Weekly Update 6/18/12

Sorry for not including very many pictures... Kofi has much more patience than I do!! Also, the internet out here has been AWFUL! This is my 4th attempt in 2 days for uploading this blog.

Since arriving back from my MEDCAP, the ship life has been somewhat quiet but definitely not dull!

One of the islands in which one of the MEDCAPs was stationed had an active volcano. From the ship I could see the smoke steadily streaming out. I found out that the volcano had actually erupted a few weeks ago but it was determined to be safe for the MEDCAP to go out still. The scene was still pretty incredible to see.

The first few days back on the ship, I was very appreciative of the things I missed. Hot showers, real toilets, and hot food were so spoiling! The only thing was that the ship was rocking bad. And after being on land for 6 days, I was not feeling so hot with all the swaying. I simmered down after about 2 days and then I adjusted back fine.

One night, the Captain came over the loud speaker saying all decks were closed due to inclement weather. This is unusual since the smoking deck is always open at-your-own-risk so I knew it must be bad. Of course, everyone in the pharmacy immediately jumped up and swarmed at the windows in the hall. The sky was completely gray and you couldn’t even see the water it was raining so hard. After the storm passed, it remained windy the rest of the night. Apparently during the night, one of the transport boats was severely damaged by the wind and being smashed into the Mercy. Also, the ramp used to get patients from the Mercy to the transport boats was destroyed and now sits at the bottom of the ocean. It remained very windy for the next few days and therefore all plans to leave for closing ceremonies were cancelled. Everyone getting off for flights as well as patients getting off after treatments, had to be lowered down to the transport boats by the life rafts. It was quite the ordeal for all the people to get off the boat. Helo ops were not an option due to the winds.

In our downtime for the rest of Indonesia, we watched movies and played games in the pharmacy pretty much all day. We did take some time to palletize the Philippine MEDCAP medications on some mornings.

Four of the girls I met when we got on in Guam left on the 14^th. I was sad to see them go since I started my journey here with them and wouldn’t be finishing it together. They were some pretty amazing people that I will definitely be friends with for a long time. And I’m glad I got to spend an amazing few weeks with such great people.

That Saturday, the 16^th, we got an official holiday routine! Finally, we got to sleep in since we didn’t have to muster until 0930 instead of the usual 0700. We even had abbreviated meal schedule since they served brunch. Some of the Project Hope people still here and I decided to rent a Wii and some games from MWR. We spent the day playing Mario and Just Dance, which was definitely a great break from everything. After dinner I brought the Wii down to pharmacy to store for the night but we actually ended up playing for hours! It was hilarious to see our Commander and all the Navy guys (and girls) to play Just Dance and actually be in to it. We had a great time with everyone and it was definitely nice to relax and hang out together.

As we began our 3-day journey to the Philippines, we received a news release warning us of a typhoon currently hammering the location we were headed to. As we got close to the Philippines, the weather picked up and it was extremely windy outside and therefore the ship was swaying bad.

On one of the days we were in transit, there was a ‘frocking’ ceremony held. This is a formal ceremony in which people eligible for promotions are pinned and recognized. There was one young man from our pharmacy department being promoted so we all went to support. It was pretty neat to see the official changing of ranks and formal dress of the ‘frockies.’

There was also a birthday celebration one afternoon during transit. The Army turned 237 years old! They made a huge cake and celebrated all the Army personnel on board. It was pretty cool seeing all branches of the military hang out together and celebrating.

After leaving Indonesia, some people started getting sick. As it became more prevalent, officials determined we had Viral Gastroenteritis spreading on the ship. As of yesterday, at least 30 people have been quarantined on one of the wards to prevent further spreading, if possible. Preventative Medicine also decided to remove all self-service food items from the Mess Decks since they thought that might be a possible source of the virus. So no salad, no fresh cut fruit, and any sandwich bread has already been pre-saran-wrapped to prevent hands touching everything. It’s been weird at meal-time since our options are so limited now. So far, 2 people in the pharmacy department have come down with the virus and are in isolation down in one of the Wards with the other contaminees.

