Once more unto the Breech...

I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,

Straining upon the start. The game's afoot:

Follow your spirit..
[Willie Nelson, I think ..... or was it another Willie?]

First Week at Mercy

I do look forward to returning to Mercy... and I do not like the overnight flight; and now everything stops in Trinidad, so adds another couple of hours.  Initially, I was excited as I had the row to myself and it seemed that everyone had boarded - wrong.   A rather large woman (How large you ask? Well not to make any politically incorrect statements, let me just say that she had her own personal seat belt extender) sat on the aisle seat and the middle seat as well.   The flight was fine except for being held captive for over an hour in Trinidad while they cleaned the plane and changed crews.  Funny, the crew needs to get off and stretch, but the passengers can stay.  

Waja was at the Guyana airport to greet me and I arrived at Mercy with little fanfare, but did receive a warm welcome from everyone I met.  I headed to the flat to meet my new roommate Dr. Edi, a Cuban dermatologist, who is working here at Mercy.  I had even brushed up on my Spanish - which is still atrocious.  However, there was no sign of Edi. He is staying in the Team House. I wasn't disappointed as I do like to be alone much of the time.  I took the bedroom that I had last year.   Then, the first thing I noticed was that there was NO shower downstairs -- until I saw that they had not closed off the second floor as they said they would, so the upstairs bath was still there... and working.

Maintenance fixing the doors, new locks, including the front door,
repairing screens, replacing lights, etc.. Great work

Actually, the whole flat had been painted [including the light switches which were somewhat stuck initially] and two extra bedrooms were now on the first floor.    Not bad: they are a good size and nice new doors and spiffy locks though no one actually checked to see if the doors closed.   Small problems, and the guys from Maintenance fixed almost all of them on Monday:  I was impressed. The flat is very adequate for a slob like me, but I will need to up my game as my niece, Doctor Emilee Flynn, is arriving on early Tuesday Morning.   (More later about Emilee.)  The fridge is the same manic-depressive one there for years - sometimes it freezes everything and sometime it cools nothing.  It seems like home to me, like I belong here.

 Church on Sunday

I decided to get to Calvary Lutheran Church on Sunday as I did not get there last year and they even put me up in their manse several years ago.   They are without a minister and wanted to know if I needed a job, so I wasn't expecting many at church.  However, it was pretty crowded and with lots of young people and lots of people who remembered me.  I remembered them, too, but their names have long since disappeared.  Surprise: it was National Youth Sunday Service... The youth were energetic and involved; it was great to see for the first hour, less so the second hour, and by the third hour I might have faked an injury, but I was warned that they wanted to welcome me in the announcements at the end of the service ......

Do you know how some sermons are memorable - some for the right reasons and some ..... Well, there was a seminarian from Jamaica Seminary here for the youth and he delivered the sermon. When you are beginning your talk in the third hour -- wellm even Billy Graham would have trouble.  

He chose a sermon text from Ephesians 5,3  "But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints."  However, he kept referring to it as sexual immorTality, and I do have to admit it made the sermon more interesting.  And when he was describing the woman who had bled for years in Luke 8, he said that the reason she was unknown was that, "she was probably wearing a hoodie."   A smile-filled sermon.  

I started with my first class as if I had just finished the last one the day before.  (I do admit that I sometimes get a little worried that I may have "lost it" over the intervening months and no one told me.  Luckily for me, with friends like mine, they would be lining up to tell me.) 

Here are my bright and eager students.

Changes at the Hospital

There have been lots of changes.  I guess the most important overall is that the "new" CEO Dr. Bridgemohan resigned in order to start a venture with some family members.  He had brought a new enthusiasm to the hospital about patient volumes, new services, etc.  We wish him well in his new venture.  Helen Browman is back as Acting CEO while the Board begins a search for a new CEO.

However, the bigger news from a selfish perspective is that the walkway from my flat to the hospital was raised a good six inches... so maybe I won't need to put my wellies on when it rains.

The Main Entrance walkway is much higher.

The school walkway, Sister Sheila Way,is now elevated a whole 12".
but it does mean that you have to step down and then up...

 There is a nice outdoor patio eating area for the cafeteria and numerous baskets of plants make it an attractive area for eating and chatting.   I will surely come back if the next improvement is a Pub.

Doing it in Reverse

When I go home after three months here, I almost always get a respiratory infection.  This year I decided not to wait and got one right away.  I even went to Emergency here at 3 am on Friday morning.  I got great care, an xray and some medication, and I was back in the flat by 4 am.   I have not been feeling up to par and the doc said "Don't go spreading your germs around!" so I didn't get to a big meeting on Thursday nor to my girls at St Ann's ..... I have been in my flat all the time, except walking over for meals.   But I am well looked after as everyone from the Board Chair to some of my old Bosco boys who volunteer here knew I was in Emergency.  And my neighbour, Dr. Devi keeps checking up on me, including bringing me her honey and  lime syrup to sooth my throat as well as a few mangoes.   I think I am getting better and have Sunday to recover before the big event on Monday night.  You will have to come back next week to discover what or who the big event is.

