Friday, January 18, 2008
We did our first stint in Dr Bob's medical clinic. Dr Bob is a vet who happens to run a free clinic that has become quite popular. While he did diagnosis we ran into the storeroom to rummage through stacks of medicines to find the one he asked for. Thank God there were other volunteers to help us and someone has taken the trouble to label everything that comes in and place it in an organized system, (we just have to learn the names of the medicines and find them in the dosage and quantity he asked for). I learned to take blood pressure but they let me fumble around with the machine until it sprang off the patient's arm as it increased in pressure.... they had a laugh at my expense, ( I'm the new guy after all) Dr. Bob has a wonderful manner, great patience (excuse the pun) and sense of humor.
As he looked at human patients a few dogs were also brought in and looked after with the same quiet easy manner. Elio asked us to try working in the clinic to give us a little experience to prepare us to help out in the medical clinic in Los Algodonas.
Good medicines that aren't out dated are very hard to get here. Companies with good intentions send down out dated medicines but by the time they get here many are so outdated that they are of no use. Also the climate here spoils things quickly.
Due to the irregular power supply we don't have much time to respond to e-mails. Sandy types them as I try to compose as quickly as possible before the power cuts out. I can only open new e-mails when the power is on and then I have to run up the hill to Elios patio where there is a connection. So what I'm doing now is composing the e-mails from our apartment and then wait till the power is on and run up the hill and send them. (I'll be in great shape soon) There is no way to know when the power will be on since it doesn't seem to have any pattern accept that it goes out 3 or 4 times a day, sometimes for several hours. Somedays it's out more than it's on. Not to mention that our landlord has a inverter that sometimes works and then....well...
We can only shower or do laundry when the power is on because the inverter can't handle that much of a drain. So there are days when we will just be dirty and re-use the old clothes.
We have been touring around the villages trying to become familiar with them and get to know some people, but it is very difficult without any French or Spanish language skills. (my English isn't that good on a good day)
Sandy is very brave and tries her best to communicate with the limited vocabulary she has quickly learned (she is way better at it than me) We must look a pretty strange site, a mute man and a woman chattering in some foreign tongue being dragged through the villages by good intentioned souls who try to communicate with us with great patience and wonderful hospitality.
Oh yes, I believe we also had our first Tarantula spider. We were sitting in the semi darkness when Sandy noticed something moving across the wall. Hard to believe something so big could crawl across a wall with such speed. Sandy was quite calm but I wasn't as I smashed it with my shoe. Sorry to all you animal lovers but I wasn't thinking very clearly at the time.
I'll try to post this, Friday Jan. 18.
God bless you all and thank you for all your prayers.
(Being here has certainly increased our prayer time, especially when driving)
Dave and Sandy
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