Back in Deschapelles

Enjoying a beautiful morning that is rapidly getting warmer. Yesterday was the usual unending journey beginning with my alarm clock at 3:00 am and ending with arrival on Hospital Albert Schweitzer campus around 6 PM. More later when I can hopefully get Internet. On the iPhone for now.

"I go there in my dreams"

I am back in the USA waiting in Fort Lauderdale for the connection home. The title quote above was from one of the Haitian Rehabilitation Technicians as I said goodbye to them yesterday. I invited all of them to visit me if they were ever in the USA. In response one said (translated from Kreyol), "I go there in my dreams; someday I hope to go there for real." On your worst day in America remember that millions of people would love to take your place . . .

Reach Deeper

This was the theme at our church a few years ago under the direction of the Reverend Dr. Laurel Hallman (and I think also the title of her book.). That is what these 14 trips over the last 14 years have been about for me. The chance to reach deep deep inside myself and look for connections that I did not know existed. I have been a guest in Haiti. To be invited to return is an honor and a privilege. I pray that I have lived my faith and offered a view of Americans that will reflect positively on all of us. With deep gratitude, Judy

It's 8:00 now

Still waiting for the car. Talking to the Director of Community Health about recent small outbreak of cholera. Donations needed for Nursing salaries!! Go to hashaiti.org and specify cholera support when you hit the donate button. Supplies are coming in from various sources. Money needed for extra Haitian nurses NOW. HAS is a local agency that can act FAST. Larger outside agencies are too slow. One hundred would fund staff for a weekend at an outlying dispensary. They are open 24/7 for this fast moving disease that can be TREATED successfully if a Nurse is there to start the medicine. Special collection Sunday????

This and that

"I'm staying in a Holiday Inn full of surgeons. I guess they meet here once a year. They exchange physician stories . . . ". Remember that Jimmy Buffet song?? That describes the Alumni House right now with 3 visiting blan surgeons, 2 American and 1 Swiss. I think our car to the mountains might be here. It is almost 7:40 with a scheduled departure of 7:00. C'est la vie" in Haiti!! The delay has given me time for these posts on my iPhone. I can't get my computer to hook up to the blog site. Old people like full touch type keyboards and not these tiny keys where I 'hunt and peck' with one finger. Never learned to use 2 thumbs!!

Sorry for the lack of posts

This has been another incredible trip with amazing highs and lows. Saturday morning I taught a seminar for the Rehab Techs. Their openness to new learning and vibrant participation made for the most ideal class a teacher could yearn for anywhere in the world. The low hits when looking at the PT department coated with the ever present DUST that invades everything in this open air space. Supplies are a jumbled mass and it is hard to dive into cleaning at the end of the day when the patient treatments are finally done yet the heat lies over everything like a blanket. There are no easy answers and certainly no place for blame.

Up into the mountains today

To see patients in their homes. This will be the most essential version of Haiti with poverty and isolation. Yet the adults greet us warmly and the children stare in amazement at the "blan". Cool now but it will be blazing hot by midday. Let's hope my cardiovascular system is up to the task!! I pray for creativity. Compassion no problem. We are incredibly rich and I will again learn the real meaning of gratitude.