Thanksgiving 2008

So we are not born and bred American but we have been very happy to embrace all things American since we moved here in 1994. One of our favorite holidays has to be Thanksgiving, all the feasting of Christmas with nonen of the extravagence of useless gifts. It was made even more special this year because my family had been seperated by educational and professional requirements but we all came back together for this week. Joe flew in from University on Tuesday joined by his good friend Heather from Upstate New York, my mum arrived for a few days from the UK. The house just seemed to buzz constantly with teenagers (always hungry!), lots of coming and going, seemed to empty the trash every 15 minutes and the washing machine returned to its glory days of going constantly.

Thursday was a relaxed feast day, lots of hanging out, watching cool movies, doing jigsaw puzzles, playing games and the essential fine wine tasting and good food munching late into the night. Friday November 28th was Joes 19th Birthday. Now it hardly seems possible that I am old enough to have a 19 year old child and it feels now that the past 19 years have gone at warp speed. I want to go back and do it all over again, I have enjoyed Joe and his brother and now Katie, sooooo much, I feel like I am almost done and I dont like it one little bit!!! How did this premature baby turn into this strapping young man who now towers over me and just moves me out of the way and laughs if I get annoying!!!!! However, he did have a great day. Tradition has it in our house that the morning after Thanksgiving all the men go flying in Colins plane and today was no different. Then Katie had organized all of Joes closest friends to join him at the local rock climbing gym so they could climb all afternoon. Post rock-climbing everyone came back to our house for pizza and cake, noisy, messy, always expensive - I say bring it on......I will sleep when I am dead!!!!

Joe's Blog

So, Joe has a blog -- who knew. Check out all his adventures. So proud, that boy makes me so proud.


http://ampedupadventure.blogspot.com/

Surviving The First Week In The Developed World

...err not as easy as I thought it would be. First of all could not get the faces of those gorgeous haitian children out of my mind and had a yearning to get on a plane and go back. Also, felt like I had been hit by a truck, no major symptoms just very depleted, as a result I did not go back to work until Wednesday. Then did not get much work done as loads of people came in my office wanting to hear my stories - sweet really, I do work with a cool bunch of people. I staggered home after a full day on Wednesday, dragged myself back there on Thursday to be told by my trusty co-workers Cindy and Wendy "errr Angie did you know you have a head full of lice eggs!!". NOOOOOOOO was my reply, I tried so hard to avoid an infestation, even treated myself propholacticllly when I got home. So I immediately left home, spent the budget of a small nation in the drug store. Came home put mayo on my head for an hour (its supposed to help the eggs release) boiled the bed linen and towels, sprayed down the whole house with nuclear standard lice homocidal repellant, boiled my head, Elliots, Katies and Colins ( oh yes they were happy). Anyways a few days later there is no evidence of any eggs on any of us so maybe crisis averted.

Good news is my appetite finally came back so I can work on putting some of that weight back on that I lost. I thought peace was finally restored to the house and then on Friday something awful happened. Elliot passed his driving test - oh glory, there goes my peace and sanity for some time. Really I am proud of him, pleased for him, its a right of passage and he wanted it badly but as previously stated I am going to miss our little chats in the car and will worry like a fishwife until he gets to where he is supposed to be going or gets home!

Tonight we have a bunch of University students coming for dinner so I am off now to make a kick ass apple pie and a turkey tettrazzini because November in the States is Turkey Time.

A Typical Day in the Camps

So this is how my day would usually go

2.30am Rooster would start talking to his friend on the other side of the village, it became a bit like chinese water torture, you knew he was going to squawk and the agony of waiting was nearly as bad as the roosting itself.

