What's up?

I was a guest post at Or So She Says... I did a post about miscarriage, go check it out!

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A lot of things have been going on here, our year at Los Cacaos is over, and we moved back to the city, it was a bittersweet moment, everyone cried, nobody wanted us to leave and neither did we; but we have to start a new chapter in our lifes preparing ourselves for next year (applying for a residence program).
There is so many things I am going to miss...

...specially the people, we were really treated as family there.

I am grateful for the time we spent at Los Cacaos, all the beatiful people that lives there and all the things we learned. We promised we will always go visit!

Back in the city I am looking for a job and place to live, so wish us luck in this new chapter of our lifes!

Vacations!!

We are on vacation (15 days off) of course we wont be here the whole 15 work days, we'll spend our free time between Los Cacaos and the city (can you tell we are attached to the place).

Our year working there is coming to an end, but we decided to stay for a couple of more month to finish the health project in the community, that will make it easier for future doctors that come and hopefully doctors will keep coming. Los Cacaos is 2 hours away from the big hospital so having doctors right there is really important!!

Yesterday we loaded our car with boxes of milk and meds left from the medical operative we had and went up in the mountain to give it to the people that were unable to come to the operative. We went as far as the vehicule allowed us and then I started going house through house, people were SO happy to recieve this things :)

Today we are back in the city and I had Yaroa for dinner (then I ask myself why I dont loose the weight!). Yaroa is a dump dish originated in the north of DR :) made of either french fries or yellow plantain, your choice of meats, special sauce, mayonaise, ketchup and melted cheese, it is ohhh so YUMMY!The picture does no justice to this delish Dominican dish :) If you ever visit me I will buy you one myself and you will thank me forever ;)

At Los Cacaos...

We had a huge medical operation (operative or however it is called) at Los Cacaos, a group of doctors came from Puerto Rico and we had tons of donations for the people that went, 110 boxes filled with food, clothes, toys and milk for kids, we worked all day but were so happy!

I didnt took a lot of pictures but here are a few...There were over 1000 people there :)My sweet Bayohan with one of the doctors that came.

I still have a lot of milk and baby cereal left that I am giving to my patients that couldnt make it that day :)

We are really grateful for all of this!!

3 Kings Day

Here in DR we celebrate 3 Kings Day, so Bayo and I bought a few toys for some kids in Los Cacaos, since they the kids from the higher part of the mountain have even less chance to get anything, we decided to go there...


We were just able to get a couple of toys, dolls and balls, but this kids never get new toys so they were really happy with just that!See what I told you about the shoes! Just a couple of them had shoes on and they were old about to break ones!Bayohan was the one handing them out, I was behind the camera :) He really enjoys doing this kind of things and is working on some big projects to get tons of help for Los Cacaos.

We have already receive confirmation from the peace corp in the USA, they are sending doctors and equipment for the hospital in february :) and also some donations from some doctors in Puerto Rico in April, they are bringing toys, clothes and medicines.

I am planing on creating a organism to be able to recieve donations from anyone, I will let you all know on that!

2010

We spend New Years Eve at Los Cacaos, but now we are back to the city until monday :)
Last night we had a really good time there, but we felt like being around family, that's why we came.
I really hope this new years brings a lot of blessing for my small family, as you know the end of last year was not so great, but I am looking forward to this brand new year.
Resolutions? well, beside the clasic (loosing weight), I want to do something for the kids at Los Cacaos, I am looking for a way to do it, this kids need the basic, clothes, SHOES (most of them are shoeless) and of course what kid doesnt need a couple of toys, I am planning on asking for donations from big companies here or any used things I can get people to donate.
It's not much but they'll really apreciate anything, I will let you know how that goes...

* I started writing again in Los Cacaos, since I dont have internet there I just save it and post it when I get to the city.

Back home, I want to believe…


December 12th, 2009

I am back home, this really feels like home.
Bayo was nice enough to save me a clean organized, house when I came back, so it only took me a few minutes to put things back the way I like them.
I love seeing the huge smile on the kids faces when they saw me, they were really happy to know that I am staying for good, they also asked me about the baby, it was really hard explaining it, but I really felt good talking about it and not ignoring the subject like it never happened. It did, it was important, but we’re still a family and this is not the end of the journey.
I still want to believe this pain is happening for a reason, in the mean time I’m happy to be back home and to be with Bayo again, he really missed being taken care of, so I’m enjoying doing just that!

Breaks my heart!

I really love children, and people usually know that about me.
The mom's at Los Cacaos like to go to my office, they say I am the "Children's Doctor", since we dont have a pediatrician and I always have kids around me I've become just that!
It breaks my heart into a thousand pieces when they start crying as soon as they see me or when I go near to hear their hearts or lungs they start saying no, no, no! :(
They usually end up leaving with a smile because I try really hard to show them that it's ok and that going to the doctor's office isnt that bad, plus I have lollypops ;)
But it still breaks my heart :/

3 years old skills

What are your 3 years old skills?

Speaks in short sentences?, potty trained?, counts to ten?, drawing with crayon?, going to the market 6 blocks away from home?, buys a diapper for his 9 month old brother? and brings back the change?

The little guy in the picture above cant and does!!

Sometimes as a doctor we learn things by the book, like what are the motor or social skills of a certain age, but we forget how the enviorment changes everything!

