So we saw stephen today in prison.
Thank-you to all of you who remembered us and him in your prayers.
He was in good spirits, seemed in good health, and was very happy to see us.
The most noticable effect from 5yrs in prison here is that he mixes a lot of spanish words into his english.
He told us how he shares his cell with 5 others. Fortunately they get along well and look out for each other. Food is the standard local guyo pinto (rice and peas) but of a pretty poor quality and not hygienically prepared. He is able to cook his own food as and when he has the means to buy ingredients.
Medicines (even stiches) he has had to pay for if he is able. He remembers a time after sustaining an injury to his arm when he was not able to get even paracetamol.
There is not a lot to do. Work is a privelege for a few because it earns money and there is not enough work for everyone.
He seems to be managing very well in a hard hard place.
Next week brendan hopes to return with some books and a bit more food.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
San Juan del sur
We had a couple of days on the pacific coast - San juan del sur, in the far south west of the country.
Staying in a mosquito infested hovel (because it was cheap) and spending our days, reading, swimming and relaxing.
oh and watching the sun go down...........
ok so that is the yealm estuary but who was to know?
Sunday, December 28, 2008
First week of work
On the first day of work my patients said to me: "dfljbdnf daflbndf ldnf ldfjbn" I'm afraid I didn't really have a clue what they were saying.
It was a struggle. Guess the diagnosis
On the second day of work My patients said to me: "Machete". I understood this word and linked it to the large ammount of blood and the cut and I think we reached the diagnosis.
On the third day of work My patients said to me: "Si, no" because I worked out that if I just aske lots of questions with yes/no answers I get a lot further.
(Any GP trainers reading this, I promise I haven't forgotten the importance of open questions, its just a phase I'm going through)
On the fourth day of work my patients said to me: "I can't afford inhalers". This 13 month old was wheezing away and had apparently has had frequent similar episodes. He had a deformity of his chest wall that would fit with lots of brething problems. I'm going to see him at the clinic run by SIFT (the charity I'm working for here) when they start in january. There we will have a lot more medicines available for free. Hopefully we can arrange some good follow up for him.
By the end of the week, the language was becoming a little less fo a mystery. The reasons poeple see a doctor here are getting alittle clearer and I am getting a little more confident.
I've now wandered down to the pacific coast to have a swim, or to ahve a couple of days fo swimming. Life should never be all work eh?
It was a struggle. Guess the diagnosis
On the second day of work My patients said to me: "Machete". I understood this word and linked it to the large ammount of blood and the cut and I think we reached the diagnosis.
On the third day of work My patients said to me: "Si, no" because I worked out that if I just aske lots of questions with yes/no answers I get a lot further.
(Any GP trainers reading this, I promise I haven't forgotten the importance of open questions, its just a phase I'm going through)
On the fourth day of work my patients said to me: "I can't afford inhalers". This 13 month old was wheezing away and had apparently has had frequent similar episodes. He had a deformity of his chest wall that would fit with lots of brething problems. I'm going to see him at the clinic run by SIFT (the charity I'm working for here) when they start in january. There we will have a lot more medicines available for free. Hopefully we can arrange some good follow up for him.
By the end of the week, the language was becoming a little less fo a mystery. The reasons poeple see a doctor here are getting alittle clearer and I am getting a little more confident.
I've now wandered down to the pacific coast to have a swim, or to ahve a couple of days fo swimming. Life should never be all work eh?
Friday, December 26, 2008
Christmas Day in nircaragua
Christmas on ometepe
The photos and video clips are not uploading so watch this space while I wait for a day when the computers are running a bit faster!?
Christmas morning started as usual before dawn with the rousing call of Guyo. Guyo is the centres senior cockeral. Its a position that in all honesty seems to have gone to his head. He takes on his duties with mucho gusto
We ignored him for as long as we could. Easier for us (because he is at the end of the day just a chicken) than for those of you with children who believe that 5.30 is the time to be opening presents.
While we are talking about Guyo Its worth saying that he has prompted brendan to learn a new phrase in spanish (having learnt how to express his affections for tona) "Quero comer guyo" - "I want to eat Guyo". Each time we have chicken for dinner we hope it may mean an uninterupted lie in the next morning; no such luck as yet.
So we had been given a few gifts to bring out with us, so we thought it best to make some sort of tree.
Strangely enough each household here seems to have a european style plastic christmas tree which does seem little out fo place without the cold and snow and holly and miseltoe. Anyhow we thought our effort was in keeping with the climate at least.
