Viaje Medico 2011

I forgot I wrote during the med trip in Bolivia--found it in one of my notebooks.

Viaje Medico, November 2011

Mapiri, Bolivia

I've been working triage. I wish I knew more Spanish, but at the same time I'm happy that I am at least able to communicate after only a month down here. Triage is busy, but fun and beneficial for me. I hope our visitors are receiving the help they need, and, if not possible, I hope they at least are able to look into caring eyes or be touched by compassionate hands. This is what I long for. I hate seeing pain, but I would rather see pain than be oblivious to pain. There was a lady at triage yesterday who had scars from being burned. Her skin had shrunk around her fingers so much that she could no longer straighten them. She told me that she was always in pain and at times while she would be walking in the street, she would fall down. ... I don't want that kind of pain to exist in life. I hate that it exists. And this is what language does--allows pain to be shared, allows glimpses into hurting souls, and, my prayer is, somehow alleviates burdens. And that's about all that can be done in this life.

November 8, 2011

Santa Rosa, Bolivia

There's always one more patient. So far, I will always try to find a way to meet the needs of one more individual. Individuality is important to me for some reason. Maybe because I grew up in an extremely rural area rather than a city? Could be. In cities there is more of an emphasis on efficiency, and it's necessary to keep the system flowing. And a society that is driven by efficiency, communication, teamwork, etc., leads to the Natural Wonders of the world. But individuality is lost. And this is why I think longer lasting Beauty is often found by turning around and walking against the flow of the spinning world. Finding Beauty in simple things, seeing value in individuals, using compassion as a motivating force.

November 8, 2011

Conzata, Bolivia

It was fun playing futbol with the kids here. I'm thankful for being able to communicate better than the last trip. I'm thankful for every word I've learned. I'm thankful for health, no sprained ankles, no weariness, no fevers. I'm thankful for my lack of comforts...it causes an emphasis to be placed on relationships, the people surrounding me. Tomorrow is the beginning of a four-day hike into the jungle villages. Should be hardcore.

November 12, 2011

Memiconi, Bolivia

It's funny that I sprained my ankle the day after I wrote that I was thankful for no sprained ankles. I sprained it early in the morning while playing basketball. That day we began our four-day hike. It was fine, really. It hurt, and that's all. I could still walk, just without agility.

I loved the hike. There was one super hardcore part after the waterfall Odell and I jumped off. I didn't have any water the whole time, so I was really dehydrated at the end and just sat lethargically on the bags. But the scenery is amazing, the remoteness is amazing, the people are amazing.

November 13, 2011

Conzata, Bolivia

It's like trying to take pictures of a breathtaking view--words convey so much and yet are confined so immensely to our individual skulls, outside of which true meaning and true image drop sharply into a simple and earthly communicable expression. Life in the Amazon is fascinating.