I’m sitting in an internet cafe at the moment. We’ve got about 30 minutes to kill until we have to meet some people for lunch. The kids at the hospital have been truly inspiring so far. Its impressive how they can be so brave at their age. Especially when you consider that every story is tragic. There is one little girl, Erlinda, who is about 10 years old, and she’s got a beautiful smile, but she spends much of here time crying out for home and a mother who has abandoned her. She was supposed to go home a couple weeks ago, but her parents haven’t returned for her and the bill remains unpaid. So she waits in limbo at the hospital. Eventually, she will be moved to an orphanage if the parents don t show up.
Such abandonment is not uncommon. Another boy, Fidel, was similarly rejected by his family. When his face was horribly disfigured, his parents dropped him off at the burn center saying they no longer wanted him. At twelve years old, there is no question he understands his circumstances, and I cannot fathom the emotional impact it must have on him. Facial disfigurement is unquestionably one of the most traumatizing injuries, and the fact that his parents have compounded his suffering by subjecting him to their ignorance and cruelty, makes his story one of the most heart wrenching we have yet encountered. He will live at the burn center for a little while, and will eventually also be moved to the orphanage.
There is another small infant named Jevo, whom the nurses call “el presidente” as he shares his name with the president of Bolivia. He spends all day lying on his stomach underneath a small tent because he parents held hot coals to his buttocks in an effort to cure his diarrhea. This is a treatment encouraged by village witch doctors, and such burns are frequently seen here.
Viviana is an orphan whose father abondoned the family, and who’s mother was beaten to death. She is from a village in the jungle, and the whole backside of her body was burned when a boy there intentionally pushed her into a fire. As punishment, the boy, at 14 years old, was banished from the village and sent into the jungle. Viviana made it to Cochabamba carried in a hammock. These are just a few of the stories that these kids have to tell. As you can imagine, it has been a very moving experience so far, and we are only into day two. This afternoon we will be following an ER resident. This was an unexpected opportunity, but should be interesting. Dr. Quiroga, who had practiced in Cincinnati for 25 years before moving home to his native Bolivia, oversees several residents and offered to let us shadow them as much as we would like. He said that the ER here is frequently filled up with shootings, stabbings, and other traumas that in great part characterize existence in large third world cities where poverty and violence are a fact of life.
Our days are filling up. Yesterday, however, we did make it down to the gym. We were able to buy a one month membership for just under 30 dollars. Exercising at altitude is incredibly taxing. I will hopefully come back home in much better shape than when I arrived. Its hard to believe how cheap everything is here. You can get a filet mignon at a nice restaurant for less than 5 dollars. Suffice to say, we are eating well. One of the most fascinating qualities about Bolivia is the apparent lack of laws, or, more accurately, law enforcement. There are no police cars. We occasionally see police officers, but they don’t do much but stand around. Many are armed with nothing more than moderately sized wooden batons, that have become chipped and worn over the years. So, as you can imagine, the driving conditions are unbelievable. Stoplights are a recent addition to Bolivian infrastructure, but they appear to be mere suggestions. Most people just slow down at a red light, look both ways, then proceed right on through. There are also no traffic lanes. It really is a free for all. Our host, Cindy, informed us that the right of way goes to the person who has the more intense stare. Most incredible, though, is that I have yet to see one single fender bender. So for the most part I think we are safe. We either walk or take a taxi almost everywhere, however, yesterday we did take a bus. We were all crammed into an old school bus and I spent much of the trip pushed up against a woman who was breast feeding.
The trip so far has been amazing. The education we are receiving is truly priceless. I welcome the coming weeks with an open mind and a sense of adventure.
