hi kids and baby goats,
I hope all State Side is sunny up. I’ve heard it might be cold there, REALLY cold, so I also hope everyone is drinking their Cocoa with Marsh mellows. But not the mini-marsh ones because if you live in MN those don’t count. Right now I am drinking some re hydration salts so we’re even in the substances ya don’t really want to be drinking game.
So a minute ago while awaking and elevating myself from my bed, I had all the brilliant intentions to blog my latest revelations, revolutions and rotations. Now that I’m sitting up and facing the computer I’m feeling a bit more flushed and suckered of energy/spirit than expected soooo here be the short and sweet:
Revelation: When it rains, it POURS. Or atleast if I remember correctly I think it’s been a pretty heavy cats and dogs since yesterday at 5 pm. And yes, I write literally of falling rain. I woke up asking myself the question (in Spanish) "on what ocean am I floating?" This might be a bad sign in a landlocked country butttt hopefully the jungle roots and mango growth will soak it all up. Oh yeah and there was totally a lightning and thunder loud and bright enough to have possibly have hit my bed. Be glad I’m not a horse cause I was spooked.
Revolution: OK, sooo my week out at Palacios jungle clinic was a bit rough. I have survived or am in processing of surviving, so no worries on the thinking about worrying. i´m getting over a lil sick stuff, a lil delirium, a lil sweating it out then shivering it away. more details later. i think i´m up the up and up. i had currently forgot the reading of a normal body temperature.. but i think today i´m gonna remember. As of last eve i´m back in city and coming back to reality.
The fun details basically went down like this:
Wed: A good day. Fun not rough. 9am- We arrive almost to jungle where workers have created an open canal about 3 Km before reaching the clinic. I park our auto behind the 2 patient Mini-buses and we begin the trek by foot. Patients are pretty into their free Gringo care so they are willing to hike out… hypertensive, enfartic, one-legged, an all. The gringo docs loved this… walking down a jungle road with groceries and stethoscopes in hand. That’s what we at the Foundation like to call Creating Memories☺ (aka I just made that up). Anywhoo I made half the trek and of course was into it but then of course cuz I’m coordinator and have additional (can be replaced by ALL) responsibilities I got to join Miguel in the horse drawn buggy to do cooler things. I think we may have moved at a slower pace though because 1. The horses are skinny and 2. Damnnnn it’s hot here. 3. Miguel told me it was because Number 1 (the horses are named #1 and #2) is lazy. I didn’t believe him. Anyways his 1 yr old son Miguelito is now my buddy, so the trip was a success.
Anyways so that was fun times.. I got a little sun burn and then put some DEET bug repellent on and then my skin acted like a crazy reactionary… butt just a little burning sensation and a lil extra red and a few docs monitoring me with some trace lines and all was swell.
Thursday morn to Sat afternoon: I guess the sprinted mile of the story would be: Raquel now has a ficha (chart) at the clinic. It was not half bad times. The American docs were incredibly attentive and careful and the Bolivian docs wanted to admit me to hospitals and stick things in my arms and give me lots of drugs (luckily we didn’t let them do that). I was kind of out of it most of the time but in retrospect it’s a good study in what’s what with the med care.
We don’t really know what happened but basically I had a very high elevated temperature, a pressurized headache, the hot colds, the sweats and shakes, the your in a sick state blood pressure and pulse...all the elements for a red faced, bleary eyed and headed me. As we all know it’s rough to be sick, and sometimes a lil more rough to be sick in the jungle.. but my peeps were good and stayed strong right along with me.
My blood tests were normal so we don’t think it was any of the Big Names in tropical diseases. Yesterday I inherited an added stomach bother which we are now blindly treating. Although it’s not really helping me build strength my temp is down and controlled this is GOOD, I’m force feeding liquids also GOOD, and I’m on Mandarin Fushia terrorist alert level should anything begin to go down hill again.
So, yes when I say I’m fine, I’m living enough to say it. Tranquilo, no mas.
Dangit in all that I didn’t get to my great Revolution story.
Round Two Revolution: I can’t remember what night but who knew delirium could be so awfully satisfactory? Basically I was feeling like my world must be ending and this pressure in my head must need to explode at some point. I left my 4 bunk bed room at 2 am to recline on some wicker furniture for a change of scenery. As I approached the wicker furn with my crazy temp and crazy head pressure I decided that I must start the Revolution. In retrospect, the Revolution was to be a mix of social and medical revolt. I was on this course of revolution-starting for three hours. At 5 am my entire body was suddenly covered in lakes of sweat and during some intense shaking I noticed my head pressure was gone. I couldn’t have been a happier cookie. I knew the Revolution had come. Later I couldn’t have been a colder cookie for the lakes cooled off very quickly.. but still interesting times.
I told this story to the docs in the morning and they immediately had me in consult. So yes I was very sick but mannnn besides the whole jungle thing, what a better place to be cared for?
Rotation: Of course I kinda had to work throughout all of this sweat, shiv, and delirium. Today I’m resting up more or less with a few tid bits here and there. I wanna go to a soccer game and if rains subside this will make me feel better. Yesterday in the middle of a night I got a call from a patient with a posib. dying old mother. I felt bad that I couldn’t jump out of bed to help her but I’m also starting to think there’s gotta be some limit to the craziness. I can be strong, but I gotta have the reserve to do it… yes yes?
