"When the entire world around you is a "Salle De Observation" or a Room of Obversation, you have no choice but to sit and listen. Whether it listening to patient's question, their answer, their pain, or their silence, a doctor must have a keen ear. Often time I find myself leaning closer to their beds to hear their voice. Not because I need to hear better, but because their voice needs to be amplified with my translation. From my ear, to the words that I speak, I am responsible for their voice. It is not an easy task, but I know that it is an important when I am translating for these patients. As they speak, Doctor Close looks at the patient and sometimes our eyes meet, but it is as if her eyes never move from the patient. All that matter with each consultation is the voice of the patient. Often times, I find, that we need to be the voice for each other. There are sounds, questions, pains, and silences that can not reach other people if it were not for an intermediate personnel. We can reach those who have not been given a chance to listen. We can amplify voices that are often muted and marginalized. All we have to do is listen and lean in a bit closer. "
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Liancourt
Today we went to the Liancourt Health Center to retrieve some more data. This center was newly refurbished, given by the fresh paint that still lingered. I also witnessed the beautiful new labels that stood on each door as well. There was freshness to the place. Check out some photos down below:
I washed my hands, did you ?
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I am so far behind with my blog. Although I am so far behind, I remember everything all so vividly. Why ? Because I made it a goal to just soak it all in. I knew that every moment is important to capture the essence of everything. Heading over to Bastien, was a totally different experience then going up the mountain to Tienne (The Bastien Health Center is also located in the mountains). However, this mountain had a different characteristic to it. Heading toward Bastien, the roads were filled with people at every turn (the population for Bastien is larger than that of Tienne). It was the “Market Day” and people were coming out in between trees and small inlets to sell their bags of rice, hand-made goods, freshly seasoned foods, and all the more. These people were proudly carrying their items on their heads as they strolled down the mountain with grace and ease. They made it look all so easy as our car struggled up the mountain in the opposite direction. The ride was more dangerous than Tienne. My heart began to pound as the tires of the Jeep glided along the edge of the rocky road . Although my heart was pounding so fast, there was something comforting about being surrounded by the surrounding views of Bastien. I was praying and singing gospel songs in my heart as the car shook and rocked. I just closed my eyes and before I knew it, we made it. Along the way, I peeked to see the Sanitation station that was recently built for the community to help the community gain access to clean water for “their homes, their schools, and their community health centers, and their communities.”
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Below is a picture of one of two sanitation stations that give access to community to proper sanitation. These sanitation station give the community a chance to wash their hands and use the restrooms. Prior to this, I was told that the majority of the community was using the restroom in their backyards and using rocks to wipe up. Their practices include not washing their hands as well. In spite of all these practices, HAS played an crucial role in educating the community of the dangers surrounding these practices. As a result, this sanitation station reads “I just finished using the bathroom and washed my hands, did you ?”
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When the "Sweet River" is not so sweet anymore.
Today, one of our expeditions began towards a beautiful river called “Sucre Riviere” or “Sweet River.” Needless to say, the river was astonishing. The water was so clear, and the streams allowed me to float without a single care. Speaking of being without a single care, there was a young boy who pulled off his pants and jumped into the river. I am sitting here at a table in Haiti and my friends are back home in the United States devastated by the killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. I too, am sad. I feel so tired. Was I really floating so carefree in the water? Maybe I was floating carefree because I was in Haiti. Maybe the young boy jumped in without a care because he was in Haiti, his home, where everyone looks like him, speaks like him. His home is a place where even if someone does not quite look like him or speak like him, that “someone” is the minority. In the pool, I felt quite jealous of him being able to jump in the way he did........
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Another walkthrough of Deschapelles but with a Native
Because our housekeeper heard about our interests in exploring Deschapelles, she decided to take us to this new plaza that opened up near-by called “The Fantasy.” She said it’s a plaza that has a movie theater, beauty salon, barbershop, and a restaurant. When I translated for the housekeeper, everyone seemed interested but quite skeptical. They kept asking “Where is she taking us again,” hoping that the description of the place I kept saying would change. I believed that this place could exist. The members of this community need a place like this. Ms. Rosaline, our housekeeper smiled and waved at everyone in the community as we strolled through the community. When we arrived to the place, it felt like a palace. Although, it was still being built, it was complete. At this point, this entire place needed was the finishing touches! We ate popcorn and toured the place! Check out some photos below.
Calling all passengers to Port Au Prince, Haiti
Today marks my first international flight without anyone else by my side. I knew that I was alone when I asked a random stranger to take a picture for me. More importantly, it was the simple fact of taking only one picture of me. Normally, with my family members, they understand the general consensus of taking Luke’s photos. When one takes a photo of Luke, one must capture the moment or a plethora of moments. Key thing is to keep snapping, keep clicking, keeping taking pictures, and maybe one of these photos will appear to be worthy of remaining in my photo album. Below is a photo of me coming directly into Haiti, fresh off the plane (Kindly taken by a fellow passenger).......
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