I'm going to War... Against the Mosquitoes

So I've decided to fight back against these vicious, blood sucking parasites and have invested in taking baths in DEET ,and now have a tent set up in the bedroom I'm staying in, while Ash has covered her bunk in mosquito netting. Last night was a success as I finally was able to sleep without the sound of them dive-bombing into my sheet to get to me! YAY!

Time doesn't exist here and I'm never sure of the day or time so sorry if my stories run together! Yesterday Jared, Jalayne, Ash, the Akron boys, and Marion headed out to Citi Soleil. It is the dump in Port-au-Prince and where many people actually live. Jalayne said that even before the earthquake you weren't supposed to go into the heart of Citi Soleil without a UN escort because it is that bad. Josh (one of the guys from Akron who was here last summer) said that he was told it's like walking into hell itself. You think you've seen poverty throughout the city, yet here people literally live under the trash and crawl out from under tarps and tin. We didn't go into the heart of this area, but the outskirts were awful enough.

We went back to the mission house here and spent some time with the people there. Evelyn is a wonderful older woman I met the first night here. She hugged me, kissed me on the cheek, grabbed my hand and led me out back where the people of the neighborhood set up tents and showed me around what is now her home. Some of the women made Haitian coffee for us and brought them up to us in cracked cups and saucers. How wonderful are these women that have lost almost everything, yet wanted to serve us!?

On the medical front:... A man named Jose from Wisconsin is also staying with Jared and Jalayne from time to time. He's an EMT and just picked up his stuff and flew down here not long after the earthquake--knowing no one or the language. He heads out into the city to provide care for people and he's seen about 100-200 patients a day on his own. Basically, individuals seem to be what's getting things done in this city. He went to the airport and made a big scene when he realized they weren't getting out medical supplies and now has a free pass to get all the antibiotics, medicine, and supplies he needs. He was so excited to hear I'm a nurse and on Sunday I will be heading out with him, a team of doctors, and security and we will be driving to Leogane--which was the epicenter of the quake where nearly the entire town was destroyed. He said there are about 100+ families in a stadium that haven't had any care and are living in complete decimation. He warned me to bring masks and instructed me that there is absolutely NO scope of practice. So basically, I will be diagnosing (with some help from the doctors when I can get it), treating, and prescribing medications. This is going to be quite a challenge to diagnose and write a prescription, fill meds, and make sure they understand how to take the medications while knowing hardly any French Creole.

Jose wants to take us to the daily health meetings of all the top NGO (non-governmental organizations) in the country to hear what's going on. Also, he was told by a security official that worked on the 9/11 security issues in America that in about 2 months it could become quite dangerous in this country and that any American wanting out is going to need to know names of people and that by going to these meetings, doors would be opened. (Keep in mind that a lot of what we hear down here is through word of mouth and the accuracy isn't always known.) We were told that President Rene Preval is stepping down/ isn't running again so this could cause a lot of political issues. Other things we're hearing is that some of the non-profits that are receiving money for this disaster are quite corrupt and only 10 cents of every donated dollar is actually getting to the people .... I pray this isn't the case. I'm going with Jose in the next few days to the UN headquarters to get a badge that will hopefully allow me to gain access to medical supplies from the airport and will allow me access to medical care should I need it.

Last night was the last night for Patrick, Jake, and Josh to be here, so they made us all a big spaghetti dinner and took us out for ice cream! It was the first time Jared and Jalayne has had ice cream in 3 months! Bernard liked it too and got a few laughs out of the boys singing!! They headed out this morning and we will miss them and their help! :)

Well, I think that is enough of an update for now... I'm working my first shift at the orphanage turned hospital tonight from 7p-7a! Wish me luck!

More Quick Thoughts:

The ants here bite too!

Also, at the boys orphanage I had dirt on the butt of my shorts so the little boys took turns swatting it off and ran away giggling. It doesn't matter what culture, boys are still boys haha.