden. They were convinced she was going to die and wanted to go home rather than be transferred to another hospital. After quite a bit of convincing (during which time we couldn't get any other blood work because, among other things, the person who processes labs was sick), the family agreed that she could be transferred to Solola, about 2 or so hours away. Well, she made it to Solola, and they were working on transferring her to Guatemala City when she died. The thing is that she started kind of making sounds after we gave her some dextrose (sugar) ... I guess as is often the case we will never know what happened.
Thursday: I spent the morning getting my travel plans together for the remainder of the trip. I feel very good about having gotten my tickets (first Tikal, then Belize with Laura and Chad and Chris, then Mexico with my mom, then St. Cristobal de las Casas, then back to Guatemala for travels with Jess). In the afternoon I went back to the hospital to do prenatal clinic, and had dinner with the other volunteers because it was Camilo's last night here. We had a delicious zucchini quiche and carrot cake for dessert.
Friday: Clinic was super busy this morning but quieted down in the afternoon. Class with my Spanish teacher was good today. I've been having a 2 hour lesson about 3 times per week and I think it is helping (finally). I also got a phone call from my host mom that they picked up the package in Guatemala city. I think that is what the message said anyway :)
Tomorrow we are planning to go to Panajachel which is the most built up town on the lake. I hope that the lake isn't too rough (there were actually white-capped waves the other day when we went to San Pedro). I think that we're going to make a T-day dinner and need to pick up many of the ingredients. Is everyone looking forward to Thanksgiving??
Monday: I got to catch a baby! Mom had a post-partum hemorrhage which was kind of scary but bimanual pressure on the uterus (one in one out) actually seemed to help stop the bleeding. Later in the night there was a woman who had a spontaneous, incomplete abortion at 9 weeks. She has 5 kids already but this was her 2nd in a row and needless to say it was tough.
Tuesday: This was the last week of one of the volunteers (Camilo) and so I tried to go with him to the lake-side town of San Marcos. However, the lake was so rough that not very many boats were running and as it turned out the first boat ride to San Pedro was more than enough for us. I felt pretty sick but was kind of relieved to see that the Guatemalans on the boat also looked scared and sick. I'd rather be vindicated but unsafe rather than wrong and safe! So Camilo and I spent the day hanging out in San Pedro. We at a lot:
Luckily the boat on the way back was less terrifying and as an added plus the sunset was gorgeous. Here I am at the front of the boat and also a view of Santiago from the lake:
Wednesday: On call again. A 13 year old came in unconscious and having vomited blood. She had a blood glucose of 11 (very, very low). The family said that this happened all of a sudden. They were convinced she was going to die and wanted to go home rather than be transferred to another hospital. After quite a bit of convincing (during which time we couldn't get any other blood work because, among other things, the person who processes labs was sick), the family agreed that she could be transferred to Solola, about 2 or so hours away. Well, she made it to Solola, and they were working on transferring her to Guatemala City when she died. The thing is that she started kind of making sounds after we gave her some dextrose (sugar) ... I guess as is often the case we will never know what happened.
Thursday: I spent the morning getting my travel plans together for the remainder of the trip. I feel very good about having gotten my tickets (first Tikal, then Belize with Laura and Chad and Chris, then Mexico with my mom, then St. Cristobal de las Casas, then back to Guatemala for travels with Jess). In the afternoon I went back to the hospital to do prenatal clinic, and had dinner with the other volunteers because it was Camilo's last night here. We had a delicious zucchini quiche and carrot cake for dessert.
Friday: Clinic was super busy this morning but quieted down in the afternoon. Class with my Spanish teacher was good today. I've been having a 2 hour lesson about 3 times per week and I think it is helping (finally). I also got a phone call from my host mom that they picked up the package in Guatemala city. I think that is what the message said anyway :)
Tomorrow we are planning to go to Panajachel which is the most built up town on the lake. I hope that the lake isn't too rough (there were actually white-capped waves the other day when we went to San Pedro). I think that we're going to make a T-day dinner and need to pick up many of the ingredients. Is everyone looking forward to Thanksgiving??
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Guatemalan Post System
This will be a quick post, but I just want to find out what you think about the following:
I have received one very nice package with cookies in it without a problem (Thank you Gary!!).
However, last week I got a letter from the post office saying that I had to call them because there was a package for me in Guatemala City. My host mom called for several days and finally talked to someone who said I had to go to the post office here in Santiago and pay about $15. So, I made repeated attempts to go to the post office which has no posted hours and is rarely open. On my 5th attempt I was able to talk to the postman who was quite surly and said that I had to come back not only with my passport and the money but also with the letter advising me of the arrival of my package.
I asked him why there was this extra charge whereas in the past I had received a package without having to pay extra. He had no answer.
The thing is that I don't mind paying but I feel like it is just a bribe of sorts and I really didn't like this guy at the post office. My host family is going to Guatemala City this weekend and they said they might be able to pick it up from there.
So, should I just suck it up and pay and try not to role my eyes and sigh with exasperation too much? I will be interested to hear your opinions!
I have received one very nice package with cookies in it without a problem (Thank you Gary!!).
However, last week I got a letter from the post office saying that I had to call them because there was a package for me in Guatemala City. My host mom called for several days and finally talked to someone who said I had to go to the post office here in Santiago and pay about $15. So, I made repeated attempts to go to the post office which has no posted hours and is rarely open. On my 5th attempt I was able to talk to the postman who was quite surly and said that I had to come back not only with my passport and the money but also with the letter advising me of the arrival of my package.
I asked him why there was this extra charge whereas in the past I had received a package without having to pay extra. He had no answer.
