In Panyebar, we set up the clinic with the teacher's help and set out activities for the kids who would be waiting to be seen. We also set up one entire classroom with shoes and eyeglasses to be distributed.
Clinic was to have begun at 10. At 10:15, the mums and kids were all in place but still not medical team. At 10:20 a loudspeaker announced there was a clinic taking place down in the library in the village. I went down to check and sure enough the team was there starting to examine people from the village and the line was getting longer. Met the doctor who I had arranged this clinic with and he explained that the big team he brought to Panyebar decided they would not be split up but would see all of us together in this other location. What a confusion. But we rallied around, took our families way down there and waited some more.. There were no tables and little privacy... pretty different from our usual set up.
By 1 p.m. some 70 members of our Saludos Ninos families had been seen, We headed back up to our centre to feed the interpreters and the doctors. Family members left happy with new shoes and glasses.
Then we unpacked 4 barrels sent down from Canada and divided all the books, toys, Lego, games etc. between the 4 teachers. We cleaned up and headed,out in a crowded tuk tuk for Santa Clara hoping to catch the chicken bus to San Juan. Instead we hopped on the back of a pickup to come down the mountain. We had a bag of eyeglasses with us to take down to the San Juan Casa por Los Anceanos (seniors residence) I asked, mostly in jest, anyone need EYEGLASSES?? Well, the 4 women in the pickup started trying them on as we tore down the 23 switchbacks toward San Pablo and even a man returning with a massive bag of freshly picked coffee who got in along the way, tried,on glasses and found he could clearly read my 20 Q note!! So, more happy customers receive glasses during their daily commute home. We had a lot of fun and even managed pictures. I will send along several over the next few days.
Just another crazy day in Guatemala.
Eileen, a volunteer who is with us for 2 weeks from Newfoundland has been a great help and is great to take in stride whatever comes along. But today, we were very tired when we returned to San Juan about 4:30. More later. For the blog, please condense to a few photos in a grouping with few words, thanks. Sheila
Everyone gets tested
Time for shoes
donated eyeglasses
Even found white shoes to match her fancy white dress
Eileen helps fit shoes of all sizes
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