Farewell to Guatemala
02/07/2008 08:53
#7 Thursday
Feb. 7
El Cardonal, Baja California Sur
Farewell to Guatemala
It has been hard to start this last journal from my trip to Santiago,
Guatemala to work in the Hospitalito Atitlan. The looming question is how
to put the final days into words that honor all of the people involved and
represent my truth, as this is my journal and it is very personal.
My last shift was a “turno” which means turn, it was my turn to watch over
the hospital for 24 hours. Luckily I ran into Kristen the nurse
practitioner/nurse midwife and asked her to come on Sunday and share my
turno. She agreed and came to manage the births with my support. It
lowered my stress 100 fold to have her there and it turned out to be
divine providence.
The hospital was full (six beds) of mothers and new newborns that we were
watching over for various complications. A 2 week old with pneumonia who
we were unable to wean from oxygen. We also had a 12 hour postpartum
eclamptic woman who had seized. The last seizure was the night before, 30
minutes before the birth of her slightly premature baby (34 weeks). The
mother was in a daze on mag sulfate and I was hyper about getting the baby
to nurse, so it didn't get dehydrated. As soon as the baby looked good we
started worrying about the mom having another seizure.
We had another patient an 81 year old woman, with real breathing problems.
I got to learn about, and manage heart and kidney failure for the first
time in my life. (I am too old for this!)
We were just about all settled with our patients and in came 2 women in
labor. One woman had a normal birth, the other was 24 weeks pregnant and
too early for the baby to be born. I experienced my first baby dying in
my arms. I wholeheartedly took on the job of holding the baby while it
died. It was very small.
To be honest it was also important to Kristen that we held the baby and
didn’t just put it on the table and cover it up. I held him and rocked
him and prayed with all of the love I could muster up. The beautiful
young nurse asked me if I needed help, offering to take the baby. I said,
“no gracias, estoy trabajando con dios”. She understood.
I was careful only to shed only 2 tears so that I could stay in charge, la
doctora en turno. Some people may think I am a fool for caring so much,
miscarriage happens everyday. Oh well, it felt right to give my love to
this being and send him off properly. It was tender and profound.
Even though I get to tell the story from point of view, I am getting
worried that I have used the word “I” so much (Ha). The team of people
who are working together to make the Hospitalito live are incredible. I
had tons of support. There were competent supervisors I could call on
anytime, which I did. There were many people giving service, medical and
non medical, it was humbling and heartening. I am attaching a picture
taken of many of the employees and volunteers working at the hospitalito
in February when I arrived.
I want to talk about the people who inhabit Santiago Atitlan. They are
Tz'utuhil speaking Mayans. This tribe of people go back thousands of
years. They are strong survivors. They know how to live off the land.
Their language is guttural and has clicks. During the long night of turno
sometimes we sit in meditation together, with watchful waiting. I was
carried back in time listening to and watching the nurses work and
communicate. They are beautiful people.
The last day I was in Santiago, Susannah, my landlord and new friend took
me on a spiritual journey to aid in a ritual of the traditional church.
There are many alters in private homes throughout Santiago where people
can go to pray. The most popular with the tourists is Maximon. He is a
male figure that is made of prayer bundles and a mask. He moves to a new
house each year. There is controversy and serious local politics involved
and I choose to stay away.
Susannah invited me to go with her to an alter of the 3 mothers.
Guadelupe, Mother of Mary, and another Mother (Mary?), I can’t remember.
Jesus was there too, and the mother of Mary was holding a baby saint.
Each month they change the special clothes on the mothers. Once every six
months they take all of the clothes down to the lake and wash them. They
have support from the men, drums are sometimes played and the men wring
out the clothes. Susannah went to help get the clothes ready for the next
days washing ceremony. We sat and prayed, there was incense, and toasts
of rum. It was an honor to be there. I was able to concentrate on
healing myself, the little boy, and his family who had let him go during
the night.
Thank you to everyone who has given me the support to continue working in
service. Your love and confidence rub off on me. Without you I would
wouldn't be here.
Now I am at our house in El Cardonal, Baja California Sur. I have rested
for 2 days and now feel landed and ready for the work I have here. We are
building a clinic/shelter/orphanage and will have a benefit on Feb. 16, in
the central plaza of the town. We are setting up Bob’s band Redbud to
play because they are all here. So now we will have music every day.
Perhaps some day I will go back to the Hospitalito Atitlan if there is a
need for my skills. Next time I will take a midwife and some friends.