Kiss, hug. Until the next jump:)
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Monday, January 14, 2008
Ya, Con Anima y Ganas:)
The other day I was running down a dirt jungle road. And a different other day I was laying in my bed staring out an open jungle window. Both of these times I was REAL excited. Within these moments I realized the amazingness of my surroundings, physically and experientially. I also realized that what I see is not always what there be. Basically the point of my circumvention is to state that one day soon I am determined to spot a monkey in a tree and not have it fly away. So far each excited monkey spotting has actually been a false monkey yet real (in the end equally cool and more colorful) bird spotting. Do you get me? Lions, tigers and bears, not yet. Monkeys, yes, but they are hiding from me. Birds and super cool guide owls galore. Oh yes and speaking of spots, my extended torso area has been invaded by red dot aliens. I asked the Docs… and they said besides my rare sensitive and overly active blood vesseled skin condition (that they think is cool cuz you can draw the letter D on my back and it stays a clear D for a record amount of time), I’m gonna be ok.
So how’s the job going? I sat down to blog it up on Jan 7th to pronounce my one month survival point (and to reward myself a shiny #1 Best Crazy trophy). It turns out several minor emergencies prevented me from posting my excitement and awe at that particular moment.. Side linguistic note: Urgency seems to come up a lot in my daily responsibilities. The word emergency yes still means the same thing but is dealt with (by me) on a much more tranquil, matter of fact manner than I EVER would have imagined.
All in all, everything is going well. Let’s just say, in a short time I’ve learned a long distance and I’m in buen camino (good road) to discover more. I can’t remember (through ambulance trips, patient deaths, political blockades and holiday break) whether or not this past Wed-Sat was my first full week out at the clinic (jungle/Palacios). I’m pretty sure it was. After the break I received my new group of Medical Gringos. They are a small, good and valiant crew made up of 1 retired doc of maybe 70 plus years, two 4th yr med students, and one non-medical volunteer. (We would have more but the current political situation has prevented other less valiant volunteers and their Universities from permitting travel to question mark Bolivia at this time). This group’s level of Spanish is high which makes for a pleasant and consistently immersive experience for all. I know it’s really hard to explain and really hard for you to imagine what it is that I actually do here. It doesn’t make sense but pretty much everything that goes on I coordinate and pretty much any decision that needs to be made (besides the medical diagnosis) I control. In relationship to the Medical Gringo groups I pretty much always feel like I am the mama of 8 or more kids. I drive, I announce the time and manner of departure and arrival, and I give the directions, field the questions and deliver the answers as best as I can. Not only to the Medical Gringos but to pretty much everyone connected to the clinic (besides Boss Man Dr. Doug) I am the “Si, se puede” Yes you can or No you can’t” authority extraordinaire. My job does have a lot of power and responsibility but unfortunately everyone assumes that I have the answers and solutions to everything, no matter if the problem discussed is my personal responsibility or even related to my short time here, or not. This is a constant challenge but as all manageable in that crazy way.
The jungle clinic week was good. Friday was another “If I survived this I can survive anything” day. 100 plus patients, 1 urgent surgery, 1 emergency surgery, 1 straight up emergency and ZERO minutes of phone credit (for god knows what reason) made for an action packed day. Horse and buggy is quite the invention. Telephone technology still leaves a bit to be desired. Things at the clinic are kinda basket case at the moment. I’m stuck with an empty pharmacy, poor and unpredictable community organization (of the villages scheduled to come--- Thurs we had 10 patients. Fri we had 120. The number of doctors scheduled was exactly the same.), and lots of questions that lead to the expectation that I will fix it all. Head honcho Dona Maria (the listed above tasks are in her job description, not mine) is leaving for vacation on Monday…good timesJ. It’s always a bit stressful but I do my best to keep my cool, guide and help people when I can, take on extra work if my time allows and tattle troubles to Boss man and Stateside Founders (ie. I’m not supposed to be an authority figure in this manner). With the energy I have left, I leave the rest to fate and jungle tranquility.
Oh yeah and the social world in Palacios (jungle clinic) is well set. It’s common for the Gringo Clinic Volunteers to play scheduled volleyball, basketball and futbol games for night time activities with the entire village. We had our first fulbito game (soccer on a cement court) Thursday night. For the game I “estrellanar”ed (used for the first time) my new zapatillas, indoor soccer shoes I bought with buddy Zoila in the market. It was a pretty fabulous time and all of Palacios is quite surprised that their new gringita Coordinadora is no foreigner to the fulbito skills. The residents of Palacios have some mighty skills themselves. Anywhoo Wed. night Basket, Thursday night Fulbito, Friday night reunite all at the “neighborhood bar” aka the palm roof mud hut on the dirt road to the clinic. It is some dude’s house with the words Bilar painted on the side. I hear when people arrive he happily brings out a table and serves some cerveza beer and all have a great time.
