tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12183034.post-1116616005692217172005-05-20T14:34:00.000-04:002005-05-20T15:06:45.696-04:00The people in town are aware of the hurricane, word travels fast around here because it is such a small place. The children have been sent home from school. There is unfortunately nothing to be done for protection. Mother nature will have her way. I need to not spend much time with this letter as I must get back to the plantel before the bulk of the storm hits.<br /><br />There is so much that happens in a day here it is difficult to convey. I feel more sad today as I am faced with more hurtles than I counted on and I feel more alone this time because my access to the outside world is not as strong. Learning the fate of a few of the children I cared for last year also broke my heart. Many of the changes we made though were positive and still have remained in place. Most importantly the bulk of the children are well and the dirty diapers are being burned!<br /><br />I think one of the other pieces that is effecting me is the overall moral of the plantel which is bad this month. The orphange is not getting paid the money they were granted by the government for education and it has put a tremendous stress on the already small funds we had. People are frustrated and tired. It is difficult to get away from the many injustices I spoke of yestarday. <br /><br />There was also a tragic event yestarday which effected a few of our families. A gang attacked a bus in a near by area and killed one boy and wounded several people. They were students and workers comming up the mountain on public transportation. Crime is a reality here but usually it is not so close. Pena Blanca is a small quiet village so this is not so common here. We are not in danger on the plantel because we have security guards and no one wants to hurt the hospital as many people rely on it, there is also nothing to steal. That said I would be lying if I didn't say it hurt my moral a bit too.<br /><br />I will not give up. I came here with a purpose and I intend to accomplish as much of it as possible. Jen and I have tossed around a few ideas and we will continue. We both have extreme faith. We still have a vision of establishing a descent health care team with doctors, residents, nurses, social work and hopefully mental health workers to take care of poorest people. I try to remember that in the US it was once like this and we will need to evolve in much the same way.<br /><br />The rain is harder now I better go....Dr.Bridgettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12443529779164156560noreply@blogger.com