To Angelise's banana bread

      In looking back over my posts from the last few weeks, I fear I have given the impression that life down here right now is nothing but jumping precariously from crisis to crisis and wrestling through each day. There have been challenges lately and things have been hard, but that is not the whole story. There are wonderful things going on daily as well. One of those wonderful things is Angelise's banana bread. Angelise is the woman who keeps our guest house running day to day and she's amazing. One day I hope to have half the sense and spirit she does. I also hope to write more about her, if I can figure out how to do it well.
      Among other things, Angelise is a fabulous cook. Case in point, her banana bread. Sometimes she makes it in loaf form. Sometimes she makes it in muffin form. Sometimes when I get home it's cooling on the counter. Sometimes we keep it in our refrigerator (Yes, we have one. We are fancy.). In any form, it is one of the most delicious foods I have ever tasted. It is sweet, and moist and perfect on my tongue. I have an embarrassing tendency to squeal in delight when I find it in the kitchen. Yesterday I ate five pieces and then had to go hide in my room because I could. Not. Stop. This banana bread is in and of itself a compelling reason to come visit us in Haiti.

Chikungunya Update (again)

      Among the clinic challenges this week (not the least of which was figuring out how to deliver albuterol to an infant in respiratory distress in the mountains without overdosing her) was a resurgence in chikungunya pain. When was first researching chikungunya I was warned that for some people the pain could last for months. The research I found made it sound like that was a minority of patients, so I took comfort from that and bumped it down my list of worries in light of more pressing concerns.
      Apparently "can last for months" actually means "comes and goes without warning" and a minority means "most people in some form or another." This week a number of my friends and patients have come to me describing a return, and in some cases an increase, in chikungunya related pain. These are people who had the virus weeks ago, who are suddenly hurting again. A lot. They are also not reporting any real relief from the pain medicines I have at hand. Please keep my friends and patients in your prayers.

Smiles

This little pumpkin came to see me today in clinic at St. Etienne.

Just after taking this picture, she blew me kisses. Some clinic days are sweeter than others.

This one's for the mamas

     One of the very great pleasures of my job is watching moms interact with their little ones. From the new moms cradling brand new lives to the more experienced moms wrangling multiple children while waiting in line to be seen, I love seeing how these women love their children.
    As far as I can tell, mothering is hard, no matter where you live. Including Haiti. Day after day I meet women who became moms, often before they planned to or were ready, doing everything they can for their babies. There was the woman who became a mom at 19, teaching her two year old French, an early way to get a step up in this country. There was the mama of rambunctious twins, exhausted by 8 am and wrestling one child off the clinic shelves while explaining about the other child's illness.  All the activity did not stop her from demanding detailed answers about what was going on with her daughter, and why. Then there was the mom who, while waiting in line with her child, assisted one of our students with his little brother who was boiling hot with fever and crying from the pain in his feet (thank you chikungunya). Day after day I hear women in line, talking to each other about their children, what foods to feed them and how to care for them.
     These days I have women who come in and lecture me about why it is important to breastfeed their babies exclusively for the first six months of life, or how they are helping their children heal from infections. I delight in the creative ways these moms find to get their children the things they need to be healthy. Day after day I get to celebrate with women as I affirm the choices they are making for their babies. Here's to you mamas!
     

Writer's Block

     I have started and discarded no less than three posts in the last two days. Everything I try to write comes out entirely too inane to release on the internet with my name attached. All I really have to say is that I dislike work weeks that start with starving babies and desperate dads, and I much prefer clinic days with a bunch of teenagers bemoaning their acne to the mornings when I have to figure how to prioritize between toddlers with 104 degree fevers.
      Chikungunya continues to run rampant. Someone I respect pointed out to me how blessed we are that chikungunya is not generally deadly, since it is so widespread now. I will take optimism where I can find it.

Graduation

      This week was graduation for the MOHI schools. Thursday was graduation at our Thozin campus in Grand Goave, for the kindergarten, sixth grade and high school. Friday was graduation for the kindergartners and sixth graders at our St. Etienne school. Graduation is a Big Deal here, and I was so grateful to have the opportunity to attend and share the experience. There were demonstrations from the kindergartners about what they want to be when they grow up, and speeches from some of the older students. Unfortunately, in the grand tradition of graduations in my family, I sat too far away and the only pictures I got were blurry. So, here are some pictures others took.

One of the traditions is for a child from the graduating class to pass the torch (or candle) to a child from the next class. Here is a graduating kindergartner from Thozin passing the candle to one of our second year preschoolers.

     Another part of the ceremony involves skits, poems, songs and dances performed by various graduating students. Yesterday at the St. Etienne graduation the kindergartners did a dance about their favorite colors and a skit on the importance of using good manners. Here are some pictures from the event.

Happy graduation everyone!

     

Hope has a way...

        A couple of months ago I wrote about the house fire in our neighborhood that killed one child and left a baby severely burned. Some clinic volunteers and I cared for the baby, Milove as she healed from her burns. It was emotional for all involved. Milove was a trooper, but one of the downsides of being a nurse is when the very sight of you makes a little one cry.
    Milove was back in the clinic today. Not crying. Her burns have completely healed, and the only scarring is a small spot above her right toe. She is walking and talking now, and according to her mama, getting into all kinds of trouble. Hope. It turns it's face to me just when I least expect it.

Counting Gifts

    There are moments of joy in the midst of the general craziness of day to day life here. I savor them as they come. This happened Thursday afternoon after I finished seeing patients:

     

Triaging

      Part of our morning clinic routine involves triaging patients in an effort to keep the very sick from waiting any longer than they have to. That used to mean pulling anyone with a fever and anyone less than a month old to the front of the line. Now, thanks to ckikungunya, we not only pull patients with fevers to the front of the line, but we then prioritize patients based on how high said fever is. Anyone with a temp greater than 103 degrees gets seen first (or as close to it as possible if there is more than one person), then those with temps between 102 and 103, and so on down the line until we get to those without fevers. Add it to the list of things I'm learning to be flexible about.
      I realize it probably seems like all I write about these days is chikungunya. That's because I write about what I am thinking about, and all I think about these days is chikungunya. That's an exaggeration. Sort of. I was naive enough last week to think maybe things were starting to slow down. Nope. There has been a huge influx of cases this week in clinic, and it is striking down our staff (and my friends) left and right. Please keep us in your prayers. Thank you.