Yesterday, the USNS Richard E. Byrd came up next to us for a few hours to refuel us and restock some of our supplies. It was an amazing sight to see! The helicopter was lifting pallets of supplies off the ship and dropping them off on the Mercy while they refueled. The whole process took hours but was very cool to watch. Kofi and I stood on the outer deck for awhile talking to one of the Navy guys about how the whole process works and some facts about the ship. He was very friendly and helpful.

Well, that’s all I have for an update!  Hopefully I’ll update you all again soon now that we’re in the Philippines.

DAY 3: 06/11/12

I was up and ready for the day at 0530 today. I had already had one full day of work on the mission under my belt and knew what to expect. I was invigorated by our exploits as a team the previous day and was stoked and ready to work harder to achieve better results today. I had no doubt in my mind that we will do better in terms of the number of patients we take care of and our quality of delivery. We were better acquainted with our formulary: what is on it, where they can be located and their major counseling points. We knew the major drugs prescribed by the providers present on the mission and the most prevalent disease states and conditions presented on the mission. A cursory look outside the perimeter of our camp revealed that the locals had already converged outside the camp waiting to be seen. It was a bigger crowd than I witnessed in the early morning of the previous day. I did also see some buses parked where the locals had gathered. I found out later from the resident doctor that those buses had actually transported patients from neighboring villages to our clinic. I knew it was going to be a hectic day, but I also knew that this indefatigable and resourceful team of ours was up to the task. I was ready to go!

We, as usual had our morning muster at 0700, after we had had some breakfast. It was suggested at this morning’s muster by one of the providers that the pharmacy provide the three clinics with some of the medications popularly prescribed by them to be given to the patients after they are seen, in an effort to take some of the load off the pharmacy department. This was accessed by our Pharmacist to be a good idea since a majority of the medications requested did not require extensive counseling. Ibuprofen, the NSAID of choice for most of the providers, particularly the Dental Clinic, adult and pediatric multivitamins and albendazole were some of the medications approved. This proved to be very efficient in treating and dispatching the numerous teeth extraction patients who were only prescribed painkillers and other patients whose conditions only warranted uncomplicated regimen. It really did help to relieve some pressure off our department, considering the size of the crowd today.

We were however still inundated with prescription to be filled. I was however actually enjoying the busy work. I felt more confident about my counseling skills, I could locate the medications on the prescriptions with little effort and we had developed a more efficient way of reconstituting our drugs. We had also established good rapport with our interpreters and were in sync with them. I had gotten to know more about the culture of the locals and could relate with them better. Everything was working seamlessly well and nothing was going to slow us down! The whole mission had seen 670 patients when we shut down operations at 1530. It was a very productive day for us and it was all made possible by virtue of our astounding teamwork.

                                               The wonderful team at the Pharmacy

A couple of the team members and the interpreters found it fitting to head to the beach and cool off after the evening’s muster. We took the opportunity to see more of the village on our way to the beach and fraternize with the locals. I volunteered the customary greeting of “salamat sorre” to every local I encountered. They always responded to my greetings with giggles and an obvious sense of amusement. They still loved us and trooped out of their houses to catch a glimpse and greet us! Sitting in front of one of those house with his mother and screaming “Mister, Mister” was this adorable and playful little kid. I went over to acknowledge him and say hello. I unleashed the Indonesian phrase of the day I had learnt from our interpreters: “Nama saya Kofi” and then pointed to the kid to say, “my name is Kofi, what is yours?” The mother instantly replied “Obama”. I asked: Obama? The mother nodded in agreement and I instinctively whipped up my camera! I just had to get a picture of Obama, with the consent of the mother!

                                                                     Obama

The beach had an awesome and scenic backdrop with sprawling, peaceful mountains, green and lush vegetation. A lot of the locals were already there at sunset to take a swim. Some had also followed us there. It was a breathtaking and welcoming environment with kids running around playfully with no care in the world. The water was calm, inviting and full of revelers. I would not be left out of the fun so I wasted no time diving in and having a swim. The cool water was just the escape I needed from the sweltering heat. I had a wonderful time carry kids on my shoulders as they jump into the rushing waves and also taking pictures with all the locals who requested them. We came back to the camp, cleaned up and honored the invitation by the wife of the Mayor to her home for dinner. Dinner was noodles cooked in spicy vegetable soup, just what I needed to fight off the cold I felt coming on then. I went to bed that night feeling a bit feverish and had to take some medication.....