Alejandro is just 3 years old, yet he speaks a ton and goes to the market to do chores for his mommy, he brings back the change and knows he is not suppose to go with extrangers, just straight back home, or at least that is what he told me when I offer a ride back home. He lives across from the Hospital and he comes often to play with some car toys I have in my office, but he refused to ride in the car with me :)

He is no genius, I am constantly amazed by the things the kids from Los Cacaos know how to do.

This pics were taken with Bayo's cellphone at Los Cacaos this past week

Yep that is me with a scrub, sthetoscope, crocs and all ;)

We are back here for the weekend and already missing going back to Los Cacaos, like I said before if it wasnt for the lack of internet that would be my paradise.
One of the girls even cried when I left asking me why I had to go, it broke my heart, she was telling me she misses me too much when I have to go, I just told her I had to see my mommy too, she understood... I wonder what will happen once we have to go forever :(
We had a tiny birthday party at Los Cacaos with all the girls to celebrate the never celebrated birthday of all of them, just cake, ballons and silly songs, they were soooo happy. I still have no camera that is the reason why this is a pictureless post (I dont like pictureless ones).
Hopefully I will have it fixed this weekend :)

I hate...

I was out the other night at Los Cacaos and notice a lot of kids wearing school uniforms riding in the back of the garbage truck, I asked one of them why they were up there, it turns out those kids live far up in the mountain (2-4 hours away from school) so they take them back home in the garbage truck, no school bus, the garbage truck, every night (they go to school from 6-11pm) they dump the trash and load the kids back there, no wonder we have so many sick children... I HATE IT!

Los Cacaos and some Cacao :)

Today was a sad day, I've never heard so much pain coming out of someones mouth, the father of the lady that cleans the hospital died today, he was 91 years old and had a prostate cancer, still no one was expecting him to die, actually last week he was up visiting us at the hospital and this week he started feeling weak, I went to his house to put an IV and got to talk to him a little yesterday, I even made him promise me he was going to get better, and he said he will... I guess he is better and no longer sick were he is.
RIP- Don Salvador Here is Bayo holding a fresh from the tree Cacao fruit, the seed is inside.

Cacao: it smells like a 1000 chocolates hit you in the face, yum!!

This is the house of one of the ladies that we often visit in the community.

Sunday

I’m beginning to have a love-hate relationship with this day, at least every other week, because I really want to go to Los Cacaos and work in what I truly love doing (as a doctor and being able to help someone), but also I really want to stay :(
I feel our weekends here go to fast, I wish I could stay and help prepare my Godson’s first birthday, but I also want to get out of the city to my non-stress life there…you cant have it all can you?
See you everyone in 11 days :)

Ambulance

Here is a pic of our new ambulance :)

As promised here is a link of one of the news papper we were in (sorry is in spanish :/)

http://tommygalan.com/articles.php?art_id=79&start=1

And last here is a little video of the news (also in spanish) but you get to see a little part of the speach Bayo gave!

July 27th

We are famous!!!
We got to be in the local news :) The senator came here to Los Cacaos to donate an ambulance that we ask him for and Bayo gave the thank you speech, the local news where here and he even got interview, I was so proud of him, I also got a couple of pictures holding the key, I will look for the link and post it later!
This weekend our families where here and also one of our friends we found a better river and we had a great time there.Things have been going well for us this week, and now that we have the ambulance it will be even better, because we’ll have a better way to handle the emergencies that need to be transported to bigger hospital

That is my mom, a friend and me (in the middle) at the new river!

Back home!

There are no post from los Cacaos this time, because the electricity was a mess this week and I couldnt charge my camera or my laptop.
This weekend home is the usual, a lot of people to visit, tons of things to do before we leave and time just goes by to fast!!!
I promess I will write down things I want to share this upcoming week to able to post more next time we are back.

FFF- Girls :)

This week for FFF I decided to show you pictures of my new friends :) They live next to the Hospital and they think I am the coolest thing ever, because they rather spend the afternoon with me than playing!
They've never seen a camera before, but pretty much knew what to do when I took one out, girls are girls no matter where!

This is me, excuse my shiny forehead but this is after working all day and having 4 girls jumping over me!

This is little one ALWAYS comes, no matter what, she just LOVES being around me even if I am not paying a lot of attention to her and is always telling me: yo quiero mucho a la doctora (I love the doctor). She is so sweet!

She has 5 sisters and 3 brothers and she is the youngest, they are really poor and dont always have food, so I always try to fix her something when she comes, she tried Coca Cola for the first time yestarday and kept talking about the feeling of the gases in her stomach, LOL!

June, 27th

I have been unable to write a lot lately, I am usually tired at the end of the day and I just want to sleep!
Still I want to introduce you to the new member of our family here in “Los Cacaos”, his name is Chavo and he is a Chihuddle (Chihuahua and Puddle), Bayohan says he looks like a Gremlin and that he is the ugliest dog ever, but I think he is cute!
He will be living here with us and we both love him a lot, he is such a sweet puppy :)

FFF- River

We dont have a theme this week for FFF, since we are back home and I get the chance to post more about our life in Los Cacaos, I decided to do river, because I have a couple of pics from the river next to our hospital were we are working!

June 14th, 2009

We went to the river again, but this time I made sure that our batteries were charge, and I was able to take some pics of our day :)
Our families left today, it was a little sad, but we’ll be going home in one week so it wasn’t that bad, and I was happy that they really enjoyed there time here, even if we were unable to spend a lot of time with them because of all the work.

My grandfather, mom and stepfather!