My patient and hospital work in the city (Mondays and Tuesdays) is going well as well. I’ve streamlined my operations a bit (and am well on the way to making buddies with all the right people) so those days are equally busy and fun when I can take a moment to dance and enjoy through them. I’m getting into the Camba (the Santa Cruz) way and have totally realized if you expect to get work done you have to put in an equal amount of concentrated play time (jokes, gossip, chat, saltena eating and juice drinking). It’s sort of like people here in the tropics need to be warmed up first (don’t ask me why, it’s the hott hott summer here) before they are willing to entertain work ideas. Now that I’ve got the job more or less down, and have made a peace pact with the always emergent craziness… my next goal is to start my life life here. I’m scoping out some friends and will do my best to animate and explore when the “work” day is over. I have offers to go out dancing, explore the city and the upcoming carnival celebrations. I haven’t really felt like I have much time outside of work but hopefully soon I’ll feel comfortable enough to take on the extra social challenge. I’ve received lots of Coordinator Survival advice from Bolivians and past-Coordinators. The recurring theme seems to be separate myself from work (this includes the gringos who come and go) and find something in Santa Cruz that’s for my enjoyment and distraction. My time in the city is short but I’m all about finding a balance between work and play. So far I’ve had two café dates with a friend, and 1 evening of Carnival procession with Tesoro (super sweet and helpful secretary at Galene-clinic in city). It’s a small start, but paso a paso (step by step) I’m always on my way.
Love and lots of it. Happy stateside and Go Barack! Or I haven’t read the news in a few days, is he still in style?
So how’s the job going? I sat down to blog it up on Jan 7th to pronounce my one month survival point (and to reward myself a shiny #1 Best Crazy trophy). It turns out several minor emergencies prevented me from posting my excitement and awe at that particular moment.. Side linguistic note: Urgency seems to come up a lot in my daily responsibilities. The word emergency yes still means the same thing but is dealt with (by me) on a much more tranquil, matter of fact manner than I EVER would have imagined.
All in all, everything is going well. Let’s just say, in a short time I’ve learned a long distance and I’m in buen camino (good road) to discover more. I can’t remember (through ambulance trips, patient deaths, political blockades and holiday break) whether or not this past Wed-Sat was my first full week out at the clinic (jungle/Palacios). I’m pretty sure it was. After the break I received my new group of Medical Gringos. They are a small, good and valiant crew made up of 1 retired doc of maybe 70 plus years, two 4th yr med students, and one non-medical volunteer. (We would have more but the current political situation has prevented other less valiant volunteers and their Universities from permitting travel to question mark Bolivia at this time). This group’s level of Spanish is high which makes for a pleasant and consistently immersive experience for all. I know it’s really hard to explain and really hard for you to imagine what it is that I actually do here. It doesn’t make sense but pretty much everything that goes on I coordinate and pretty much any decision that needs to be made (besides the medical diagnosis) I control. In relationship to the Medical Gringo groups I pretty much always feel like I am the mama of 8 or more kids. I drive, I announce the time and manner of departure and arrival, and I give the directions, field the questions and deliver the answers as best as I can. Not only to the Medical Gringos but to pretty much everyone connected to the clinic (besides Boss Man Dr. Doug) I am the “Si, se puede” Yes you can or No you can’t” authority extraordinaire. My job does have a lot of power and responsibility but unfortunately everyone assumes that I have the answers and solutions to everything, no matter if the problem discussed is my personal responsibility or even related to my short time here, or not. This is a constant challenge but as all manageable in that crazy way.
The jungle clinic week was good. Friday was another “If I survived this I can survive anything” day. 100 plus patients, 1 urgent surgery, 1 emergency surgery, 1 straight up emergency and ZERO minutes of phone credit (for god knows what reason) made for an action packed day. Horse and buggy is quite the invention. Telephone technology still leaves a bit to be desired. Things at the clinic are kinda basket case at the moment. I’m stuck with an empty pharmacy, poor and unpredictable community organization (of the villages scheduled to come--- Thurs we had 10 patients. Fri we had 120. The number of doctors scheduled was exactly the same.), and lots of questions that lead to the expectation that I will fix it all. Head honcho Dona Maria (the listed above tasks are in her job description, not mine) is leaving for vacation on Monday…good timesJ. It’s always a bit stressful but I do my best to keep my cool, guide and help people when I can, take on extra work if my time allows and tattle troubles to Boss man and Stateside Founders (ie. I’m not supposed to be an authority figure in this manner). With the energy I have left, I leave the rest to fate and jungle tranquility.
Oh yeah and the social world in Palacios (jungle clinic) is well set. It’s common for the Gringo Clinic Volunteers to play scheduled volleyball, basketball and futbol games for night time activities with the entire village. We had our first fulbito game (soccer on a cement court) Thursday night. For the game I “estrellanar”ed (used for the first time) my new zapatillas, indoor soccer shoes I bought with buddy Zoila in the market. It was a pretty fabulous time and all of Palacios is quite surprised that their new gringita Coordinadora is no foreigner to the fulbito skills. The residents of Palacios have some mighty skills themselves. Anywhoo Wed. night Basket, Thursday night Fulbito, Friday night reunite all at the “neighborhood bar” aka the palm roof mud hut on the dirt road to the clinic. It is some dude’s house with the words Bilar painted on the side. I hear when people arrive he happily brings out a table and serves some cerveza beer and all have a great time.