                                                                   At the beach
 

MEDCAP 2: Day 6

I was up and moving by 0415. I quickly got dressed and started packing up my cot and mosquito net. Everyone was bustling around to get everything packed up. I had just gone to the bathroom for what I hoped was the last time there when I heard the helo. I got SO excited to know we were being saved! It dawned on me to check my watch and it was only 0530 so I knew something was up. Sure enough, word at muster 15 min later was that the helo had only dropped some nets and logistic men and wouldn’t be returning until the afternoon after placing MEDAP 5 (Kofi). So we weren’t saved yet…

After hearing that news, I was crabby and smelly (no real shower for going on 6 days) and tired. We finished cleaning up the school area and walked over to the helo site. After about 30 minutes the OIC decided we would just hang out back at the school for a few hours so we would be out of the sun. He also gave us liberty but made it clear that if you heard the helos you betting be running because they weren’t going to wait for anyone. We went back to the school and sat on the steps again for about an hour before a group of 4 of us decided to take one last walk down to the market. So we walked and talked for the ½ mile journey. It was me, Flying Officer Warren (Sam), 2^nd OIC Moreno-Chow, and the Dental Hygenist Shannon. As soon as we got there, I went straight to the store with the cold drinks a bought an ice cold soda. It was SO refreshing, I could feel my bad mood melting away. We just so happened to walk by the beach just as our translators were leaving by boat. We frantically waved and wished them well. We walked around and bought some snacks and such before heading up the hill back to the school. When we got back, we sat and chatted for about an hour before I finally laid back on the tile and fell asleep. I woke up a while later very stiff and uncomfortable, but feeling quite refreshed. However, my uncomfortable nap quickly left my memory when a local woman brought over a whole container of fresh, fried bananas. I cannot even describe how AMAZING fried bananas are. I was definitely in heaven. I ate 2 and would have had more if they weren’t so filling. We began to chat again as a thunderstorm rolled in. The rain didn’t stop the guys from playing basketball with the kids though. I couldn’t help but think to myself that the storm was delaying our departure. I was beyond ready for a shower! We mustered again around 1200 to get our stick assignments for the helo ride back before walking back over to the field. Thank the Lord I was on stick #1!! That meant a shower sooner than later! So we walked back up to the field where by now all the bleachers and areas surrounding were filled with people watching and waiting. We waited for what seemed like eternity with people constantly asking us for photos. I was so disgusting, I can’t imagine why they would want a picture of me. Some people would even just walk up, not say anything, snap a photo, and then just walk away.

Finally, around 1300, the helo came and got the COMS guys going to the next MEDCAP. About 15 min later, another helo came for stick 1 (me!) and we left as quickly as we arrived. The first thing I did when returning to the ship was shower, of course. I then threw on some PT gear since that was the only clean clothes I had.  I immediately threw the nasty clothes I was wearing in the wash. We had to muster 1 last time as a group once all the people were back and I refused to wear those clothes without cleaning them. It felt soooo good to be back on the ship and get clean. My gear didn’t get back until later that evening so I had to wait to do all my laundry with everyone else getting back that night. I was so exhausted by the time I went to bed I couldn’t fall asleep. My thoughts were cycling over the experiences from the past 6 days as I finally closed my eyes in my own bed. 

MEDCAP 2: Day 5

We got up at 0530 for 0630 muster to start seeing patients at 0700. Before we mustered, I sat on the steps while Sam and I shared one of the avocadoes we received last night. It was perfectly ripe and fresh and creamy! As I sat there trying to enjoy my breakfast, I couldn’t help but notice that I was already sweating profusely and I knew then that it would be a long day. However, shortly after muster, our interpreters arrived with lots of yummy snacks and it made me smile at their kindness. We have definitely been blessed with some amazing translators. They brought cakes, cookies, more mini bananas, banana chips, and “mocktails.” It definitely brightened my day!