4am My GI system would wake up with a sad game of twister and someone beating my insides with a plank of wood with nails on it. After going to the bathroom go and get a bucket of water to flush. We were leaving buckets in the bathroom but after a few hours the mosquito larvae would start swimming and then they would hatch so you would get attacked by a swarm of mossies every time you went to the bathroom

6am Make a pot of tea and coffee for the team shortly followed by bacon, eggs, oatmeal, stale bread and peanut butter whatever we could find

8am Load the bus with our clinic supplies and go and get the local medical team

9.30am Arrive at camp of the day set up clinic. See kids until the last child had been seen

3-5pm Arrive back at the house, everyone was forced to have afternoon tea with me and just chill for half an hour

6pm Dinner and then start processing the paperwork. For every child we saw we created a medical record, we took every height and weight and crunched the numbers to assess the chronic and acute malnutrition rate for each child

9pm- completely wiped but not finished. Played cards and drank beer (the only thing that was really cold) this usually degenerated into stupid card slapping games

11pm bed in the heat and the sweat and the filth of the day, usually without a shower. Glad to have survived the day to do it all again tomorrow :-)

Things I Learned Whilst In The Dominican

1. You can live without power but you cannot live without clean water.

2. 1 Dominican minute is equivalent to 15 US Minutes!

3. Adolescents can be moody and non-communicative where-ever they are in the world.

4. Daily contact with family makes it all better.

5. Everyone regardless of race or income deserves constant and free access to good healthcare.

6. Whatever the poverty level children will find the joy in their situation and make you smile

7. 90% Deet is really good for keeping away the mosquito's, however, it burns off the first 2 layers of skin and if you get it in your eyes it stings like #$%*&!!

8. Finding humor even in the darkest days helps you to survive the almost unsurvivable

9. I am soooo over rice and beans!!

10. Coming home is best!

I Survived

Arrived home yesterday at 4pm, bit of a culture shock being back in the developed world, toilets that flush, power at will, water that always comes out of the tap, hot showers!!!! and real food, I am sure it will take me a few days to adjust but despite the harshness of the work and the living conditions but if someone said to me please could you get on the next flight out we need you in the camps I would be there with bells on!!
I thought in my arrogant westernized mentality that I was going to go there and change the world and yet I was the one who was changed. Nothing could have prepared me for the level of poverty and disease that I saw, little brown babies that were so covered in ulcerated scabies they looked white, children who were so malnourished their hair turned blond due to lack of nutrition, asthma, TB on a grand scale (yes I am going to get tested in a couple of weeks dont worry!), lots and lots of dysentry. Yet kids are kids the same over, even with nothing and these kids had no toys they still had that joy in their faces. They taught me their counting and circle games and I taught them the chicken dance and the macarena - now that was funny, who needs a common spoken language when you speak in love, I knew no spanish they knew no english but we communicated perfectly with a touch and a smile and often a belly aching thigh slapping laugh.

I have many stories, too many to write today, I will try and get them all down. The one that I just cannot get out my mind though is the third day in the camp when this young girl (who looked about 14 yrs) wandered into clinic with a near-death newborn laying limp in her arms. Now the Haitians spoke either spanish or creole and it became apparent that this girl only spoke creole and we had no creol interpreter. So by the grace of God ( and that really is the way this worked) this non-spanish speaking girl wandered deep into the camp by herself (not advisable) and somehow came across a woman who spoke both spanish and creole managed to get her to follow me. The translator spoke to my new found friend in Spanish who interpretedt to the new mom with near dead baby in creole and in this way we communicated. This girl did not know how old she was or how old the baby was (not uncommon) but that the baby had diarrhea since birth, she was breast feeding but not producing much milk. Slowly and lovingly I rehydrated the baby and poured a liter of clean(very precious) water down the moms throat, gave the baby antibiotics and vitamins and gave some to mom too, many hours later when they left and the baby was more alert and finally breast feeding on his own, I noticed how carefully this young girl was walking and wished I had a private and clean place to examine her as she probably had a traumatic delivery and her perineum was ripped to shreds. I could not help wondering as I watched them walk back into the filth and disease if that baby would live to see 1 month old let alone his first birthday, the mother had such a dead look in her eyes as if she had given up already and no amount of loving touch on my part elicted any reaction from her.

