Friday, August 17, 2012
MEXICAN RIVIERA BLOG #3
MEXICAN RIVIERA BLOG #3
12 AUGUST 2012
It was amazing! Thank you so much Grandpa for the once in a lifetime trip that I will never forget!
Honestly, I can say that my favorite part of the trip altogether, was being able to spend so much time with family. I live the farthest away from everybody, because most of the family is located in the bay area right now. So, living in the LA area, I hardly see my brothers or my cousins anymore, let alone my Grandpa! Tim and I went snorkeling at Lover's beach, and took a pretty awesome boat tour through the different beaches in Cabo San Lucas. This was also a great highlight to the trip. Can't wait to see everyone again! Hopefully for Christmas!
NIKKY
I have to admit, I was very nervous about my first cruise. I have a genetic predisposition towards worrying (Hi Mom!!) so I found more than a few worries to mull on in the days before we departed. Ironically, the one thing I just didn’t expect was feeling seasick! It definitely took me a few days to get my sea legs. I felt like my brain was in a fog for the first couple days at sea and I was continually bumping into walls. But, after I adjusted, I found the fun and excitement that Grandpa Bill has been blogging about for all these years!!
My favorite part of cruising had to be our nightly dinners. Every night we had dinner together at a beautiful table overlooking the ocean. We were served by some amazing and friendly people who knew us by name and remembered our drink orders and coffee preferences after the first night. We were able to try some interesting new foods (although I tended to stick with the chicken) but my favorite part was the conversation. I don’t know how it is even possible, but after so many backpacking trips and holidays Grandpa Bill still has new and interesting stories to share!! Well, new might not be accurate – many were stories from his childhood and the early years of his adult life – but new to us!
I really love being able to get to know my grandfather as an adult. I think that is privilege that not many people get. It’s one that I was not able to have with most of my grandparents. During the trip, one of my cousins dubbed Grandpa Bill “The Most Interesting Man in the World” and it is definitely a title that fits. Not many people would have the patience for a rowdy group of 20-somethings ready to party on a cruise, but he embraces it with open arms. I feel like I learned something new about him and from him every day and that is something that I will treasurer forever.
It was so amazing getting to bond with Brad, Tim, Nikky and Danny. I think we are all growing up to be such awesome people with varying interests and talents. We spent a lot of time talking about the impressions we had of each other growing up and it’s interesting to see how we have matured since then.
So, in closing, I loved the sunshine, margaritas, dancing, comedians, tours and the beautiful ocean views. But, mostly what I’ll remember is the laughter and the stories. I love this tradition of family vacations and I hope it continues!!!
JENNIFER
This cruise was so so much fun. Getting to know the wait staff, having everyone on the boat know us, laying in the sun, buckets of beer, touring Mexico, dancing for a week straight, and being with family to share it all could not have been any better. I think if I had to pick just one my favorite part of this cruise would be snorkeling at “lovers beach” in Cabo. The fish, the water, the beach were perfect. I thought it was so cool to be able to swim in the Pacific Ocean on one side of the beach and the Sea of Cortez on the other. Definitely an unforgettable experience.
TIM
What is it about going on vacation that makes me happy? First of all, I was lucky enough to go on a cruise to México and see a beautiful place with people selling me nik naks left and right. Some people get bothered by the constant seller but I also did buy $200 of stuff for only $40. Second, meeting new people every night and all day was a trip in itself. I barely got off the ship and I noticed I had a new friend request on Facebook from one of the people I met. Lastly but most of all, I love spending more time with my new family.
Last year we all went on a trip to Cancun and it was amazing meeting everyone for the first time “officially.” But this time now that we have all the introductions out of the way, I wanted to get to know my family on a more intimate level. Tim, Nikki, and Brad all have a strong connection with each other that is entertaining to watch on its own. However, I was being accepted to join the bond they share when Brad is stoked to go out for the “best night ever” at the club with his cheesy smile and while dancing with lots of women. Jennifer and I also made a good connection this trip even after watching each other puke, although she had to endure my “awesome” smell of vomit a few more times than me. Putting this all together leads me to believe that the destination isn’t what’s important. The journey of how we get there is what counts.
Even though family is what I think about most, I’m sure that you want to know about the cruise itself. And all I have to say is WOW. Imagine the best hotel you have ever been too and put that on water. Then on top of that there was entertainment all day and all night and great food for every meal.
DANIEL
The best parts of the trip were the things that we did as a group. The dinners every night and especially the classy dinners; eating lunch at a jungle river in the mountains near Puerto Vallarta; drinks in Cabo; walking around the boat on the sea days. The best of the best was going out at night and tearing down the club.
