Shangri-La

After a three hour bus trip up into the mountains that included a land slide that temporaily blocked the road and a near stampede as a herd of cattle met us head on on the road, we arrive at the camp high in the mountains. The camp, despite its primitive living conditions(at least for us) -- two story cement bunkhouses under corrogated roofs with what will turn out to be only occasional electricity, cold showers and sometimes no running water at all, is Shangri-La. The bunkhouses and open air dinning hall under a slanted roof are surrounded by lush green tropical trees, many fruitbearing. The view is spectacular -- green mountains, sometimes shrouded in clouds. We are, in fact, above the clouds.



We take a fifteen minute ride into the town where we enter the hospital for the first time. The initial view is impressive. It looks like a 1950's era building -- one floor, but when we walk in, it is as if it is the hospital of a town that has fled an alien onslaught with just enough time to strip the hospital of most of its equipment.



The place is deserted. The rooms we will use are dark and spare. I am of initial use, standing on a step ladder to change the light bulbs in the cieling.



Paramedic to the rescue!

We set up two operating rooms, a preop, post op room, a post post op room where the families can take care of the patients when they are stable enough to leave post-op, a supply room, and an equipment sterilization room. The anesthetists seem initially puzzled by the ancient machines they will have to use to gas and ventilate the patients. The patient rooms have old stained mattresses, no pillows and no sheets. The only room with is AC is the operating room. The patient rooms appear to have little to no ventilation at all.

Nevertheless by the end of the day the place actually looks like it may work. We'll start seeing patients tomorrow.

Jesus asks me if I want to play pool in the town with him and some of the other Dominicans. I am excited to go, but then the power grid goes out, and so we stay at the camp and play dominoes instead.

I go to bed early. Jesus snores like a snorting bull. The cement room vibrates. He sleeps so soundly despite nearly everyone talking about how unbelivable his snoring is, he does not awaken. One doctor asks if anyone has a hammer.

I sleep poorly, anxious about the next day. The assignment nurse has told me I will be in the OR. While that prospect is interesting, I mention I do speak some Spanish and can do IVs as well, whatever is needed. She says well maybe I can help the nurses out in pre-op translating if I'm not needed in the OR.