Philippines Trip 2012 with Mercy in Action

WELCOME!

The most recent posts are first. Scroll down to see previous posts.

There are more journal entries and photos to come....

This blog is dedicated to explaining my journey into naturopathic medicine, and updating on my upcoming trip to the Philippines. This July 2012 I will be going with a group from my school on a 15 day trip to work in a free birthing clinic in the Philippines run by Mercy in Action.

Thank you for your thoughts, prayers, and donations as I work toward raising the $3400 needed for the trip!
Please see the blog posts for updates.

“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
Mother Teresa

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Sunday, August 19, 2012

Journal Entry #2 - Sunday


Sunday
Good morning!  Guess what!  Today I kissed a dolphin!!!  J

Me, Jessica, and Nala (the dolphin)

We went to a marine wildlife park today called Ocean Adventures.
  It’s like a really small Sea World.  It’s set right on the ocean, so the pens the animals are in is ocean water.  You could get really close to the animals, and the trainers were playing with them.  There were a few different kinds of dolphins, and a false killer whale.  We got to go in small groups into a shallow area and meet a dolphin.  I got to meet Nala..  She’s a 8 year old female bottlenose dolphin.  The trainer gave her commands, like to wave, roll on her back, splash water.  We got to pet her and hug her.  He told me to try to lift her out of the water…..there’s no way!  When the dolphins take a breath, it’s a loud huffing or puffing sound.  Then when they make the clicks and squeaks, you can see their blowhole making different shapes.  It reminds me of how a parrot can make so many sounds by blowing air under their beak.

The dolphin skin feels hard and smooth, like hard rubber.  I even got to feel her tongue, which is hard too.  Her eyes were covered with mucous to protect them.  Her tail is thick and strong and heavy.

There was an educational show about animals that are native Philippines; afterward I got to hold a python and pet an owl.  They didn’t let us touch the bats though.  We saw the fruit bats hanging on trees in the jungle by the road.  They are big – about like a hawk, with brown fur and of course, hang upside down by their feet.  They move their wings in and out slightly as they hang to cool themselves off.  And they make a real high squeaking sound.  There was also a neat indoor aquarium with eels, sharks, jellyfish, and lots of fish.

The mosquito nets were a must!  This was
at the end of a looong day later in the week.
After Ocean Adventures, we went to where we’ll be staying for the rest of the week.  There is some land where Mercy in Action built “Waiting Huts” and we are staying in them.  They are built of bamboo, on stilts so they don’t flood, with grass roofs.  There are two windows with screens (no glass) and 2 sets of bunk beds.  There is a ceiling fan and a bare light bulb in the ceiling, but the electricity comes and goes.  On this same land, up the hill are 4 neepa huts, a larger hut they use as a classroom for the kids, and the house belonging to Jason and Teresa.  Teresa is a midwife with Mercy in Action, and they have 4 girls.

On the land there is also an outdoor “kitchen” (a gas 2-burner stove, and a hose) and 2 toilet rooms and a shower room.  Above the bathrooms and shower, there’s a little apartment where one of the other midives lives with her family.  There’s no hot water, but it’s so hot here the cool showers feel good.  Everywhere here in the Philippines, you don’t throw your used toilet paper into the toilet because the pipes are small and clog easily.  But Jason built these bathrooms with bigger pipes, so we can throw TP in the toilet.  Ahhh, it’s the little things  ;)

We stopped by the grocery store on the way to the land, because there aren’t restaurants around anymore, and we have to prepare our own food.  We bought eggs and potatoes, bread, PB&J, a salt & pepper shaker, bananas and mangos, spaghetti and sauce, and some nuts.  I am rooming with Michelle, and we shared food too. 

In our neepa hut, Jessica is staying too.  So there’s one bunk free and we keep our luggage there.  The mosquito nets are already up on our beds, so we just put our sheet “sleeping bags” on the thin mattresses and we’re set.  We have leave at 6am tomorrow, so we go to bed with the sun.  Tomorrow we are going to hike a couple hours up into the jungle to an Aeta village, to clear some land for a mulungai tree nursery.  

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Journal Entry #1 - First week

We arrived in Manila, spent the night there, and were picked up by Vicki (director of Mercy in Action) to take us to Olongapo Bay.  We will spend the next week there in a hotel, taking classes.  The rooms are even air-conditioned (LOVELY) and there is a dining room that opens to the beach.  The sunsets are beyond amazing!