For christmas we were given a table tennis set - so we spent the rest of the morning creating a table suitable to play on. Fortunately our place of residence doubles as university on saturdays so there are plenty of tables and whiteboards to be creative with. So that was christmas morning. To be honest we were like two little boys, stuffing our faces with chocotate and not wanting to do anyhting else other than play with our new toy.
And there was the customary sprout - will I ever get away from it???????????? (thanks jude)
In the afternoon we took a little stroll into las pilas; our local village. We ended up chatting to a few people and getting an impromtu game of baseball going - with a branch and ball that lives in my bag.
A few words on local christmas traditions.
The first one is to build a grotto out of tree branches and dry grass. Wire up some electricity from the overhead power lines (how more people aren't seriously injured I don't know!) Play some loud christmas music and invite all the kids round in the evening. Give out sweets, sing some songs, say some prayers. It seems a catholic tradition - someone may shed some light on this for us?
Families around the village to take it in turns to do this through the christmas period.
The Piqueta is my favourite. This invloves a makeshift frame with a large wire and paper figure, suspended by a rope. This piqueta has sweets stuck on it all over. It can be lifted high out of reach or swung like a swing. A child is blinfolded and given a big stick. The Piqueta is swung around the child, into him, over him. The idea is that the child dances around taking wild swing trying to knock sweets off the swinging Piqueta while everyone else laughs and tries not to get hit. The bigger the child the more the piqueta is swung and the harder it is to find and hit. Eventually the Piqueta falls apart and is pounced on my all the children. Then the next one is hoisted up and so all the kids get their turn.
Hopefully this video link will work
The photos and video clips are not uploading so watch this space while I wait for a day when the computers are running a bit faster!?
Christmas morning started as usual before dawn with the rousing call of Guyo. Guyo is the centres senior cockeral. Its a position that in all honesty seems to have gone to his head. He takes on his duties with mucho gusto
We ignored him for as long as we could. Easier for us (because he is at the end of the day just a chicken) than for those of you with children who believe that 5.30 is the time to be opening presents.
While we are talking about Guyo Its worth saying that he has prompted brendan to learn a new phrase in spanish (having learnt how to express his affections for tona) "Quero comer guyo" - "I want to eat Guyo". Each time we have chicken for dinner we hope it may mean an uninterupted lie in the next morning; no such luck as yet.
So we had been given a few gifts to bring out with us, so we thought it best to make some sort of tree.
Strangely enough each household here seems to have a european style plastic christmas tree which does seem little out fo place without the cold and snow and holly and miseltoe. Anyhow we thought our effort was in keeping with the climate at least.
For christmas we were given a table tennis set - so we spent the rest of the morning creating a table suitable to play on. Fortunately our place of residence doubles as university on saturdays so there are plenty of tables and whiteboards to be creative with. So that was christmas morning. To be honest we were like two little boys, stuffing our faces with chocotate and not wanting to do anyhting else other than play with our new toy.
And there was the customary sprout - will I ever get away from it???????????? (thanks jude)
In the afternoon we took a little stroll into las pilas; our local village. We ended up chatting to a few people and getting an impromtu game of baseball going - with a branch and ball that lives in my bag.
A few words on local christmas traditions.
The first one is to build a grotto out of tree branches and dry grass. Wire up some electricity from the overhead power lines (how more people aren't seriously injured I don't know!) Play some loud christmas music and invite all the kids round in the evening. Give out sweets, sing some songs, say some prayers. It seems a catholic tradition - someone may shed some light on this for us?
Families around the village to take it in turns to do this through the christmas period.
The Piqueta is my favourite. This invloves a makeshift frame with a large wire and paper figure, suspended by a rope. This piqueta has sweets stuck on it all over. It can be lifted high out of reach or swung like a swing. A child is blinfolded and given a big stick. The Piqueta is swung around the child, into him, over him. The idea is that the child dances around taking wild swing trying to knock sweets off the swinging Piqueta while everyone else laughs and tries not to get hit. The bigger the child the more the piqueta is swung and the harder it is to find and hit. Eventually the Piqueta falls apart and is pounced on my all the children. Then the next one is hoisted up and so all the kids get their turn.
Hopefully this video link will work
A final thought on the perils to christmas drinking. The chap had obviously spent some time with the rum on christmas eve. If the video link will open you will agree I'm sure that his fate was probably deserved.
Some chistmas Day musings
A few thoughts on the christmas story.... the gospel according to my imagination.
So a teenager, 14 seems to be the popular guess. Engaged to be married - perhaps only been going out with joseph for 6 months or so? May not have known him before that.