Have a good week and thanks for reading.

Guyana 2015: "Continuity and Change"

Different #1: Me - Off to Mercy Again

It took me some time to decide about my return to St Joseph Mercy Hospital, School of Nursing.  While my time there  has been part of my life for over a decade, nothing ever stays the same.   I have decided to go again, but instead of three months I am going for two.   I will be there for the start of the classes with First Year Nursing Students and leave by the end of October.   I will be doing just about the same stuff; just I will be there for less time.   Those new students are going to have to learn faster too!

Different #2: the School of Nursing

The School has a new Director, Elsie Asabere.  Elsie has been at the school off and on for many years.  She is originally from Ghana.  I know that because she doesn't come to school when Ghana is playing a match in the World Cup.

Director Elsie has been a constant support for my classes
as well as other volunteers who had joined me over the years.
Here she is with Dennis LeBlanc from last year.

Elsie has been excited about learning Problem Based Learning and tried working through a few problems by herself earlier this year. In November and December she will continue the course that Tony Carr and I wrote some years ago    I am excited to see how she will shape the Nursing School.   She has her B.Sc. Nursing from The Netherlands and has practiced in several countries before coming to Guyana with her husband, Victor, a missionary with Lighthouse International, and their three children.

There are also two new Faculty Members - Roberta Binda and Azalia Luke.   While they may be new faculty, they are old students.  I didn't have any "current" pictures of them as B.Sc. Nursing graduates, so their old "prison" shots will have to do.   Both Azalia and Roberta have been small group tutors in PBL -- and both have gotten way better marks in university than I ever did!

2005

2007

Different #3: My Flat

This is an old picture as there are now two bedrooms on the left
and a new shower on the right as well as a fixed up kitchen,
 and the stairs in the front are gone...

 Actually, it is the same flat I had last year, but "flattened".   The upstairs will now be used to store supplies for the hospital, so I will have just the first floor.  This will be more than enough as they have added a second bedroom and a shower to that floor.  I have only asked for a few things in my flat: window screens, internet access, a shower that works and a fridge to keep my vegetables [and other stuff] cold.

There is really only one problem with one floor: I have not been able to attract any volunteers to join me because some one has spread a dirty rumour that I snore - loudly.   So if you don't believe that I could be that loud, or you are deaf, please think about joining me.

Different #4: The Hospital

Mercy seems to be on the upturn.  CEO Dr. Bridgemohan, COO Helen Browman [and all the staff] have been working hard to improve the facilities, recruit physicians and retain the best nurses.   Old condemned buildings have been torn down and new construction is underway.  One of the interesting additions is an Outdoor Café.

Sandra was an Executive Assistant, but now is the Maître D’.

I hope she has been working on her  flambéing skills.

If you wish to learn more about the positive changes, the hospital has a FaceBook page and a Website.   

  

Different #5: The Country

In May of this year, there were national elections, and a new party, A "Partnership for National Unity" and "Alliance for Change" (APNU+AFC) is now in a majority Government.  Previously, the Peoples' Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) had been in power for the last 23 years.  It will be interesting to see if their leadership will bring improvements for the people of Guyana.   As a visitor and guest in their country, I don't have a public opinion, though there are promising signs.  I do know that the previous government was a good support for the Canadian Mental Health Team led by Sujay Patel, Peter Kuhnert and Ram Kalap who are colleagues from Canadian hospitals or organizations.   I hope that the new government will also be supportive of their volunteer efforts.

The 2014 Canadian Mental Health Team with Guyana Colleagues

*Moses Nagamootoo who in now the Prime Minister & First Vice-President wrote an autobiographical novel, Hendree's Cure (2000, Peepal Tree Publishers).  I have seen it available for years but never ordered it because it was pricey, but now that he is the Prime Minister I am reading it -- it will give us a lot to talk about if I ever meet him.

More Continuity than Difference

These are my friends, colleagues and "old" students whom I look forward to seeing each year.  I won't start naming them as I am sure I would leave many out that deserve recognition and thanks.  I would not have been able to accomplish so much in Guyana without their support.

I will make an exception for Guyana Christian Charities Canada (please write "O'Connor-Mercy Projects on cheques, etc.") as these are friends to whom you can send a filthily excessive donation for my projects at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital and St Ann's Girls Home. This year the donations will go towards the tablets for all the first year nursing students, some special projects at the school and outdoor recreational supplies for the girls. I do not use any donation money for my own needs -- travel, insurances, food (including beer), and such.

Thanks for any donation you are able to make; and, if you aren't able to make a donation,send me your good wishes in an Email or on FaceBook. 

Have a blessed summer and I'll write again later in the season.  John