Last week here...

I began the last week here working closely with a good friend of mine from the states who came to visit and spend some time in the clinic. We saw tons of patients, he assisted on a few births and even caught his first baby! It was so awesome to have someone from home here, it made for an amazing start to what will probably be a very busy and very sad week..though I am beyond excited to see my family and friends at home who I have not seen in over 8 months! I have been taking full advantage of the fact that we got our car back and we have made a trip to the beach the last two weekends-talk about relaxation! The beach is one of the most beautiful I have seen and the fresh seafood 'caught to order' has me wondering what I need to do to make living on the beach a reality :)

Dr. Yves and Sarah with his first "catch".

 Santo our head translator and all around helpful guy graduated from the Community Health Worker program last weekend. He was the class valedictorian and I am so proud of the work he did and will continue to do for Mama Baby Haiti. He gave a great speech and we were happy to be able to support him as the staff here is definitely our family!

Congrats Santo! At the Community Health Worker Graduation.

All smiles at the beach!

It has also been very sad for me to have to tell my patients I will not be here any longer as the responses have been overwhelmingly positive...only the best wishes for my future plans, thankfulness for the treatments I have given and the results they have achieved, and gifts I never imagined would make me feel so overjoyed at this opportunity I have had here. Last week, Jacques brought me some more plantains, I got some homemade 'dulce' (Haitian sweet peanut goodness), a hat, a bag of oranges, and the best compliment ever, "after God, comes you doctor". Now, I certainly don't think that I deserve these kind words and generous gifts but there is really nothing like feeling truly appreciated along with knowing that you have been able to do something you love while making a real difference in the lives of others. Words cannot describe the feeling.

I have learned so much here, not only about being a doctor but about the Haitian culture, people and language. I know I will be back very soon and hopefully I can reconnect with many of my patients even if it is just to say hello and tell them how much they have affected my life as well.

I spent many visits pleading with this mama to stop feeding her baby sugary drinks as she is malnourished and failed to gain weight, at the last visit she met her goal weight and mama said, "I remembered what you said about the juice and I stopped giving it to her and look how big she got!" 

A sweet grandma and baby Biendie who graduated from the Medika Mamba program last week!

Beach time!

I was lucky enough to spend last Saturday at one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen with a group of amazing new friends I have the pleasure of spending time with in Haiti. Only about an hour (if the road was paved it would probably take half the time if that) outside of Cap Haitian is the town of Labadie which is where the Royal Carribean cruise ships docks. As a PSA, I want to show my frustration with RC for the shear fact that when they dock in Haiti, they FAIL TO TELL PASSENGERS THEY ARE IN HAITI! They say, you are on the exclusive island of Hispanola or call it Paradise Island. Passengers get off the boat, walk onto  a beautiful beach with blow up toys, chairs, bars, trampoline, roller coaster, zip line and other fun activities without ever recognizing they are docked at the poorest country in the western hemisphere. At least RC helps the city of Labadie by sending the children born there to an American run school and employ many Haitians…I guess this is a consolation to not even disclosing where people actually are. Anyway, past Labadie, you have to take a, “water tap tap” (think wooden boat with a motor) about 15 minutes around part of the island (the island that houses the country of HAITI) and you end up in a small secluded bay that is called Paradise Beach (still part of HAITI). The water is indescribable; the pictures only minimally do it justice. The clarity is beyond amazing, you can see any and everything that is in the water. I will let the photos do the talking but I felt privileged to be able to see this amazing beach Haiti has to offer.

grilled lobster, conch, octopus an plantains for less than $5 per person-YES PLEASE!

crystal clear waters...ahhhh

Yes, the water is actually this blue!

view from the water tap tap on the way to the beach

I could get used to this...

gorgeous!

Mini Update

Jacques my close to 80 year old patient brought some plantains and pineapples to the house just because he  was 'at a garden and thought of me'...I couldn't help but kiss his sweet wrinkly face.

A girl could get used to this! More goodies from a patient. I love my job :)

This last week has brought with it our new staff midwife, Sarah Taylor; three babies; 60 patients; 5 days without electricity; Youtair (one of our translators) heading to PAP to try and beg for our car back; Marie leaving for Hinche for 2 weeks and Sarah working with a TBA/matron here at the clinic. TBA's are traditional birth attendants who are trained from a young age but not formally. They usually follow other matrons and learn their skills that way. We heard all sorts of horror stories about how they practice but I had never witnessed it on my own. Sarah needed a helper for a few weeks and one of our staff suggested his family member who is a matron. She is very sweet, very religious and very much a traditional birth attendant. Sarah is working hard to teach her how we do things here and to make sure she is practicing gentle birth...it has been a learning experience that is for sure!

Dieula's son, Womanoff. She keeps asking is I can marry him but I think he is a bit young.

One of my other favorite things about living here is that the kids in the community come by and hang out, in particular the kiddos of our staff members. Womanoff is the spitting image of Dieula our cook and is one of my favorites. He helps me in the garden, plays soccer with me and of course, like all kids, asks me for, "kado" or gifts.

Carrying bamboo on a hand cart trying to turn a corner...your day is not that bad now is it?

 I rarely get to take pictures when we are in Cap as it is hard to do so without feeling like an invasive tourist. Luckily I got a chance to ride in the back of Sharon's pickup and snap shots out the side window on our way back from Shada after a clinic.

It's sugar cane season!