Last night was crazy! It rained so hard for hours and hours and hours, complete with thunder and lightening! I thought at first that the sound of the rain was being magnified by the tin roof, then remembered there's a whole other floor above the one I'm staying on. And then I looked outside...I've never seen rain like this. I can't imagine what a terror a hurricane must be here! It had stopped by this morning, and the sun is out and by now nearly everything (including the dirt roads) is dry.
Today we all decided to donate some of our time to the Sisters of Charity orphanage in Les Cayes. Marvin and Carmen casted a bunch of kids for braces and orthotics they will have their 2 apprentices work on this week, while Taryn, Ed, and I treated some of the kids with disabilities and showed the regular caregivers some techniques they could use with these kids. I don't even know how many kids I saw in the 2 hours we were there (5 maybe), but it was great. I've done zero pediatric PT outside of my course in school and the more post-op ortho stuff we would get at the hospital every now and again (scoliosis surgery, fractures), but found I remember more than I thought and put my neuro skills, NDT in particular, to good use. Two of the kids I saw were also blind, which was extra difficult because playing games is very much complicated by the language barrier, their development problems, and no vision. I did get smiles from everyone of them, even the last little girl who was so complex I nearly gave up.
We also got a tour from Sister Guadalupe. The center has health care and hospice for adults with HIV/AIDS and advanced Tb. The whole second floor is for pediatrics, which 4 classrooms, 2 activity rooms, a quiet dark room, a sensory integration room, a treatment room, dorms for boys and girls, and a mini-hospital room for the sickest children. It was a bit overwhelming, many of these children were abandoned because of their problems or are orphans because of the earthquake. They do have some normally developing orphans who are up for adoption. Five of these kids were having a French lesson and sang us a welcome song and practiced their English. Four of them are awaiting adoption in the US, so practicing the little bit of English was important to Sister so they can at least understand something when they go with their new parents. She said the earthquake has made adoption by US families much easier, and for that she is grateful. [PS Kristin--no, I didn't ask about taking any of them home with me, but it was a great temptation!]
This is the same order of nuns as Mother Teresa, and I can see the similarities. The three sisters we met were all sharply intelligent, spoke multiple languages (Kreyol, French, English, Spanish), and clearly loved their work. They admitted to being overwhelmed and challenged by having to make decisions about which child might get what (braces, therapy, more schooling), but clearly had the best interests of all the children in mind. It was both heartbreaking and inspiring, all at the same time. I think we may go back next Saturday to deliver the braces and work with the kids a bit more, and I really hope we do.
We decided that since tomorrow the cooks are off, we would delay our trip to the beach until then. That way we can have a great fish and/or lobster lunch. We plan on leaving early (before 9 am) for Port Salut, which is about a 45 minute drive. If the weather's anything like today, it should be great...high 90s with about 90% humidity and a few high clouds.
We made a quick stop by the Les Cayes wharf, which sadly is covered in garbage. There's what could be a cute little beach that is about 10 feet (yes, 10 FEET) deep with washed up garbage of all kinds. Then, before coming back home for lunch we stopped by the market to get a few local beers to go with dinner. The gentleman at the market was hilarious. He kept wanting to practice his Spanish with Marvin and Carmen (they are from Nicaragua), even carefully announcing the total in Spanish.
If you'd like to support my trip here, please click the link to the right. I can still take donations, and would love your support!
No comments:
Post a Comment