My story begins on Monday, the 22nd of September at around 9:30am. I hopped on the back of another moto with another stranger and made my way towards Riveyè Marcel. The ride itself was a little less zen then the previous two rides (it was more bumpy and the rivers were a little higher), but it felt much quicker. When I first arrived in town, I was amazed at how comfortable and happy I felt. I recognized some of the people in the market and I was easily able to switch back into Creole mode. I knew where I needed to go, where to put my stuff and who people were. I was confident in my abilities and I just felt great - very different than what I was experiencing the previous week.
After putting my stuff back in my little room, I headed to the dispansè to drop off a box of stuff I had brought with me that the doctor group had left in Gros Morne. I was expecting to just drop it off, but they said I could stick around if I wanted. So, I plopped myself down in a corner and watched. I was able to follow, for the most part, what patients were saying. It was great Creole practice. What I thought was happening was confirmed when it was translated into the English or French for Tammy and Crystal. I could hear about how they needed to be treated and then would try to guess how that would be said before it was translated back into the Creole for the patient.
It was extremely interesting to hear about the cases that were coming in. The first day, many people came in with pain in the back, head and various joints. This was mostly because of the lifestyle they lived and the fact that the women carry large amounts of weight on their heads. Many people also have heart burn (anba kè - below the heart) and eye trouble. Some had the beginnings of cataracts (a blue/gray tinge in the pupil) while others had tiny bumps on their eyes that were caused by extended sun damage. Other people came in and simply couldn't see. Tammy and Crystal had brought a whole box of donated reading glasses and some prescription glasses. It was fun to see as people tried on the different magnifications, how their face would light up when they could actually see.
After lunch, I hung out with the sisters for a little while before I went back to the dispansè. Before we had left for lunch, Crystal had asked me if I could come back and take pictures of everything. She said that she wanted to be able to show pictures to the people who had donated glasses as well as use them to continue to get funding for next year. In the afternoon, we saw more people with pain and heart burn, but we also had a man come in with some kind of rash on his arm, a pregnant lady with a UTI, and a child that had "boutons" (buttons) on his legs and arms. Tons of kids have these. They are round scabs that are caused by a fungal infection.
In evening, we had dinner in the Kay Pè where Tammy and Crystal and their team were staying. It was a little overwhelming to be eating with so many people and to be listening to Creole, French and English being spoken all at the same time. The rest of the evening was pretty uneventful except for the rat I saw on the way to the bathroom and the several spiders I had to share the shower with.
I was slightly braver this time around and got a few pictures of my ride.
Crystal listening to this woman's heart. This woman was around 90 years old.
One of my new friends - Jackie!
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