BRAD
For a grandfather to have a week alone with his grandchildren, five of eight, is a precious pleasure with which few have been blessed. I’ve been blessed. It was great fun watching each gain his or her “sea legs” and deal with the mal de mer that usually goes with first cruises. It was wonderful seeing the five bond and get to know cousins in a real sense. I was amazed to listen in on dinner conversations and the sharing of their lives and interests and, in the listening, get to know each a little better. And I was pleased for the opportunity to have a “one on one” with each, something that is next to impossible to achieve at family gatherings at holidays. Our trip was definitely the high point of my year and an experience I hope we can repeat in the future. We all hope that Gram and our three missing cousins Acan join us next time.
GRANDPA BILL
Friday, August 10, 2012
MEXICAN RIVIERA bLOG #2
MEXICAN RIVIERA BLOG #2
10 August 2012
Our first day at Cabo San Lucas was for exploration. I hadn’t been to Cabo San Lucas for a dozen years and I was interested in seeing what changes had occurred since my visit. My recollection of “Cabo” was a well developed water front with lots of boats for hire and a scattering of private boats moored in the marina. I recalled the little town adjacent to the marina having unpaved streets and a growing handful of stores to serve the needs of the local residents. I found an expanded marina with many more boats for hire and scads more private boats. The walkways adjacent to the marina were filled with vendors hawking their services and ready to bargain to get a potential customer on board. The little town that I remembered has grown. The streets are now paved and lined with hundreds of shops catering to the tens of thousands of vacationers that visit Cabo each year. I walked about a mile away from the marina on sidewalks that seemed to continue up the hillside as far as I could see. On my walk I didn’t pass a single grocery store or any of the mundane businesses that once occupied the area. Everything was tourist oriented. I found a spot where I once bought some used tires from a local Llanterra (tire shop) that now featured a Jack in the Box store.
Brad opted to explore the beaches to the west of the marina. He walked along the beaches that extend, at low tide, almost to the cape. He decided that he would like to come back one day soon to climb the rock formations that form the Cabo. Tim, Nikky, Daniel and Jennifer explored several of the cantinas that lined the marina walkways. All had a great day at Cabo.
Some of us signed up for shore excursions on the second day at Cabo. Brad chose a SCUBA tour that promised to teach the use of scuba gear and a parade of tropical fish. On his return he was ecstatic about using scuba gear for the first time and reaching a depth of 45 feet in open water on his first outing. Tim and Nikky signed up for an afternoon of snorkeling. At the last minute the snorkeling trip was cancelled by the ship’s staff. No reason was given for the cancellation. On shore, they found that they could get the same trip to the same location for $20 per person rather than $60 per person. They had a great adventure watching a gazillion mackerel swim by and almost as many colorful tropical fish. Jennifer, Daniel and I opted for a boat tour of the bay in a glass bottomed boat. We poked in among the snorkel people to watch fish through the glass bottom of our boat. We saw mostly mackerel and an occasional flash of color from one of the tropical species that the snorkelers could see much better. Our trip took us out to the Cabo where we could see the two seas meet: the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez. Among the rocks at the cabo is a beautiful rock bridge and a wave carved window through which you could see the Pacific Ocean while sitting in the Sea of Cortez. The sea was a bit bouncy but we managed to enjoy our trip around the bay.
As Jennifer, Daniel and I left the dock where we ended our trip, Brad magically appeared and the four of us sought out at local cantina where we could share our adventures of the day. The weather was hot and humid and the ice cold Mexican beer was really welcomed.
An overnight sail at maximum speed brought us to Puerto Vallarta, our last day ashore and our cruise turn-around point. I had made reservations on line for a city tour that sounded interesting. The tour was scheduled to begin at 11:00 am local time. The night before we were told on board to set our clocks ahead one hour which we did. What we didn’t know, and weren’t told, was that it was the ship’s time we were coordinating our clocks with not the real time on shore. This was a brand new concept for me. When we arrived a half hour early for our 11:00 booking we were told that the tour had left already. Fortunately the company representative understood such problems and was able to call the in motion tour guide to solve the problem. Our tour group had already completed a tour of the Church of
Guadalupe, the oldest still operating church in the area, and were ready to move on with the tour. A decision was made by the tour guide to give the tour group its promised “hour of shopping” early rather than later so that we could catch up with the tour. We loaded into taxis and sped across town to meet the tour with about twenty minutes left of the planned shopping stop. It appeared that the tour group wasn’t aware what had happened and we were pleased to be on our tour.
