Hello Friends,
Christmas time is distinctly differnet here, starting with little colored lights dangling from palmtrees and haphazardly slung across the hospital hallways. Balloons added, some items that have absolutely nothing to do with Christmas except for the festive atmosphere (paper chains) and there is a sense of expectation in the air in spite of the increase in certain diseases, as the time of year directs.
Itś good to be back here. One feels useful, yet enormously peaceful. People become friends so readily, especially when they find out that you don't hand out money. You are for real and they respect you. Itś not easy to do that with so much poverty.
The hospital itself is increasingly working like a smooth machine. What a difference with 3 years ago. The place is freshly painted. The guards at the entrance and exit do a precise job and are clearly proud of the fact they they, too are part of the machine. The Swiss director, a pediatrician, is tough and a stickler, and expects complete order and commitment from the most menial job to his own. There is a medical meeting every morning from 7am-8am and if you are 3 minutes late, you can get in and it is marked down. The presentations vary from medical/ patient information, technical issues (generator) to new regulations within a certain department. He is an elderly gentleman and reminds me of Albert Schweitzer himself. I like him very much. He is trying to find a replacement for him so he can go home and retire (his wife an anesthetic nurse, is here as well). But he wants someone better than he is, and preferably a Haitian.Quite a job!
Carl is in heaven doing what is he so good at. He has a translator with him at all times, a very friendly man who definitely speaks better Kreyol than English. But it works and he teaches Carl. Carl runs the out-patient pediatric clinic in the morning and works in the newborn nursery and peds the rest of the day. Which works at the typical peaceful speed with an hour + for lunch, little nap...etc.
Sander is having a blast. people are very excited to have him here, ex-patirates and Haitian alike. There is enormous cooperation and everyone knows that what he does is terribly important, especially the ¨guys up high¨. And he is good at what he does. He has made a ton of friends. These next days he is highlighting the technical parts of the hospital, the sides donors and other curious people never hear of. This morning he is going to the emptying of a well with the head engineer here. One huge guy will pull out the shaft and rapidly the crew takes over to pull out the rest. There is no equipment. No cranes, no tractors. It is done with stone and wood rollers, hard work, team work and ingenuity. And it works. Late afternoon he is going to climb the 60 ft water tower, to take pictures of the hospital and surrounding area when the light is lovely and the shadows are long. He is also going into the mountains later, which I have already done. I may go along, depending on how I feel.
Sander and I were reflecting upon the thought that the reason we love it here and feel we belong, is because everybody here, from medical staff to engineers and office technicians, are oddballs. Itś wonderful to be comfortable and have great conversations with people who don´t bat an eye at some outrageous way to solve a problem or present outlandish ideas. Because here they work. They need to.
It is cool now. People (Haitians) walk around with 2 sweaters on and complain. I am finally comfortable, although a blanket is definitely needed at night.
I came down with a flu-or-whatever before I left home (from Carl) and am sick and at times quite miserable. Nasty cough and hot/cold. So I have to stay away from the wards for now, particularly the malnutritian ward. I would make those kids, with their immune system so low, very sick. (And I could catch something we don want as well!) I was there the 1st day but became worse so now I have to sweat it out.
There is so much to do, however. With the Head of Nursing and another woman, we are wrapping over 500 packages with Christmas gifts for all the staff and the patients. Everyone receives on white towel, tightly rolled up, and a little ziplock baggy filled with colorful candies. Tie a little red ribbon around it and it looks cheerful and special. The other thing weŕe wrapping are more elaborate packages for the newborns and the littlest babies. They may contain little baby hats, receiving and other blankets, diapers and pins and at least one little outfit. Many of these itams came from Pennsylvania. Thank you, guys! It will make a gift they will always remember!
Yesterday I was VERY happy. There was an empty workshop for various arts here. I tried to get in 3 years a go but the woman who was the self-appointed boss would not let me. One elderly woman (A Mellon family member) took over (what could they say?)
2.5 years ago she bought a piece of land and hired people to plant cotton and harvest it. The new cotton was spun (each step required earning a certificate), the the cotton was dyed into wonderful colors and weaving looms (5) were imported to make rugs. They are wonderful. The price is $10 or $200 a piece, dependoing on the size and you can even request certain color combinations!
N4ext door is a woodworking shop. They scrounge the area for fallen oak and another native hardwood, which is further aged and turned into gorgeous furniture. The left-over pieces are used to make souvenirs (little boxes, for example). I had a problem with using the wood,, but felt better knowing that they never cut.
Next to the woodworking shop is the ceramics shop. They use (now) only molds and they make them themselves. The colors are lovely and there is a great variety of dishes. They sell very well. Weŕe talking about possible ways to decorate the dishes, to give them more of a Kreyol feeling.
That´s a summary of some of the things I have done. New things.
Tonight weŕe having dinner at the Maibachś house (med director) and I am bringing the wine. Am I ver glad I brought that big box over. Theyŕe delighted.
And sometime this weekend Sander and I, and I imagine Carl, will be taken to a 3 hr Voodoo ritual in the mountains by some of our new friends. Weŕe really excited about that.
OK-the machine here (a dinosaur) just informed me that this blog most likely will not be sent. That light just went out so off it goes. Having a great time here and feeling very, very useful.
Much love to you all, will write again when I have the chance.
Marianne
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