Time racing ahead.......

Once again this week has passed by really quickly with lots going on….

This week the children all had their hair cut, one of the mothers is a hairdresser and she offered to cut every child‘s hair, which was very kind of her. The boys had the customary crop all over while the girls had their hair trimmed. This of course lead to news of some of the children having head lice…so much time was spent doing a hair check! Then each child was bathed and hair shampooed ready for another day… The older ones who can communicate a bit were very happy with their new look, though not so happy to have their heads scrubbed with special shampoo!

One day was particularly difficult as many of the children had to have their ears syringed, not the best of task to assist with but necessary, as many have a build up of wax. For most its incredibly painful and I suspect many have damaged eardrums which makes it worse. So a lot of screaming and crying that day as the nurses, Lesley and I frantically tried to calm them all down. Not an easy task…both emotionally and physically!!

Our new arrival has settled but still very weak and fragile, she weighs practically nothing and she is also blind, but seems ready to smile when stimulated by movement, which is a joy to see. However she does have very bad teeth and there is talk of removing them all so new healthier ones can grow. I have spent quite some time with her this week cradling her.

Apart from my usual tasks this week I had to make wallets to hold the medical dosage information for each child. This is not a throwaway society so everything is recycled and used in a different way. The plastic wallets I made were made from old X rays!! Discarded X rays are left in a solution to remove the impression and ‘wipe them clean’. They are then washed and dried and then made into relevant sized wallets or folders, using insulating tape, these are used in all the wards. So I spent one morning just making 7 wallets to keep the dosage records in. I am really impressed by the way we have to adapt and recycle and be creative as everything is not available, It makes me really think about all the wastage in UK and developed countries………

This Sunday is an important one for the hospital as we will be making our own sawdust ’carpet’ in the street outside the hospital and we will be taking all the children out to see and enjoy the procession going past the hospital….photos next week…..

Perla is really growing now and beginning to finally fit into bigger clothes! So surprising and wonderful to see.

ANTIGUA....

Wow the town is really gearing up for Semana Santa as visitors arrive everyday and the streets and buildings are cleaned and decorated with purple banners. Many people come in for the weekend to see the Sunday procession through the town. La Merced changed its carpet again and I am just amazed by it every week ....this time they used a lot of fruit and vegetables as well which was interesting to see.

A new Café Barista has just opened in Parc Central, and restaurants are hiring bands to play in the evenings. New lights glow in the streets and outside shops and restaurants, similar to Christmas time. Music fills the streets and brass bands play around the park in the evenings... Clearly the next few weeks will be an opportunity for everyone to make lots of money as thousands of tourists will descend on the town for its world famous Semana Santa week….
And on Monday I will be at the airport awaiting Martins arrival…….exciting times!!!

Enjoy

Adios amigos

Goodnight

Xxx

A new arrival and more.....

It was lovely to see the children again and they too were excited to see me back. A busy week to get back on my feet again to!

Our new 6 year old who joined us last week from the nutritional project is finally feeling settled. And one of our boys who’s been in the project since before Christmas has returned having put on sufficient weight. Both of them are currently high priority and on their own timetable for feeding . The girl has to have 8 bottles a day with 4oz in each, while the boy has to have 6 bottles with 7oz . (Normally each child has 3 bottles a day each with 8 oz in each.) This means more bottles to prepare and ensuring they get fed at the right time, difficult when there is so much to do! In addition, as the weather is improving we are also giving the children water at 10.00am and 5.00pm. A number of the children are currently being fed through tubes in their noses or stomachs, so the ‘food’ has to be liquidised and sieved twice before it can be used. That is now on my list of jobs to do too !

This week I helped a doctor who was in to check the hands and feet of all the children to check for any kind of infection or fungal growth. While doing this, I was quite shocked to see the state of the feet of many of the older children, which are so distorted and deformed. Normally I see them with their socks and shoes on and we are always focusing on other things. Now I also see the need for the contraptions which are strapped onto their hands and feet to help realign them. BUT its very painful and the children often spend hours crying with pain, sometimes I want to rip them off but then have to remember why they have them. Luckily most of the children are clear of infections.

I think that the nurses were also glad to see me back so that the routine and morning schedule that Lesley and I have set up was back on track! Along with the usual washing and drying, I also washed a whole set of new syringes we received. They had to be sterilised as they will be used to give the children medicine everyday.

Sometimes when I think about the jobs I do, I realise that though they are simple and basic I am really enjoying them. BUT the time spent with the children is the best, I love it!

I continue to encourage Perla to say hola…it’s a slow process.

ANTIGUA

The highlight of this week was the Santana concert at the main stadium in Guatemala City. It was spectacular with amazing lights and the sound in the warm night air was fantastic. Everyone in the crowd was involved and we danced and sang along to the famous songs, finally I understand many of his lyrics! It was strange however to note that they didn’t have any programmes, T shirts or CDs on sale.....just the trademark hat that Carlos Santana wears. The band played for 3 hours non stop and we didn’t get back to Antigua till almost 3.00am. It was difficult to be at work at 8.00am the next morning but I managed it!