Perhaps they had been struggling a bit together. Not knowing each other too well yet. Wanting to do things their own way.
Having to deal with all the pressures from inlaws. Most of their families seeing it as an illegitimate pregnancy in one way or another: "Probably joseph's child, cos she's not the kind of girl to have been with someone else... but then again - you never know; its always the quiet ones!"
The couple must realise they are now in a big story. Not looking like its going to be easy. Not knowing what lays ahead.
Some evenings together they don't understand each other, feel alone despite being together. Other times learning to support each other. Knowing they are in this thing together, for better or worse, whatever is about to happen. Leaning on each other. Not sure who is going to stick by them in this - learning that it might just be the two of them.
Then the day arrives. Labour starts. The family may not be willing to make room for them, her mother in law perhaps refuses to come and help. I'm sure the local midwife woundn't have let her go through her labour on her own: "Thats not right whatever people are saying about her". A long night, a long labour.
Her baby is born
Everything changes, the look on joseph's face, the hope in her heart. The confidence they have together. Everything is going to be alright. Well everything may not be alright but they'll get there. They'll come through. Faith sometimes comes in strange places.
Meanwhile some teenage boys (and some younger) come down from the hills where they'd been with the sheep, some sandwiches and a couple of cheeky bottles of the local brew (to make sure they stayed warm, of course).
They all talk at once: A messenger angel, a whole team of angels. Good news, a saviour. Several of the younger ones had wet themselves; the older ones hadn't been scared at all, of course. Peace to men - what does that mean? and they'd been told exactly where to come and here you are - just like they'd said, in a manger and everything. They hadn't known it'd be Mary though, had heard she was pregnant and all, and had never believed what people where saying - honest. But now it makes sense, its amazing, its a miracle - THIS is the messiah, baby messiah!
How strange that a few years ago they all used to play together at the festivals and make jokes. Now she's got a baby and not any baby but a messiah baby! the messiah baby. And now shes married too - well sort of. wow! crazy.
These lads told everyone. Refused to listen to listen to cynical replies. Told peoeple they can laugh if they like but if they'd seen the angels....
And they looked after mary and joseph. Brought them food, clothes, whatever they semed to need. Not quite sure where it all came from. Plenty of their mothers and sisters who apparently had stuff to spare. Of course they always asked permission... just maybe not to be going to the temple in certain babygrows!
At the same time, in a land far away east, some Asian professors were up very late talking. There could be no doubt as to what this new star meant. It fitted with everything they had studied. It was in keeping with all of their theories..... if their theories were right.
They were sure their theories were correct. If not, then what had they spent their whose careers working towards? All those papers, conferences, lectures. And now this star arrives as if to prove it all.
They couldn't ignore it. It couldn't be just for academic interest - put it down in their next textbook as the sign of the saviour of the jews, and in fact all peoples.
This was real. They all knew as they sat there, that they had to go. They talked about how they would tell their families. Through the kyber pass, goodness knows how many weeks travel on from there. They'd never known anyone who'd made the journey and they'd heard of plenty of traders who'd died on that journey - Bandits, the weather, strange illnesses from the west.
But this is the kind of thing that you would wait your whole life for. IF this is true, if this is true - they knew it must be - they can prove it. They all knew the calculations. Had checked them and double checked them. They had to go.
And go they did. Horses, then camels; hot, then cold, then hot again. They soon learnt that spoken hebrew had changed a fair bit since the ancient texts, but they got by. Sign language and silver gets you a long way!
And sure enough, a baby where the star stopped. How many of there predecessors and colleagues had wanted to see the moving star. The prophesied moving star! They had only ever dreamed; theorised.
No palace, no ceremony. A simple family living in poverty. But a family with a look of peace and faith in their eyes that told them they were in the the right place.
They spent a fortnight with them. Never lived in such simple suroundings, but this jewish family were so hospitable. All that they had, they were willing to share. Not like at home.
They listened to all the stories. All the prophesies. That was the strangest thing. It was all prophesies, visions and dreams. No science. No evidence. Well not real "scientific" evidence as they defined it. But it all fitted. Every aspect of their calculations was backed up by what they found. Incredible!
........and mary stored all these things up in her heart.
So a teenager, 14 seems to be the popular guess. Engaged to be married - perhaps only been going out with joseph for 6 months or so? May not have known him before that.
Perhaps they had been struggling a bit together. Not knowing each other too well yet. Wanting to do things their own way.
Having to deal with all the pressures from inlaws. Most of their families seeing it as an illegitimate pregnancy in one way or another: "Probably joseph's child, cos she's not the kind of girl to have been with someone else... but then again - you never know; its always the quiet ones!"