But even though I do have many more stories like that I do have ones of joy and laughter too and knowing that every time I gave a kid a vitamin A dose and dewormed them ( and I cannot count how many mouths my fingers were in the past couple of weeks) I knew I was making a huge difference to their life expectation and quality of life right there and now. We saw close to 850 children in 2 weeks a record we as a team did not really care to break but we did it willingly.

To all you angliphiles I sang God Save The Queen every day and every Broadway hit I could remember - 'The Sun'll come out tomorrow" was a big favorite along with"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang". I learned the intimate bathroom habits of all my housemates and they knew mind - s0 much fun having a daily BFR (bowel function report) we laughed a great deal because if not we would have truly have gone crazy. The Dysentry was a huge issue but once I got on the right antibiotic it has cleared quickly but I still lost 15 pounds in 2 weeks, on my current size 6 frame that is a little extreme so I intend to fatten up for Thanksgiving.

When I got home all I wanted was a cup of tea without evaporated milk (yuck) a hot bath, a glass of wine and a pizza in that order.

Thanks to Colin for maintaining my blog - I thought he did a brilliant job!! Who knew he was so funny and so verbose. The house and the kids and the animals are all in great condition........so maybe its not too early to start planning that next trip!!!!!!!

Last day.....

At 07.30 am I get my first text of the day "My size 4 pants are too big!"

I was in a meeting so could not reply. However at 09.00 am we chatted via phone. Angie sounded tired, has lost allot of weight and ready to come home, but they were traveling to the last camp. Between the later text and the phone call I learned that the team had seen 850 children - a team record. They were only supposed to see between 300 and 500. Medical supplies were running very low, with only a few of the antibiotics left. The children's vitamins were nearly all gone, and rather than being able to provide them with any meaningful amount they were basically giving each child about a weeks worth - 7 tablets. They wish that they had been able to bring toothpaste - Angie said they have not seen such bad teeth. The kids have nothing to eat so they chew on the wild sugar cane and get black and rotten teeth. Their mouths are a mess.

This afternoon I get a new text at 2.45 pm "We are doing inventory right now but I have to keep lying down before I pass out. The only thing I can keep down is water. I am over hot and we have no power or running water again and it is 90 degrees in the house".

We have a few more personal texts and a few about a re-union dinner that the team are planning, but nothing more of note. Their mission is finished and they will be leaving the DR tomorrow. Hurricane Paloma missed them and hit Cuba - the flights should be able to make it back to the USA.

It is Friday night and we have survived 17 days apart. I am so looking forward to seeing her tomorrow, but I am also concerned how she will look and be. Hopefully a day or two at home with the family, a warm shower and a glass of wine will help revive her!

This is my last time writing on this blog, and I will now leave it for our intrepid RN to continue the missive and provide the pictures of the trip. As I sign off on Friday night, I check around the house and yes, everyone is happy and present.....1 student at UNH, 2 teenagers at home, a manic dog, 2 cats a crazy kitten and a fish. Tomorrow all will be well and complete with the family......

..........All will be well.

....2 nights and 1 day.......

The poem for tomorrow, composed by Elliot:

In one more day I'll be so merry,
To be rid of the lice and dysentery
To see my boys, Katie and my dog, will be so grand
I can't wait to get off this island and onto the mainland.

Just hop on a plane and a short drive in the car,
Suddenly drinking tea at home doesn't seem so far
But not to sound crass or to sound greedy,
I have loved helping these kids who have been so needy.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
So this morning I wake at 6 am to hear that there is a hurricane brewing in the Caribbean - just what the team needs! I sent a quick text to Angie letting her know that there was something brewing, but ABC news really did not have too many details. This was followed up by a flurry of text messages asking for more details. I had to spend some time getting a full weather synopsis and texting the info. At the current time it looks as thought the storm will, in the most part, miss the DR. They have been getting allot of rain in the last 24 hours and what they didn't know was that they were under the edge of the tropical depression that was building into a hurricane. So hopefully it will not affect travel plans for Sat.

so the team set off for the day believing they were going to work along side a nun. If you thought the storm was bad enough, their day was about to get much much worse............