The thing is that I don't mind paying but I feel like it is just a bribe of sorts and I really didn't like this guy at the post office. My host family is going to Guatemala City this weekend and they said they might be able to pick it up from there.
So, should I just suck it up and pay and try not to role my eyes and sigh with exasperation too much? I will be interested to hear your opinions!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Sick :(
I just would like to take a moment to complain that I am sick of getting sick. You can't really go anywhere or eat anything. All I can say is hostile microbes of my GI tract beware. Your days are numbered. (I hope.)
In other news, clinic Friday was quite busy. The exciting thing for me is that there was a chart with a post-it note on it that said "Rebecca," which indicates that this patient actually wanted to come back and see me in particular again :)
In other news, clinic Friday was quite busy. The exciting thing for me is that there was a chart with a post-it note on it that said "Rebecca," which indicates that this patient actually wanted to come back and see me in particular again :)
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Random Pictures and The Summit
The hospital: the laboratory and wash area for patients and families (no food is provided).
Pictures from Volcan Pacaya (the hike we went on from Antigua) where there was real, live flowing lava. This is actually a view of another volcano that frequently sends off plumes of smoke.
Before I describe the ascent of Volcan San Pedro, I'd like to report what I considered to be a frightening experience. It happened while I was on call last night. The Guatemalan doctor I was on call with was busy taking care of a patient with 2cd degree burns on his arm (the burns had occurred about 5 hours earlier but he had to keep working at the bakery until he arrived around 10PM to the hospitalito). Anyway, two women rush in and say there is an emergency but that the patient can't walk so can't make it in the hospital. An unconscious patient is embarrassingly enough already enough to freak me out. So somehow they carry in the patient -- woman, mid 20s -- while I'm trying to remember how to assess her. For some reason Dominga, the doctor on call, was not at all frantic about this and didn't even really move much from the burn patient. Anyway, the unconscious patient was found this way in her house and apparently something similar has happened in the past. She wasn't responsive to questions, but her vital signs were just fine. Finally, vigorous sternal rub produced some response. I couldn't ascertain any medical history and as it turns out she and her family agreed that it was an 'attack of nerves' brought on by her husband coming home drunk and fighting with her. So basically, all this to say she just fainted. Dominga and the nurse said that this happens quite frequently to women here in Santiago and that is why they weren't really concerned. Well, now I know.
Luckily the rest of the night was uneventful and I got plenty of rest because this morning we headed across the lake on a 7:00 AM boat to San Pedro to begin the hike up the volcano.We rode in the back of a truck to the entrance to the park which houses the volcano and arrived around 8. It was overall a rewarding hike but quite strenuous. We went with a guide (and there were armed police kind of trailing us). The guide wanted us to hurry up and get to the top because the cloud cover obscures the view in the afternoon. I was more of a slow and steady hiker which was good because otherwise I don't think I would have made it the 2-3 hours up the mountain. I don't that switch backs have really made it big here in Guatemala. The peak is at around 3000 meters, but the start of the hike is not at sea level. Never-the-less, it was more than enough for me! The view at the top was indeed mostly of clouds and not of the entire lake region, but by that time I was just happy to have made it :) The hike down was blissful by comparison to the way up.
After the hike we ate lunch outside overlooking the lake and then I got chocolate cake. Yum. I am currently working on the idea that I should shower before crawling into bed (it being 6PM and all I don't want to delay it any further)! Just one more day of work and then the weekend :) I am almost at the half-way point of my journey and am looking forward to coming home and seeing everyone again!
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Ridiculously Relaxing Trip
So, for numerous reasons, last week was quite stressful. Not to worry! Just two boat rides away from Santiago is Paradise. Let me show it to you:
This is Casa Del Mundo, a hotel in Jaibalito which is pretty much as close to Paradise as I've been recently :)
Thursday night I had call (which was relatively uneventful) and on my way home Friday morning all I could think about was going away somewhere. There are two great places to stay here in Santiago, but I wanted a complete change of pace. So, I went off to Jaibalito, by way of San Pedro which is another village on the lake. Actually on the boat to San Pedro I ran into someone who used to live here at the house with me. I had a snack with her and her friends in San Pedro in a bougainvillea covered veranda overlooking the lake.
Here is a map (North is Down for some reason) of the lake. The place I stayed (Jaibalito) is so small that it isn't on this map. It is between Santa Cruz and San Marcos I think. Anyway, when I got there I was a little bit desperate for R&R and found my way quickly to Volcano Lodge.
The first wonderful thing about Volcano Lodge is that there is a beautiful garden all around the cabins. The second wonderful thing, which I didn't find out until later, is that there is HOT HOT water in the showers which is something not to be found where I am living in Santiago. I took two 20 minute showers in 2 days which is a record for me as I generally find bathing about as much fun as going to the dentist. I went down to the lake to swim and read for the afternoon and finished my book (Veronica by Nicholas Christopher, entertaining and fanciful but not superb) which I was able to trade in for a new one at the hotel (Golden Country by Jennifer Gilmore, Jewish family saga from 1920s-1930s centering on what it means to be successful). Dinner came in 4 courses and I sat with an interesting couple who live in Guatemala City. He: American, used to be in the military, now working at the embassy and for NGOs. She: born in Guatemala City, quite Evangelical, was the head of a family planning organization in Guatemala.
Unfortunately that night I didn't sleep very well -- fevers, chills etc -- which I took as a sign not go climb Volcan San Pedro the next day. Instead of going home to get my hiking boots and meet up with the other people going for the hike, I went to the other hotel (Casa del Mundo) and spent the night there. I didn't take full advantage of the views and location as I slept for a good bit of the day, but I was super happy to be there every time I woke up and realized where I was. I skipped dinner secondary to GI distress (seems to be a dependable part of life here) but breakfast this morning was delicious!! I hung out with an American woman who now works in Antigua (Guatemala) for a while and we went to a nearby restaurant for coffee. You sit and drink coffee and look out over the lake with the volcanoes in the distance. All I can say is WOW!
