Haiti

It's been a while...  Since I traveled to a country where I didn't speak the language.  Since I've ridden in the back of a truck and had pit stops that included bushes.  Since I ate fresh tropical fruit straight from the farm.  Since I cared for a child born into an impoverished life without the means of caring for themselves.

I need this...  The adventure of diving into a new culture.  The ruggedness of a third world country.  The sacrifice of my gifts and service.  The humanity of caring for a stranger's child.  It's been a rough winter and I really need this to get my feet back on the ground and remind myself of my driving passions.

As I prepare to depart for a medical mission trip to Haiti, I decided to bring back Local Townie because it was one of the most redeeming experiences of my time in Tanzania.  Live blogging the daily routines, struggles, and experiences helped my memory remain sharp, yet realistic.

I'll be spending about 9 days working at CRUDEM'S L'Hôpital Sacré Coeur in Milot, Haiti (a short drive south of Cap Hatien) with a group of colleagues through Children's National and various other children's hospitals in the US.  I'm the only pediatric nurse practitioner from our group and I'll be running the outpatient clinic as well as taking call on the wards at night.  Despite my experience with international medicine in East Africa, the stakes are so much higher in this game, and I feel the burden of being the sole provider with immense responsibility.  Being a student in an exotic setting carries far easier responsibilities than managing resource-limited medicine independently.  The opportunity alone is humbling yet exciting.

Finally, my 7 years of French will pay off, although discussing infectious diseases and antibiotics was not something that we practiced.  I'm hoping to pick up the Haitian Creole pleasantries to give myself some street cred.

Bonjou! M rele Becky.  Mwen se enfimye amerikenn.

My hope is that I can be somewhat connected and can document the experience through shoddy wireless internet, so I invite you to check back for updates.

Na we pita!