Clinic Day 1

Today was the introduction to the clinic. I have to admit I was a little nervous at first...For all of you medical people, so imagine going into a new hospital or position where you don't speak the language, don't really know the flow,and the medicines- you are limited on what kind and dosage that you have. It's a hard concept to grasp, when you come from a place that has essentially and everything at the tips of your fingers. But I will tell you God really does calm a heart and mind. As you start to work you get into groove and everything begins to click...sorta ( I kept having to go to our "pharmacy" and look at what I could possibly treat this or that with). We have these great Haitian translators - you know the earthquake has caused a lot of destruction but you look at individuals like these and know that they found a new job because they speak both english and creole. They are great!!

You know the Haitian people are generally joyful people starting with so little and having experienced so much tragedy- yes there is a undertone in many of the individuals that you speak with that there is hurt and pain. I makes me think what kind of mood would you be in if you lived under a tarp with no mattress, ate rice and beans (when you can get it), and most likely lost multiple family members or friends to a recent disaster. REALLY shows you in an overwhelming way how fortunate we are......and yet we still complain.

One thing that really made an impression on me is taking the time to allow them to ask questions. From what I have been told in this culture there is such a rank difference between a lay person and a Doctor, and women in general. Today multiple times the women would start out the visit not saying much with their head down. Just making eye contact with them, allowing them to have voice, and showing them that you were listening brought a smile to their face.
Today was good I feel like it was a chance to get my feet under me in the clinic- I pray tomorrow I can continue to learn but not focus so much on the clinical side of things. If you work in a health care setting you know that it is very easy to get wrapped up in your work and not focus on the different sides of care.

On a side note, I found out today about how they have food coupons. The government distributes them...but only to certain people, "You gotta know people". Ummm these are not box seats to sporting event that "you gotta know somebody" to get , this is food! Let me know if you think this sounds fair. I had a woman in clinic today with two small children, she told me that they had no food. Dad was the provider but he was killed in the quake and since then they have truly struggled(that's been about 2.5 months now). She said that she needed food coupons-

ok, stop- So we have had very strict security warnings about giving out anything (it can be brutal out there...hmm I wonder why), so the translator says this to me and then says he doesn't even know anyone to get coupons from. After talking to our medical director she said- she has no idea how to get these coupons and does not want to know. People kill for these things literally! All of Samaritan's Purse food distributions are kept COMPLETELY confidential to avoid a riot. And then after dinner we were told that food was stolen today off the truck during a food distribution and someone was shot and killed during another distribution.

I just pray that tomorrow goes well and I am able to really connect with people as I am providing them with the best care I can.

Ephesians 3:14-21