Lynn's Travels: Peru, Day Seven
As usual I will list the text and comment on it.
Up at 6:00 again and feeling a cold coming on, Liu and I dressed and made our way down to the dining room.
Lynn has mentioned this cold 3 days in row. I have the feeling she wouldn’t be saying this every day if there wasn’t some kind of payoff to it, but we don’t reach it today.
By day three we had begun to settle into groups - sitting at the same tables and lining up for the buffet at the same time. Funny how this happens. Humans like to be organized!
Lining up for the buffet at the same time is not that mysterious. When is the food? That’s when you go. However, sitting at the same tables may have more to do with friendships and cliques establishing within the group.
Breakfast was fried eggs piled high on a platter, flat buns that opened like pita, bananas, cereal, liquid yogurt and juice. We all ate well, since lunch would be small and wolfed down - when possible.
I was unable to find a Peruvian bread that was a “flat bun that opened like a pita”. Sorry.
The people who came to the Mennonite clinic (la Fuente- "The Fountain") were for the most part healthy and well dressed.
At last a name, here is a website for it.
The ones in real need had badly worn clothing and looked malnourished. The clothes these folks wear is often all that they have. In a way, I resented seeing people who had regular check ups. There's no discrimination of course - it's first come, first served- and serious cases had priority. But, we were there to provide for those who had few resources and really needed the help.
Actually this is the Mission of Medical Ministries International from their website:
MMI is an opportunity to serve Jesus Christ by providing spiritual and physical health care in this world of need.
It sounds like it is a good thing the organization has no discrimination, because a Lynn Johnston-run group would probably refuse health care to people who were not wearing rags.
I think Liuba, working with Erin in pediatrics, saw the majority of people seriously in need. Young mothers trying to raise children alone have a lot of trouble - as they do everywhere - and again, sometimes just telling their story to another woman was as soothing and as important as headache pills. Erin was also able to connect these women with a network of social workers in the area through MMI.
This is the old case of the deserving poor and the undeserving poor I have run into time and time again in my own life in dealing with the homeless in the United States. The vast majority of the homeless are men. If you are a single mom with kids, everyone wants to help you. If you are homeless man, it is the exact opposite, and these are often the people who are most seriously in need. I can’t really blame Lynn on this one. Many people have the exact same perception, until they work with people in need. However, as I said yesterday, someone in MMI wisely put Liuba working with the kids and not Lynn. Better that a well-dressed adult be scorned by Lynn than some kid.
The cast of characters we saw was so interesting! It appeared to Pam and I that many of the older Quechua women must sleep in their inner garments (the outer garments kept fresh to wear during the day) because in order to get to their chest and back with a stethoscope, you had to peel them like an onion!!! I think seven layers of undergarments was the record.
At 11,150 feet, if you sleep outside with your alpaca, you probably don’t change to sleepwear all that often.
These dear ladies allowed us to pull up their clothing with a good deal of humor. They were soft spoken, appreciative and eager to comply. The family members who came with them to help with translation fit nicely into our confined space and we marveled at our efficiency despite the conditions.
It’s good Lynn is doing something aside from standing around and judging her patients. It’s pretty clear from the line about translation that she is not doing any of that.
Bloomers, underskirts, overskirts and aprons made a tiny little lady look huge and I remembered from past visits watching them out in the fields with their alpaca, like ornate lampshades drifting through the grass!
Lots of clothes make you look like an ornate lampshade. Good to know.
A gentleman who had a problem resulting from riding a bicycle with a small, hard seat was relieved to hear he was not suffering from a serious ailment. He was also happy to know he could keep his delivery job - he just had to get something more comfortable to sit on!
A funny story. Need more of these.
We were unable to do thorough physical exams, so Pam was concerned about having to prescribe broad-spectrum treatments for vaginal infections and the like. We could do blood and urine testing and some patients happily brought us jars of urine they'd prepared at home. If we did need a specimen, it would have to be "fresh", but Pam would accept the jar anyway, so as not to offend the patient. Sometimes, a patient was given a cup, told to give a sample, and didn't come back! This was always interesting and made for the occasional "blip" in the lineup.
And a story about urine. Lynn always has to have these. She thinks they are funny, at least.
In the tiny space next to us Pam's husband Norman- also a physician - was seeing patients as well. One in particular was in bad shape. A young woman of about 25 had an infected wisdom tooth, resulting in a huge swelling in her neck and throat. If not treated immediately, she could have serious breathing difficulties. People have died from this, so it was important to get her onto the right antibiotic immediately and refer her to the hospital in Cuzco. Making this happen required the help of the people who ran the clinic and the MMI staff as well. Expenses could be covered for serious cases, which was a relief for everyone.
