Genny chooses us.

So vacation is over and its okay.    It was a heavenly vacation spent reading and writing and laying on the beach and bouncing ideas off of each other and playing dominos and watching movies and just generally loving life.  

And now we are back in San Juan getting back into the swing of things and it feels great to be home.   This might not be a surprise to many after reading my last post but we did add someone to our crew in Las Galeras.   Genny, the little black dog who loves us and spent nearly our entire vacation with us, was determined to return to San Juan with us.   We had discussed and discussed Genny while we were in Las Galeras (our hotel owner kept insisting that we should take her with us) and decided that even though we loved her, we didn't need another dog.    The morning that we left, we didn't see Genny and as we were driving away Kari and I both remarked that we were glad we didn't see her because we didn't want to cry the whole way home if she tried to run alongside us and it must have been a sign that we were NOT supposed to take her.    Not one minute after those words left our mouths, Genny appeared at a sprint, cruising alongside our truck and barking frantically.  Kari and I both started crying and Diego was barking back at her and whining.   Then she started running IN FRONT OF THE WHEELS.   Dan stopped the truck and Kari and I kept sniffling, not sure what to do.    I had just remarked that I didn't ever think I wanted another dog and the responsibility, etc.  and yet........there was Genny.
We sat there for a minute in turmoil and then Dan got out and tossed Genny in with us.  And that was that.  She licked us and wagged her tail and seemed completely ecstatic to have a family.   

And it IS kinda ridiculous.   She's a fighter, this one, determined to save us all from motorcycles and horses.   She doesn't quite know her name yet- it's actually Genny From The Block in entirety.   But she thinks we are the bee's knees.  She curls up in her little bed at night like she's always been here.   And there is something about those floppy ears that makes me laugh.   So yeah, Genny.   She chose us.  And it's nice to be chosen, even when you didn't think you were in the running.

So it's back to life here.  Whatever that means.  Often when folks ask me what I do everyday I'm not always sure what to tell them.   Some of the things I have done this week seem kinda random...and that's kinda how it goes here.   I've spent time (limited time!) in the scary med supply room, unpacking some suitcases and putting stuff away,  snuck a 9 year old street kid with a toothache in to see a doc, and then got some meds for him and instructed his mother on the use of them,  took lots of pictures of equipment in the clinic to send to incoming teams, sent about a billion emails, had a few phone meetings with my stateside jefes,   walked around the ORs with Livida to determine what may need repaired in the clinic, discussed plans with Livida and made lists of stuff to request from the american teams,  cleaned up the med room,  found exam gloves and stoma bags and cough syrup and gowns and drapes and sheets for the clinic,  grabbed lab results for a kid that I love and then delivered the meds and instructions to him,  sat down for a two hour coffee chat with Margo, packed up a suitcase of milk for the Child Nutrition Program,   wrote a letter for the community leaders to receive in preparation for our barrio clinics,  ran a mile at the track,   played with Genny and Diego, gave one of my favorite "lost boys" a ride home and met some of his family,  caught up with my pals in Pueblo Nuevo, gave 10 kids a ride to Cargon so they wouldn't have to wait 3 HOURS for their bus to get them home from school,   set up appointments to visit our sponsored schools next week,  drafted a fantasy football team,  made some pasta salad, drank buckets of chinola juice, caught up with some friends from home,   sat down over cheese and mangos and heard about a friends's university experiences, reviewed the winter schedule about a billion times, worked on the medical handbook in preparation for our new web site launching,  watched some phillies games, finished Unbroken on the Kindle, and more.   It's lots of little stuff..which is what I love.  

And I'm off to the track now.  Gotta clear the head again...which is full and bursting at the seams and I have another Skype meeting in an hour and I think I need to run first and clear out the cobwebs in there. :)  

And Genny sleeps on.  Feeling loved.  And I do too.