The weather is hot and humid, and there are green plants everywhere!  Vicki gave us each a welcome present -- small bottles of hand sanitizer and mosquito repellent!  I'm sure they will be much-used.

We attend classes in a small classroom down the road.  The classes were about the leading causes of infant and maternal death in developing countries, and how to address these causes.  Some are so simple, it's unbearable that children are dying -- for example when kids get severe diarrhea they need fluid and electrolyte replacement.  A pinch of salt and a teaspoon of sugar in a bottle of water can give the right balance.  Some cultures think restricting water is best, so the kids don't continue having diarrhea.  Sanitation and health education can go such a long way.

We went out to one of the urban slum areas to teach health education and give away vitamins.  There is an empty lot with portable canopies that the landlord let us use.  We checked Hemoglobin levels for the pregnant women, and gave out vitamins.  We also checked blood pressures and did little puppet skits teaching about sanitation, disease prevention, and nutrition.

The kids wanted to play with our stethoscopes and gloves!

There are little restaurants all around the hotel.  We try a different one every day.  There's an open-air market down the street, and we go there in the mornings for fresh fruit and breads.  We never know what kind the breads and muffins are, so we just try some of each!  The bananas and mangos are beyond delicious!!!  I wish we had a way to cook at the hotel.  These vegetables look sooo delicious!  The piles of meat hanging out on the tables, not so much....


The Mercy in Action Ambulance.  


Setting up the table for vitamins and hemoglobin checks.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Back home!

Back home, slept nearly all day!  ;)  In the past 2 weeks, we hiked through the Philippine jungle & cleared an area of land there for a tree nursery, harvested and built a bamboo fence for the garden, assisted in 3 births, did numerous prenatal and postpartum exams, passed out kids' multivitamins & did health education classes in the very poor areas of town, ate lots of mangos, then ate more mangos, and became very aware of how most of the time, we forget that we are a part of a beautiful extended global family.  I am thankful for how this trip reminded me of that.

This picture is when we were in a poor area of town, giving out vitamins and doing prenatal checks.  The kids all wanted to play with our stethoscopes!  :)

I didn't have good internet access during the trip, so I will post more pictures and journal entries soon.

Friday, June 22, 2012

2 weeks and counting!

Plane ticket is purchased, class fees are paid!  Thank you all for your help!
We ordered Tshirts for our group    :)  -------------------------------->
And have been collecting medical supplies and supplements to take with us.  THANK YOU to Seroyal, Herb Pharm, Phoenix OB/Gyn, and Pure Encapsulations for your donations.

I still need mosquito netting if anyone has any.
We leave Friday morning, July 6th.  Keep us in your prayers!!

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Another blessing!

I forgot to mention one other happy moment..

We are leaving on Friday morning, July 6th.  Unfortunately, we just got our final exam schedule and our class has 2 finals set for Friday morning.  (Acupuncture written and practical exam).

Our professor has agreed to let us take them early, and waive the "rescheduling fee" that school policy dictates.  This saved us EACH $300.

Thanks Mr. Vedeler!!

The Countdown Has Begun!

34 days until departure!!

Thank you to everyone who has been involved in helping me for this trip!  You are so generous and beautiful and I am grateful for your willingness to reach beyond yourself!!

I have bought my plane ticket (yay!) and made just over half of the tuition payments for our classes.  Mercy in Action uses the class payments to help fund their free clinics, so it goes to SUCH great use.  I still owe the balance for the classes, and need to pay that by June 6th.

Last night we had a group meeting and divided much of the medical donation supplies.  We would like to take more disposable gloves, prenatal vitamins, UA strips (urine analysis) and chux pads (things they have told us they are greatly in need of).  So if you have any inside connections for any of those, you'll be my rockstar hero!!

At the meeting last night, a fellow SCNM student and licensed midwife also came to answer questions and share her experiences with home births.  It was informative and interesting and got us all so excited to be able to assist in this amazing process! I don't yet know if I am going to specialize in practice, or what that specialty may be.  But I do know I have a tender heart for babies and the birthing process, so I just want to learn as much as I can and get as much experience as possible in all fields.  Then I will be ready when the opportunities come!

Excited and Blessed!!

Anne







Monday, May 7, 2012

Charity giving receipt

You CAN donate directly to Mercy in Action toward my class fee, so that you can get a receipt for taxes. If you would like to do this, contact me and I'll show you how.

Thank you!!  :)