Daily mass again this morning. I've never spent a lot of time with nuns, and these sisters are remarkable. They really get their hands dirty to help the poor people here and they help us at the clinic. I like that they wear habits.
Today was an excellent day. Because we ended up so organized yesterday, our processes were all very efficient and today seemed very calm. I didn't have that much to do so I took a lot of pictures this morning.
There was a particularly photogenic boy in pediatrics that i fell in love with. His name was Shaggy (according to his mom) and he was about 2. All the little boys are dressed like little men with slacks and leather shoes. Shaggy was smart and knew that if I took his picture, he could see it. So he would pose very nicely and as soon as he heard the click, he would run over to me and want to see himself. I ran into Shaggy later in the daycare while his mom was in an appointment. I took some more pictures and he did the same, posing and then running over. At one point he grabbed the camera and pointed it at me. Then he moved the strap over his head and watched me through the LED screen. I showed him how to take a picture and he was so pleased with himself. The first picture he took was of me laughing at him. We ended up walking around the whole clinic and he took pictures of many people. The Peruvian people don't really like their picture taken and they get very shy. But Shaggy broke the ice. He was a 2 year old taking amazing photos of sincere, happy faces. He would have taken photos all day, I think. I really liked him. He made me think of Luke Lindholm, our friend who was born to play the violin. This boy is born to take photos. I can't wait to upload some for you. Shaggy was my first Peruvian friend.
EDITED 10/23/12: Shaggy's photos!
Shaggy. Such a cutie.
Shaggy's picture of me. One of my favorite pictures of me ever.
Kelly, Edgar (this little boy that we all took turns holding - our little mascot), and Carl.
Shaggy's picture of Jared (and Lara in the background... I need to get and post that picture that Lara took!)
Shaggy's picture of Sean, a good friend we met and Jared's triage buddy.
The funniest picture of Sergio anyone could ever get. :)
One of the best pictures of a Peruvian woman. Capturing them laughing is really difficult.
Cathy, an OB nurse from Swedish Hospital. She worked very hard.
Janet, who worked in the daycare a lot. Shaggy's picture of her. So cute!
Final picture of Shaggy.
My second friend was Garvin. A bus of kids with special needs arrived to be treated. Garvin has downs (which should be called ups) and he was the sweetest, nicest boy. I wooed him by taking his picture and then showing it to him. I might have also given him some lollipops. He was nervous. Adrian, a resident from Mexico, did his checkup and they both let me take pictures. While Garvin's mom was in OB, I asked if I could walk around with him and they both agreed. So Garvin and I held hands and visited almost everyone in the clinic.
It was remarkable how much power this little boy had. All the medical staff is working so hard and they are so focused. But, I would interrupt and say, "have you met my friend Garvin?" Everyone would stop what they are doing and look at Garvin and he would give him the best kind of hug... the kind you only get from someone with downs. And everyone would immediately be reminded why we are here. Garvin was powerful.
Sweet Garvin!
One of my 50 hugs from Garvin.
Garvin and Sister Jennifer in the pharmacy. She was one of the kick ass sisters there. I think I'm allowed to say that.
Garvin and his stuffed bear.
Jared & Garvin. The Peruvians seemed to notice when the men in our group took attention to children. I don't think it's as culturally acceptable for men to participate in raising kids.
Note to self: send stuffed animals next year. One of the people brought a suitcase full and you have to see how much the kids like them. They really snuggle them and love on them the whole day. We don't have enough. Garvin got a little beanie baby puppy and he was very happy. In the afternoon I worked in the pharmacy filling prescriptions.
About 3:15, the power in the clinic went out. About 4, it got to be too dark to work. We did a group wide prayer to ask God to fix the power. Within a few minutes, it was fixed everywhere but the pharmacy. I'm not sure what this means. Triage finishes about 2 hours before the pharmacy closes because of patient flow, so Jared was there to duck tape some flashlights to the ceiling so we could keep filling prescriptions in the dark. (Very Dwain Carlon of him).
I can't figure out how to rotate this picture, but you can see Jared's brilliant solution. :)
Tonight we were invited to have dinner with a small group at the bishop's house. This again proves its not what you know, it's who you know. The food was delicious and the company was lovely. The bishop makes his own cheese from cows in the back pasture. Nick suggested he sell this cheese -it was delicious- to raise money and call it Holy Cow Cheese. I love this idea. The bishop shared a lot of his ideas and how he intends to help the people of Puno.
There were also several native Peruvians that explained some of the systemic issues like abuse, lack of marriage, and woman being pressured to get abortions. There are a lot of issues and I can't help but think of the Malcolm Gladwell book called Tipping Point when he describes the broken window theory. It's fascinating. Maybe by giving out vitamins and clearing up infections, we might convince someone that they are important, and that might change the culture. (If you fix the broken window, the pickpocket won't think to rob, the rapist won't think to rape, and the murder won't kill. You can prevent felonies by fixing the broken windows).
I digress.
It's after 11 and the day starts early tomorrow. Please pray for our bellies. Definitely a lot of people that aren't doing well with Peruvian water. By the way, these are only my stories. I sit at dinner and hear amazing stories about diagnosing ovarian cancer in a 32 year old mother of 3 (treatable, but we have to raise money) and seeing a father lovingly care for his toddler with a cleft palette (rare... Loving father and cleft palette). I hope to collect more of these stories to share with you. Beunos Noches (sp?)
Sean, Alan & Janet. Eating lunch on the roof.
Filling prescriptions in the pharmacy.
Some kids eating lunch outside the clinic.
Jared doing triage.
Justin, running the show. I have to say how impressed I was with my brother during this trip. He's really a fish to water in these situations. Everyone just listens when he talks and he handles situations so quickly and with such decisive action. I wish I could go back in time and find that little boy, who struggled so much in school and was teased for being small, and tell him that someday he would be this guy. Maybe he always knew that.
Jared & I with Bishop Kay (sounds like Kai) in his kitchen. He was just amazing.
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