We immediately starting to get patients flowing through and our last treatment day began. I got a lunch break around 1130 for about 40 minutes. Otherwise, we went straight through from 0700-1900. There was a point around 1500 when we had to stop filling prescriptions and do a full inventory of our remaining supplies per the OIC (Officer In Charge). We were closed for about 30 minutes. By the time we were back up and running, we had a room full of people waiting and a large stack of prescriptions waiting to be filled. It was like this for the rest of the day! Dental had stopped taking patients around 1100 due to lack of lidocaine needed to perform procedures and sent some people over to help us out. We got a volunteer to help us fill and once we got an extra person, things seemed to flow much better.  Dr. Bemiller even came over after seeing her last patient to help us finish up. It was definitely a group effort and I’m so lucky to have had the chance to work with such amazing people. Without a group effort, the day could have possibly ended pretty miserably. After we finished filling our last prescription, I went and sat on the steps outside of the pharmacy, as usual, to reflect upon the day.  And again, there were some of our troops playing basketball with the kids. It amazed me that no matter how hot or how long of a day we had, they would still play with them.

As patients slowly filtered out, equipment and more people came in. They began to set up speakers for our piesta (festival)! As we sat and watched, our interpreters brought out the ‘mocktails’ and we sat there together reflecting on the week and playing some games. The drink was of course non-alcoholic and made with young papaya and juice. As the crowd grew, the local officials began a ceremony with out OICs in which they exchanged kind words and gifts. When they were finished, they invited everyone to dance. It took a few minutes until the local governor took initiative and started a congo line in which he, as the leader, would start a dance move that everyone else had to copy. It was pretty hilarious since us Americans are so tall compared to most of the Indonesians. I sat and watched everyone just taking it all in. About half-way thought the dance, a young man came up to me and asked why I wasn’t dancing. He may have asked me to dance as well but I wasn’t sure since his English wasn’t very clear. I told him politely that I was perfectly content to watch and dancing wasn’t my thing. He sat down next to me and we sat in silence watching everyone else. Slowly people began to leave the dance area as the music transitioned to a new song. The young man excused himself to catch up to one of his buddies. About 20 minutes later the music stopped, people starting leaving, and we began to clean. As I got up to get my things together and get ready for bed, one of the translators stopped me and another girl on the MEDCAP explaining that these 2 young men wanted to trade mementos. We both stood there slightly taken off guard, frantically trying to think of something to give them. The interpreter said even an American dollar would be cool to give them and I thought, prefect! So I went to get my wallet and met back with my friend, the 2 guys, and the translator a few minutes later. The first guy handed my friend a glow-in-the-dark beaded rosary which was really cool! The guy I traded with gave me a heavy metal necklace with his name engraved on the dog tag. I told the interpreter that I couldn’t accept this gift! He relayed the message to the young man and he was insistent that I keep it as a memento and thanking me for the American dollar. I was extremely flattered and shocked that he was so willing to give such a personal item to me for just $1! We said our goodbyes and took a picture since it was already 2200. We mustered shortly after that and were told to be up by 0415 to start packing up our gear since the helos would be arriving around 0600. I therefore hit the rack immediately after the meeting.