Since Peru has universal health care, I expect the real issue is here is the follow-up care for a woman with a prescription written by someone in a clinic, who is only there for a week, when no one at the hospital made the diagnosis necessary to write the prescription. The prescription would have to be justified probably to the clinic staff who are there all the time and not for just a week.
Liuba and I went for a walk at lunch.
I guess Lynn had more time for lunch than she thought.
The local market was a block away and as we meandered past the vendors, we recognized people we had seen earlier in the clinic. Piles of yellow pumpkins, open bags full of grains, pale coloured corn with huge kernels boiling in open pots are a local treat. Large, flat loaves of bread piled like small tires smelled delicious. We wished we could try everything, but had been warned not to eat anything not prepared for us and definitely not to drink the water. Local water was so likely to cause a problem, we were warned to keep our mouths closed in the shower!
Now Lynn remembers the issue with not getting enough clean water to drink, but not in time to point it out in yesterday’s travelogue. I am not sure how food in boiling water is going to be a problem, but it’s nice to know that Lynn is taking the warning seriously for a change.
The market people are hard workers. Those who came to us from the market had calloused hands, aching backs and arthritic hands. They had problems sitting and standing and everything in between.
Squatting?
I stopped trying to "bargain" with them after awhile, knowing how hard it is for them to earn a living. Giving them a bit extra is easy for those of us who can afford to travel to their country... and it means so much to them!
I suppose this is an improvement for Lynn who normally considers the bargoon to be the primary reason for going to foreign countries. Of course, Lynn just finished saying how she wasn’t going to buy any food, so I suppose this means she has decided to move into shopping for non-food items. It must have been a pretty long lunch.
Back at the clinic, Pam had just taken a man of about 50 into her "office". He too had work related woes, but the thing most affecting his health was his drinking. I mentioned the drink "chicha" which is made from corn. The red chicha is non alcoholic, the yellow chicha is.
I can’t find anything to confirm this. Most websites say that chica is a soft drink.
All over Peru, yellow chicha is responsible for poor health and broken relationships. More men than women suffer from alcoholism, though we did have a few ladies smile, blush and confess to liking their chicha!
Lynn can relate and you can tell there is no condemnation there.
Pam asked this man if he felt guilty. He told us he had left his wife and children, had lost his job - and was lost himself. All of this played a role in his physical health. Pam asked if he would like to pray. "God won't listen to me" he said "because I drink chicha". He was afraid he was already ostracized from heaven. Pam comforted him by saying that God understood. People make mistakes. She told him he was loved and still a child of God. He suddenly went down on his knees in front of her and cried as she prayed for him and his family. Even she was unprepared for his open surge of emotion and we both hoped he would soon find some way to get his life back on track.
Here you get to see Lynn’s gender bias in full bloom. She has sympathy for the single moms and all that business yesterday about women just needing to tell someone their troubles. A man does the same thing and it takes Lynn by surprise. Pam is doing the regret, repentance and reconciliation and she would have to be gratified that it seems like it worked for this man.
Understand that I have not attended a church service in years! I have had my own thoughts and feelings. I do believe in God - I believe we are here for a reason - perhaps to learn through adversity to be better people! I believe in giving back. I believe in the power of positive thinking. Here was an example of faith and religion doing what it is supposed to do; comfort, support and heal.
Ah, religion by Lynn. Look at all those pop culture buzz phrases. I think back to Lynn’s interview with Tom Heintjes on the subject:
Tom Heintjes: Are you religious?
Lynn Johnston: I don’t like organized religion where people tell me I have to follow a certain dogma. I don’t like other people interpreting Scriptures for me. I like to interpret them for myself. Not that I feel that I’m the only one who can, but I just feel . . . let’s put it another way. Only a couple of times have I ever been to church and felt enlightened by it.
Lynn prefers to interpret for herself and it shows she has little background or understanding of religion and its purpose. When confronted by this 50-year-old man’s reaction, the first thing she talks about is a personal defense of her own choice to intentionally separate herself from something that can bring a man to his knees. Maybe there is something to this religion stuff after all.
We arrived back at the hotel with all the supplies, prepared to set up in a different location the next day. The young Doctor who had set up "le Fuente" joined us. He had made a remarkable dream come true. He and his wife were providing help where it was badly needed and his children were growing up in a most interesting environment. It had been another exhausting, but memorable day.
That’s “La Fuente” Lynn. You got it right the first time you mentioned it, unless this is some kind of Spanish joke I don’t get. The doctor’s name from the website is Eduardo Astete Mendosa, and there are some nice pictures there of him, his wife and the staff, but not his kids.
Up at 6:00 again and feeling a cold coming on, Liu and I dressed and made our way down to the dining room.
Lynn has mentioned this cold 3 days in row. I have the feeling she wouldn’t be saying this every day if there wasn’t some kind of payoff to it, but we don’t reach it today.
