Searching for God's Plan...

Originally written 08/10/14

Okay, I now have a little time to provide a more detailed update.
Week one summary:
The therapy clinic set up is organized. There are 4-5 patients scheduled per hour (one patient per therapist) and 1-2 class a day that have varying numbers of attendees. The classes include back class, stroke class, weight loss class, exercise class, and arthritis class. Luckily these classes are not strictly educational as I cannot speak fluent Creole...rather they are active classes to teach proper exercises, body mechanics, etc. I am definitely out of my element with treating adults...I find it fun; however it is a true struggle. Shifting mindsets in treatment has been hard. Wednesdays are strictly for pediatric patients (some kids are seen on the other days as well). The kiddos I have seen so far have been pretty low functioning...a lot of kiddos who cannot yet sit, hold their heads up, talk, crawl, walk, etc. On occasion I do find myself struggling to provide the best therapy...partially because I am used an environment that has EVERYTHING and now I am in an environment that has little (but a lot for being in Haiti!!). I have quickly realized how dependent I was on equipment to do therapy rather than simply using my hands and my brain. The state of the art equipment is awesome, fun to work with, and can produce things that my hands cannot; however using my hands to facilitate movements and function is far greater here than most equipment. With my hands, I can teach the parents (or caregivers...or siblings...or neighbors) exactly what to do with their hands at home. There is no access to any kind of equipment for in home use for the families (with the exception of some walkers, wheelchairs, and homemade sitting devices...and some donated orthotics...and some access to make splints [like I said...A LOT for Haiti]). Due to malnutrition and just a lack of education, many babies and young kids are way behind developmentally so teaching the families things to do at home is vital. I had always said that I would never become dependent on equipment, toys, and other materialistic items...I guess I just didn't realize that I was already somewhat dependent on such things. And it is definitely harder to provide the best therapy when there is a communication barrier...I am impressed with how well the patients are at "charades"! I am sure I give them all a good laugh!!

Luckily, through my broken Creole and my seemingly lost therapy skills, the patient's and the other therapists have been extremely patient with me. The patients we see are amazing and I continue to see difference among the Haitian culture versus the American culture...
The patients, regardless if they are medical, dental, or therapy patients will wait patiently for their turn to be seen. Some will sit all day (literally) just to be told the clinic is closing and to come back the next day even if they had a scheduled appointment (sometimes emergencies or situations arise causing schedules to get behind)....just imagine if this happened to us in the US...if we waited ALL day with a schedule appointment, then we were not seen and told to come back the next day - we would most likely be very angry and most likely put a post on Facebook telling everyone about our experience and to never go to that office. But here...the patient kindly gets up, says thank, and then comes back the next day...often with a smile on their face. Yes, sometimes you can see the disappointment; however they never get angry (that I have seen yet anyway).

The patients we see are ALWAYS thankful and never forget to tell us how much they appreciate us...regardless if they had to wait or if they were only seen for 1/2 their scheduled time or if attention was taken off of them for a minute because someone else needed help. The patients typically come in with a smile on their faces even if it is a forced smile. But you can see the struggle in many faces. Some you can see sadness. Others you can see lost hope. Through the smile, if you look into their eyes, you can see the struggle (just imagine having a disability in a country like Haiti...it's tough on the patients and families). I often find myself thinking, "I really wish I could speak Creole...I know he/she has a story to tell". A story of struggle intertwined with joy and happiness....a story that deserves to be heard.

The pace of life here is also much different. It is slower...more focused on relationship with others than a "to do" list. An appreciated, but hard change of pace. I am the type of person who prefers to be busy than sit around. I love making "to do" lists and love checking things off even more. I like to be on-the-go, all the time. But I have been trying to slow down and enjoy the precious undeserving life that God gave to me.

All in all, I am still trying to find my place in the clinic....and still trying to figure out God's plan for me here!


***footnote/prayer request - I now have over 20 mosquitos bites....even though I have been applying DEET like crazy (which is really bad for me!)....prayers that Chikungunya doesn't strike and if it does that I get through it quickly!