As such tours go, ours was a fun one. We made the obligatory stop at a jewelry store where we were served virgin margueritas and a chance to buy some jewelry at a great discount. Some did. We then were taken on a route pass some marvelous hill/cliff side homes overlooking the Pacific Ocean. We imagined that this must be where the well-off folks of Puerto Vallarta lived. The homes were beautiful and the sea views spectacular. Our route quickly took us into what the guide referred to as an “almost rain forest”. The dense lush vegetation made us wonder why it was “almost” a rain forest. Our guide explained that the area we were in had about forty inches of rain a year while the city we had just left had about twenty inches of rain a year. We left the main road on a narrow winding dirt road that followed a small stream back into the forest. A couple of miles into the forest we came to a small village and our destination, a wonderful thatch roofed open-air restaurant. We were told in advance that the menu would be described to us, which it was. There was a choice of a half dozen entrees, beer and water. We found a table for the six of us and decided that a mixed platter. meant to serve three, looked good. We ordered two platters and beer and bottled water all around. The food was marvelous and enjoyed by all. The fish was especially good but there was chicken, pork and shrimp as well with rice and a green salad. As host of the day I was a bit shocked by the bill of $140 for our jungle lunch but in retrospect it was worth every penny.
Our return trip provided a fun stop at a tequila factory where we were going to be shown how tequila is made. After a brief look around at the stock of tequila for sale, we were seated in a semicircle around our host who told us all we needed to know about tequila. First, we were told to shake a bottle of tequila before buying it. If foam shows at the top of the bottle we shouldn’t buy. Second, we were taught to inhale and blow out twice before taking a shot of tequila….all at once….followed by another inhale and exhale. With this instruction, we were each given a shot of tequila. Inhale/exhale, inhale/exhale, down she goes. We started off with the strong stuff and I found it burned a bit on the way down. Following the first serving we were poured a second and a third and a fourth and then we stopped counting. Some of us stopped drinking. The middle aged lady next to me took five straight shots and began an attempt to take over the instructional job from our host. A whole bunch of tequila was sold. It’s my guess that few from our ship were aware that they couldn’t take the bottles on board. The bottles would be confiscated at the gate and returned just before the end of the cruise. They never did show us the factory or how tequila is made. Who cares?
There was a lot of animated talking during our bus ride back to the ship. And some took a nap. All in all our potential missed tour turned out pretty good.
The last two days of our cruise will be ‘at sea’. Our cruise group has learned how to find the fun spots on the ship and how to make the most of the late evening entertainment. I don’t imagine that much of what’s going on will be missed. Friday night will feature another “Elegant” dining opportunity so we’ll all put on something special and look forward to something extra special on the evening’s menu.
Life is great!
Our love to all,
Grandpa Bill, Brad, Jennifer, Daniel, Tim and Nikky
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
MEXICAN RIVIERA BLOG #1
MEXICAN RIVIERA CRUISE BLOG #1
7 August 2012
The first day of our adventure went like clockwork. Daniel and Tim spent the night at our house and we had no difficulty in leaving at 5:00 am as planned. We picked up Brad as scheduled and dropped the truck off at the Westin Hotel parking lot and arrived at the airport at 7:15, ahead of schedule. Jennifer met us there and we walked through a deserted airport to our assigned gate feeling that there must be something happening we hadn’t heard about because of the absence of the usual airport crowds. We met Nikky at the Long Beach airport on schedule and found the Carnival shuttle bus waiting for us with open arms.
When we arrived at the cruise terminal we once again were surprised by the absence of travelers. We walked through the registration process without a moment of waiting in line and walked onto the Carnival Splendor, our home away from home for the next seven days. We arrived on board before noon and the signs posted let us know that our cabins wouldn’t be ready until 2:00 pm. We headed for the buffet on the 9th floor and a lunch that all of us needed, or at least we thought we did. After lunch and a little ship exploring, we headed for our staterooms.
Unlike the rooms that I had selected in April, our rooms were at the very front of the ship. I had requested “Ocean View” cabins amidship, usually the most comfortable for first time cruisers. The side by side rooms turned out to be just fine and we unpacked a few hours later when our bags were delivered to our cabins.
The Carnival Splendor is one of Carnival’s thirty cruise ships. I would call it a medium sized ship, as ships go today, with a passenger capacity in excess of 3000. Unlike other cruise lines I’ve used, Carnival does not provide passengers with the specifics of a ship tonnage, capacity, etc. The only information I could get on board, short of using the internet at fifty cents a minute, was by word of mouth. The ship was built in Italy and put into service in 2008. Its Captain was from Italy. The crew was from all parts of the globe each wearing a name pin that displayed a name that was impossible to pronounce and the country each called home.
As I knew in advance, Carnival is a “low-end” cruise line that caters to families and folks looking for a less expensive cruise. Facilities for the under twelve set are really great. The offerings for adults are limited but offerings for children seem endless. The daily program offered dance lessons once a day, drink mixing demonstrations, Bingo and not much more. There was no Bridge Lesson/Game which seems ever present on most cruise ships. I asked the Captain, at the usual Captain’s welcome (sans booze, if you can believe it) about the absence of a Bridge Game and he seemed not to understand what I was talking about. He asked a Senior Officer next to him what Bridge is (in Italian) and the officer nodded in the negative. I told the Captain I hadn’t found the Card Room and he knew what that was and asked the underling where the card room was located. Another nod indicated that the ship doesn’t have a Card Room. What the ship did have was a huge casino and lots of handy watering holes. The ship’s theater, “Spectacular” reflected its name. It appeared to have seating for 1,500 or more with only a handful of seats behind poles.