By day three we had begun to settle into groups - sitting at the same tables and lining up for the buffet at the same time. Funny how this happens. Humans like to be organized!
Lining up for the buffet at the same time is not that mysterious. When is the food? That’s when you go. However, sitting at the same tables may have more to do with friendships and cliques establishing within the group.
Breakfast was fried eggs piled high on a platter, flat buns that opened like pita, bananas, cereal, liquid yogurt and juice. We all ate well, since lunch would be small and wolfed down - when possible.
I was unable to find a Peruvian bread that was a “flat bun that opened like a pita”. Sorry.
The people who came to the Mennonite clinic (la Fuente- "The Fountain") were for the most part healthy and well dressed.
At last a name, here is a website for it.
The ones in real need had badly worn clothing and looked malnourished. The clothes these folks wear is often all that they have. In a way, I resented seeing people who had regular check ups. There's no discrimination of course - it's first come, first served- and serious cases had priority. But, we were there to provide for those who had few resources and really needed the help.
Actually this is the Mission of Medical Ministries International from their website:
MMI is an opportunity to serve Jesus Christ by providing spiritual and physical health care in this world of need.
It sounds like it is a good thing the organization has no discrimination, because a Lynn Johnston-run group would probably refuse health care to people who were not wearing rags.
I think Liuba, working with Erin in pediatrics, saw the majority of people seriously in need. Young mothers trying to raise children alone have a lot of trouble - as they do everywhere - and again, sometimes just telling their story to another woman was as soothing and as important as headache pills. Erin was also able to connect these women with a network of social workers in the area through MMI.
This is the old case of the deserving poor and the undeserving poor I have run into time and time again in my own life in dealing with the homeless in the United States. The vast majority of the homeless are men. If you are a single mom with kids, everyone wants to help you. If you are homeless man, it is the exact opposite, and these are often the people who are most seriously in need. I can’t really blame Lynn on this one. Many people have the exact same perception, until they work with people in need. However, as I said yesterday, someone in MMI wisely put Liuba working with the kids and not Lynn. Better that a well-dressed adult be scorned by Lynn than some kid.
The cast of characters we saw was so interesting! It appeared to Pam and I that many of the older Quechua women must sleep in their inner garments (the outer garments kept fresh to wear during the day) because in order to get to their chest and back with a stethoscope, you had to peel them like an onion!!! I think seven layers of undergarments was the record.
At 11,150 feet, if you sleep outside with your alpaca, you probably don’t change to sleepwear all that often.
These dear ladies allowed us to pull up their clothing with a good deal of humor. They were soft spoken, appreciative and eager to comply. The family members who came with them to help with translation fit nicely into our confined space and we marveled at our efficiency despite the conditions.
It’s good Lynn is doing something aside from standing around and judging her patients. It’s pretty clear from the line about translation that she is not doing any of that.
Bloomers, underskirts, overskirts and aprons made a tiny little lady look huge and I remembered from past visits watching them out in the fields with their alpaca, like ornate lampshades drifting through the grass!
Lots of clothes make you look like an ornate lampshade. Good to know.
A gentleman who had a problem resulting from riding a bicycle with a small, hard seat was relieved to hear he was not suffering from a serious ailment. He was also happy to know he could keep his delivery job - he just had to get something more comfortable to sit on!
A funny story. Need more of these.
We were unable to do thorough physical exams, so Pam was concerned about having to prescribe broad-spectrum treatments for vaginal infections and the like. We could do blood and urine testing and some patients happily brought us jars of urine they'd prepared at home. If we did need a specimen, it would have to be "fresh", but Pam would accept the jar anyway, so as not to offend the patient. Sometimes, a patient was given a cup, told to give a sample, and didn't come back! This was always interesting and made for the occasional "blip" in the lineup.
And a story about urine. Lynn always has to have these. She thinks they are funny, at least.
In the tiny space next to us Pam's husband Norman- also a physician - was seeing patients as well. One in particular was in bad shape. A young woman of about 25 had an infected wisdom tooth, resulting in a huge swelling in her neck and throat. If not treated immediately, she could have serious breathing difficulties. People have died from this, so it was important to get her onto the right antibiotic immediately and refer her to the hospital in Cuzco. Making this happen required the help of the people who ran the clinic and the MMI staff as well. Expenses could be covered for serious cases, which was a relief for everyone.
Since Peru has universal health care, I expect the real issue is here is the follow-up care for a woman with a prescription written by someone in a clinic, who is only there for a week, when no one at the hospital made the diagnosis necessary to write the prescription. The prescription would have to be justified probably to the clinic staff who are there all the time and not for just a week.
Liuba and I went for a walk at lunch.
I guess Lynn had more time for lunch than she thought.