The weather continues to be warm and the blossoms on the trees are spectacular. The fountain in central park is adorned in roses and flowers as the whole community enjoys its colourful ambience. School children walk and sit in the park at lunchtimes walking and talking, making plans. Volcan Fuego has been strangely quiet this week.

Today I went to La Merced church to see the new carpet. Its amazing to see what they can do with coloured sawdust and fruit and vegetables. Again so different to the one last week. I also saw a carpet in another church which was lined with bread in the shape of crocodiles and turtles! Sadly we are not allowed to take photos there!
The whole of Antigua is being painted and prepared for Semana Santa, its biggest festival. I am really looking forward to it!

Enjoy

Adios amigos

Goodnight

Xxx

Estuve enferma......

A difficult week this week as I have spent most of it in bed with a bad bout of flu… picked up from some of the children I think… Went in on Thursday to be met by a new arrival… a child of 6 years, just come down from the nutrition ward. She is really tiny and still very weak with the most rotten teeth I have ever seen. .....we think she should still be in the nutritional project! Apart from that the warm weather has seen us out in the open area again enjoying a bit of sun..I was very happy to see my little Vampira!!!!!

ANTIGUA

Friday again and a trip to La Merced church to see the new ‘carpet’…once again stunning and different from the one last week. Antigua continues to be interesting even though I don’t quite feel 100%. Back to normal next week!

Enjoy

Adios amigos



Goodnight

Xxx

STOP PRESS....

Tears of joy and happiness all round as Perla uttered her first words..

HOLA!!!!

Yes all these months have paid off, she is actually trying to talk....no one knows how much she can do but we will see.... Am soo soo happy!!!! WHOO HOOO!!!! Xxx

Summer Sun...

This week, despite being cold very early in the morning, it has been sunny and hot during the day. I was really surprised one morning this week to find the children in their shorts and T shirts, they look so beautiful and relaxed and happy in them. And Perla has grown sooo much. Daily we have been able to get out into the garden and catch up on some sunbathing.. sadly the swimming pool is still not quite ready for a splash. ..maybe next week. This week we also celebrated the birthdays of all the children born in the first three months of the year with chocolate cake and ice cream! One of the youngest girls turned four this week.

We have tried to keep up with the daily tasks of cleaning and washing and of course for me; painting more bottles, and help organise a group of young Christian students from USA, who are volunteering for a week. As they don’t speak Spanish I have done quite a bit of translating again which I am really happy about. Its great that the nurses ask me to come over and explain,( it reminds me of my early days here) I am quite enjoying the challenge. Also as they have been singing and playing with the children I have spent time massaging the arms and legs of many of the children to keep the circulation going and to help their muscles. This is really important for the children who don’t move very much and have restricted movements in their limbs.

Sadly its also been a week when a lot of the children have been unsettled and sick with colds and coughs, so we have been cuddling them and gently swaying them to hopefully relieve some pain. Also a lot of multi tasking!!!One of the boys had to go to Guatemala City for more tests and is looking very ill indeed. His organ systems are failing slowly. We are keeping an eye on him and his monitors.

We also had the first weigh in of all the children after the Christmas break as nearly all are back now. Surprisingly while many have lost weight a few have gained. The gain we have found out has been due to the fact that the parents, frustrated at not being able to feed the children properly, have added sugar to a lot of the feeds to just get them to feed. This has also meant that the children have found it difficult to adapt to normal feeds again. One of the things noticeable about the children with teeth is that most possess rotten teeth. All very noticeable as I walk around brushing their teeth after breakfast.

Bob in Antigua,

Last Sunday was spectacular with crowds gathering in and around the park ready for the procession which would pass through the town and stop in front of the cathedral. Brass bands played, balloons added colour to the streets and street vendors encouraged sales, children ran around and parents and families waited for the highlight of the day; an outdoor service in front of the cathedral.. There was a wonderful hustle and bustle in the place as the street in front of the cathedral was being prepared with the making of a spectacular carpet from coloured sawdust. We stood and watched as the design unfolded under the watchful eye of the workers. Such care and dedication to create something spectacular. What would happen to it we asked? The answer: the procession would walk all over it and later a team of people from the church would come and clean it up. Ready to prepare a new one the following week!

Later as we watched, the Service in front of the cathedral began, complete with singing and orchestral music. Incense lingered all around us and groups of men in purple robes made their way to the front of the procession, and silence descended as every eye focussed on the very powerful image of Christ and Mary. I looked around, the whole of Central Park was full of people. Quite extraordinary!

Friday we went to see the spectacular carpet in one of the four main churches in Antigua. Looking at the amazing artwork I was reminded of the Rangoli patterns made during Diwali. It is truly spectacular. Every Friday a new carpet is ‘laid’ in the. Church, it stays for three days before they demolish it in preparation for the next one! This will continue every week until the end of Semana Santa week.

Wow!!! its been a fantastic whirlwind of a week with Bob here.

We have walked a lot, tried to see as much of Antigua as possible, continued to be amazed by the volcanoes and I have been wined and dined on a daily basis.

Thank you Bob!! Now its back to normal life for both of us. He’s thinking of visiting again! That’s Antigua!!!

Enjoy
Adios amigos
Goodnight
Xxx