DAY 2: 06/10/12

I was woken up today by the sound of roosters crowing in the early morning at 0510. The tiring activities of the previous day made for a sound sleep even in this hot and musty weather. I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to take care of some patients. I took a peek out of the opened windows of this classroom that was our dormitory to get a feel of the fresh morning breeze and to my utter surprise saw numerous silhouettes dotted in the darkness of the early morning. The locals had already started gathering outside the perimeter of our camp, waiting to be seen! Our clinic was scheduled to begin at 0800 and gathered here at 0510 were these committed and resilient people eager to take full advantage of the vast array of health services we were about to offer them free of charge. I freshened up, got some breakfast and got ready for the morning muster at 0700. We converged at the forecourt of our camp promptly at 0700, had the morning muster to ensure that all 59 military personnel and volunteers on the team were accounted for. We then deliberated on the form our workflow for the clinic will take. It was decided that patients at the entrance of the perimeter would wear color-coded bands before they are allowed passage into the perimeter. The red, orange and green bands would be used to identify patients getting services from our three main clinics: General medical care, Optometry and Dental care. Once banded, the patients would proceed to a patient admission desk placed close to the perimeter’s entrance where patients’ information will be collected, SOAP notes formulated and vital statistics taken, if needed. The patient would then be directed to the appropriate clinic they would need care from. After receiving care, the patients would head to the Pharmacy to receive their medications and the concomitant counseling points for those medications. The patient will then be ushered to the discharge desk, the last point of care right by the Pharmacy, have his band taken off and then directed out of the perimeter. We also had a makeshift laboratory set up in one of the classrooms for basic lab works like glucose checks etc. This workflow proved very efficient in ensuring that the crowd was controlled and patients were seen in an orderly fashion. The crowd had blown up into hundreds of people by the time we completed our morning huddle. After a meeting of our Operations Commander with some community leaders, it was communicated to us that the locals had made a request for us to start the day with a brief church service since it was a Sunday, a church day for the community. We readily obliged to their request and after about forty minutes of a fun service which included a sermon in Indonesian, a rendition of  “Amazing Grace” performed by us, the team and a customary offering, we started seeing patients at 0900.

                                    Locals gathering early in the morning

    

The Pharmacy was spared the initial hustle and bustle that was evident in other departments of our mission during the first few minutes the clinics were opened but began to see an influx of patients who had already received care from the various clinics at about 0930. This was a sign of how busy we will be the whole day. Unlike the three clinics, the Pharmacy had to see virtually all the patients who entered the perimeter. They had to get their prescriptions filled by us regardless of the clinic they sought care from! Thanks to the good teamwork of the Navy Pharmacist, the Navy Pharmacy Technician, our three Indonesian interpreters, and myself we were able to keep the line in check, giving the patients their medications with the appropriate counseling and getting them on their way in an average time of about four minutes. The fact that our three interpreters had prior counseling experience with MEDCAP 2 was a tremendous factor in ensuring that they had an idea of the messages we were trying to convey to the patients, resulting in efficient and effective counseling sessions with the patients. I instantly picked the Indonesian phrase for the first question we required them to ask all the patients in regards to whether they had any drug allergies; “Allergy oba?” and took the liberty to ask the patients when I had to wait for an available interpreter. It got so busy at that pharmacy that we barely had time for lunch. We had decided as a team to shut down operations at 1230 for lunch but the pharmacy still had patients trickling in after 1230 because we had to get their prescriptions from the various providers the few remaining patients had seen prior to the shutdown filled before we could take our lunch. We saw the last patient before the shutdown at about 1250 and therefore had to be content with a 15-minute lunch before the first patient for the afternoon session walked in. The afternoon session went pretty much like the morning session with a steady traffic of patients. The last patient for the day walked out of the pharmacy at about 1545.

The whole mission saw about 480 patients on the first day. The majority of medications dispensed on the day by the pharmacy were pain medications. The Dentists at the Dental Clinic performed a little more than a hundred tooth extractions only in the first day, hence the high number of prescriptions for pain medications. We also received an appreciable number of hydrocortisone, bacitracin and neomycin prescriptions for various dermatological conditions. The Optometry Clinic also wrote a lot of prescriptions for artificial tears on this day. It was a grueling day filled with brisk commuting to and from our pile of medications lined against the walls of this classroom, reconstitution of medications and nonstop verbal and physical communication. The sheer number of patients we were seeing and the realization of the tangible difference we were making in the lives of these lovely people was however the boost I needed to ensure that I felt no sense of fatigue whatsoever all through the day. We got together again as a team in the evening to reflect on our performance for the days and to fine-tune it for a better performance the next day. I had an MRE dinner of roast beef, took a bath with water drawn from the well and retired to bed early, knowing too well what awaits me the next day…….