The local market was a block away and as we meandered past the vendors, we recognized people we had seen earlier in the clinic. Piles of yellow pumpkins, open bags full of grains, pale coloured corn with huge kernels boiling in open pots are a local treat. Large, flat loaves of bread piled like small tires smelled delicious. We wished we could try everything, but had been warned not to eat anything not prepared for us and definitely not to drink the water. Local water was so likely to cause a problem, we were warned to keep our mouths closed in the shower!
Now Lynn remembers the issue with not getting enough clean water to drink, but not in time to point it out in yesterday’s travelogue. I am not sure how food in boiling water is going to be a problem, but it’s nice to know that Lynn is taking the warning seriously for a change.
The market people are hard workers. Those who came to us from the market had calloused hands, aching backs and arthritic hands. They had problems sitting and standing and everything in between.
Squatting?
I stopped trying to "bargain" with them after awhile, knowing how hard it is for them to earn a living. Giving them a bit extra is easy for those of us who can afford to travel to their country... and it means so much to them!
I suppose this is an improvement for Lynn who normally considers the bargoon to be the primary reason for going to foreign countries. Of course, Lynn just finished saying how she wasn’t going to buy any food, so I suppose this means she has decided to move into shopping for non-food items. It must have been a pretty long lunch.
Back at the clinic, Pam had just taken a man of about 50 into her "office". He too had work related woes, but the thing most affecting his health was his drinking. I mentioned the drink "chicha" which is made from corn. The red chicha is non alcoholic, the yellow chicha is.
I can’t find anything to confirm this. Most websites say that chica is a soft drink.
All over Peru, yellow chicha is responsible for poor health and broken relationships. More men than women suffer from alcoholism, though we did have a few ladies smile, blush and confess to liking their chicha!
Lynn can relate and you can tell there is no condemnation there.
Pam asked this man if he felt guilty. He told us he had left his wife and children, had lost his job - and was lost himself. All of this played a role in his physical health. Pam asked if he would like to pray. "God won't listen to me" he said "because I drink chicha". He was afraid he was already ostracized from heaven. Pam comforted him by saying that God understood. People make mistakes. She told him he was loved and still a child of God. He suddenly went down on his knees in front of her and cried as she prayed for him and his family. Even she was unprepared for his open surge of emotion and we both hoped he would soon find some way to get his life back on track.
Here you get to see Lynn’s gender bias in full bloom. She has sympathy for the single moms and all that business yesterday about women just needing to tell someone their troubles. A man does the same thing and it takes Lynn by surprise. Pam is doing the regret, repentance and reconciliation and she would have to be gratified that it seems like it worked for this man.
Understand that I have not attended a church service in years! I have had my own thoughts and feelings. I do believe in God - I believe we are here for a reason - perhaps to learn through adversity to be better people! I believe in giving back. I believe in the power of positive thinking. Here was an example of faith and religion doing what it is supposed to do; comfort, support and heal.
Ah, religion by Lynn. Look at all those pop culture buzz phrases. I think back to Lynn’s interview with Tom Heintjes on the subject:
Tom Heintjes: Are you religious?
Lynn Johnston: I don’t like organized religion where people tell me I have to follow a certain dogma. I don’t like other people interpreting Scriptures for me. I like to interpret them for myself. Not that I feel that I’m the only one who can, but I just feel . . . let’s put it another way. Only a couple of times have I ever been to church and felt enlightened by it.
Lynn prefers to interpret for herself and it shows she has little background or understanding of religion and its purpose. When confronted by this 50-year-old man’s reaction, the first thing she talks about is a personal defense of her own choice to intentionally separate herself from something that can bring a man to his knees. Maybe there is something to this religion stuff after all.
We arrived back at the hotel with all the supplies, prepared to set up in a different location the next day. The young Doctor who had set up "le Fuente" joined us. He had made a remarkable dream come true. He and his wife were providing help where it was badly needed and his children were growing up in a most interesting environment. It had been another exhausting, but memorable day.
That’s “La Fuente” Lynn. You got it right the first time you mentioned it, unless this is some kind of Spanish joke I don’t get. The doctor’s name from the website is Eduardo Astete Mendosa, and there are some nice pictures there of him, his wife and the staff, but not his kids.
posted by howard at 4:51 PM
5 Comments:
Having looked at La Fuente's website, it seems to me that they deserve better than to be promoted by such an oblivious, smug and barely competent general helper.
I am sure that the La Fuente clinic will not care, if any of Lynn's fans manage to find his website and make an on-line monetary contribution. At least she didn't cut him down for being dressed too well.
Non-alcoholic chicha in Cusco? Don't make me laugh! They add strawberries to it to make it red, but it's as alcoholic as the yellow variety.
Anonymous,
Thanks for the information about the Cusco chicha. I have the feeling this difference in color may have been used by someone to explain why it is that she was able to drink chicha with her Christian mission group.
Thanks for the information about the Cusco chicha.
Doctors United
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