It's Tuesday night and I'm finally able to update this blog, at least a little. The internet has been "spotty", as has the water, the a/c and the electricity. It's one of those things that you hate to complain about when those we serve have no water other than from the river, and no electricity, except from what the sun provides.

In my first post, I described how our American team members were all Haiti veterans. We all looked forward to reconnecting with our usual translators, and other Haitian team members. We knew that Dr. Emmanuel Bastien, our Haitian dentist was working with another team. It never dawned on us, however, that this might mean that other Haitian "regulars" were not working with us either. One by one on Saturday, we had three of  our usual translators come to tell us that they were working with this other team, which  I won't name here. We did not blame them, however, as  the other team needed them for five days, and we only needed  them for three.

Then, our nurse Evens told us he could only work one-half day one day, and our doctor Rudi told us he could only work one-half day on one day, and not at all tomorrow. Good grief! Then,  Sunday night we  discovered from  Rudi that Laguerre was "stuck  in the DR": and could not be with us our our optometrist. So, we have had Guerino,  someone Laguerre knows,  as our optometrist and  one of Rudy's classmates is coming to work with us tomorrow. It  has been fun getting to know the  other translators  and the other new staff, including Dr. Frantz Codio's wife Shareen, another new team member. We even had Dr. Frantz Large, an opthomologist,  join us for clinic on Monday at Collin. We are the epitome of flexibility!

Unfortunately, the father of one of our team members, Ward, passed away and Ward left yesterday to go back to Minneapolis, before flying to California, where the funeral will be held. Please hold Ward and his family in your prayers.

We had a successful day at Collin yesterday. It was very hot, more than 100 in the clinic area according to one of team members' thermometer. Today it was somewhat cooler up in Jasmin. It always seems better up there to me as there is more space, more air, and the pharmacy is not isolated from the rest of the team.

I love to reconnect with everyone at Collin and at Jasmin. The LaBordes are always so gracious, serving us lunch in Collin, and we have decided that Elise, the wife of the lay leader, is the best clinic organizer in Jasmin. She runs a tight ship, which keeps everyone moving.

A couple hilarious things have happened. Today, our new young optometrist came to me and told me that many patients don't like the  Lions Club glasses we have to offer, as they are too big. Then, later he brought an older woman to me. He said "this old lady does not want the glasses I have. She says she is young and wants cutie glasses like you have!" I told her I had to keep my glasses, so I could read in the clinic. She seemed disappointed that I would not give up my cutie glasses, but seemed to be understanding.

Then, today, another older woman at the very end of the day insisted that she had given us her patient record in the pharmacy. There was no point in arguing with  her, so I suggested  that we take her to the same doctor that had seen her.  I asked if the doctor was a man  or a woman. She said, "He is black!". Well, that eliminated one out of four. So, I tried again, and she told me that he was a big black man. The led us to Rudy, and we were right. Rudy had a good laugh about this tonight.

My little friend Sofini came to clinic today. I  gave her a photo I  had taken last year of us together. She and her mom were so excited! Then, she helped me in the pharmacy for awhile. Then, the woman whom I talked  with last fall about the crocheted skirts came. She made 10 of them for me. They are so cute! I hope I am able to sell them. If you'd like one for a little girl, contact me!

The internet is too slow and I am too impatient to post photos tonight. I'll do that when I have a faster connection.