Aloha, I cant believe its been over a week since I wrote. Sorry about that, the week went really fast. Sooo...Monday May 25, 2009 we spent our day in the clinics doing immunizations and prenatal care. We're getting really good at this :) Before the start of the day we attended the flag raising ceremony at the Municipal Hall with our friends and the midwives. It still amazes me the welcome we get from the people there. Usually the employees of the municipal hall are the only ones who fall in line for the ceremony. To be invited to join the Mayor, the Department of Health officials, and the medical staff is such an honor.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 was kind of a day off. We toured the city dumpsite...eww and the composting site...ewww. It may have smelled bad but it was actually really interesting to learn how it all connects to the healthcare of the city. Because of the massive amounts of garbage produced in the city daily (40,000 kilos) the dumpsite will be full in a couple months. There is a new site set to begin operating in August which will also connect with the composting site. Since the major industry in La Trinidad is farming the compost is very beneficial for the city. We had a very good lunch and did some more shopping. Then it was back to the apartment to prepare our presentations for Friday.
Wednesday, My 27, 2009 was a clinic day, but not just any ordinary clinic day. Melanie, Roxanne, Alfred, and myself went to the Barangay Pico clinic where there was a dental mission. And man did we get the best experience; no nurisng student could do what we did in the U.S. We had to admit patients and prepare them for the procedure. We readied the instruments alongside the dentist, Doctora Anabelle, and got very up close and personal hands-on training with teeth extractions. We also dispensed meds to the patients after the procedure. Dra. Anabelle taught us what the instruments are, how to give anesthetic injections, and how to extract teeth. We did it all. Melanie, Alfred, Roxanne and I all pulled a tooth out! It was weird for me. I can handle blood and nasty wounds, but pulling someone's tooth is not my cup of tea. Roxanne on the other hand...well that's for her to tell you :) In the Philippines, seeing a dentist is a luxury so most people let a toothache or a cavity get so bad that they eventually just have the tooth pulled. They would rather have it extracted, even permanent teeth, than see a dentist while it can still be treated. Dra. Anabelle does dental missions every so often for the people of La Trinidad and its all free. We collectively pulled 34 teeth that day and dispensed hundreds of pain meds and antibiotics for free to patients from 7 years old to 43. Not a single patient even cried. And I personally thought it was funny how in the U.S. people get so worked up about going to the dentist when they have the best technology, very well trained doctors, and the money to care for themselves. Here having a tooth pulled is relief, which takes about 8 minutes from admission to discharge. They sit in a plastic beach-like chair with someone holding their head still, and the dentist working in their mouth. We used our cell phones to light up the patient's mouth. We cold sterilize the instruments for 10 minutes between the patients. Sterile gloves don't quite mean the same as in the U.S. Keep your hands visible and above the waist? Not! Don't touch anything non-sterile after gloving up? No way! Its different, very different. But we did something only dentists and dental students usually do and we did it all for free. It was very rewarding and taught a lot about the healthcare system here.
Thursday, May 28, 2009 was a short day. We went to Barangay Beckel which is the furthest area of La Trinidad. We did a Clean & Healthy Barangay Evaluation with the barangay council. They actually listened to us and our opinions about their barangay. We felt very important! Then it was home to finish preparing our presentations and pack.
Friday, May 29, 2009 was our last day of clinical work. We all traveled to Asin, Baguio to a resort with the entire medical staff and the Mayor. We were served breakfast, snack, lunch, and another snack. (Side note: I love that Filipinos eat 6 times a day, it does good things for my eating habits :) ). Each of us spoke to the group about what we've learned here, the similarities and differences between our healthcare systems and that of La Trinidad, and some things we will take away from this experience. We personally thanked the midwives, Ms. Finin, the mayor, the public health nurses, and everyone who welcomed and took such good care of us the last two weeks. After the program we danced the Filipino dance, very appropriately dressed, and presented gifts to our new friends. Then it was time to swim! It rained the whole time but we're used to that in Hawaii :). Aww Hawaii, oh how we miss you. At the end of the day we traveled back to La Trinidad and packed up our things to leave the apartment, the place we made and called home for the last two weeks. The kids from upstairs made us all bracelets and we gave away our food to them. We will miss them :). We traveled to Baguio and checked into Microtel. Ahh a real bed, AC, and breakfast made for us, very nice.
Saturday we spent shopping at the mall. Sunday we went to Burnham Park and acted like kids. EJ and I attempted to operate a pedal boat but it didn't work very well. It would only turn left, so even though we paid for 30 minutes we came back in after 8 I think lol. Alfred, Roxanne, Janelle, and Melanie rented a row boat which they almost tipped! It was hilarious. Bystanders were probably thinking how loud Americans are because we were all screaming haha. Next came the bumper cars! That was the most fun I had this entire trip. I actually got whiplash, Alfred is brutal behind the wheel. We met Ms. Finin's nephew, JR back at the mall and traveled to her area of Baguio, Richview. We all went to church together and the sermon was very fitting for what our group has gone through. The saying on the wall said "The Spirit of renewal, unity, and courage." It was the most perfect hour of the trip. After church we went to Ms. Finin's home for dinner. Her family cooked us the best meal we've had yet and played cards and talked story most of the evening. At 11pm we went back to our hotel to fetch out luggage and check out. We then took a bus to Manila. We urge all of you to take a five hour bus ride at midnite. We were lucky enough to get right into our rooms at Mabuhay Manor in Manila. We slept past the free breakfast but found a wonderful alternative at the Mall of Asia. We set out for our last day of shopping and our last day in the Philippines. We spent too much money and ate too much food.
Now we are repacking all of our stuff and adding boxes to our luggage to accommodate the many pounds of souvenirs and gifts we bought. Tomorrow we check out of Mabuhay Manor at 10am and head to the airport. We take off on Philippines Airlines at 230pm Tuesday, June 2. We arrive in Honolulu at 745am Tuesday, June 2. Weird! The last two and half weeks has been a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions and its coming to an end very quickly. We cant wait to see you all and tell you all about what could not be written here. Many things we don't even have words for, the memories will always be with us as we begin our careers as nurses. The knowledge and skills we have acquired will shape who we are in the healthcare industry. Thank you for following our journey and praying for our health & safety. Please continue to pray for safe travels as Janelle has just walked into the room saying an airplane of French Air has gone missing off radar. The news says that if it were still flying it would be out of fuel by now. Awesome. This does wonderful things for my fear of flying.
We'll see and talk to you soon.
One last Aloha from the Philippines from Melanie, Kimmie, Roxanne, Janelle, Alfred, EJ and Ms. Finin.
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