Back in the DR....again!
The weather is just perfect here. Its a breezy 80ish degrees and I love. I felt a sigh of relief when I returned. I don't know why, but I feel like I am home more than I had in the past.
As soon as I got back we had a double medical clinic to do. No time to settle in, but who needs it anyway. The doctors did a great job ministering to the patients in Los Salados and Hato del Yaque. One particular incident stands out in my mind.
I was translating for Amy, a med student who was seeing patients. It was fun bribing the kids to take the parasite pill even though it tastes terrible. Family after family came to our table and Amy was able to prescribe meds, administer first aid and even send a child to the hospital who was so dehydrated that the doctors said he could have died that night.
While we were working a woman came in with her child. I didn't look up at the woman at first because I was staring at the little boy. I thought that he could quite possibly have been the most beautiful child I had ever seen. Even if he had been small for his age he couldn't be more than three years old. His skin was almost charcoal black and his features were perfect except for the red damaged eye. His countenance was serene showing neither fear nor acceptance. To me he was stunning.
When I looked up at the mom I saw that she was lighter skinned and in the Dominican style dress. The boy was obviously Haitian and the woman was obviously Dominican. Given the racial and political tension between the countries I thought it was interesting that she should bring him, maybe for a neighbor or something.
So I asked "Is he yours?"
It caught my throat when she simply replied "I found him."
"You found him?"
"Yes, on the side of the road. There was no one around. He is with me now."
The boy had fallen on a stick and hurt his eye, Amy prescribed medicine as well as children's Tylenol and whatever else they needed. But that answer kept playing in my mind over and over
"I found him."
The woman, by all appearances, didn't have much herself. And here she was taking in a child that was not her own to feed and clothe.
I wonder, how many children are not so fortunate to be found. And if they are found, by whom.
I had my first art class for the kids here in the DR this month.
It went very well and I think the kids had fun. The theme was shapes in everything and next week we will be painting which is my favorite. And hopefully we will take a field trip to the art museum.
The weather is just perfect here. Its a breezy 80ish degrees and I love. I felt a sigh of relief when I returned. I don't know why, but I feel like I am home more than I had in the past.
As soon as I got back we had a double medical clinic to do. No time to settle in, but who needs it anyway. The doctors did a great job ministering to the patients in Los Salados and Hato del Yaque. One particular incident stands out in my mind.
I was translating for Amy, a med student who was seeing patients. It was fun bribing the kids to take the parasite pill even though it tastes terrible. Family after family came to our table and Amy was able to prescribe meds, administer first aid and even send a child to the hospital who was so dehydrated that the doctors said he could have died that night.
While we were working a woman came in with her child. I didn't look up at the woman at first because I was staring at the little boy. I thought that he could quite possibly have been the most beautiful child I had ever seen. Even if he had been small for his age he couldn't be more than three years old. His skin was almost charcoal black and his features were perfect except for the red damaged eye. His countenance was serene showing neither fear nor acceptance. To me he was stunning.
When I looked up at the mom I saw that she was lighter skinned and in the Dominican style dress. The boy was obviously Haitian and the woman was obviously Dominican. Given the racial and political tension between the countries I thought it was interesting that she should bring him, maybe for a neighbor or something.
So I asked "Is he yours?"
It caught my throat when she simply replied "I found him."
"You found him?"
"Yes, on the side of the road. There was no one around. He is with me now."
The boy had fallen on a stick and hurt his eye, Amy prescribed medicine as well as children's Tylenol and whatever else they needed. But that answer kept playing in my mind over and over
"I found him."The woman, by all appearances, didn't have much herself. And here she was taking in a child that was not her own to feed and clothe.
I wonder, how many children are not so fortunate to be found. And if they are found, by whom.
I had my first art class for the kids here in the DR this month.
It went very well and I think the kids had fun. The theme was shapes in everything and next week we will be painting which is my favorite. And hopefully we will take a field trip to the art museum.
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