On my way back to Santiago I walked around San Pedro again, this time through the marshy/forresty/hippy part. I got 2 new books which is very exciting: The Kite Runner (which I have glanced through before but never slowly and completely read) and Mirrors of the Unseen (Jason Elliot, about Iran). I know Isabel Allende or Marquez might be more relevant :) The guy who ran the bookstore was fun to talk to -- he is currently interested in ethnobotany/space cookies.
Anyway, I'm back now in Santiago and am ready for another week! I feel quite refreshed :)
This is Casa Del Mundo, a hotel in Jaibalito which is pretty much as close to Paradise as I've been recently :)Thursday night I had call (which was relatively uneventful) and on my way home Friday morning all I could think about was going away somewhere. There are two great places to stay here in Santiago, but I wanted a complete change of pace. So, I went off to Jaibalito, by way of San Pedro which is another village on the lake. Actually on the boat to San Pedro I ran into someone who used to live here at the house with me. I had a snack with her and her friends in San Pedro in a bougainvillea covered veranda overlooking the lake.
Here is a map (North is Down for some reason) of the lake. The place I stayed (Jaibalito) is so small that it isn't on this map. It is between Santa Cruz and San Marcos I think. Anyway, when I got there I was a little bit desperate for R&R and found my way quickly to Volcano Lodge.
The first wonderful thing about Volcano Lodge is that there is a beautiful garden all around the cabins. The second wonderful thing, which I didn't find out until later, is that there is HOT HOT water in the showers which is something not to be found where I am living in Santiago. I took two 20 minute showers in 2 days which is a record for me as I generally find bathing about as much fun as going to the dentist. I went down to the lake to swim and read for the afternoon and finished my book (Veronica by Nicholas Christopher, entertaining and fanciful but not superb) which I was able to trade in for a new one at the hotel (Golden Country by Jennifer Gilmore, Jewish family saga from 1920s-1930s centering on what it means to be successful). Dinner came in 4 courses and I sat with an interesting couple who live in Guatemala City. He: American, used to be in the military, now working at the embassy and for NGOs. She: born in Guatemala City, quite Evangelical, was the head of a family planning organization in Guatemala.
Unfortunately that night I didn't sleep very well -- fevers, chills etc -- which I took as a sign not go climb Volcan San Pedro the next day. Instead of going home to get my hiking boots and meet up with the other people going for the hike, I went to the other hotel (Casa del Mundo) and spent the night there. I didn't take full advantage of the views and location as I slept for a good bit of the day, but I was super happy to be there every time I woke up and realized where I was. I skipped dinner secondary to GI distress (seems to be a dependable part of life here) but breakfast this morning was delicious!! I hung out with an American woman who now works in Antigua (Guatemala) for a while and we went to a nearby restaurant for coffee. You sit and drink coffee and look out over the lake with the volcanoes in the distance. All I can say is WOW!
On my way back to Santiago I walked around San Pedro again, this time through the marshy/forresty/hippy part. I got 2 new books which is very exciting: The Kite Runner (which I have glanced through before but never slowly and completely read) and Mirrors of the Unseen (Jason Elliot, about Iran). I know Isabel Allende or Marquez might be more relevant :) The guy who ran the bookstore was fun to talk to -- he is currently interested in ethnobotany/space cookies.
Anyway, I'm back now in Santiago and am ready for another week! I feel quite refreshed :)
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Babies Galore
Some pictures around Santiago ...
My last call night was a bit stressful. We had two sick babies, one of whom was septic. The septic baby was getting so little oxygen that he looked almost white. It took about 45 minutes of attempting to put in an IV to finally get one. The Hospitalito does not have ICU level care and we wanted to
send the baby to Solola (the closest hospital, about 1-2 hours away) but the family didn't want him to go. The dad was not in the picture and the family didn't have the money for the transfer and medical care at the other hospital. Meanwhile, the mom kept asking me if we would 'save the baby'. We had to get social services involved and finally the baby was transferred to Solola. The last I heard, he had arrived at the other hospital. I wonder what the answer to Mom's question turned out to be.Then, in the middle of the night, came a pregnant woman who was having vaginal bleeding. She was approximately 35 or 36 weeks (almost term) and pretty much in labor when she arrived. There was a question of placental abruption and a question of how far along she really was. Luckily, she did not continue to bleed very much and the baby, although only 2 kg, was just fine.
This weekend we went to Antigua for Dia de los Muertos. The trip did not have an auspicious beginning with 4 people sitting in the back seat of a 4 door pickup truck, one of whom lost her lunch about 2 hours into the journey. Then the hotel we were going to stay at was completely booked. Luckily, the weekend improved considerably from there :) I called other hotels frantically and we finally found a good one. Inexpensive and clean. Plus, hot hot showers. I haven't been so excited to take a shower probably in years. Antigua is a beautiful city, more European than anything else. On Friday night the streets were filled with people (Gringos and Guatemalans) dressed up in goulish or slutty (or both) costumes.
On Saturday we travelled to a nearby town for the kite (barriletas) festival that is held each year. (First we ate breakfast and I got a cinnamon raisin bagel!!!!!) The kites were made out of intricately cut tissue paper and ranged in size from 5 to 30 feet in diameter. There were all sorts of prizes, for aesthetics, time of flight etc. It was a roudy event with lots of Guatemalan fare food and marimba music. That night we went to a delicous restaurant!! We also went to see a convent-turned-hotel where one of the volunteers is going to get married. I must admit that the place was quite magical.