The couple must realise they are now in a big story. Not looking like its going to be easy. Not knowing what lays ahead.
Some evenings together they don't understand each other, feel alone despite being together. Other times learning to support each other. Knowing they are in this thing together, for better or worse, whatever is about to happen. Leaning on each other. Not sure who is going to stick by them in this - learning that it might just be the two of them.
Then the day arrives. Labour starts. The family may not be willing to make room for them, her mother in law perhaps refuses to come and help. I'm sure the local midwife woundn't have let her go through her labour on her own: "Thats not right whatever people are saying about her". A long night, a long labour.
Her baby is born
Everything changes, the look on joseph's face, the hope in her heart. The confidence they have together. Everything is going to be alright. Well everything may not be alright but they'll get there. They'll come through. Faith sometimes comes in strange places.
Meanwhile some teenage boys (and some younger) come down from the hills where they'd been with the sheep, some sandwiches and a couple of cheeky bottles of the local brew (to make sure they stayed warm, of course).
They all talk at once: A messenger angel, a whole team of angels. Good news, a saviour. Several of the younger ones had wet themselves; the older ones hadn't been scared at all, of course. Peace to men - what does that mean? and they'd been told exactly where to come and here you are - just like they'd said, in a manger and everything. They hadn't known it'd be Mary though, had heard she was pregnant and all, and had never believed what people where saying - honest. But now it makes sense, its amazing, its a miracle - THIS is the messiah, baby messiah!
How strange that a few years ago they all used to play together at the festivals and make jokes. Now she's got a baby and not any baby but a messiah baby! the messiah baby. And now shes married too - well sort of. wow! crazy.
These lads told everyone. Refused to listen to listen to cynical replies. Told peoeple they can laugh if they like but if they'd seen the angels....
And they looked after mary and joseph. Brought them food, clothes, whatever they semed to need. Not quite sure where it all came from. Plenty of their mothers and sisters who apparently had stuff to spare. Of course they always asked permission... just maybe not to be going to the temple in certain babygrows!
At the same time, in a land far away east, some Asian professors were up very late talking. There could be no doubt as to what this new star meant. It fitted with everything they had studied. It was in keeping with all of their theories..... if their theories were right.
They were sure their theories were correct. If not, then what had they spent their whose careers working towards? All those papers, conferences, lectures. And now this star arrives as if to prove it all.
They couldn't ignore it. It couldn't be just for academic interest - put it down in their next textbook as the sign of the saviour of the jews, and in fact all peoples.
This was real. They all knew as they sat there, that they had to go. They talked about how they would tell their families. Through the kyber pass, goodness knows how many weeks travel on from there. They'd never known anyone who'd made the journey and they'd heard of plenty of traders who'd died on that journey - Bandits, the weather, strange illnesses from the west.
But this is the kind of thing that you would wait your whole life for. IF this is true, if this is true - they knew it must be - they can prove it. They all knew the calculations. Had checked them and double checked them. They had to go.
And go they did. Horses, then camels; hot, then cold, then hot again. They soon learnt that spoken hebrew had changed a fair bit since the ancient texts, but they got by. Sign language and silver gets you a long way!
And sure enough, a baby where the star stopped. How many of there predecessors and colleagues had wanted to see the moving star. The prophesied moving star! They had only ever dreamed; theorised.
No palace, no ceremony. A simple family living in poverty. But a family with a look of peace and faith in their eyes that told them they were in the the right place.
They spent a fortnight with them. Never lived in such simple suroundings, but this jewish family were so hospitable. All that they had, they were willing to share. Not like at home.
They listened to all the stories. All the prophesies. That was the strangest thing. It was all prophesies, visions and dreams. No science. No evidence. Well not real "scientific" evidence as they defined it. But it all fitted. Every aspect of their calculations was backed up by what they found. Incredible!
........and mary stored all these things up in her heart.
Steven
Allow me to introduce Steven
Steven was born in birmingham, growing up in handsworth.
As an adult he moved to quinton, was a single parent living on welsh house farm estate.
He made a foolish decision in order to earn a lot of money. He agreed to bring some illegal drugs back from central america.
He was caught and was sentenced to serve 25 yrs in a nicaraguan prison.
We heard about steven through an english lady working here in nicaragua. Brendan had the opportunity last week to visiting stephen in prison here in nicaragua. The male prison in nicaragua is hard place to live. Gangs fight regularly, nutrition is poor and medical care seems to be negligable.
