Happy 3rd Birthday Alexa!

Pictures from today http://picasaweb.google.com/Geedz913/Juliana?feat=directlink
Pictures Coco took on our walk yesterday (some are in the "Walk Thru Town picture link but this includes a lot more) http://picasaweb.google.com/Geedz913/CocoSPictures?feat=directlink

Although Alexa can't really read the Title, just wanted to wish her a Happy Birthday and I'm sorry I'm not there to do it in person. Hope she had a cookie for me! :)

Today I worked on the Dental Unit! Woohoo! I actually found some cool activity sheets on the ADA website that I was pretty excited about! Anyway, after working for a couple of hours I went downstairs and got to do some real work! One of the twins fell last week and busted her chin, getting three stitches. Today was the day for them to be removed so I went to work.

Let's just say trying to take stitches out of a terrified 3 year old's chin while she is talking, crying, screaming isn't so easy! :) She kept yelling the name of the lady that was holding her and saying, "help me, let go of me, help me". It was adorable but so sad at the same time. I had to keep telling her not to talk because a moving chin is hard to remove stitches from. One had already come out on its own so I only had to remove 2. Luckily we have sterilized dental tools from the spring so I used those and took out the stitches without too much difficulty and about 8 people peeping over my shoulder.

After this I tried playing L,R,C with some of the younger children but this ended in me getting frustrated and leaving! They were throwing pieces around, others were stealing pieces, etc. This game is now reserved for only 10 and older.

Going to Dr. Garcia's house today was a small adventure. I get dropped off two street corners down from his house and walk there. The road to his house is being dug up and the sewage top is off and sewage water has been leaking down the street for the past week or so. I stayed on the sidewalk obviously but the ditches in the middle of the road were insane. They were about double my height and two blocks in length. They have a lot of work to do to fix this! To get to his house, I should have just crossed one street and been there after walking two blocks but I had to walk to the end of his street, away from his house, cross over two wooden planks laid out and come back up the other side of the street because the poopy water extended too far to jump without stepping in it. On the way up the other side of the street, the electrical line is still not fixed from a couple of weeks ago. It was at shoulder level as I was walking and kind of freaked me out a little even though it was encased in the black tubing.

Today we went to Batey Juliana where I've been already. On the way we were driving out there and passed by the road to turn onto. About 3 minutes later, Dr. Garcia stopped the car in the middle of main road and was like "where are we going". He did a u-turn (there wasn't much traffic at all, maybe 2-3 cars but far away) and headed back to the road. I told him I thought we had passed it but didn't say anything because I wasn't for sure.

Juliana is mostly men, mostly Haitian men at that. Apparently they had forgotten that Dr. Garcia was coming today so there were very few patients there. Only two got vaccinated and only 5-6 saw the doctor. I took some BPs with an automated machine.

However, it was exciting in a different way today. A lady was eating this bread and Dr. Garcia asked about it. One of the men there started talking about how he made this bread and sells it for 20 pesos. He brought out some for Dr. Garcia to try. It was about the size of the pizza from Smashing tomato if you've been there, if not, maybe a small Papa John's pizza but just the crust diameter. It was heavy though! Guillermina, the nurse, and I went inside this man's house to see what his kitchen looked like. I took some pictures and have attached the link and can't really describe it well enough. He was cooking this bread over a charcoal fire on his counter top.

The bread consists of processed yuka on the bottom, sugar and coconut in the middle, and more yuka on top just toasted until crispy. We've had this bread here but it doesn't have the sugar or coconut in the middle. It is really dry, like what I imagine unleavened bread was like. I really wanted to try it because Dr. Garcia said it was good, but I was afraid it might make me sick because of the lack of great preparation and cleanliness so I refrained.

Next time we come, he is going to make more for Guillermina without sugar because she is diabetic, and with peanuts on top cooked in. Should be interesting!

One guy at the batey today had severe pink eye. He couldn't even open his eyes and just keeping wiping away goop with a handkerchief. We drove one of the other men living there to the wash station where the medications are kept and he got the drops for him to start today.

We stopped at the wash station as I said to pick up his meds and so I took some pictures to show you all how the bananas are brought there, cut off the stalk, washed, boxed and shipped to Europe.

When I returned to the orphanage, the goats were over on our side eating some beans that the worker here planted. I chased them away but they ran over to where are laundry was hanging and right to where the steps are to go up to my room. As I was chasing them away, the male goat which is much larger than the others, rared up on his hind legs and I went running and screaming up our stairs. He has some large horns that I want no part of! It was scary for a second and I was just hoping goats don't climb stairs!

I spoke to Dr. Garcia about the boy with the cleft lip/palate and he wants to go with me to see him Wednesday to see if he can do anything to help. I hope he can!

Tonight was movie night with the kids. We watched Cinderella and the boys that were 11-15 were laughing harder than the other kids. It was pretty funny. Luis Alberto climbed into my lap about 1/2 way through and passed out! I love cuddling with him! That's all for now. Sorry it is really long!