Adios,
Lynn Meadows
El Cardonal, Baja California Sur
Farewell to Guatemala
It has been hard to start this last journal from my trip to Santiago,
Guatemala to work in the Hospitalito Atitlan. The looming question is how
to put the final days into words that honor all of the people involved and
represent my truth, as this is my journal and it is very personal.
My last shift was a “turno” which means turn, it was my turn to watch over
the hospital for 24 hours. Luckily I ran into Kristen the nurse
practitioner/nurse midwife and asked her to come on Sunday and share my
turno. She agreed and came to manage the births with my support. It
lowered my stress 100 fold to have her there and it turned out to be
divine providence.
The hospital was full (six beds) of mothers and new newborns that we were
watching over for various complications. A 2 week old with pneumonia who
we were unable to wean from oxygen. We also had a 12 hour postpartum
eclamptic woman who had seized. The last seizure was the night before, 30
minutes before the birth of her slightly premature baby (34 weeks). The
mother was in a daze on mag sulfate and I was hyper about getting the baby
to nurse, so it didn't get dehydrated. As soon as the baby looked good we
started worrying about the mom having another seizure.
We had another patient an 81 year old woman, with real breathing problems.
I got to learn about, and manage heart and kidney failure for the first
time in my life. (I am too old for this!)
We were just about all settled with our patients and in came 2 women in
labor. One woman had a normal birth, the other was 24 weeks pregnant and
too early for the baby to be born. I experienced my first baby dying in
my arms. I wholeheartedly took on the job of holding the baby while it
died. It was very small.
To be honest it was also important to Kristen that we held the baby and
didn’t just put it on the table and cover it up. I held him and rocked
him and prayed with all of the love I could muster up. The beautiful
young nurse asked me if I needed help, offering to take the baby. I said,
“no gracias, estoy trabajando con dios”. She understood.
I was careful only to shed only 2 tears so that I could stay in charge, la
doctora en turno. Some people may think I am a fool for caring so much,
miscarriage happens everyday. Oh well, it felt right to give my love to
this being and send him off properly. It was tender and profound.
Even though I get to tell the story from point of view, I am getting
worried that I have used the word “I” so much (Ha). The team of people
who are working together to make the Hospitalito live are incredible. I
had tons of support. There were competent supervisors I could call on
anytime, which I did. There were many people giving service, medical and
non medical, it was humbling and heartening. I am attaching a picture
taken of many of the employees and volunteers working at the hospitalito
in February when I arrived.
I want to talk about the people who inhabit Santiago Atitlan. They are
Tz'utuhil speaking Mayans. This tribe of people go back thousands of
years. They are strong survivors. They know how to live off the land.
Their language is guttural and has clicks. During the long night of turno
sometimes we sit in meditation together, with watchful waiting. I was
carried back in time listening to and watching the nurses work and
communicate. They are beautiful people.
The last day I was in Santiago, Susannah, my landlord and new friend took
me on a spiritual journey to aid in a ritual of the traditional church.
There are many alters in private homes throughout Santiago where people
can go to pray. The most popular with the tourists is Maximon. He is a
male figure that is made of prayer bundles and a mask. He moves to a new
house each year. There is controversy and serious local politics involved
and I choose to stay away.
Susannah invited me to go with her to an alter of the 3 mothers.
Guadelupe, Mother of Mary, and another Mother (Mary?), I can’t remember.
Jesus was there too, and the mother of Mary was holding a baby saint.
Each month they change the special clothes on the mothers. Once every six
months they take all of the clothes down to the lake and wash them. They
have support from the men, drums are sometimes played and the men wring
out the clothes. Susannah went to help get the clothes ready for the next
days washing ceremony. We sat and prayed, there was incense, and toasts
of rum. It was an honor to be there. I was able to concentrate on
healing myself, the little boy, and his family who had let him go during
the night.
Thank you to everyone who has given me the support to continue working in
service. Your love and confidence rub off on me. Without you I would
wouldn't be here.
Now I am at our house in El Cardonal, Baja California Sur. I have rested
for 2 days and now feel landed and ready for the work I have here. We are
building a clinic/shelter/orphanage and will have a benefit on Feb. 16, in
the central plaza of the town. We are setting up Bob’s band Redbud to
play because they are all here. So now we will have music every day.
Perhaps some day I will go back to the Hospitalito Atitlan if there is a
need for my skills. Next time I will take a midwife and some friends.
Adios,
Lynn Meadows