Providence St. Joseph's Service Trips to Guatemala : El Ultimo “Blog” de Los Oregon Siete (7)

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Friday morning we had some tearful goodbyes with the PCI and Casa Materna Staff and of course Arnoldo, Paty and Abesaida lopez. Matt had to stay home and regain form after suffering a "traveler's ailment". Later all 7 gringos made it 3 blocks to the Halcones Bus station with their 12+ pieces of luggage and boarded a somewhat "seasoned" passenger bus direct from Huehuetenago to Guatemala city.

Casa Materna Moms with gifts "Babi Shower"

After a somewhat tortuous and even "aggressive" 6 hour bus ride (especialamente for Chapulin) on Un Autobus de Los Halcones from HueHue to Guatemala City AND a very complicated yet successful business deal involving three taxis, 9 big suitcases and 7 Gringos with 3 chapino choferes, we arrived at the beautiful hotel Ciudad Vieja en Zona 10. After checking in, many of us discovered our ATM and Credit cards had been hacked and our accounts were bled or billed several hundred to thousands of dollars. This was an unsettling event in what was 2 weeks of being treated as friends and family in this wonderful and diverse country. It reminded us that sometimes it is impossible to travel and avoid any theft or mishap. Despite this unfortuitous surprise (which hopefully will be corrected), Los 7 de Oregon gathered themselves, had a wonderful evening at a fantastic restaurant called Kacao (hard to say that without thinking of that Portlandia episode of the same name and not chuckle) and met up with our Chapina medical students Natalia and Grecia whom have started their 6^th year of medical school at Landivar in Guatemala City. It was great to catch up with them, share experiences and later listen to some live music at of all places - Applebee’s!

Underexposed "Kacao", Mash and Mamut's favorite restaurant

Natalia and Grecia - Landivar Med Students whom spent two months in Oregon and Washington with our Family Medicine Residencies

My own gratefulness for this trip is that we escaped any serious malady, remained safe and were wonderfully cared for by the staff of PCI, the Lopez Guevara family of HueHue and every PCI, taxi, bus and tuk-tuk driver we met.

I was very fortunate to be together with so many remarkable and kind people in our group.

Our residents Matt Sperry (El Chapulin-Grasshopper) and Mali Nakhai (La Paloma Blanca – White Dove) worked hard, never complained, performed dozens of ultrasounds and were both great teachers and partners. Their kindness, grace, openness, humor and flexibility were welcomed gifts to us all and the people they cared for.

No one will ever forget Matt’s performances of “Los Ataques de Matea” and Mali’s well thought out and planned birth kits that were distributed to over 100 midwives.

Our senior faculty clinicians Orlando Acosta (El Chompipe) and Mike Waddick (El Tejon) were amazing role models of compassion, thoughtfulness, dedication and unselfishness.

Orlando’s obstetrical experience and Cuban-style pragmatism coupled with Mike’s calm gentleness and sardonic humor were needed offsets for my own sometimes complex bossy ivory tower and frequently irreverent personality. Orlando was sometimes the only person that was understood due to his proficiency in Spanish but he still could get better at translating my jokes.
Mike was often the member of our group that the young nursing students swooned about and I think he is leaving behind several broken hearts.

Elena Mejia (La Garceta Afilada – The sharp egret) relieved countless patients’ stress points with her acupuncture and clinical skills.

She was our gift to the PCI staff who work so diligently under very difficult conditions, often with limited resources. And, She was always willing to learn complicated card games as well like Euchre and Scopa, right?

Finally, Suzy Happ (La Ciguena Rosada – The Pink Stork) pulled it off again!
Her knowledge and familiarity of this country and willingness to lead this group of strong minded and opinionated clinicians is an unprecedented feat of great diplomatic skill. It is because she is considered to be a saint in these communities that we were able to be so well trusted and regarded. Her so obvious love and concern for the people for Guatemala is infectious and beautiful.

So what did we learn this trip besides "what happens in Guatemala stays in Guatemala"? Some simple things like:
* Always bring earplugs so barking dogs, roommate snoring and roosters crowing at 2 am prevent any disturbance from blissful slumber.
* Label your toothbrush so your roommate does not “accidently” brush his teeth with it on average 3-4 times.
* Bring a towel.
* Always choose "Comida Tipica" on the menu.
* Never pay the first price for any item.
* Never exchange your shoes and belt for a handcrafted item that might be made in China.

* Be prepared for the schedule to change, for the need to be great, for the resources to be little and for one’s heart to be open and experience some suffering.
* Stay and learn from the poor as much as you can, be humble and be forgiving.
* If you eat street food, make sure to watch it being prepared/grilled before eating it.
* Never use your ATM card that allows for access to your bank account.
* Make sure to take a Tuk-Tuk at least 2 times every trip.

"Don't forget me"

* Clean up after your workshop or clinic.

Senor Toad's Wild Tuk Tuk Ride?

Abesida y Arnoldo Lopez

*Always offer your hand and be prepared for many hugs and kisses.

* Don’t eat lettuce.
* Drink lots of water.
* Next time, try to come back with a smaller butt so you can fit better in the caravans and not feel like sardines in a can
* Always use TWO condoms when creating a makeshift Bakri balloon.

Chapulin y Chompepe's Comida Tipica

* You can never be too grateful, speak perfect Spanish or eat enough at Abesaida’s house.
* It takes about 2 weeks before you consistently remember to put the toilet paper in the little garbage can instead of the bowl.
* You only get away with bad Spanish for so long and be careful about inventing new verbs (choosear).
* Even though the rum is cheap, try to not drink too much of it.
* Pray for each other and the people of Guatemala who are going through their own transformation.
* Encourage our government to protect their right to a fair and peaceful transition of power and an end to massive corruption whether its former comedian Jimmy Morales or former first lady Sandra Torres as the next Presidente..

"How many more patients must die because of lack of resources (supplies)"

I am grateful to all our family members and companions here and at home who made this trip possible. Thanks to our partners back home who are covering our work, desktops and duties. Thank you to all who have donated. Casa Materna needs a new roof that would cost about $5000 US so maybe we can raise enough for them over the next few months before the rainy season. (See donation link to the right on this page if interested--help prevent future exam room floods like the one that almost drowned Mali). Hopefully, some of you can have your own Guate experience in a time in the not too distance future.