The last time stephen spoke to his mother she was telling him how hard it was for her realising she may never see him again. Stephen speaks to his son as often as he is able, but with very few people here in nicaragua who can buy him credit for his phone, we're not sure how often that is.
Its a striking feeling to realise that a british man in prison here was previously living just a few roads away from us at home in quinton. In fact brendon even recognised him when they met. We feel some sort of connection to this man, and a lot of compassion for the situationhe finds himself in.
We've been thinking about a few verses from the bible as we've pondered this man's story:
Jesus quoted this ancient prophesy when he started his public ministry: " the spirit of the lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the lord's favour." (Luke 4:18-19. NIV)
The prophet Isaiah wrote these words to encourage the israelites towards a more practical sense of spirituality:" Is this not the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke... and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood" (Is 58: 6-7 NIV)
These are examples we try to follow and as such we feel a growing burden for steven. He is a member of our own community, living in our own parish. In that way we could perhaps consider him to be our own flesh and blood.
Its not that we would condone what he has done, and one could say that he is recieving justice. However we would love to see him shown mercy. For his sake and for the sake of his parents and for his son.
He has served 5 yrs of a long sentance is a very long way from home.
We will be trying to visit stephen on the 30th and will be setting that day aside as a day to be praying for him.
We would be really grateful if anyone, who feels able, would like to join us in praying for him on that day. Our prayer is for a swift release from prison, or initially for a transfer to a british prison.
We'll be taking him some food and a few bits and pieces he struggles to get hold of.
Steven was born in birmingham, growing up in handsworth.
As an adult he moved to quinton, was a single parent living on welsh house farm estate.
He made a foolish decision in order to earn a lot of money. He agreed to bring some illegal drugs back from central america.
He was caught and was sentenced to serve 25 yrs in a nicaraguan prison.
We heard about steven through an english lady working here in nicaragua. Brendan had the opportunity last week to visiting stephen in prison here in nicaragua. The male prison in nicaragua is hard place to live. Gangs fight regularly, nutrition is poor and medical care seems to be negligable.
The last time stephen spoke to his mother she was telling him how hard it was for her realising she may never see him again. Stephen speaks to his son as often as he is able, but with very few people here in nicaragua who can buy him credit for his phone, we're not sure how often that is.
Its a striking feeling to realise that a british man in prison here was previously living just a few roads away from us at home in quinton. In fact brendon even recognised him when they met. We feel some sort of connection to this man, and a lot of compassion for the situationhe finds himself in.
We've been thinking about a few verses from the bible as we've pondered this man's story:
Jesus quoted this ancient prophesy when he started his public ministry: " the spirit of the lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the lord's favour." (Luke 4:18-19. NIV)
The prophet Isaiah wrote these words to encourage the israelites towards a more practical sense of spirituality:" Is this not the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke... and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood" (Is 58: 6-7 NIV)
These are examples we try to follow and as such we feel a growing burden for steven. He is a member of our own community, living in our own parish. In that way we could perhaps consider him to be our own flesh and blood.
Its not that we would condone what he has done, and one could say that he is recieving justice. However we would love to see him shown mercy. For his sake and for the sake of his parents and for his son.
He has served 5 yrs of a long sentance is a very long way from home.
We will be trying to visit stephen on the 30th and will be setting that day aside as a day to be praying for him.
We would be really grateful if anyone, who feels able, would like to join us in praying for him on that day. Our prayer is for a swift release from prison, or initially for a transfer to a british prison.
We'll be taking him some food and a few bits and pieces he struggles to get hold of.
Monday, December 22, 2008
First day of work
Altagracia is the second town on ometepe, population about 10,000.
It has a small medical centre which houses a couple of doctors and a handful of nurses.
All secondary health care happens a boat ride away in rivas - just what one would want during a difficult labour!
So my first day I reckon I battled through seeing about 10 patients. second day I had seen 12 by lunchtime which was much better and I think the doctors a the clinic thought I may have been some use.
My spanish is barely passable to manage a consultation, but manage we did and that is not a bad starting point. So long as the problems are simple then I reckon I get to the right diagnosis. One of the ¨real¨doctors keeps an eye on me and lets me ask lots of questions.
Questions usually relate to which antibiotics they stock in the clinic. Not much is the usual answer
The problems people come with?
chest infections, urine infections, worms, pregnancy checks, machete injuries, PID, arthritis, gastritis.
Reasonalby standard GP sort of stuff - apart from the machete injuries
Today I saw a boy of 8 who had cut off the end of his finger with a machete.
A lot of the household farm work is done with machetes so injurues are reasonably common.
