My Final Post, Thoughts on Friday and Leaving

On Friday we went to a barrio, one of the suburbs of La Romana. Some of the barrios are nice, some are more like projects. We went to the latter. We treated 115 patients on Friday. It was a busy, yet more organized clinic because we had more space to work than on any of the previous bateys. This photos is of Hermani, a 16 year old mom whose 7 month old baby weighed only 6 lbs. Hermani clearly loved her boy, Juley, and wanted to take care of him. She had no food, milk, diapers or clothes for him or herself. The nurse practitioner who worked with us, Kristy Engle, took Hermani and her baby to the emergency room of the Good Samaritan. His veins were too small to hydrate him intravenously, so they were trying oral rehydration with a syringe. The process of hydrating him was made more complicated by the fact that the boy had thrush throughout his mouth and throat. We should get an update on his status before we leave. Our team has made a donation to the the hospital's indigent care fund to cover the bulk of the boy's medical costs.

We leave in a matter of hours, and while I am eager to get home to see my family, friends, and puppy, my brain is bustling with ideas for what more we can do. I cannot wait to see how the Watkinson community takes our experience and builds upon it, because I know they will. That is the kind of school I work for, of which I am very proud. See you all very soon!

Thursday, Happy Thanksgiving

This is an overview of our medical clinic at Batey Lagina. We saw 88 patients today, the most we have treated in one day. The hardest thing we encountered was not having enough food kits for the residents there. After the med clinic, we picked up the construction team at the hospital and had a tour. The day's highlight was visiting an orphanage in La Romana. It was an unforgettable experience and one of the most joyful hours I have spent in the last decade of my life.

Your Senses

The Dominican Republic is an assault to the senses. This definitely isn’t meant as a criticism. Just an observation.
Hearing is the most obvious. The city of La Romana is bustling with the activity of its 400,000 plus residents. Stray dogs walk the street and “communicate” with each other. Roosters start their day early. In the Baraca Bautista church, volume was equated with depth of belief. The percussion section at the Toros baseball game was explosive and spirited.
The country is full of smells. Sugar cane fields are being burned and the smoke will fill the air. The cooking in Casa Pastorale (our home this week) fills the air with delicious, enticing aromas. On the bateys, the sense of smell is challenged in a variety of ways. Too many people in too small a space living with their animals explains it best.
As I alluded to above, the delicious cooking spoils our taste buds. The food is richly seasoned and flavorful. Local vanilla is strong. Sugar cane directly from the field is fibrous and sweet.
Your sense of touch is rewarded by the gentle hand of a small child grabbing it as you walk house-to-house delivering food. More of a challenge is the itching/irritation of the inevitable mosquito bite.
The greatest sense challenged is your sight. They are exposed to a range of images. The country is devastatingly beautiful. Scenescapes of trees, small mountains and valleys can take your breath away. The repetitive rows of sugar cane can be hypnotizing even as the bus jostles you down the dirt roads leading to the batey. Your eyes are blessed by the angelic faces of young Haitian children with their disarming smiles. However, many images are disturbing: the malnourished baby we transported from batey Plumata, “houses” for a family of eight made from corrugated metal we saw in batey 50, the young boy from Guazabal peering between the school window slats as we prepared our lunch.
I will let the pictures finish my story.

What's Duck, Duck, Goose Got To Do With It?

Today's highlight: a massive and totally spontaneous game of duck, duck, goose on Batey Plumita. Who would have predicted that?

This is from Jake: hey to my Wat friends and to my teachers. I am doing great, i made 8 water filters today also we had to pack food from U.S AID. Then we had a siesta and slept until they came to get us. When they came we were all rested and then we went to the beach and the water was so warm but also so salty. Whoever is Kevin's Spanish teacher give him extra credit because he prayed in Spanish today as a volunteer. Hey my sisters i have presents for u.
happy thanks giving to u all

Day 4 Reflection

First off, I would like to say a big hello to all my Watkinson friends and family. I love you all and miss you so much.
After Day 4, I have come to realize that photography is an excellent way to remember the experience you have seen. A photo is like a thousand words. You can remember a close encounter you had with a person or a story. Whether they are happy or sad, they show their life and how much they have been through. I am glad I have been able to get this experience and cant wait to see what comes in the future. Here I have posted three of my favorite photos of mine from day 4.

Michael Kamradt

Sandy here on Rachel's log in. On the bus ride today one of the social workers on our team told me her story of living on a batey until she was in 4th grade when her parents moved her to the city so that she could continue her education. This is a rare story for the many Haitians who live on the bateys - one who broke out of the cycle. She told me that she had loved living out in the countryside and misses it to this day. She is dedicating her life to giving back to her people.

We're here in the DR at the top of the sugar cane season - when they begin the harvest of this year's crop. Last Sunday was the first day they opened the "safra", which means that the workers started into the cane fields to begin the cutting season. Workers earn very little for cutting an enormous amount of cane in a day. The cut cane is then collected and transported in carts pulled by oxen to the train tracks which wind through the cane fields. Open train cars are packed with cane stalks that carry them to the processing plant where they are ground, heated and eventually turned into sugar. The sugar industry and tourism are the DR's primary sources of income and define the landscape and life on this island nation.

Tonight we were treated to 7 innings of Dominican baseball at La Romana's home field - Los Toros v. Los Escogidos - grand rivalry, an especially lively fan base, a rousing band/percussion section that almost deafened us out of the stadium until we changed seats. What a fiesta of a baseball game - with a stadium full of Toros fanatics and a few of our own, it was great fun.
Up early tomorrow to continue in two teams - those constructing water filters and those working the health clinic on our next batey. Food packages are set to go and meds are prepped. Time for rest.