Our trip to Tecpán was short, but not painless. We scheduled a 3a.m. bus on Sunday February 13 to Guatemala City to rendezvous with the next medical team. Needless to say, there was very little sleep involved in this Monja Blanca adventure.
Hotel Barceló was unsurprisingly luxurious, and we sighed relief as we hoped down on the plush seats of the HELPS charter bus. I chatted about the McDonalds-eque frequency of Sarita Ice Cream (a Guatemalan classic) with Casey on the way there.
The Hospital in Tecpán was very different than San Cristobal. It lay in the middle of some hilly farmland surrounded by the beautiful mountains of Chimaltenango. Tecpán was known for being very cold, but Justin and I didn't find it too much different than Cobán. We lucked out again on our living situation: after changing rooms a few times, we found a small kitchenette with two empty cots in it. We spent the week there, which was gradually filled of "masculine smells" (my socks/shoes, Justin's running clothes). After helping Casey and Connor with a few "set-up" tasks and discussing plans, we determined that Justin and I would be heading out with our first "stoving team" tomorrow with Maricio.
While it would take too long to explain the ONIL stove in depth, here is a link to a picture of one: http://66.147.244.91/~onilstov/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Richard_and_stove_small1.jpg. The basic idea of the ONIL stove is to make the cooking process more efficient for the user (i.e. gather less wood to heat stove, stove ventilates normally omnipresent toxic smoke, etc.). On every HELPS mission, 3-4 teams will deliver on average 4 stoves, which are usually accompanied with a water filter (same ones I distributed in the fall) and another different stove for heating large cauldrons. If you would like to know more detail about this product or process, please refer to this video:
Justin and I worked as the translators on these teams. At first, I was nervous; this would be the first time I would truly be the only bilingual person around for miles! I worried in vain. It was a very fun and easy position to have, and I never had any bad translating situations (I DID bring, however, my pocket Spanish-English Dictionary just in case).
Of the 5 days we spent with this HELPS mission, I went with the stoving team three of the days. They needed translators, and I wanted to go wherever I could help. For the most part, I was also blessed with more-or-less the same people every trip. I got to know John, Carol, Page, Victoria, Theresa, Jimmy, and many others, all fantastic team members and fun people to be around. I especially liked getting to know Luis (pictured left, grey polo), the Spanish-speaking HELPS team member that accompanied us on all the trips. He has worked for HELPS for over 8 years and has installed over 4 thousand stoves. Needless to say, he knew the process really well, and we learned quickly from him.
Every house was different. Some big families; some small families. All were very thankful. I enjoyed getting to meet the aldea families and representing my team by being able to speak Spanish to them. While process was repetitive and meticulous at times, I can still recall every step I took to build the 12 stoves I was a part of. I also met many niños along the way…
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| Page gets help building chimney |
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| Jimmy and Victoria set-up the chimney prior to Luis's drilling of the Tin Roof ceiling |
With the three days completely filled with stoving, I spent the other time in Triage. This too was rewarding, but in a different way. As a Triage translator, you are a part of the important process of the patient's admittance to the doctor. We spent a good 8-9 hours a day taking in the same questions, writing down information and notes for doctors, and taking patients to various parts of the hospital according to their problem (Eye patients see Optometry, General Consult see the Clinic, hernias or growths see pre-surgical consult, rotted teeth see the dentists, etc). Thankfully for this mission, the patients were all given tickets if admitted. If someone did not have a ticket, they were not allowed to pass to the clinic. This made our jobs easier (thank you Caesar!)
This week sped by for both Justin and I. As we reflected on our blessings of the past week on the bus ride back from Guatemala city, we realized that we were most thankful for the friendships that we gained with the HELPS staff. As a tradition for the whole week, several HELPS staff members went out to grab ice cream, burgers, tacos, etc., about a couple hours after dinner. The "night snack" gave us time to unwind from the day, get to know each other, and enjoy each other's company. I can't wait to spend another week with Crazy Jaime (pronounced "Hi May"), outgoing Virginio, jolly Romeo and his beautiful wife Aida, mild-mannered Maricio, "El Caesar," and of course, Connor and Casey. I'll see all of you later this March!
