Eye Doctor
We wrapped up our work-related duties on Thursday morning, shipped it off, not be opened again until arrival back in Pgh. After lunch, we went searching for anything we could do to help out in the hospital. This was the last day for the clinic, and I assumed the 100s of boxes of medical supplies would need packed up for storage until next year. However, we got a really cool assignment of shoe and eyeglass distribution, which required a roped off area, armed men, and Vince.
Carolyn and I took to the eyeglasses, and began to fit people with the appropriate ones. We improvised a street-side stand with cardboard boxes and a scrap of paper from my pocket to use a measure of clarity. Although many said they were not able to read what was written, the eyeglasses are helpful to women who embroider or weave to make a living.
The grateful people who received the eyeglasses and shoes gave us all a blessings and hugs.
We also had fun trying on the oversized glasses.
Our time in Tiquisate was coming to an end. Norman threw a fiesta that night, often called a despedida. Everyone was required to don their orange shirts. We ate dinner, viewed a slide show of pictures from the past week, and shared sentiments regarding our time here. We danced to marimba and other interesting musical selections late into the night with the volunteers from Tiqui Muni.
The following morning we packed up to leave the town, and there was just one more chance for a photo opportunity!
We were off to spend 1 night in La Antigua, and I stayed for a week longer to relax at the beach.... Vamos a la playa!
The first day line outside the hospital
Tiqui Muni
Tiqui Muni (Municipalidad de Tiquisate) was hugely involved in our successful time. Norman, the mayor, and countless numbers of "voluntarios" helped every single day. On the first night (Saturday) Norman gave a gift to all of us, a bright orange Tiqui voluntario shirt we could wear along with the residents of Tiqui. He threw a welcome party for 120-some people, and arranged for all of us to have a hotel room, a welcome change from last year’s army barracks, with 60 bunk beds and 5 toilets. I liked this guy already!
Each day a group of women cooked three meals a day for us, providing us with cold bottled water at every moment. During the busiest clinical times, a volunteer would come around passing out cold water, in case someone wasn't able to get a break away. The majority of the voluntarios were young adults between the ages of 18 -30, had roles as translators, support staff, and also were controls for our study!
One evening the voluntario youth invited us to play soccer with them at a local field located on the other side of town. They all had a motorcycle or scooter to get them over to the other side, but I hesitated to jump on the back with one of them… my mom’s face flashing thru my mind! I opted to take a “tut-tut” with Judi and another voluntario. Upon arrival, a nice man who seemed to be the one who ran the ball fields, offered to be our referee. The Ref elected Judi, Carolyn and I as the captains of the 3 teams, and made a rule that any foul play on a girl, resulted in a “free kick” for a goal. (Anyone help me with the soccer lingo? The Spanish didn’t quite translate for me.) Each time we were awarded this “free kick”, our teams, with the encouragement of Ref, made us girls do the kicking. Once we began rolling, we attracted quite an audience around the field. I enjoyed getting out there with the locals, and getting to know them better. The game concluded, my team didn’t win…& I had no other choice (well, besides walking in the dark) but to jump on the back of a moto to get to my hotel.
Oh and the reason why I am here in the first place….Our study continued on every day. Our total number of individuals seen by Thursday was ~220, consistent with the work we had done in the past years. We added a great deal of people to our “control” group and gathered additional CL/P families as well. YAY Team Genetics!! 
Thanks to the voluntarios, army guys, and everyone who came by our clinic office to help us out!
read me first
I've just flew back to Pittsburgh last night from Guatemala City. I was so immersed in writing in my journal... the old fashioned pen and paper... due to lack of internet access this time around... when I heard the captain announce our descent into the 'Burgh. I stowed away my journal and belongings back under the seat, with my thoughts still dancing to marimba, fresh pineapples, bright sun, and friendly faces. I sat back in my seat and looked out the window: snow on the ground. It actually caught me off guard! I hope to relay some of those experiences here; hopefully my memory serves me as it did last night.I left Pgh on 1/13 to join Children of the Americas (COTA) for the 3rd year in a row. COTA is a medical and surgical mission organization, which specifically serves the Guatemalan population each January, providing free medical, dental and surgical care. Much other work is done thru out the year, to arrange state-side accommodations for individuals who need more intense medical treatment, than what can be provided in one week’s time in the country. Host families, donated medical services, long-term visas, and many other things I am probably not even aware of need to be arranged. Meanwhile, they collect donated medical supplies, equipment, and goods to be shipped to Guatemala for use during the January "jornada" (as it is called in Guate). This year the team was well over 100 people, many types of doctors, dentists, physicians, nurses, translators. Even though it seems like such a large group, much work was accomplished and many needs were met. I was involved in the genetics part of the team, which is also what I do for a living. We conduct a study of cleft lip and palate, a common birth defect, which seems to have a higher incidence in the indigenous population in Guatemala. Our study is worldwide, and thanks to COTA, we have continued our research in Guate for 3 years. We see families of the children who are born with CL/P, when they arrive at the clinic to receive surgical repair of their child's birth defect. The plastic surgeons average about 40 CLP surgeries each January, within a 4 day span. Therefore, we are able to enroll these families for our investigation. Additionally throughout the rest of the week, we take in a "control population" from the general clinic area to provide a comparison group for the study. When we have downtime, I slip out of my "research" role, and pretend to know something about patient care. I learned to take vitals, translate a few questions, check in on our CL/P kids recovering from surgery, and at the end of the clinic, played an optometrist. more about that later....Our location this year was Puerto Nuevo Tiquisate. The town was at low altitude, heading down out of the mountains of Guatemala City, thru Antigua, towards the Pacific Coast. That means heat, humidity, mosquitoes and anti-malaria meds. The scenery was lined with sporadic fresh fruit stands, sugar cane & pineapple fields, volcanoes, people walking the roads usually carrying a bunch of branches. My friend Darryl, who was driving us, mentioned that the women tend to carry stuff on their head a joking cause for them being short; whereas, men carry things strapped to their back. However, I pointed out that the women had to carry things on their head because they also have a baby strapped to their back! As we drove, we could notice the temperature getting warmer with every mile. We briefly acquainted ourselves with the Hospital in Tiqui, and met the small group who had been there for a few days. Our group from Pittsburgh came 1 day ahead of the huge team. And we were there just in time for the dinner on the beach. The beach had suffered some damage from Hurricane Stan, but it was hard to assess in the dark. We were the only patrons of the restuarant, but the food was freshly caught, and delicious. The choices were fish, fish, and fish soup. yum. Well, I am getting quite lengthy, & this is just the beginning. Geez.I'll keep blogging another day... remember to read it from the bottom up. Plus once I get my photos downloaded, I will have some pictures to add.
just signing in to see if I remember my password etc.
Leaving for Guatemala Friday the 13th. Will be in a small town called tiquisate, where I will have no time to play on the internet. The following week, will be soaking in the blue sky in Monterrico. All play and no work.
Here's a few travel quotes:
"Travel makes one modest, you see what a tiny place you occupy in the world" -Flaubert
"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." -Emerson
Buen viaje a todos...
