Long days and short nights!

Hi everyone...we just finished our 2nd day of work. We are working 12 hour days in the surgical ward...lots of interesting stuff going on. If you want to know what the hospital looks like, imagine every scary movie you have seen that takes place in an old haunted sanitorium...very old with lots of cold white tile. We see a lot of things that scare us in terms of being sanitary, but they do the best they can with what they have. Today it was pouring rain so by the end of the days there was a lot of water dripping from various places on the ceiling. There are always people lined up waiting to be treated and people who come to plead their case in hopes of getting in to see us. All the locals that work there are very nice to us and really appreciate us being there. Our whole team is really great and a lot of fun. I am the only non-medical person on the team so I am in charge of supplies, records, and team funds. Cris, Judy and the rest of the team spend most of the time in the operating rooms. While they are there, if they aren´t needing things, I usually play with kids who are lined up in the hallway waiting to be treated or coming out of surgery....these kids are not allowed to have their parents there, so they are usually very scared and crying. This morning there was this beautiful little girl--probably 4 or 5 years old. Her entire right arm and torso were burned when a boiling pot of beans fell off the stove on to her. It was so sad. They have given me the opportunity to sit in on some of the surgeries, but I am afraid if I see blood I will get sick or pass out. Maybe by the end of the trip I will get up the courage. We are all doing well--enjoying the experience and learning a lot!

Jodi