Another lad of 18 managed to cut his lip with a machete - wasn´t quite able to ascertain exactly how he did that.
Its been pretty difficult starting out but that was what I expected.
My spanish is getting better every day now that I am down on the island so I´m optomistic that things will be getting easier
It has a small medical centre which houses a couple of doctors and a handful of nurses.
All secondary health care happens a boat ride away in rivas - just what one would want during a difficult labour!
So my first day I reckon I battled through seeing about 10 patients. second day I had seen 12 by lunchtime which was much better and I think the doctors a the clinic thought I may have been some use.
My spanish is barely passable to manage a consultation, but manage we did and that is not a bad starting point. So long as the problems are simple then I reckon I get to the right diagnosis. One of the ¨real¨doctors keeps an eye on me and lets me ask lots of questions.
Questions usually relate to which antibiotics they stock in the clinic. Not much is the usual answer
The problems people come with?
chest infections, urine infections, worms, pregnancy checks, machete injuries, PID, arthritis, gastritis.
Reasonalby standard GP sort of stuff - apart from the machete injuries
Today I saw a boy of 8 who had cut off the end of his finger with a machete.
A lot of the household farm work is done with machetes so injurues are reasonably common.
Another lad of 18 managed to cut his lip with a machete - wasn´t quite able to ascertain exactly how he did that.
Its been pretty difficult starting out but that was what I expected.
My spanish is getting better every day now that I am down on the island so I´m optomistic that things will be getting easier
A word on where I live
Ometepe looks a bit like this.
and this is our room
and it seems to be made mostly of volcanoes
The centre vocationale cristiano (vocational training centre) is run by two wonderful ladies called elizabeth and anagalis. They feed me three times a day.
The CVC looks kinda like this
and this is our roomand our neighbours place looks like this
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Brendon´s new girlfriend
She´s called toña and he´s been out with her every night since we´ve been here.
In fact he´s popped across the road to meet her now.
He seems to meet her wherever we go.
I´ve got to be honest- sometimes she is pretty much attached to his lips.
The first phrases of spanish that the boy has learnt out here have all been about toña. How he needs her, how important she is etc.
I´m half expecting he is going to try to take her home with him
In fact he´s popped across the road to meet her now.
He seems to meet her wherever we go.
I´ve got to be honest- sometimes she is pretty much attached to his lips.
The first phrases of spanish that the boy has learnt out here have all been about toña. How he needs her, how important she is etc.
I´m half expecting he is going to try to take her home with him
Top 10 ways to travel in nicaragua
No 1. Family bicycle. This invovles señor pedro peddling, señorita pipita sat across the cross bar, and baby pepe sat on the handlebars.
No 2. The internationally approved minibus. To be seen all over the world. the samll 14 seat toyota minibus. 24 people and a few empty crates in the last one i was in. I´d love to know the most any of you have seen in one of these contraptions.
No 3. The intercity coach. Worth a mention for the tradesman who come on the coach at each stop. I did expect to be offered a bit of bread or a cold drink. I was perhaps expecting a young man to make a sales pitch from a box of midicines, something for every ailment. I certainly wasn´t expecting a preacher man to give us 20 mins of bible exposition, and then start selling pens. You see all of our professions can find a role on a single coach journey!
No. 4. The good old fashioned oxen and cart
these lads have lost there cart and are being taken home by roberto on his bicycle (he´ll then be picking up roberta and baby robertina to go out somewhere)
No 5. Not even sure what this is called?
to work or not to work....?
Well that has been the question for the last week. not a choice but a predicament. I´m still not sure whether my nicaraguan medical registration has been completed yet. A variety of forms to be signed by a variety of people in a variety of towns, you ge the idea.
One day I´m being told there´ll be no work going on till jan 5th, the next day I´m told I´ll be working without a break.
So I´ve come down to the island of ometepe, hopefully paperwork will be faxed through and hopefully I´ll get to work in their paediatric clinic, general medical clinic and emergency room. I get the impresssion that the emergency bit operates as and when it is needed.
So things are finally getting going. I´ll let you know what its really like when I´ve been there a few days
One day I´m being told there´ll be no work going on till jan 5th, the next day I´m told I´ll be working without a break.
So I´ve come down to the island of ometepe, hopefully paperwork will be faxed through and hopefully I´ll get to work in their paediatric clinic, general medical clinic and emergency room. I get the impresssion that the emergency bit operates as and when it is needed.
