Tuesday in Petit Guinea

Bon Nuit from Haiti.

I'm sitting outside at our hotel listening to Caribbean music and feeling this beautiful breeze......what a disconnect from the reality for Haitians. This hotel is chockablock full of "ex pats" which is what the Haitians call us. Someone told me that there are over 900 NGOs registered in Haiti since the earthquake and that coordination is really becoming a major issue. I can believe it. We met a family physician from Canada who is working at a local hospital through the Salvation Army and he said there are so many surgeons there that they are duking it out over OR time.

But not at our little clinic. Just us and the Haitian doctor, Africo, who is just delighted to talk to me in Spanish- and I don't think has figured out that I'm missing half of what he says! The kids are remarkably healthy-- horrible nutrition and hygiene and no immunizations.....and yet they are developmentally just like kids the world over. That is one of the most consistently amazing things to me with having the wonderful chance to see children in other countries -- a 2 year old is a 2 year old is a 2 year old. No matter the color or the language or the nationality or the religion---they are doing the same things and just as beautiful. The picture is some of the kids from our clinic today. And the other one is the most ingenious toy that a little boy "shared" with me. The body of that truck is a juice bottle and the wheels are bottle caps and that little raggedy driver has surely seen better days....

It's so nice to work with Haitian staff. You get to dispel a few myths, teach a few things, and, more importantly, learn alot. My translator is teaching me about voodoo, especially the connection that that religion has with Catholicism in Haiti, and the local nurse has explained some of the herbal medicines to us.

We're all grateful for this time here and think we'll be better prepared for Port-au-Prince when we go back this weekend.

Again--- thank you to everyone for reading my ramblings each night and all of the support!

Mesi!

Laurie