My patient and hospital work in the city (Mondays and Tuesdays) is going well as well. I’ve streamlined my operations a bit (and am well on the way to making buddies with all the right people) so those days are equally busy and fun when I can take a moment to dance and enjoy through them. I’m getting into the Camba (the Santa Cruz) way and have totally realized if you expect to get work done you have to put in an equal amount of concentrated play time (jokes, gossip, chat, saltena eating and juice drinking). It’s sort of like people here in the tropics need to be warmed up first (don’t ask me why, it’s the hott hott summer here) before they are willing to entertain work ideas. Now that I’ve got the job more or less down, and have made a peace pact with the always emergent craziness… my next goal is to start my life life here. I’m scoping out some friends and will do my best to animate and explore when the “work” day is over. I have offers to go out dancing, explore the city and the upcoming carnival celebrations. I haven’t really felt like I have much time outside of work but hopefully soon I’ll feel comfortable enough to take on the extra social challenge. I’ve received lots of Coordinator Survival advice from Bolivians and past-Coordinators. The recurring theme seems to be separate myself from work (this includes the gringos who come and go) and find something in Santa Cruz that’s for my enjoyment and distraction. My time in the city is short but I’m all about finding a balance between work and play. So far I’ve had two café dates with a friend, and 1 evening of Carnival procession with Tesoro (super sweet and helpful secretary at Galene-clinic in city). It’s a small start, but paso a paso (step by step) I’m always on my way.
Love and lots of it. Happy stateside and Go Barack! Or I haven’t read the news in a few days, is he still in style?
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Who you calling Cabeza de Juevo?
Hi punky brewsters,
Feliz Año Nuevito a todos! Esperamos todo lo mejor por las aventuras que vengan to each and all for the big ´08. Translation: 2008 is here. I expect us all to bust some new jigs like we´ve never busted before.
I thought with the coming of the new year I would gift a sweet, tranquilo,non-overly crazy and non-overly stressful blog. I´m currently in the last afternoon of my wonderfully relaxing holiday vacae in Cochabamba. Over the past week I took advantage of some much needed downtime, did lots of chillin, napped (!?) once or twice, vamosed when the Energizer Bunny host fam asked, played some pretty sweet games of futbol and Basket, and most importlantly followed the Bolivians lead on what they know best: fiesta! People in this country are serious about a few things in life… for Cochabambinos it´s 1.eating 2. Political blockading and 3. “festejando” aka. Celebration that never stops.
Xmas way South here in Bolivs involves a lot more Santa Clauses, reindeer heads, snow decorations and Feliz Navidad holiday songs (both in English and directly translated into Spanish), than I ever would have imagined. It was fun to be invited into the customs and traditions of my adopted fam across the globe..they truly welcome me into their house as if I am their own. Buena noche (xmas eve) is the main fiesta. Basically I would sum it up as: festive ambience, lots of cooking really particular dishes, lots of making Pasteles de Navidad (stuffed dough fried yummies), and all throughout day and night lots of eating. By 11 pm I had thought we had eaten quiet the fill and celebrated to satisfaction, but little to my gringita knowledge, the fun was just beginning. A giant dinner was served at 11:30 pm, the Xmas was toasted in with Champagne at midnight with simultaneous kissing and hugging and felicidad happiness giving, and then wahooo (if you can stay awake) lots and lots of presents follow. My favorite part about Buena Noche was when I noticed the two glass animal elephants that were included in the Xmas manger set up aside the fake pine Xmas tree. Now I know, if I a baby Jesus figure ever hangs out in my house, I´d definitely want him accompanied by some really cute elephants. The following Xmas day was much the same, made up of big yummy meal mid’day, lots more toasting, happiness giving and game playing with extended fam and friends.
I also learned how to reign in the Year New Bolivian style. I feel like to be a celebrating Bolivian ya gotta have a really good memory. It seems for every fiesta small and large, there is a long list of must dos and donts that are to be completed in just the right way to ensure a lucky future to come. A few New Years traditions include: stuffing of 12 grapes and 12 wishes into your mouth before the clock strikes Año Nuevo (even though the Spaniards slaughtered their people and rampaged their land, this did not sour Bolivian judgement on a really wise grape tradition), inside-out colored panties and socks (red for loving, white for peace, yellow for Cash Money…inside-out for I don´t know what), the counting of paper money for prosperity in new year (they had American dollar print outs but everyone knew this year Bolivianos or Euros would be a much more stable choice), and same as in the States..all deals are sealed with a kiss. Apparently I don´t quite have the stellar Bolivian memory just yet, but these and other traditions were diligently obeyed by the best Bolivs last night. For our New Year´s celebration I squeezed into the fam´s bagoneta (old school SUV) with my host bro sis their friends and my 1 friend from study abroad and headed to Tortora (a tiny colonial pueblito 3.5 hours outside of Cochabamba). The drive was gorgeous… gigantic rollings ´´hills´´ (bigger than most mountains in the states), random Incan ruins everywhere, natural wind and water erosion rock beauties on every horizon (basically the Badlands, minus explainational signs, park fees and road trip hats). The town was tiny (2 restaurants, 2 hotels and a few convenience stores), lacking population not lacking tourists. Each New Year´s the plaza lights up (literally with an out of control street bonfire), music, dancing, live city band, lots of youngins, lots of joyousness and inebriatedness. Apparently the party continues on today and tomorrow to celebrate some Saints day where everyone in the town shows up to have Mass, share free food and drink with their visitors in hopes that the money that they donate to the party ie. The amount of faith they have in the Saint, will ensure more good things for fam and friends.
