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