Timo, Pt. 5

Here's the group photo of the Timo Dental Team May 2017.  A great bunch to work with.  I'll post a few more random photos, but I'm about ready to wrap this series of posts up. It was a great opportunity to go, not only for the experience, but to provide a needed service to some of the people of the poorest nation in the western hemisphere.  I know there are needy people closer to home and I know that each of these dentists have provided dentistry pro bono to people in their community, but there are literally large areas of Haiti that have no access to dental services unless it is provided by groups such as HHI.  The seventeen people in our group came at their own expense and in most cases donated a lot of supplies that were used and left for future groups.  The Haitians received a nominal amount for translation services, security, and transportation (no way was I going to lug a 50-lb suitcase back up that trail!).

The facilities.  A flush toilet!  Except to flush you filled the bucket from the shower and then dumped it the bowl.  I can't find a picture of the shower but it was a pipe coming out of the wall  directly above the bucket, in fact, you can see a small stream of water filling the bucket.  It was cold and the showers were quick, but welcome.  The humidity was so high it didn't make much of a difference, but at least you could replace the old sweat with new!

We saw the occasional gaunt cow and small horse.  They were always picketed to keep them from wandering off and getting in their gardens and corn.

Enjoying dinner with the Page crew.

Chicken and rice.. Every day.  It actually wasn't too bad.  I didn't each too much of anything else, except peanut butter and jelly.  If it wasn't cooked or didn't have a rind that you could peel, I wasn't prepared to take chances.  It worked for me!  Our water was bottled and brought in daily.

Cell phone service was practically non-existent for our US phones.  There was one rock just above the clinic where maybe, just maybe you could get a signal for a couple of minutes at a time.  But not for me, Peg washed her phone the day after I left!  But even then I don't know if we could've connected.  Some of us were able to get through with patience and long-suffering.  I borrowed Rene's phone one evening and talked to Peg for a couple of minutes.

Dr. Binstead, Dan and his daughter Madi, and Ilene discussing the events of the day.

Telephoto view of the clinic.

Sunrise over Timo.

Getting ready for the next patient.

Getting ready for bed.

Yes, there was Coke!  It's amazing what someone would do for a cold beverage.  You want me to see an extra patient?  Done!  Sure, I'll cut lunch short!

Bring me food, I'm hungry!  Ashley, part of the Page contingent, is ready to take a break.  She's the granddaughter of Chad and Rene Cram.  Mrs. Cram taught me in elementary as Miss Sheffield.

Finishing lunch.  In the background Banks and Binstead are probably talking politics!

Most of us aren't fond of the needle, but love anesthetic more!

Good-bye to Timo.  Preparing to hike out.

On the way back, we detoured for a few hours to a private beach near Jacmel,  a city on the other side of the mountains from Port-au-Prince.

Took a short dip in the warm waters of the Caribbean, and then enjoyed some chicken and rice (!) and got back on the van for the 4 hour ride back to Port-au-Prince and the Hibiscus Hotel, really a hostel but each bed had it's own fan.  Except for the 100% humidity, it was quite nice.  The couple that ran it are LDS.  He's a native Haitian and she's a Utah Valley girl from Provo.

I think we went through 3 separate security checkpoints leaving the country.  Lines and lines and lines.

"Merican food!

A short, intense week, but well worth it.  Not only were we able to use our professional abilities to help some who would not otherwise find good dental care, it was a great reminder that for all its faults and current problems, America is still the best country in the world!  (Although Dr. Binstead might politely disagree.)