Anyways, all in all good things= good times. I promised a Kosher blog so I won´t go into the actual New Year´s eve Shenanigans… almost lost car, family drunken break up drama (host bro and Chica made a rough split), comfy Bagoneta/street sleeping (and I´m REALLY tired now), young Bolivian macho pummeling, really funny pick up lines in English…all the best surprises Bolivia has to offer.
Love u all. I´m back to the SCruz and jungle grind tomorrow. Will meet boss founder woman from States when I arrive in morn and as I say goodbye to her at airport tomorrow night will pick up the new round of Doc heads. The- I coordinate Bolivia-and we help people- cycle continues. Thanks for reading.
Feliz Año Nuevito a todos! Esperamos todo lo mejor por las aventuras que vengan to each and all for the big ´08. Translation: 2008 is here. I expect us all to bust some new jigs like we´ve never busted before.
I thought with the coming of the new year I would gift a sweet, tranquilo,non-overly crazy and non-overly stressful blog. I´m currently in the last afternoon of my wonderfully relaxing holiday vacae in Cochabamba. Over the past week I took advantage of some much needed downtime, did lots of chillin, napped (!?) once or twice, vamosed when the Energizer Bunny host fam asked, played some pretty sweet games of futbol and Basket, and most importlantly followed the Bolivians lead on what they know best: fiesta! People in this country are serious about a few things in life… for Cochabambinos it´s 1.eating 2. Political blockading and 3. “festejando” aka. Celebration that never stops.
Xmas way South here in Bolivs involves a lot more Santa Clauses, reindeer heads, snow decorations and Feliz Navidad holiday songs (both in English and directly translated into Spanish), than I ever would have imagined. It was fun to be invited into the customs and traditions of my adopted fam across the globe..they truly welcome me into their house as if I am their own. Buena noche (xmas eve) is the main fiesta. Basically I would sum it up as: festive ambience, lots of cooking really particular dishes, lots of making Pasteles de Navidad (stuffed dough fried yummies), and all throughout day and night lots of eating. By 11 pm I had thought we had eaten quiet the fill and celebrated to satisfaction, but little to my gringita knowledge, the fun was just beginning. A giant dinner was served at 11:30 pm, the Xmas was toasted in with Champagne at midnight with simultaneous kissing and hugging and felicidad happiness giving, and then wahooo (if you can stay awake) lots and lots of presents follow. My favorite part about Buena Noche was when I noticed the two glass animal elephants that were included in the Xmas manger set up aside the fake pine Xmas tree. Now I know, if I a baby Jesus figure ever hangs out in my house, I´d definitely want him accompanied by some really cute elephants. The following Xmas day was much the same, made up of big yummy meal mid’day, lots more toasting, happiness giving and game playing with extended fam and friends.
I also learned how to reign in the Year New Bolivian style. I feel like to be a celebrating Bolivian ya gotta have a really good memory. It seems for every fiesta small and large, there is a long list of must dos and donts that are to be completed in just the right way to ensure a lucky future to come. A few New Years traditions include: stuffing of 12 grapes and 12 wishes into your mouth before the clock strikes Año Nuevo (even though the Spaniards slaughtered their people and rampaged their land, this did not sour Bolivian judgement on a really wise grape tradition), inside-out colored panties and socks (red for loving, white for peace, yellow for Cash Money…inside-out for I don´t know what), the counting of paper money for prosperity in new year (they had American dollar print outs but everyone knew this year Bolivianos or Euros would be a much more stable choice), and same as in the States..all deals are sealed with a kiss. Apparently I don´t quite have the stellar Bolivian memory just yet, but these and other traditions were diligently obeyed by the best Bolivs last night. For our New Year´s celebration I squeezed into the fam´s bagoneta (old school SUV) with my host bro sis their friends and my 1 friend from study abroad and headed to Tortora (a tiny colonial pueblito 3.5 hours outside of Cochabamba). The drive was gorgeous… gigantic rollings ´´hills´´ (bigger than most mountains in the states), random Incan ruins everywhere, natural wind and water erosion rock beauties on every horizon (basically the Badlands, minus explainational signs, park fees and road trip hats). The town was tiny (2 restaurants, 2 hotels and a few convenience stores), lacking population not lacking tourists. Each New Year´s the plaza lights up (literally with an out of control street bonfire), music, dancing, live city band, lots of youngins, lots of joyousness and inebriatedness. Apparently the party continues on today and tomorrow to celebrate some Saints day where everyone in the town shows up to have Mass, share free food and drink with their visitors in hopes that the money that they donate to the party ie. The amount of faith they have in the Saint, will ensure more good things for fam and friends.
Anyways, all in all good things= good times. I promised a Kosher blog so I won´t go into the actual New Year´s eve Shenanigans… almost lost car, family drunken break up drama (host bro and Chica made a rough split), comfy Bagoneta/street sleeping (and I´m REALLY tired now), young Bolivian macho pummeling, really funny pick up lines in English…all the best surprises Bolivia has to offer.
