We're wrapping up Week 3 of the ONU crew. They are still soooo much fun. Last weekend while some of them went to the beach, Jeff and Kamanda and I spent part of Saturday driving to El Cercado. I never get sick of that drive, cruising through the mountains, waiting with anticipation to see my friends and feel the mountain breeze (seriously its cooler up there!) and get the chillin vibe going. So we feasted on rice and beans and fresh squeezed guayaba juice and sat and talked and did some visitin and just generally kicked back. It was a phenom day. Friday night was Pedro Burgers (unrivaled burgers- thats just the way it IS down here!) and so Saturday night we picked up pizza from Leonels (on the plaza) for the exhausted beach crew. Picking up pizza makes me feel like an american for some reason..I still kinda giggle carrying in the take out box. But then when you see the ketchup squirted across the top of the pizza you remember where you are and how much they love their sugar and ketchup in these parts. Stilllllllll- delish. Sunday around 1pm the rest of the 50+ group showed and it's been loony ever since.
But in such a good way. We've sent 4 teams out to the barrios Mon-Wed and today we combined to two teams because some of the distant places may have had flooding. I've worked with some excellent students and those who are overseeing them and I'm inspired by their passion and kindness. Yesterday was a tough day for me. I went with Group 2 to a place called Sobacon.....far away in Elias Pina. It was a good 90 minutes from here and the last 30 minutes was a treacherous climb up a mountain. Our guagua driver did a great job getting us there and when we finally arrived to a teeny tiny one room church- we were on top of the mountain and when we opened up the back door of the church....I think we could see to the capital. Okay that may be an exaggeration but it was a stunning stunning view of a lush valley with mountains in the background. The difference lies, of course, between the painful poverty of the people who live there and the beauty of the scenery around them.
I haven't been anywhere here where the people were so poor. And so sick. And yet so very very lovely. There was not so much spanish and a whole lotta creole, which made things tough for our translators and our doctor. But we all worked together well and saw lots and lots and lots of patients. I think it was a difficult day for me because I knew we couldn't stay long, that the "Tropical Storm Emily" was on her way and we were to be back at the Guesthouse by 1:30. To look outside and see these people waiting for ANY medical care (since it's barely accessible to them) and to see kids with terrible infections and awful scabies and no shoes and no parents..... it was HARD for me. One of the last folks that I saw was a 17 or 18 year guy who brought his brother or his nephew or whoever this dear little 4 year old was. And the kid had pus just oozing out of his head EVERYWHERE from these open sores all over it. And a sick fungus around his mouth. And he was absolutely filthy. I almost threw up. And then I cried a little, asking the teenager where the mother was ("not in the house") or where the father was (huh? "no hay") or who was helping to take care of them. His response was "There's another one too" and he ran to the door and brought in a YOUNGER kid, maybe two or three, with some of the same nasty infections all over HIS head. Oh why!
And I got this frantic feeling in me...like WE HAVE TO HELP THESE PEOPLE. We HAVE to. And then I realize there is no way we have enough meds for all of them, enough vitamins for all the kids, enough clothes or shoes or anything. So I sit there and think. And I can't even talk to that teenager without my voice shaking. That its important that those kids get bathed..and that the infection is SERIOUS and they need to see a doctor. And I send them to Dr. Auris (who ROCKS!) and run outside to try to hand out more vitamins. And I think we saw about 200 people in 2 hours. Gracious. And I'm quiet on the ride home, thinking again that days like this are the reason that I'm here, even if it hurts. I WANT to cry over pus-filled heads. I WANT to give out vitamins and love and flipflops. I WANT these awesome ONU kids to get their lives and worlds and schedules and agendas rocked. I WANT to be a part of it all, one day at a time, Sweet Jesus.
So here's to little babies with scabies...and 4 year olds with pus-filled heads... and pregnant girls who have no idea of their due date..and 50 year olds with blood pressures of 220/115. Here's to crazy ONU students, who sweat it out on mountain tops playing with kids, getting chewed up by mosquitos, and handing out meds with kind and gentle instructions. Here's to our awesome Dominican docs who teach and explain and give out shoes. Here's to our translators who kick butt and take names and work their tails off. But most of all...Here's to Jesus, who loves the little children, all the children of the world. I want to too.
Love you Nicole!!!
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