Flying High

I came here for the work. I was not looking for fun. But fun seems to have found me.

Where has the misery gone? Has it been swept away by constant company? Due to our "Normas de Seguridad" (see upcoming post), I have not been able to reach my full loner potential. I am almost never alone, in fact. I spend my descanso (rest time) with my co-workers/roommates.

Maybe I feel better in the absence of constant frenzy. In New York, I was in a rush every minute of every day of every year. Always running. I ate my lunch in the elevator while running to a meeting or hiding in the hallway between patients. Here, we go home for lunch, followed by a lengthy siesta.

On the weekend, our whole team packs up our 4-wheel drive vehicle and we head out for an excursion. We meet up with our friends from Olopa, somewhere in between Olopa and Puerto Barrios. Our weekend days are spent breakfasting (pic below), then lying around in a hammock. Sometimes we go to a swimming hole. Generally we have a long lunch, then a nap. By evening I am ready for a beer or two or three. Then I get dragged out to the nearest disco, against my will, where I am forced to dance and drink, and sometimes jump in a nearby lake to cool down.

Maybe it is the tranquility of Guatemala that has mellowed me out. There are no visible signs of the long bloody civil war. Despite the poverty, this country is beautiful: rolling hills, thick green jungle, wildlife, tropical flowers that grow like weeds. Or, could it be that I am more comfortable around the wayward MSF ex-pats than the marrieds with children and Park Slope or UWS real estate? (No offence to all my beloved friends in this category-- it was a rhetorical question...)

Will I have to change my username to euphoric? No no, never fear... I´m sure dysphoric will be back before I know it.
Pic at left is from the boat on Rio Dulce. Pic above right is Finca Paradisio, near El Estor.

Who is the Real Miss 15 de Septiembre?

Guatemalan Independence day is celebrated on September 15th. Traditionally, the children from primary and secondary schools parade through the streets of every town.
Norma, our housekeeper and Acting-Mother to generations of MSF volunteers in Puerto Barrios, borrowed my camera to take pictures of her daughter Nancy in the parade. Nancy had to dance through the streets of Puerto Barrios for over three hours in this get-up in 100 degree 100% humidity Puerto Barrios weather. Child abuse.

Afterwards, Norma and Nancy thought it would be really funny if I tried on her outfit. The boots are to die for, no?

Hanging Out With the Brothers

Dolores, our Field Project Coordinator, works a lot. She spends much of her free time with local friends. That leaves Rafa, Conrado, and me with a lot of quality time. I feel like I was born again into life with two brothers.
They eat a lot, watch tv, talk about women, and drink beer. I fit right in.
Above left is a pic of Conrado (my Colombian brother) watching the Simpsons dubbed into Spanish. [It's much better in English]. The pic on the right is Rafa (my Spanish brother) at Las Escobas, which is a secluded swimming hole with waterfalls in the middle of the jungle about 20 mins outside of Puerto Barrios. Due to popular demand, I include a pic of myself below (in a bathing suit no less!) at Las Escobas.

Cases

I'd like to tell you about these cases, but first I need to give you some back-ground about the project and the hospital, and unfortunately that makes my head ache. Perhaps I will be able to do this one day when I'm not dying of heat stroke.