Love u all. I´m back to the SCruz and jungle grind tomorrow. Will meet boss founder woman from States when I arrive in morn and as I say goodbye to her at airport tomorrow night will pick up the new round of Doc heads. The- I coordinate Bolivia-and we help people- cycle continues. Thanks for reading.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Crazy is Loco
I can’t say that I’ve experienced a time in my life when I’ve deserved to be mad…. or at time that I’ve deserved to fault situations when I know they are much grander than I. I can be sad, annoyed, frustrated, challenged, confused…but mad doesn’t figure. Picture traffic/road blockade/accident build-up that extends for more than a mile—your trip becomes tardy (great Spanish word “tardar”) 1.30 hr on top of your already 2 hour excursion (temp 90 plus). Picture your one day off, your prepping to leave for holiday, and the phone call you receive from a crying family, who lost their son to a life-long disease and a life-long of surgeries that didn’t work. Your asked to respond, go, pay, resolve NOW. Picture all of this, on top of everything else, and ask yourself where your feelings would be left to reside?
I received from my parents and from a few good friends, the advice to not let this job overtake me. And to not let this said craziness envelope whatever saneness I have left. When I stop, I feel really sad. When I stop, I feel a little scared and a little too overwhelmed but too overworked to realize. This stopping doesn’t really happen too much. And yeah if I stop too much I’ll break down. I am going to take this advice to heart… and I think I’ll learn to experience, process and reflect at the same time.
situations that surround us. In Spanish, it’s the opposite way around. “Me vulve loca”… It returns me crazy.” We are born into a crazy world, sane only when we understand it, and returned crazy again we realize there are some things we’ll never understand.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
En Serio? Eso es asi.
hola chicos.
trabajo carajo! damn the man.. looks like life finally caught up to me and for the first blog experience i am feeling lost for words. before i was thinking about how incredible it is that my processing thus far has been displaced over space and time. i thought it was pretty cool to continue blindly and without fear in life, and reflect and realize in post- script ONLY.
today... the space and time collided. it had to happen at some point. of course as always i am fine, happy, still joking, and well grounded (helped along by the weight of lots of AWE). we can leave it at... i had an interesting, long day. i'm not really sure that i learned any lessons, but let's hope in the 12 hr period i grew my first thick skin (of the many i will need) .
long short nut cracker of it: this morn and then again this delightful eve, i was formally introduced to my Gringita presence and its grand implications. yes i am white. yes that means that most likely means i have money. or that one could suppose i have no idea what's going on and will give people money if they ask for it. yes that shouldn't mean that a person should purposefully bumper my car with his, causing quiet the crushing sound and causing a small dent a plastic thing to be ripped from my car. the guy eyed me, and then rammed my SUV. it was pretty great. luckily it was a small collision. there was lots of honking and a bit of me feeling kind crappy and like a stupid foreigner in a silly foreign country. anyways... he asked for lots of money, i gave him a fake number instead. so 1 bad thing happened.. but it was a small fix and the secretaries at the clinic were nice and helped me along. i will spare u the details of the rest of my day... but imagine the passing of 11 hours (without returning home, without eating) and being really stoked that i was almost home and that my day (the formal working part--i come home and attend to gringos so "work" never really ends) was almost half over.
so yeah me and suv stoked to be driving home. listening to some sweet music. had to stop at this Auto Body Car shop real quick to pick up my fixed plastic car part. it was about 6:30 pm. I parked the car... went to get the piece and pay the chico... and the sweet end to the day... back at the car a cop awaited me. he was also pretty into me being a gringa and also had pretty high hopes for how much money i'd be willing to give him. i showed him my int drivers permit ... he took it and began to walk away.... i made lots of fun phone calls. followed the crazy cop. chilled in his office with lots of fun male cops. asked them what i did, why they were locking me in their office and closing the Police quarter doors.. u know all the basics. 1 hour passed. the great thing: FINALLY, i didn't need no BLOG writing to realize what the hell was going on in my life. Oh yeah and the best part of the story... yes, The Colonel saved me. Who woulda thunk it:).
it was kind of a crappy day. kind of a lot. kind of a lot of emotions to hold in. but there were great parts of the day too that at the moment i'm a little too tired to explain. and a dog keeps running into me. love and felicidades for lives well lived.
trabajo carajo! damn the man.. looks like life finally caught up to me and for the first blog experience i am feeling lost for words. before i was thinking about how incredible it is that my processing thus far has been displaced over space and time. i thought it was pretty cool to continue blindly and without fear in life, and reflect and realize in post- script ONLY.
today... the space and time collided. it had to happen at some point. of course as always i am fine, happy, still joking, and well grounded (helped along by the weight of lots of AWE). we can leave it at... i had an interesting, long day. i'm not really sure that i learned any lessons, but let's hope in the 12 hr period i grew my first thick skin (of the many i will need) .
long short nut cracker of it: this morn and then again this delightful eve, i was formally introduced to my Gringita presence and its grand implications. yes i am white. yes that means that most likely means i have money. or that one could suppose i have no idea what's going on and will give people money if they ask for it. yes that shouldn't mean that a person should purposefully bumper my car with his, causing quiet the crushing sound and causing a small dent a plastic thing to be ripped from my car. the guy eyed me, and then rammed my SUV. it was pretty great. luckily it was a small collision. there was lots of honking and a bit of me feeling kind crappy and like a stupid foreigner in a silly foreign country. anyways... he asked for lots of money, i gave him a fake number instead. so 1 bad thing happened.. but it was a small fix and the secretaries at the clinic were nice and helped me along. i will spare u the details of the rest of my day... but imagine the passing of 11 hours (without returning home, without eating) and being really stoked that i was almost home and that my day (the formal working part--i come home and attend to gringos so "work" never really ends) was almost half over.