On Sunday morning two of us climbed up a volcano with a guide. We left the hotel at 6AM. The hike up took about 1.5 hours -- it was gorgeous and we could see smoke coming out of other nearby volcanoes. Moreover, there was FLOWING LAVA! The side of the volcanoe was covered with black sand (from igneous rock?) and strange very sharp rock formations. It was quite windy at the top but the lava radiated quite a bit of heat. (My camera ran out of batteries before getting to Antigua or else I would have some pictures.) We took buses back to Santiago which was fine except for the very creepy guy with two gold teeth and one with a diamond on it who was really insistent. I am about to fall alseep so I'd better go. I hope you are all doing well!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Two Surprises!
Today I went with some of the other volunteers back to San Marcos (a small town by the lake). It was a beautiful day, we jumped off cliffs into the lake, and:
1) I found someone to bring back my ballot so that perhaps my vote will get counted.
2) I had a Tofu sandwich.
What a delight!
It seems I may be in Central America from around Christmas to January 12 with no apparent travel or work plans. Does anyone want to come meet me somewhere???
1) I found someone to bring back my ballot so that perhaps my vote will get counted.
2) I had a Tofu sandwich.
What a delight!
It seems I may be in Central America from around Christmas to January 12 with no apparent travel or work plans. Does anyone want to come meet me somewhere???
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Long Time No Post!
On The Road to Sipacate ...
This mural asks: which way do you want: God, Cigarettes, Love, Death, Prostitution or Alcohol? Any preferences?
After the last post I did end up getting out of bed eventually, and it was a good thing too! That weekend we went to Sipacate which is a beach a few hours away from Santiago. To get there we took a van, a few buses and a boat. The buses here are all retired US school buses (>10 years or 100,000 miles) which are repainted a garish red and somehow accommodate about twice as many people as I remember ever fitting in them in elementary school. (Similarly, often times you will see a family of four precariously balancing on one motor bike or bicycle.) The boat (shown above) takes passengers from a dock so small it almost doesn't exist across a mangrove-inhabited brackish canal to the one motel that sits on the beach. The 6 of us who went stayed in one room, but mostly we were either on the beach or on the porch/bar/restaurant area, which was complete with hammocks. We ate and drank well! Sipacate seems to be more a Guatemalan than a gringo destination. The beach was expansive and the ocean a welcome respite from the incredible heat and humidity. We stayed over on Sunday night and on Monday, which was a holiday, all the people at the hotel lined up on the beach and were each given a baby sea turtle to release. The sea turtles raced/wandered to the ocean.
We took several buses back to Santiago and got a chance to see the transition from the coast to the mountains. We also saw quite a few housing projects (perhaps government-sponsored?) which were not inhabited. It seems that abandoned or not-yet completed buildings are the rule rather than the exception here! I have heard various reasons for the unfinished houses including that until you finish your house (cutting the rebar etc.) you don’t have to pay taxes. I wonder how many people pay taxes anyway … This week back at the hospital was very busy, partly because Monday was a holiday and partly because 2 medical students and 1 resident left. Also, we didn’t have clinic on Friday morning due to a meeting for all the people working at the hospital. I’m not sure if it was because I wasn’t feeling well or because I didn’t understand most of it, but the meeting was interminable. It was half rally cry for the staff to work together and half presentation of statistics about the hospital. I have never seen so many numbers on one slide with such intricate PowerPoint transitions and graphics communicating so little information.
Friday was a sad day as there was a delivery of a fetus that died in utero at 8 months to a 20 year old woman who had already lost one three-month old baby. This couple had to be right across the hall from a huge rejoicing family who just had their third or fourth baby on Thursday. Although we got a few new patients during the day and the evening on Friday, everyone was set to go home today! It was a very quiet night and I spent a few hours talking to the nurse who was on call. I think my Spanish may be improving a bit. Last week I had 3 classes with my Spanish teacher which, while exhausting after work, was quite helpful. Also, a pharmacy technician who is volunteering at the Hospitalito just moved into the Sojuel’s house with me. I’m not sure how long she will end up staying here, but it is wonderful to have her here! When I was sick this week she tended to me and I think that just listening to her talk is soothing, which may be partially due to her being from Ireland.
One other thing before I go: I got my ballot today!!! So, I can get mail here. It takes about 3 weeks. My address is:
Francisco Sojuel (Rebecca Stein)
Canton Xechivoy
Santiago Atitlan 07019
Solola, Guatemala C.A.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Reasons Not to Get Out of Bed
1) Yesterday I was on call. In fact I did sleep quite a bit, but this is a good excuse.
2) It is still raining.
3) Thursday there was an earthquake.
4) Thursday night while cooking the stove exploded. It moved about a foot, the racks were thrown off of it and the fruit salad capsized. We were very lucky because it seems that if the gas line had been broken it would have been a lot worse. No one was hurt.
5) Friday night someone robbed the house of a volunteer while she was home. She is okay, but he did hit her resulting in an impressive black eye and the need for some stitches.
Are you convinced?
2) It is still raining.
3) Thursday there was an earthquake.
4) Thursday night while cooking the stove exploded. It moved about a foot, the racks were thrown off of it and the fruit salad capsized. We were very lucky because it seems that if the gas line had been broken it would have been a lot worse. No one was hurt.
5) Friday night someone robbed the house of a volunteer while she was home. She is okay, but he did hit her resulting in an impressive black eye and the need for some stitches.
Are you convinced?
Thursday, October 16, 2008
24 hours of rain?