So things are finally getting going. I´ll let you know what its really like when I´ve been there a few days
Thursday, December 18, 2008
a more informative blog.......
is to be found at www.brendantquinn.blogspot.com
brendan is my travelling companion and writes useful things about the country we are in and what we are doing. So if that is what you are looking for then you now know where to go.
I read it to check where we are going next........
brendan is my travelling companion and writes useful things about the country we are in and what we are doing. So if that is what you are looking for then you now know where to go.
I read it to check where we are going next........
exam results
The internet tells me that I passed the dch. Now i'm told not to believe everything I read on the net - but this story made me happy so I've chosen to believe it.
so thank-you for those of you who put up with my grumpiness while revising / taught me / gave me time off work / made me cake.
so thank-you for those of you who put up with my grumpiness while revising / taught me / gave me time off work / made me cake.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
10 good reasons why parents should visit
1. mother can speak spanish; father will not feel obliged to listen:- both will be very happy
2. There is an international cricket match scheduled on the polo field in granada. Last year the UK expat team were short of players.......
3. Flying over greenland at dawn and a frozen hudsen bay makes the flight worthwhile.
4. It surely cannot snow again in houston for a another decade or two (last time was 15 yrs ago)
5. luxurious accomodation - from what i've found so far.
6. Cities founded in the 1600, complete with renovated cathedrals and old spanish squares (put granada nicaragua into google and have a look around)
7. When was the last time you walked up an active volcano...? (when I say active, mother, i mean not quite dead yet, not like dangerous or anything)
8. San Juan del Sur
9. Costa Rica.?
10. anyone got any more ideas..............................?
2. There is an international cricket match scheduled on the polo field in granada. Last year the UK expat team were short of players.......
3. Flying over greenland at dawn and a frozen hudsen bay makes the flight worthwhile.
4. It surely cannot snow again in houston for a another decade or two (last time was 15 yrs ago)
5. luxurious accomodation - from what i've found so far.
6. Cities founded in the 1600, complete with renovated cathedrals and old spanish squares (put granada nicaragua into google and have a look around)
7. When was the last time you walked up an active volcano...? (when I say active, mother, i mean not quite dead yet, not like dangerous or anything)
8. San Juan del Sur
9. Costa Rica.?
10. anyone got any more ideas..............................?
Friday, December 12, 2008
starting new jobs....
Its always a little daunting to start a new job; new colleagues, new structure, new responsibilities.
This one holds a few extra uncertainties: new language, new diseases to deal with.
I was kinda hoping they would ease me in gently. When I found out that the clinics I was supposed to be working in had closed for 3 weeks ("its chrismas you see...!"), I had thought - well its a hard life; i'm sure i can find a beech to sit on or a palm tree to read under.... i've always wanted to learn to sail...
So i met sandra, the doctor who runs the clinics (more about these another day) and she said that the doctor who runs the mini-hospital on the island (and techniquely my boss while i am on the island) was "interested" in my spending some time with his clinic / hospital. So this is the plan for the next 3 weeks during the xmas holidays.
"So you'll be put on the rota; probably working on your own, and knowing them they'll probably put you down for christmas day and new year's eve."
Hmmm, thought I, my ideas about what it means to be a volunteer rapidly changing. A few weeks of holiday had suddenly turned into working an A and E - type of rota! And i'd done so well to avoid that the last few months.
And what about my spanish...? a pathetic attempt to avoid being thrown in at the deep end.
"oh the nurses will help you" came the reply
......that familiar position of being totally incompetant and continually saved from disaster by experienced nurses. just like being a house officer again... happy days!
In all truth i have no idea what is about to happen, where or when i shall be working.
For now i need to concentrate on learning some spanish.
This one holds a few extra uncertainties: new language, new diseases to deal with.
I was kinda hoping they would ease me in gently. When I found out that the clinics I was supposed to be working in had closed for 3 weeks ("its chrismas you see...!"), I had thought - well its a hard life; i'm sure i can find a beech to sit on or a palm tree to read under.... i've always wanted to learn to sail...
So i met sandra, the doctor who runs the clinics (more about these another day) and she said that the doctor who runs the mini-hospital on the island (and techniquely my boss while i am on the island) was "interested" in my spending some time with his clinic / hospital. So this is the plan for the next 3 weeks during the xmas holidays.
"So you'll be put on the rota; probably working on your own, and knowing them they'll probably put you down for christmas day and new year's eve."
Hmmm, thought I, my ideas about what it means to be a volunteer rapidly changing. A few weeks of holiday had suddenly turned into working an A and E - type of rota! And i'd done so well to avoid that the last few months.
And what about my spanish...? a pathetic attempt to avoid being thrown in at the deep end.