so yeah me and suv stoked to be driving home. listening to some sweet music. had to stop at this Auto Body Car shop real quick to pick up my fixed plastic car part. it was about 6:30 pm. I parked the car... went to get the piece and pay the chico... and the sweet end to the day... back at the car a cop awaited me. he was also pretty into me being a gringa and also had pretty high hopes for how much money i'd be willing to give him. i showed him my int drivers permit ... he took it and began to walk away.... i made lots of fun phone calls. followed the crazy cop. chilled in his office with lots of fun male cops. asked them what i did, why they were locking me in their office and closing the Police quarter doors.. u know all the basics. 1 hour passed. the great thing: FINALLY, i didn't need no BLOG writing to realize what the hell was going on in my life. Oh yeah and the best part of the story... yes, The Colonel saved me. Who woulda thunk it:).
it was kind of a crappy day. kind of a lot. kind of a lot of emotions to hold in. but there were great parts of the day too that at the moment i'm a little too tired to explain. and a dog keeps running into me. love and felicidades for lives well lived.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Friday, December 14, 2007
Bueno, lo que pasa es...
let´s start with the description of an unimaginable life, that for you to read makes no sense and for me to live experiences sense only. The last time I wrote I said i´d be in Los Palacios jungle clinic from wed to sat.. it´s Friday now and i´ve returned to santa cruz twice. Once as an ambulance,minus lights and sirens. And the second time as an intended airport taxi, minus airport as sole destination (Early this morn we learned of political blockades beginning at 3pm in Portachuello a tiny town between Palacios and Scruz. So instead of transporting half my Docs.. I took them all for fear that I wouldn´t be able to get back to the clinic to pick them up late Sat. Tomorrow is a big day for SCruz autonomy. There is a referendum meeting close to our Scruz mansion. There will prob be lots of action in the streets.. but luckily we will be safe and sound inside the casa.
Second day at clinic: So we´re chilling at the clinic struggling to attend to 60 plus patients from two very rural very poor communities and I learn (thru lots of medical babble) one of our older patients is experiencing a heart attack and must be seen by a hospital immediately. There was a window of 3 hours ending in treatment or fatality. Our docs were slammed and left with only 1 spanish translator. Butttt, this is the job and as the Coordinator I quickly learned I am, well, everything. I either do it, make sure it gets done, or nothing happens. So mike and I jumped in the car with a med resident, the heart attackee, and 1 tag along ulcered patient with a possible absess and off we bumped. Palacios is 2 hrs (the first 20 pure bumpy dirt road) from santa cruz. As we made our way slowly to santa cruz we ate some meat soy patties with rice that our cook had packed us to go, listened to the beatles. Chatted in english… all the while the woman next to me was HAVING a heart attack. And The ulcer absess lady next to her was in a lot pain. Mike dropped me and doc and heart attack off at hospital… I scrambled to figure out the joke that is “emergency” on chill jungle time, checked the woman into the hospital, paid her admittance fee, connected with our doc connection, saw the woman off with lots of attached nodes, and from there our job was done. Our doc´s diagnosis and Mike and I´s in between responsibilities, saved a life… atleast I think that´s what happened. Oh yeah and then we spent the rest of the day dealing with the ulcered lady. At 8 pm on our way back to Palacios we dropped her off at the gate of her pueblo Santa Rosa. Her house was 70 km past that point. We left her there with a friendly villager whom I befriended and in the meantime conviced to find her transport and wait with her to receive it. The day started for me at 7am.
Already I can tell that this is how I will be sensing here. Things will happen. I will respond. I will do without knowing and know without doing. Already what i´ve seen (and not processed) is amazing. On Monday and tues my job is to reunite with patients referred from the jungle communities to the city to see them through, process and pay for every step of their care. This week I connected with a heart patient with complications of chagas, an Elfantitis patient with symptoms never previous seen by the ameri nor boli docs, a woman with infected ulcers needing hospitalization, several urgent uteran patients, a dude with something giant stuck in his ear… I have a notebook. I write down their names and problems and I get lucky when they have phone numbers. And then slowly, one by one, during my 2 days in Santa Cruz, I make sure they are taken care of
Last Monday mike and I made our rounds at my first bolivian hospital experience. The atmosphere was how I can only imagine prison would be. The faces, the diseases, the realities, the results (met and not) are breath taking. Half my time at the clinic I repeat the words of the docs to the patients. In the cases that need further care, I take the Docs words, repeat ´them again to Douglas (our City doc) and then somewhere down the road I transport and assemble those words again in the city setting…with the patient by my side. Oh yea and also these people look-feel-and are treated like complete foreigners when in the city. They have no idea what is going on and half the time don´t realize (and aren´t told) of their medical state and care. Already I see these city docs are talking through me and Mike… looking and touching the patient only to examen them. The patients can´t afford aspirin or a taxi… and then suddenly they experience a ride to the big city (listening to Beatles and English on the way) and treatment for things they didn´t know they had and, if they survive, might never know could have caused their death.