MEDCAP 2: Day 4

I actually slept pretty good last night for the first time since being here. When I say 'good,' I mean that I only woke up a few times instead of every 30 minutes. We started bright and early, mustering at 0700 to start seeing patients at 0730. It was busy all day from the beginning and HOT. I definitely sweat all day and had to take a few water breaks throughout since I started feeling over-heated. I did have the opportunity to counsel patients on information Sam had me look up. It was a great refresher for some of those meds I haven't seen in awhile. It was a heart-warming experience to be able to educate the people and inform them some possible side effects as well as counseling points they should be aware of. This way, they can better understand the medication and not be alarmed when something happens.
The interpreters brought us some fresh fruit in the morning so I spent most of the day trying some amazing fruit. Some of it I really liked and some things I really didn't. The local people hosting us, specifically the governors's wife, made us shrimp fried rice for lunch. Although I'm not a fan of shrimp or rice, I tried it and it was pretty good since it was so fresh. Our interpreters also brought us sweet buns and banana chips. Both which were A-MAZING! At the end of a long, hot day, we finally got to sit down and relax in the slight breeze that there was. As we sat on the steps in front of the pharmacy once again, I realized everyone was in the middle of the school compound playing. There was a basketball game going on in the middle, frisbee on one side, and volleyball on the other. All the kids were participating too. It was a beautiful evening once we stopped running around and had the chance to sit and catch our breath.
We had a good half hour break before muster where we were told we could have liberty for 2 hours that night in groups of no less than 5.Sam immediately told us to go change as she went to talk to the chief. She got permission for us to go to the local pharmacist's house to meet her family as well as the Governor's house where our interpreters were staying. I was really excited to see what the locals call home. We ended up having quite a large group come with us. When we got to the house, they had a whole spread of for for us and insisted that we grab a plate and enjoy. I was again shocked by their kindness and generosity. The food I had was delicious, of course, and I ate everything on my plate. I did avoid the meat knowing that they typically eat dog. After socializing over our meal, we went over to Yvonne's home (the local pharmacist) to meet her family. They were so gracious that we came by! They invited us in and offered us some fresh fruit and avocados. The fruit was amazing and SO yummy! And the avacado we took to eat later. We couldn't stay long since we had to be back for muster. We apologized for our short visit, said thanks for their kind gifts, and said our goodbyes before heading back to camp for the night. That evening at muster we found out that our last day would be a full day instead of a half but Commander said he knew we were a great group and could push through still giving quality care. He was definitely a great motivator for us. Since we knew it would be a long day, we decided to pack it in early for the night and get some sleep!

Hello! Greetings from the lovely people of Essang, Talaud in North Sulewesi. I know I have been missing in action for a while. I was a medical mission with my MEDCAP as scheduled for 5 days. I am back on the ship with a plethora of stories and life-changing experiences that I hope to serialize and share with you in the next couple of days. At the risk of sounding trite I will once again go ahead and state that this mission have been magical, a thrill ride and a trip of a lifetime! Every week I have spent on this mission seems bring me experiences and stories that surpass the previous week's experience! I have heard stories, been touched by people and had experiences in the last three weeks that many people do not have the privilege of experiencing in their lifetime!   

DAY 1: 06/09/12

I woke up on this day at 0330 anxious and giddy about the mission we were about to embark on. I was a team member of the last MEDCAP on this mission in Indonesia visiting the remote Island of Essang, Talaud. Being that remote, it was decided that the most reliable way to get us there was by a helicopter. We therefore mustered and gathered as a team at 0445 in the early morning for a helo (helicopter) safety brief. This being my first ride on a helicopter, the safety brief did not help in calming my nerves as it mainly centered on what to do in case the helicopter crashed. I am however positive these are life-saving information we needed to know in case the unthinkable happened. We were then dismissed for breakfast and instructed to reconvene by the helicopter pad at 0645 for the beginning of the flight-ops (flight operations). We were transported in batches of eight with me being on the third batch of personnel to get on the helicopter. At 0730 we were fitted with safety helmets, goggles, floatation devices and ushered to the helicopter pad where got on the helicopter in the midst of ferocious winds from the blades of the helicopter. Once airborne, my anxiety evaporated and was replaced by pure euphoria at the beautiful spectacle of the calm blue sea, gently caressing this huge ship and the lush, green Islands that appeared on the horizon. The view from up there coupled with fresh breeze emanating from the opened doors of the helicopter made the ride magical and awe-inspiring. We landed after about 15 minutes in the air on a swampy field and were greeted by hundreds of cheering locals lined around this field who will not be deterred by the flying leaves and debris as a result of the ferocious winds churned out but the helicopter. Obviously our presence was a huge deal for them! They had never had a helicopter land on their Island and this was a show everybody out there wanted to see!