The hospital and clinic were quite busy this week. I was thinking about going to study Spanish somewhere for 1-2 weeks, but it seems that I, and the 3 other med students and 4 residents, are gainfully employed/volunteered. One day I stitched up a gash on a 2 year old's forehead. This made me reconsider my plan to get some thread from the market here and try to embroider. That same day on my way home I was looking for a dog to give my leftover meat from lunch to. I found a very appreciative dog and all was well. But then I continued on my way home and happened upon the Saddest Dog in Santiago Atitlan. I'd seen it before: all skin and bones and mange. But I had already given away my meat, so I went to get some bread from a tienda. Much to my embarrassment I couldn't hold it together long enough to complete the purchase and pretty much fell apart in front of the shopkeeper. I think she was baffled by my explanation which was along the lines of "sad, sick, hungry dog". Anyway, the dog seemed to enjoy the bread and I may have prolonged its miserable life a little bit. (Until it eats the poisoned meat that the city puts out periodically to control the dog population.)
I was shaken out of my despair when I got home by a very large spider on the wall next to my bed. I tried to collect it with a coffee cup, but it was TOO BIG! A cereal bowl, however, did the trick. I know that spiders are supposed to be good, and Charlotte was wonderful and all, but I think this spider could have bitten off one of my digits. I didn't take it too far away from the house and we may meet again ... I hope I don't shriek this time. Where did this visceral fear come from, anyway.
Instead of going elsewhere to a Spanish school, I decided to just hire a tutor here in Santiago. Today was my first lesson, which lasted 2 hours. It is about $5 per hour, which is more than other places, but I am really hoping it will help. We just talked and read stories, which I summarized. I even have an assignment which reminds me of second grade: use all the words that I didn't know from the stories in sentences. I think I used to try to use all the spelling words in one sentence. I'm afraid that my grammatical skills (or lack thereof) will not allow me to do this in Spanish, but maybe the next set of words :)
Tonight I'm going to eat dinner with some of the other volunteers and tomorrow is call in the emergency room of the hospital again. I hope that it stops raining so I can go to San Pedro over the weekend!
I was shaken out of my despair when I got home by a very large spider on the wall next to my bed. I tried to collect it with a coffee cup, but it was TOO BIG! A cereal bowl, however, did the trick. I know that spiders are supposed to be good, and Charlotte was wonderful and all, but I think this spider could have bitten off one of my digits. I didn't take it too far away from the house and we may meet again ... I hope I don't shriek this time. Where did this visceral fear come from, anyway.
Instead of going elsewhere to a Spanish school, I decided to just hire a tutor here in Santiago. Today was my first lesson, which lasted 2 hours. It is about $5 per hour, which is more than other places, but I am really hoping it will help. We just talked and read stories, which I summarized. I even have an assignment which reminds me of second grade: use all the words that I didn't know from the stories in sentences. I think I used to try to use all the spelling words in one sentence. I'm afraid that my grammatical skills (or lack thereof) will not allow me to do this in Spanish, but maybe the next set of words :)
Tonight I'm going to eat dinner with some of the other volunteers and tomorrow is call in the emergency room of the hospital again. I hope that it stops raining so I can go to San Pedro over the weekend!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
San Marcos and Call Night 2
The Market in Santiago Atitlan
Typical Dress in Santiago Atitlan
Sunday, I went with two other volunteers to a town on the lake called San Marcos. It was incredibly beautiful and a haven for yoga-vegetarian-tree-hugging gringos.Needless to say, I am attracted to this :) We watched some kids jumping off a cliff into the Lago Atitlan and hiked around along the shore of the lake. I also made a friend: a dog named Scott who led/followed us on our 1-2 hour walk. I didn't even feed him!
Call yesterday/today at the hospital featured several babies with 'la falta de respiracion' (difficulty breathing) and a 70 year old man who fell 15 feet from the tree he was climbing. I don't think I have ever been around such profuse bleeding. Besides deep and extensive wounds on his head, multiple ribs were broken and he had bled into his thorax. So, after sewing him up and putting in a chest tube (I was retracting/blotting/cutting sutures/holding the oxygen mask on), he went by ambulance to Guatemala City (3 hours). I know he made it that far, but I don't know what happened from there. He was completely with it and even was asking what time it was. Besides learning some about trauma patients (what we would do in the US vs. what we did) and pneumonia/fever in kids, I have established (>99%) that emergency medicine is not the place for me.
So, who is watching the debate tonight (or is it tomorrow)? Is there anyone who hasn't already decided who they are going to vote for? I have to admit that I still have not figured out how to get mail (which is why I haven't emailed out a street address). So, does anyone want to come down and bring my ballot? Oh, one thing that I am kind of excited about is that my task at the Hospitalito is to organize their books. This is difficult due to the Spanish/English Doctor/Nurse divides and the large collection of Ancient Texts. But, don't worry, I will figure out some arrangement that will promptly revert to chaos :) I think that the force of entropy is stronger here in Guatemala than I have ever before witnessed. That must be why this blog post has gone stream-of-consciousness. Well, let me reiterate that I miss you all and I love to read your comments!!
Friday, October 10, 2008
Call Night 1 and a trip
Let me first tell you about the ER yesterday/today and then about the trip. My call ('turno') was 7 on Thursday morning to 9AM today. In addition to having an outpatient clinic, Hospitalito Atitlan has 3 inpatient rooms (2 beds each) and 2 beds in the ER itself. Overall, it was one of the least painful call nights ever as I slept for 5 hours (on and off) and worked with a very nice resident. Two incidents of note, and I'll save the nicer one for second. (I've changed patient names just in case any of you knows anyone in Santiago Atitlan.)