At 2.50 pm I get a text (way to early for them to have finished)... "Today was the first time I did not feel safe. So many people wanting medicine it turned into a riot. We got out by the skin of our teeth....mucho machettes.

Not the sort of message a husband wants to hear when there is nothing you can do about it. I just want her home NOW!

I asked via text where was the nun - apparently she left them after the first hour.

Later on the messages were much more on the mundane, or at least after that scare everything else becomes more acceptable........

Angie: "Flagyl no longer working for dysentery so now switched to Cipro"

(My text to Angie): Oh Great! Are you all resting at the house this evening after escaping the mob?"

Angie: The team is going to a basketball game but I need to stay near the bathroom

Me: That does not sound good. Is anyone else staying behind? Only 2 nights and 1 day to go

Angie: Can you get me some lice shampoo? I feel I should treat myself before I sleep in our bed

Me: OK, Lice shampoo, any particular drinks to help keep your fluid levels up? Anything else? Do you have any other friends you are bringing home? :-)

Angie: Trying not to bring any more friends apart from my amoeba.


Editorial: I get the sense that everyone is now just hanging on to get home. The panic phone call about the storm although very quick, said it all. I keep trying not to think about everything down there - if you notice I ask question and don't get a reply to my questions.......it is on a need to know basis at this stage.

Everything at home is fine. Joe's situation has been resolved this evening and I have just received a good text from him. All is quiet as Elliot and Katie do homework. Biggles is sleeping at my feet as I type this at my desk. The only thing that is wrong is the leather chair opposite my desk is empty.........

New Day....New President.......

Arguably one of the most historic elections in American history has just occurred with the election of Obama, but it does not change the condition of the sick and suffering in the DR or elsewhere......... I sent a text to Angie giving her the news this AM and that PA voted Democratic in the electoral college. (For those of you reading this a little unknown fact about our intrepid Pediatric RN.....She worked in Tommy Thompson's team in Madison as a policy analyst for the state of WI for nearly 2 years as part of the team developing the Works to Welfare reform - it was during this time she gained her interest in politics and saw it being worked out first hand - and helped form her opinion of American politics and her political standing. BTW, this does not provide you with any insight into her political leanings, in case you were wondering, and yes she voted by absentee ballot).

Enough of the political stuff and onto the reason for the blog....an update from the DR. I received the following text this morning: "No power or water. Poverty and filth is wearing me out. Today is supposed to be the busiest day yet to come - come and get me!"

I received this on my way to run a 1/2 day symposium and to give 2 lectures so was unable to text back so I waited until later and then great news...........I got a phone call. We decided to chat for while (and forget the Verizon bill!!), since she wanted to hear the latest about Joe, Elliot and Katie.....and of course not forgetting the dog, Biggles. It was good to be able to tell her that on the home front the problems seem to be resolving and things are ticking along.

So what other "gems" did I gather about life in the DR. Apparently life is just very wearing and tough. Even the evenings are tiring, it is very hot and there is very little time to really relax during the evenings. The bugs are enormous and apparently there are photos to prove it (the size of a hand). Bug bites are de rigor although Angie seems to have avoided the worst of it - one of the team has 35 on her legs alone. At 4 am most mornings Angie finds her GI system decides its time to spring into action and sleep therefore comes to a halt. A rush to the bathroom ensues and afterwards, due to the lack of water, a trip outside to pick up a bucket of rain water is required to flush the "loo" (OK British parlance for toilet).

It seems that everyone on the team (and here at home) is now really counting the days and nights before they return home.......

...................3 more nights and 2 more days...........

Nov 4th - voting day

So I am standing in line at 7.15 this AM....doing what????? Voting of course. Everywhere seemed to be packed.....and then my phone rings.....Yes it is my sweetheart - she called. We caught up on the family news before she had to go with the team to the next camp. She sounded in much better spirits and the drugs she was taking for the dysentery were working!

I received 2 further texts:

06.42: Team moral getting low so I made them all bacon and eggs and oatmeal for breakfast. Now spirits rising.