"oh the nurses will help you" came the reply
......that familiar position of being totally incompetant and continually saved from disaster by experienced nurses. just like being a house officer again... happy days!
In all truth i have no idea what is about to happen, where or when i shall be working.
For now i need to concentrate on learning some spanish.
snow....... in texas?
"It's snowing!" says the guy at the paper-stall.
"Big deal", i thought as they charged off to the aiport window
I was about to learn that snow is bit of a novelty in the great state of texas. Space shuttles falling out of the sky: no problem, but the cold white stuff - thats a tricky business.
I'm not entirely sure what was going on during the hours that followed as we sat helpless in our grounded plane.
I have several theories:
Firstly that the texans were genuinely confused by what they saw. Perhaps like african children meeting a white person for the first time; they had to touch it, stroke it - see if it was safe.
Perhaps they were suspicious; had to send it to a laboratory to check exactly what it was made of.
Our pilot seemed to have a pretty sound idea. He knew that he was not allowed to fly with the stuff on his plane - messed up his aerodynamics or something.
He also would have known that snow is not an uncommmon phenomenon in american cities farther north, and that they deal with it rather efficiently by spraying aerolplanes with huge jets of de-icer.
Perhaps during the (not inconsiderable) time whilst we sat, on the snowy runway, he popped down to the local garage to buy up their stocks of de-icer.
If he did there evidently wasn't tnough in stock else he'd have got us right on our way.
He may have remembered that the de-icer spraying machine looked remarkably like a small elephant spraying itself with water. He may have sent some of the cabin crew to the local zoo to borrow an elephant. maybe in the absence of de-icer said elephant wouldn't have minded spraying warm water?
He may have considered that at the speed with which we were not moving up the queue of aeroplanes requiring the de-icing process, he could have driven to somewhere like new york, borrowed their industial de-icer machine and returned to de-ice our plane.
I suppose I will never know what went on during the eight hours between our boarding our plane and our getting airborne. Nor will I learn of the conversations that went on between the pilots and the ground crews and whether they really did have to teach them what to do with an aeroplane in the snow.
I did get the impression that the pilot was not massivley impressed however; not from anything he said for he was perfectly professional, but when he was finally given permission to proceed to the runway he was on full throttle like a hound out of a trap. Then he started to bank the plane having barely lifted his wheels from the tarmac and completed an impressively low steep turn pretty much within the boundary fence of the aiport.
He, like us all, seemed keen to be on his way.
"Big deal", i thought as they charged off to the aiport window
I was about to learn that snow is bit of a novelty in the great state of texas. Space shuttles falling out of the sky: no problem, but the cold white stuff - thats a tricky business.
I'm not entirely sure what was going on during the hours that followed as we sat helpless in our grounded plane.
I have several theories:
Firstly that the texans were genuinely confused by what they saw. Perhaps like african children meeting a white person for the first time; they had to touch it, stroke it - see if it was safe.
Perhaps they were suspicious; had to send it to a laboratory to check exactly what it was made of.
Our pilot seemed to have a pretty sound idea. He knew that he was not allowed to fly with the stuff on his plane - messed up his aerodynamics or something.
He also would have known that snow is not an uncommmon phenomenon in american cities farther north, and that they deal with it rather efficiently by spraying aerolplanes with huge jets of de-icer.
Perhaps during the (not inconsiderable) time whilst we sat, on the snowy runway, he popped down to the local garage to buy up their stocks of de-icer.
If he did there evidently wasn't tnough in stock else he'd have got us right on our way.
He may have remembered that the de-icer spraying machine looked remarkably like a small elephant spraying itself with water. He may have sent some of the cabin crew to the local zoo to borrow an elephant. maybe in the absence of de-icer said elephant wouldn't have minded spraying warm water?
He may have considered that at the speed with which we were not moving up the queue of aeroplanes requiring the de-icing process, he could have driven to somewhere like new york, borrowed their industial de-icer machine and returned to de-ice our plane.
I suppose I will never know what went on during the eight hours between our boarding our plane and our getting airborne. Nor will I learn of the conversations that went on between the pilots and the ground crews and whether they really did have to teach them what to do with an aeroplane in the snow.
I did get the impression that the pilot was not massivley impressed however; not from anything he said for he was perfectly professional, but when he was finally given permission to proceed to the runway he was on full throttle like a hound out of a trap. Then he started to bank the plane having barely lifted his wheels from the tarmac and completed an impressively low steep turn pretty much within the boundary fence of the aiport.
He, like us all, seemed keen to be on his way.
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