1) Elisa, a 38 year old woman, presents with acute mental status changes. Her relevant past medical history is that she had some sort of 'stroke' at age 23 and has since then been both physically (left side) and mentally impaired. Elisa has not urinated in 24 hours and has not defecated in 2 weeks (per family). She sits quietly sobbing, hunched over, with what can only be described as deer in the headlight eyes. Her family's understanding of her illness includes spirits inhabiting her body and somehow causing delerium. Anyway, she doesn't say much but her family reports that she stopped peeing because it hurt. I desparately want the cause of her delerium to be an easily treatable urinary tract infection (which I know, I know, shouldn't cause delerium in an otherwise healthy person). But she won't/can't pee. So the nurses try an in and out catheter which you can only imagine how hard she fights. Then I go to check on her and she is quite literally out of the hospital, still luckily within sight. I still really do think that a urine test might provide the key to her treatment and I practically beg her to return. She returns, but tells me that she keeps seeing 'phantasmas' and deamons which is why she is running away. In order to encourage her to give a urine sample, I say I will give one at the same time to decrease her shame. (Or just increase mine?) So everyone leaves the room and they bring a bucket and a jar. Luckily, Elisa agrees to try first. But, she can't support herself due to hemi-paralysis (from her first stroke). I will not go into further details, but suffice it to say that it is surprisingly hard to hold up a small-sized hundred pound person and that a few drops at least went into the bucket and the sample jar. Oh happy day! But no, not a happy day. She came back only positive for a primarily sexually transmitted disease. And no bacteria. By this time we were feeling increasingly like she might have had a second stroke. We asked to transfer her to a hospital about 2 hours away for imaging and further workup (and also treated her Trich). Well, one after one the family told me that they did not want to do that. They wanted to take her home. They had been in Solola (the other hospital) about 15 years ago and didn't think it would be helpful. Plus, they are extremely poor. Then there was an agrument between these two doctors about whether the family needed to sign (or rather finger print as they didn't read/write) a form releasing the hospital from blame (saying that they left Against Medical Advise). Anyway, they signed the form and were going to leave and then Elisa started crying again and saying she wanted me to go with them. So the family lied to her and said I would visit. And then they dissapeared. I'm glad I'm good at holding someone's hand, but I wish we could have done something more.
2) Juana, a 27 year old mother full term with her 3rd child, came in at 7 PM having contractions every 1-2 minutes and fully dilated (well, 8 cm). She had a beautiful baby boy by 8:25 PM (post meconium clean-up) with no anaesthesia and no yelling or crying at all. There is something infitely hopeful about being present and even helping with the first breaths of air that a baby takes. Also something very comforting seeing a proud, albeit exhausted, family together for the first time.
Anyway, those were the two major things on Call #1. I will be on call again Monday (approximately every 4 days). However, Call also means the next day off! So today after I left the hospital at 9, Guatemala was mine to attack! I went with Jay, the resident I worked with on call, to another city across Lake Atitlan, called Panajachel (or Pana for short). We had a delicious lunch (after I made my shrimp look more like pop-corn shrimp at a greasy spoon fish place and less like the animals you find in aquariums with eyes, legs and tenticles). We also went to a huge market -- Pana is similar in some ways to Santiago (where I live), but about 5 times more touristy. It was kind of nice to be somewhere for a little while that was a little bit brighter and cleaner. We even went to an art gallery. My most exciting purhcase was lettuce. I almost want to go downstairs right now and just nosh on it! But, it is for making a salad to take to Las Milpas, which is the place that the majority of the volunteers working at the clinic live. Anyway, I'm looking forward to it :)
The sun hath set and so must I,
So please write a comment, or at least try :)
1) Elisa, a 38 year old woman, presents with acute mental status changes. Her relevant past medical history is that she had some sort of 'stroke' at age 23 and has since then been both physically (left side) and mentally impaired. Elisa has not urinated in 24 hours and has not defecated in 2 weeks (per family). She sits quietly sobbing, hunched over, with what can only be described as deer in the headlight eyes. Her family's understanding of her illness includes spirits inhabiting her body and somehow causing delerium. Anyway, she doesn't say much but her family reports that she stopped peeing because it hurt. I desparately want the cause of her delerium to be an easily treatable urinary tract infection (which I know, I know, shouldn't cause delerium in an otherwise healthy person). But she won't/can't pee. So the nurses try an in and out catheter which you can only imagine how hard she fights. Then I go to check on her and she is quite literally out of the hospital, still luckily within sight. I still really do think that a urine test might provide the key to her treatment and I practically beg her to return. She returns, but tells me that she keeps seeing 'phantasmas' and deamons which is why she is running away. In order to encourage her to give a urine sample, I say I will give one at the same time to decrease her shame. (Or just increase mine?) So everyone leaves the room and they bring a bucket and a jar. Luckily, Elisa agrees to try first. But, she can't support herself due to hemi-paralysis (from her first stroke). I will not go into further details, but suffice it to say that it is surprisingly hard to hold up a small-sized hundred pound person and that a few drops at least went into the bucket and the sample jar. Oh happy day! But no, not a happy day. She came back only positive for a primarily sexually transmitted disease. And no bacteria. By this time we were feeling increasingly like she might have had a second stroke. We asked to transfer her to a hospital about 2 hours away for imaging and further workup (and also treated her Trich). Well, one after one the family told me that they did not want to do that. They wanted to take her home. They had been in Solola (the other hospital) about 15 years ago and didn't think it would be helpful. Plus, they are extremely poor. Then there was an agrument between these two doctors about whether the family needed to sign (or rather finger print as they didn't read/write) a form releasing the hospital from blame (saying that they left Against Medical Advise). Anyway, they signed the form and were going to leave and then Elisa started crying again and saying she wanted me to go with them. So the family lied to her and said I would visit. And then they dissapeared. I'm glad I'm good at holding someone's hand, but I wish we could have done something more.