Essang, one of the Islands of Talaud in the North Sulawesi province of Indonesia is a small remote Island with a population of about 2000 people. It is mostly swampy with a green vegetation. Unlike residents in most parts of Indonesia who are Muslims, majority of the indigenes of North Sulawesi are practicing Christians. The people were very nice, welcoming and hugely appreciative of our presence. They gave us the royal treatment, with their main road adorned with flags and village folks cheering us and singing songs as we proceeded from the helicopter landing area to our mission’s base on the Island’s elementary school. The mayor of the Island, the resident doctor of the Island’s clinic, some medical personnel from the Island and other dignitaries met us at our base. We exchanged pleasantries and mingled with the locals who had gathered to greet us and acceded to numerous requests for photo-ops from the locals with their cell phones, which is turning out to be a constant fixture in the whole mission. There is always the constant refrain of “Mister, poto?” whenever we are with the people on this mission! We got together after all the team members, together with our gears and supplies were airlifted from the ship to our base on the Island and after a muster and a brief meeting begun the arduous tasking of setting up camp. We made a dumpster from the pallets that carried our supplies and put up some tents that would serve as our bathrooms. Those bathrooms were however not an option for me as the tents sat too low and the whole process involved in taking a bath in there and attending to natures call was too cumbersome for me to consider. The sweltering atmosphere that prevailed in these tents also contributed to its lack of appeal to the majority of the personnel on this mission. We then set up our sleeping cots with mosquito nets in one of the classrooms that housed our medications for the mission. This classroom also served as the pharmacy for the mission during the day. 

We were introduced to our Indonesian interpreters: Ray, Patrice and Mea when they got to the camp in the late afternoon. They were of immense help and taught us about the culture and some few Indonesian phrases. My favorite phrase to the patients was “segera sembuh“, meaning get well soon. It never failed to elicit smiles on the faces on the patients whenever I said that to them! I was drenched in sweat and was badly in need of a shower after we completed setting up camp and the pharmacy. I therefore contacted some of the locals living nearby, with the help of our interpreters about taking a bath in their bathroom. They readily obliged to this request to use their bathroom. The bathroom I was ushered to was a small tiled cubicle with a porcelain-decorated hole dug on the floor farther by the side. This hole served as the toilet. This space essentially serves a dual role of a shower cabinet and a toilet. There was neither a pipe nor a shower in this bathroom. They showed me a well nearby and offered to draw water from this well for my bath. Due to my eagerness to experience things for myself and not be treated like a royal, I insisted on drawing the water myself. It was tricky at first and the locals got a kick out of my initial struggles but I got the hang of it after a few tries. I drew my bucket of water and got my much-needed bath. We then got together as a team to have lunch, the ubiquitous MRE (Meals Ready to Eat), reflect on our progress and plan for the days ahead. We were dismissed after lunch to do a little bit of sightseeing, rest and prepare for the next day. In the evening, we feasted on a buffet of Indonesian cuisine prepared by a local family who were gracious enough to invite the whole team to their home for dinner. That was a really good dinner; I have fallen in love with Indonesian food! I went to bed early in the evening in my tiny sleeping cot nestled in the hot and humid classroom with the rather noisy chirping of the numerous crickets to boot but fully happy and content with the obvious ecstasy that our mission and presence have brought to these nice people…..