And when all that is over, I waltz back into the clinic residence to dodge bugs, share food, watch movies, smile and listen to boring medicine stories. Here in Santa Cruz I return to a mansion, to gmail, to filtered water (I don´t use the word Mansion lightly), eat the really great food of our housekeep Nico who prepares Cochabamba specialities just for me, chat with her about the princess americans (her words not mine), play with her daughter, go on runs with long-legged med-students, read the Boliv news. All in a days work I suppose.
Oh yes Politics… very bad right now, very iffy knowledge of what will happen in the future. You may have heard the US announced to halt unneccess. Travel to Bolivia.. good until Jan 11. They asked for extreme caution for foreigners already here. I´ll try to explain more tomorrow. Meanwhile, worry not… I´ll be holding out in the mansion, eating great food and chillin, while Santa Cruz will be reigning in their autonomy in a near-by park. Blockades and violence (celebratory and contrary) pending…
Mike leaves tomorrow 10 am. That means after this.. all my stories… well, will actually be… first hand. I have this second hand too. So i think i´m ready.
Love and appreciate you all.
Second day at clinic: So we´re chilling at the clinic struggling to attend to 60 plus patients from two very rural very poor communities and I learn (thru lots of medical babble) one of our older patients is experiencing a heart attack and must be seen by a hospital immediately. There was a window of 3 hours ending in treatment or fatality. Our docs were slammed and left with only 1 spanish translator. Butttt, this is the job and as the Coordinator I quickly learned I am, well, everything. I either do it, make sure it gets done, or nothing happens. So mike and I jumped in the car with a med resident, the heart attackee, and 1 tag along ulcered patient with a possible absess and off we bumped. Palacios is 2 hrs (the first 20 pure bumpy dirt road) from santa cruz. As we made our way slowly to santa cruz we ate some meat soy patties with rice that our cook had packed us to go, listened to the beatles. Chatted in english… all the while the woman next to me was HAVING a heart attack. And The ulcer absess lady next to her was in a lot pain. Mike dropped me and doc and heart attack off at hospital… I scrambled to figure out the joke that is “emergency” on chill jungle time, checked the woman into the hospital, paid her admittance fee, connected with our doc connection, saw the woman off with lots of attached nodes, and from there our job was done. Our doc´s diagnosis and Mike and I´s in between responsibilities, saved a life… atleast I think that´s what happened. Oh yeah and then we spent the rest of the day dealing with the ulcered lady. At 8 pm on our way back to Palacios we dropped her off at the gate of her pueblo Santa Rosa. Her house was 70 km past that point. We left her there with a friendly villager whom I befriended and in the meantime conviced to find her transport and wait with her to receive it. The day started for me at 7am.
Already I can tell that this is how I will be sensing here. Things will happen. I will respond. I will do without knowing and know without doing. Already what i´ve seen (and not processed) is amazing. On Monday and tues my job is to reunite with patients referred from the jungle communities to the city to see them through, process and pay for every step of their care. This week I connected with a heart patient with complications of chagas, an Elfantitis patient with symptoms never previous seen by the ameri nor boli docs, a woman with infected ulcers needing hospitalization, several urgent uteran patients, a dude with something giant stuck in his ear… I have a notebook. I write down their names and problems and I get lucky when they have phone numbers. And then slowly, one by one, during my 2 days in Santa Cruz, I make sure they are taken care of
Last Monday mike and I made our rounds at my first bolivian hospital experience. The atmosphere was how I can only imagine prison would be. The faces, the diseases, the realities, the results (met and not) are breath taking. Half my time at the clinic I repeat the words of the docs to the patients. In the cases that need further care, I take the Docs words, repeat ´them again to Douglas (our City doc) and then somewhere down the road I transport and assemble those words again in the city setting…with the patient by my side. Oh yea and also these people look-feel-and are treated like complete foreigners when in the city. They have no idea what is going on and half the time don´t realize (and aren´t told) of their medical state and care. Already I see these city docs are talking through me and Mike… looking and touching the patient only to examen them. The patients can´t afford aspirin or a taxi… and then suddenly they experience a ride to the big city (listening to Beatles and English on the way) and treatment for things they didn´t know they had and, if they survive, might never know could have caused their death.
And when all that is over, I waltz back into the clinic residence to dodge bugs, share food, watch movies, smile and listen to boring medicine stories. Here in Santa Cruz I return to a mansion, to gmail, to filtered water (I don´t use the word Mansion lightly), eat the really great food of our housekeep Nico who prepares Cochabamba specialities just for me, chat with her about the princess americans (her words not mine), play with her daughter, go on runs with long-legged med-students, read the Boliv news. All in a days work I suppose.
Oh yes Politics… very bad right now, very iffy knowledge of what will happen in the future. You may have heard the US announced to halt unneccess. Travel to Bolivia.. good until Jan 11. They asked for extreme caution for foreigners already here. I´ll try to explain more tomorrow. Meanwhile, worry not… I´ll be holding out in the mansion, eating great food and chillin, while Santa Cruz will be reigning in their autonomy in a near-by park. Blockades and violence (celebratory and contrary) pending…
Mike leaves tomorrow 10 am. That means after this.. all my stories… well, will actually be… first hand. I have this second hand too. So i think i´m ready.
Love and appreciate you all.
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