2) Juana, a 27 year old mother full term with her 3rd child, came in at 7 PM having contractions every 1-2 minutes and fully dilated (well, 8 cm). She had a beautiful baby boy by 8:25 PM (post meconium clean-up) with no anaesthesia and no yelling or crying at all. There is something infitely hopeful about being present and even helping with the first breaths of air that a baby takes. Also something very comforting seeing a proud, albeit exhausted, family together for the first time.
Anyway, those were the two major things on Call #1. I will be on call again Monday (approximately every 4 days). However, Call also means the next day off! So today after I left the hospital at 9, Guatemala was mine to attack! I went with Jay, the resident I worked with on call, to another city across Lake Atitlan, called Panajachel (or Pana for short). We had a delicious lunch (after I made my shrimp look more like pop-corn shrimp at a greasy spoon fish place and less like the animals you find in aquariums with eyes, legs and tenticles). We also went to a huge market -- Pana is similar in some ways to Santiago (where I live), but about 5 times more touristy. It was kind of nice to be somewhere for a little while that was a little bit brighter and cleaner. We even went to an art gallery. My most exciting purhcase was lettuce. I almost want to go downstairs right now and just nosh on it! But, it is for making a salad to take to Las Milpas, which is the place that the majority of the volunteers working at the clinic live. Anyway, I'm looking forward to it :)
The sun hath set and so must I,
So please write a comment, or at least try :)
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
A better day
Why was today better you might ask ... well, for some reason I felt more useful and capable. To some of you this may seem ridiculous, but I made major progress on the artificial intelligence (not real intelligence mind you) front; I have now secured the most recent version of epocrates (computer program full of drugs, doses, symptoms etc) on my palm pilot. Also, I fed a stray dog today leftovers from lunch. Yesterday was the day of multiple patients with ulcers, and today a day of infectious disease: worms, lice etc. One more thing: this being the 9 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, I want to blog out my aplogies (a method I'm sure was never intended) to anyone who I hurt over the past year. Also, to anyone who may have hurt my admitidly sensitive feelings, you are forgiven! Water under the bridge, and may we all be inscribed in the book of life. (This is all Jewish reference stuff.) I have included a picture of Lago Atitlan (above) and the town (below) ...
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Hospital Day 2
This post will be short. Today wasn't so great. Well, lunch at a small taco place was delicious and that does count for something :) But, the obstetrician I worked with in clinic was less than thrilled about any possible teaching or having me involved. So I left early and biked around the town. Also I went to a gym with Andrea, the 20-something daughter of Fransisco and Argentina where I live. It was, I think, the place that old, broken American gym equitment goes to die. You can join for a week for US $3. My visit today was less than $1. But I think this may be proportionately similar to the US considering the wages here. Regardless, the low price will probably not entice me to return. I think I am a US gym brat (for the moment anyway). I am going to study some and hopefully tomorrow will be a better day! I will comment on my own blog and say "Patience, Rebecca, Patience"!
Monday, October 6, 2008
First day at Hospitalito Atitlan
First of all, thank you all for reading, commenting and emailing :) Sitting about a million miles away I still feel loved (or at least liked)! I would like to report that my first day at the hospital was good. Anyway, there were no disasters and I count this as a win. This morning I couldn't sleep past 5:30 when the roosters seem to start their day, but this may be secondary to going to sleep around 9 last night.
After breakfast of rice in milk with cinnamon (there must be some name for this) and coffee I rode my bike to the hospital. This was a bit of an adventure as the streets are mostly cobblestone and extremely riddled with pot holes. Also I go down a relatively steep hill to get to the hospital. (Riding home was even more of an adventure as Tuk-Tuks whiz by, think speeding bullet on wheels driven by a 12 year old, and the street was wet from the huge rain storm that hit us this afternoon.) Anyway, I got to the hospital early and no one else had yet arrived (the dr. on call from the night before was there). Hospital volunteers trickled in between 7:30 and 8AM and clinic started around 8:30. There are only 3 rooms for clinic patients and I saw patients mostly in a group with another student or resident. I also spent some time with Dr. Chuc who is the main doctor at the clinic. I certainly did less during my time with Dr. Chuc, but it was quite interesting to see how he interacted with patients. I would say that over half of the patients only speek the native dialect (Tzutujil) and except for Dr. Chuc all of us needed to have an interpreter.
The hospital formulary is quite a bit more comprehensive than I had expected. However, we requested remarkably little blood work. In the hospital there is a technician who can do a basic CBC (no platelets), but almost everything else has to be sent to a larger town. Also, the patients don't seem to like to have the relatively painful and expensive experience of the blood draw. The clinic has a sliding scale, based on things like what kind of floor and roof the patients have at home. We saw several patients with high blood pressure, and some pre and post-partum visits. The clinic has a two hour break for lunch! Horray -- siesta time :) I don't quite have time to come home for lunch and I think I will go get something from a stand in the future. Today I lunched on luna bars, a green orange and several small bananas. I'm going to go downstairs for dinner in a few minutes and am crossing my fingers that there is no meat. For the record, yesterday I did eat chicken (I have been vegetarian for about a year) and beans (I am a bean-o-phobe). Who knows what I will eat tonight!
