|
|
|
David H Eldridge OD
Special Events
| | Guatemala Trip 09 Part 1
|
| | Date: | March 07,2009 |
| | Time: | |
| | Location: |
|
|
Hello from Guatemala,
Here I am again finishing our 3rd day of cilinic. I wanted to send an email blog to our patients so here it goes;
REPORT FROM GUATEMALA:
Once again I find myself in rural Guatemala. Aside from Guatemala City and Antigua it seems that most of Guatemala is rural. What seemed to be a small village during my last trip seems a major metroplis compared to this location. This village, Tzununa, has had very little exposure to Westerners. The 3,000 Mayan people living here speak Kaqchikel, one of 28 Mayan dialects in the country. Although they are relatively close to other villages surrounding the Lake ,the steep mountainside and expense of boat travel make leaving the village difficult. The community has become somewhat isolated. The villagers have become reserved and distrustful of outsiders after years of being mistreated by the government. Our host, the only Westerner living in Tzununa, is an anthropologist and retired professor from the University of Chicago. He is very protective over the villagers and shares with us his deep knowledge of the Mayan culture and mentality. The women of our group are required to wear ankle lenth skirts, and picture taking is frowned upon.
Tzununans are very traditional people and are very timid around us. Although as modest as they are, the women have no qualms about breast feeding their infants whenever and where ever they are...including during an eye exam. The women are dressed in burgundy blouses with ankle length black skirts. The mothers wear a sute´, which is a woven hammock-like contraption on their backs to carry their infants. In one quick movement they swing the baby around into breast feeding postion. Getting the baby into the blanket is a talent refined over many children.
The children outside our clinic play happily together and seem healthy and in good spirits. We had the opportunity to observe and examine many of them.
I have to close for now. The internet cafe is closing in 2 minutes.
I`ll finish tomorrow
Until then,
Dr. Eldridge
|
| |
|
| | Guatemala Trip 09 Part 2
|
| | Date: | March 09 |
| | Time: | |
| | Location: |
|
|
This is the final installment on my experience in Guatemala.
The trip ended after 5 days in clinic followed by a 2 day R&R in the ancient city of Tikal. In all the 22 members of our team examined 1200 patients, dispensed sunglasses to each one in addition to medication to treat ocular infections and inflammations. We absorbed the cost of sending 5 patients to a regional medical center for cataract extraction including the treatment and overnight stay.
Medical care in these small villages has, for centuries, been provided by caregivers known as shamans. Interestingly they have developed their own specialties. After an accident aboard our commuting boat, one of our group was seen by an orthopedic shaman who did provide some relief with repositioning a shoulder joint, massage and rubbing with a mysterious stone which he wouldn't permit any of us to see.. " It would lose it's powers".
We began to realize the extent of our cultural divide when we learned that people in the next village were far too busy trying to lift a curse upon their village than to see us for eye care. Some superstitions are deeply felt.
At no time on this trip did I feel resentment or hostility toward us. The faces of people we observed seemed content and they appeared to relate well to one another. Lack of TV and computers limits their view of the outside world and its complexity.
I'm attaching several pictures representing the town of Tzununa and its indigenous population as seen from our clinic that was housed in the local school. Please enjoy them.
Best, David Eldridge
|
| |
|
| | Guatemala Trip 08
|
| | Date: | April 5, 2008 |
| | Time: | |
| | Location: |
|
|
REPORT FROM GUATEMALA
With no small amount of trepidation, I set out on April 5 for Guatemala along with a team of 25 members from "I Care International." My impression of Guatemala has been formed over the years by media reports of civil strife, poverty, and disease. I placed my trust in the judgment of the mission leader in selecting this clinic site.
A direct flight from LAX brought us to Guatemala City by 7:30 AM, where we hooked up with other members of our team arriving from diverse areas of the US. Our group included several optometrists, 3 cataract surgeons, and a number of very enthusiastic volunteers from a large variety of backgrounds.
The 3-hour shuttle from the airport to Lake Atitlan brought our members to our destination, along with medications, examination instruments, 4,700 pairs of pre-sorted glasses, and equipment for cataract extraction.
We examined over 400 patients per day, including locals and indigenous mountain tribesmen from the many villages in the area.
It was an exhilarating but exhausting experience, working with Mayan tribespeople, who speak ancient languages such as Kaqanikel, and often are unable to communicate with nearby communities. The challenge has been to obtain interpreters who speak these languages and can translate them into Spanish, with a second interpreter translating to English.
After the initial shake out period we established an effective patient flow and treated the eye problems as well as we could in the region. It was a rare blessing to have our cataract patients operated on during our stay. These cataracts were far more disabling than any we see in the US due to their maturity, and are much more difficult to remove.
We were all impressed by the good nature of the Guatemalans, the colorful attire and culture of the tribespeople, and of course the large variety of eye problems that they bring to us.
I can't say enough about my fellow group members. They are dedicated to doing a good job without complaint while working under difficult conditions. They are all resourceful and interesting people to work with.
In spite of numerous past trips of this kind, I continue to be amazed at what can be accomplished. I've discovered that I can examine an infant while he is still asleep, a nursing mother, diagnose rare disorders seen only in textbooks in the US, etc, etc.
Needless to say, it’s been another incredibly rewarding experience.
Signing off--
David Eldridge
|
| |
|
|