6.25pm: The food is disgusting. I have lost all enjoyment in it. I eat purely to sustain myself.

So I can only assume that either the rooster is dead or he was a hen and the reason for the eggs (see previous blogs). Angie does a mean bacon and eggs, so I can understand the team feeling better. Back at the ranch here everyone is hanging on and we are starting to watch the elections results come in. I have just heard from the other room that Obama has just won Pennsylvania...... Whatever the outcome, this has been a historical election (and no I won't give away where my political leanings are or who got my vote today :-).

Biggles keeps coming up and snuggling - he misses Angie. When he goes out, he still keeps sitting at the end of the drive way waiting for her. (He never sits there normally and you can see him watching the cars).

Day 8 or is it 9 or 10............

Monday 3rd - weekend over and all surviving well in the Miller home. As you will see by the blog earlier today (Newsflash), Angie is less than well, and just surviving. At least this evening she reported feeling better via text. (Yes her cell phone is still miraculously powered - of which I am grateful).

So Sunday Angie and the team were heading to a resort.. At 10 am her text read "its raining and the resort is really crummy but the massage will make me feel better. I am sick again".

At 3.30 pm the text text read...."happiness is a hot shower, a pina colada and merangue on the beach" There was a second one 2 minutes later which started ......"unhappiness is doing it without you...." It is now 11 days since we have seen each other, and the gap is noticeable for both of us.

So on to Monday morning. The first text came through which I posted in brief about the dysentery. The full text read "so half the team has dysentery including me. My hair is falling out and pains in my legs due to potassium depletion. Off to another camp today."

The final text at 4pm this afternoon read "took over an hour to get to today's camp. Lots of mentally handicapped children and parents = mucho poverty. Feeling better.

I can only begin to imagine the situation over there and the conditions in which they are working. I am concerned for her health and that she will manage the remaining time over there but come back seriously weak and sick.

On the home front, Joe is having a tough time at college for a couple of reasons and I have got involved for his safety and sanity. He had sent a couple of texts to Angie and she had picked up that something was wrong. She does not know the extent of the issues.

Newsflash......

A quick update, Angie and half the team have gone down with dysentery and not well. They are pushing to the next camp, on but have already seen as many children in week 1 as a team going down there sees in 2 weeks. Medical supplies are low and they are trying to buy more locally.

I'll give a full update tonight when I have more time.

The rough and the smooth

Friday was a "hell hole" of a camp and Saturday is relaxing, at least according to Angie.

Apparently Friday was the worst day and the level of poverty, filth and disease dropped to new lows. For those reading this with a medical background and want to know the diseases Angie commented that "they are seeing allot of malnutrition, parasites, impetigo, asthma and vitamin A deficiency, just to name a few. Angie said it was the worst camp yet and she had a little cry.

Back at camp, at least the water was back on and electricity (periodically).

So what do they do to relieve the stress? Apparently go the bar, have a drink and learn to dance the Merangue (the native Latin dance of the DR). That was Thursday night. Friday was going to the bar for drinks and Saturday........a day off! They went to Santa Domingo in the morning (the capital city of the DR). In the afternoon they went to the beach and watched an amazing sunset. Angie sent me a text stating she was ordering her Gin & Tonic watching the sun go down. Later on she had chance to call me from the restaurant where they were planning to have a really good meal and relax (possibly something to do with the G&T!!).

As for the rest of us, the weekend has been fairly busy. I managed to go flying with a friend this morning up to the Pocono's - the colors are wonderful. Elliot was doing homework all day and then went to work in the evening at the tavern busing tables. Katie and I ventured out this afternoon and bought her a car. We spent most of Friday evening researching and then Sat looking and found a 10 year Plymouth Neon that had not been advertised with only 29,000 miles on it - it drives well and is a great purchase.

The one negative is that Angie's phone does not appear to be recharging. We are therefore not certain how much longer the messages are going to keep coming.....we have said goodbye until next Sat in case we now get radio-silence.............BUT fear not intrepid readers, I will press on and keep her blog going ...........