After breakfast of rice in milk with cinnamon (there must be some name for this) and coffee I rode my bike to the hospital. This was a bit of an adventure as the streets are mostly cobblestone and extremely riddled with pot holes. Also I go down a relatively steep hill to get to the hospital. (Riding home was even more of an adventure as Tuk-Tuks whiz by, think speeding bullet on wheels driven by a 12 year old, and the street was wet from the huge rain storm that hit us this afternoon.) Anyway, I got to the hospital early and no one else had yet arrived (the dr. on call from the night before was there). Hospital volunteers trickled in between 7:30 and 8AM and clinic started around 8:30. There are only 3 rooms for clinic patients and I saw patients mostly in a group with another student or resident. I also spent some time with Dr. Chuc who is the main doctor at the clinic. I certainly did less during my time with Dr. Chuc, but it was quite interesting to see how he interacted with patients. I would say that over half of the patients only speek the native dialect (Tzutujil) and except for Dr. Chuc all of us needed to have an interpreter.
The hospital formulary is quite a bit more comprehensive than I had expected. However, we requested remarkably little blood work. In the hospital there is a technician who can do a basic CBC (no platelets), but almost everything else has to be sent to a larger town. Also, the patients don't seem to like to have the relatively painful and expensive experience of the blood draw. The clinic has a sliding scale, based on things like what kind of floor and roof the patients have at home. We saw several patients with high blood pressure, and some pre and post-partum visits. The clinic has a two hour break for lunch! Horray -- siesta time :) I don't quite have time to come home for lunch and I think I will go get something from a stand in the future. Today I lunched on luna bars, a green orange and several small bananas. I'm going to go downstairs for dinner in a few minutes and am crossing my fingers that there is no meat. For the record, yesterday I did eat chicken (I have been vegetarian for about a year) and beans (I am a bean-o-phobe). Who knows what I will eat tonight!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Arrived!
Yesterday wa
s a day of travel and today a day of exploration! The trip was relatively uneventful but I did have a scary experience where I tried to help an Salvadorean woman with her luggage and to find our flight but couldn't understand what she was saying. I will just say that my confidence was not enhanced by this experience. I flew through DC and then San Salvador (which was only about 120 miles from Guatemala City). In the airport I changed money and met Jose, the driver Francisco (who I am staying with) arranged to pick me up.
On our way to Santiago Atitlan, which is about 3 hours, we stopped to get a cell phone. $25 got me a basic phone and 40 minutes time. I saw some of Guatemala City, but it soon got dark. For some reason I could understand Jose relatively well; it may be because his first language is Tzutujil, the dialect of people of Mayan descent indigenous to Santiago Atitlan.
On arrival to the house of the Sojouels where I am staying, I met Argentina and her husband Francisco. They are quite gracious, and patient with my Spanish. The first floor of their house has a living room, dining room, kitchen and two bedrooms. Through a courtyard is an outdoor staircase to the second floor where my
bedroom is along with three other bedrooms, a sitting room and the bathroom. It sounds like a huge house, but really most of the rooms are small. The walls are brightly colored stucco and there are pictures covering the walls. My bedroom is cozy and yellow and connected to a sitting room (see pictures). I also met Francisco and Argentina's kids -- 20 something Andrea and 16 or so year old Ricardo. I talked to them a bit, Ricardo showed me how to use the wireless and Andrea encouraged me to venture forth to visit the lake.
This brings me to the exploration part. I had walked around a bit with Argentina to take two bikes to get them fixed and see the market,
so I had some idea of the town. Later in the afternoon I went to the lake, and walked around the market for a while (and bought a few things). Also Argentina took me to the organization that she and her husband run to help kids with disabilities (http://www.mayacom.org/organizations/santiago.htm). There were only a few people there as it is Sunday, but I met someone making crafts which the organization sells to raise money. This afternoon I napped and read a bit which was lovely. I wonder what tomorrow, my first day at Hospitalito Atitlan (http://www.puebloapueblo.org/ha_history.html)!
s a day of travel and today a day of exploration! The trip was relatively uneventful but I did have a scary experience where I tried to help an Salvadorean woman with her luggage and to find our flight but couldn't understand what she was saying. I will just say that my confidence was not enhanced by this experience. I flew through DC and then San Salvador (which was only about 120 miles from Guatemala City). In the airport I changed money and met Jose, the driver Francisco (who I am staying with) arranged to pick me up.On our way to Santiago Atitlan, which is about 3 hours, we stopped to get a cell phone. $25 got me a basic phone and 40 minutes time. I saw some of Guatemala City, but it soon got dark. For some reason I could understand Jose relatively well; it may be because his first language is Tzutujil, the dialect of people of Mayan descent indigenous to Santiago Atitlan.
On arrival to the house of the Sojouels where I am staying, I met Argentina and her husband Francisco. They are quite gracious, and patient with my Spanish. The first floor of their house has a living room, dining room, kitchen and two bedrooms. Through a courtyard is an outdoor staircase to the second floor where my
bedroom is along with three other bedrooms, a sitting room and the bathroom. It sounds like a huge house, but really most of the rooms are small. The walls are brightly colored stucco and there are pictures covering the walls. My bedroom is cozy and yellow and connected to a sitting room (see pictures). I also met Francisco and Argentina's kids -- 20 something Andrea and 16 or so year old Ricardo. I talked to them a bit, Ricardo showed me how to use the wireless and Andrea encouraged me to venture forth to visit the lake. This brings me to the exploration part. I had walked around a bit with Argentina to take two bikes to get them fixed and see the market,
so I had some idea of the town. Later in the afternoon I went to the lake, and walked around the market for a while (and bought a few things). Also Argentina took me to the organization that she and her husband run to help kids with disabilities (http://www.mayacom.org/organizations/santiago.htm). There were only a few people there as it is Sunday, but I met someone making crafts which the organization sells to raise money. This afternoon I napped and read a bit which was lovely. I wonder what tomorrow, my first day at Hospitalito Atitlan (http://www.puebloapueblo.org/ha_history.html)!
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