San Lucas Toliman Journal: Saying Goodbye

This week - and last - was filled with goodbyes. It was sad to have everyday filled with "last this" and "last that" and with the recognition that it will definitely be a while before I can make it back to SLT. Maybe a few years. But it was also a wonderful way to wrap up a challenging year with a review of the most important moments: the accomplishments, the laughable times, the friendships I'd developed, the patients I'd bonded with, the family that treated me like one of their own, the projects, the developments, and the good times. First, it was goodbye to Shom and Elena. Shom had become known as Xom and the pair had become known as "Elena" for some unclear reason (we are assuming it's just because Elena's so lovable...but, then, so is Xom). That was a tearful goodbye, hosted by Dominga and her husband. Dominga and Vicente gave us each a present of printed pictures from the year and their sentimental words. It was the best present they could have gotten us. The lunchtime goodbye ended with a million pictures with each of Dominga's nine children in all sorts of combinations, really just a formality I'm thinking since the main objective was clear: the teenage girls wanted solo shots with Xom. Actually, Shom and Elena and I did have our own goodbye and, in acknowledged gringo fashion, we wrote our sentiments rather than said them (or a little of both). They gave me a beautiful pen and ink of the entire process of making the corn, set in Santiago Atitlan and capturing the lake and volcanos. After Shom and Elena left (2 weeks before me), Vicente hosted a goodbye lunch for me with Dominga. We had that conversation I'd been wanting to have with Dominga all year, triggered by two pornographic pictures we happened across as I was giving Vicente his final computer lesson (he just got the computer as a donation and evidently it came with a couple of illicit clips that must have tagged along with some legitimate photo downloads). The conversation topic: how do they have sex given that the whole family sleeps in one bed. You'll have to treat me to a beer to get the answer. All other goodbyes were far more formal!

During my last full week of work, the clinic threw me a surprise party. My first surprise party ever! They had invited me up for a group picture after work. It turns out they had planned an evening of team-building games, a presentation on the history of the healthcare efforts in San Lucas, some words from the doctor, nurses, and other workers at the hospital about the year, a gift of a BEAUTIFUL San Lucas-style table cloth, and a signed certificate for my work this year. We took lots of pictures and then they said there was one last surprise and they led me in to a beautifully decorated room with white table clothes and fresh flowers for a final meal of churasco, my favorite!

My last week and weekend, I spent all the time I could visiting families and patients in their homes to let them know I was leaving and get a final chance to say "goodbye". The rain wasn't any help: it rained for 8 days without stopping. I finally decided to get a tuk-tuk and just get wet. Angel came with me on all my visits. He did that a lot this year: accompany me to visit patients. It was so great of him. He not only helped me find small huts in confusing tangles of similar-looking paths. But he also gave me strength on the few visits that were especially hard to make, like when patients had serious conditions with little hope for cure or when they had passed away. My two hardest visits were on my last day. One was to a family whose baby I was sure had kernicterus (he'd come in February with a bili of 36 and sepsis ... we didn't have phototherapy and they wouldn't let us send him to another hospital so his bili just fell gradually over 10 days to below 20). I'd promised to give them a summary of his history (something unheard of in Guatemala, even at the National Hospitals) and a description of kernicterus so they could show doctors who cared for him in the future that they might better understand any problems he developed. As it turned out, after Angel and I sat down in their main room and I started to pull out the summary, the mother told me Luis had passed away 2 months ago. She cried and cried. It was so hard to be there and even harder to leave with nothing to do for her (her first son had also died -- of hyperbili and sepsis). But, it was much better for Angel having been there to help me support the mom and say things the way they should be said (I still struggle with my Spanish when it comes to consoling families; I guess I struggle with my English in those situations, too).

Back to happier goodbyes....The family held a combined goodbye and early birthday party (for Francisco) on my last weekend. It was a nice chance to see all the relatives and thank them for their friendships.

Monday was my last clinic day and Wendy came for her final MTX shot with me. I had wanted to give her a present when I left and had planned for it to be a doll as her mom told me on one of her visits that when she was stronger Wendy carried a water bottle on her back in a sling, pretending it was a baby. I couldn't find any nice dolls in San Lucas so I had to make due with a sweater. I think she was not super excited about it! She gave me a great present. She'd never smiled for me when I taken a picture of her (I'd seen 2 or 3 smiles off-film). She pulled out a great big smile for that last shot. What a great way to remember her.

Tuesday was my last day of work and Vicente, Dominga, and I taught the second-years about skin conditions. It was a good class and we followed it with lots of pictures and some recounting of good memories.

And Wednesday, I took off for Guate City and my trip to Belize. Jim, a gringo friend from Idaho who lives in Guate, took me to a nice restaurant in the City where I had salad and savored every last bite of it!

Hasta pronto, San Lucas Friends!

Benita (second-year promoter), Kate, and Dominga

Second-year promoters

Francisco's B-day with Emilse, Jenny, and Cousin

7 months after Francisco's cleft repair ... what a good looking boy!

Julajuj family

"The Aunts": Esteban ("Canche"), Kate ("Cotora"), Emilse, Maria Jose, Panchita, Flori, David ("Mimo"), Ana, Francisco Gabriel, Estuardo ("Tacu"), and Jenny