Our first day “at sea” was relaxing. I did my usual hour walk on the 12th floor outdoor track followed by a half hour in the ship’s well equipped gym. Our group generally skipped breakfast or rather had breakfast when most folks were eating lunch. The night time activities on board are endless for the twentys/fortys set and I’m told we took full advantage of all that was offered. Our second night’s meal was “Elegant” night (a Carnival term) and we dressed up and looked very special. On the previous evening I had informed all that one of the great things about cruise dining is that one can order extra of something one likes. On our Elegant Night menu we found special things like a crocodile appetizer and a lobster entrée. When I ordered a double portion of lobster, those at our table knew in their hearts that Grandpa Bill was about to be shown as telling stories for their entertainment. When my double order of lobster arrived there was an immediate placement of additional orders. Brad ordered a total of three orders of lobster. Cruising can be fun!!
Today will be the first of our two days at Cabo San Lucas. Our plan is to go ashore about noon and see what we can see by walking around. The ship is too large to use the pier here so going ashore requires using the “tenders” (life boats). We arrived here at 9:00 am and all with shore excursions will be tendered ashore first with those, like us, without excursions to follow. Thus, our noon departure. The last return tender will leave the dock at 5:00 pm and all will spend the night on board. Tomorrow some of us have shore excursion tickets but today we will be on our own.
Love to all from……………
Grandpa Bill, Brad, Jennifer, Daniel, Tim and Nikky
Sunday, January 22, 2012
LIMA PERU 2012 BLOG #5
LIMA PERU 2012 BLOG #5
I’m on my way home after two of the most interesting weeks I’ve known in recent years. When I was invited to participate in the 2012 Lima Rotaplast Mission, I had a small idea about what was ahead. I knew that volunteers, under the auspice and financing of Rotary, traveled to strange places around the world to provide surgery for children who were born with cleft palates and lips. Two members of our Rotary Club had participated in the past and have given talks about their experiences. What I’ve learned from my experience in Lima is that there are some truly awesome individuals in this world and that I’ve had the privilege of knowing and working with a number of them.
Most of the twenty six members of our team had served on several Rotaplast missions and nearly all were already signed up for future missions. With rare exceptions, the professionals left full time practices to serve with Rotaplast. All of the nonmedical volunteers, with the exception of the Mission Leader, paid their own expenses with the exception of their hotel accommodations. One of the local Rotary clubs in Lima provided morning snacks and lunch each day as well as serving as host for a farewell appreciation dinner. Dinner each day was at the volunteer’s expense
I had heard our club members who had participated in previous Rotaplast missions speak of long work days but I didn’t realize what that meant. Our team’s work day began with a bus pick-up at our hotel each day at 7:00 am. We rarely returned to the hotel before 7:00 pm and on several days the return was after 9:00 pm. The surgeons were on call each night in the event that a patient was having difficulty. Each day was followed by a “happy hour”, to which participants contributed, where the team anjoyed relaxing and sharing the events of the day.
It was amazing to me to observe the medical volunteers and the endurance they displayed. I never once heard anyone mention fatigue or the stress of the busy day. Each day I saw these medical volunteers intensely involved in the skilled work they performed, bustling about seeming always to be on the run. If one of the medical folks completed his or her surgery assignments for the day, he or she always seemed to find some supportive involvement with surgeries yet completed. And all of this tireless effort accompanied by smiles. I was amazed.
In all, the team completed approximately ninety surgical procedures. While cleft palate and lip repair was the primary function, several patients received surgery of the nose that related to his or her deformity. The vast majority of patients were very small children; many less than a year old. A small number of older children and a few adults were also treated. One patient, a lady, was seventy-four years of age and had lived her whole life with her birth defect. One of her sons had heard a radio broadcast reporting on the Rotaplast Mission and decided to try to get surgery for his mother. He drove several hours to pick-up his mother to bring her to the clinic where she was interviewed, evaluated and accepted for surgery. The lady seemed frightened but patiently went through the process. On the final clinic day she was seen looking as though she was afraid to smile with her new lips but a twinkle in her eye showed the joy in her heart. One boy of about eight years of age was evaluated and found to have club feet and clubbed hands along with his cleft palate and lip. A decision was made by the surgical team to see if something could be done. After a study of X-rays, it was determined that it might be possible to make the boy’s thumbs functional. I watched much of the surgery and was amazed at what was accomplished. The boy went home with the potential for being able to grasp something with hands for the first time in his life.
The smiles of joy on the faces of parents and the hugs of appreciation received by volunteers perhaps explains in part why some volunteers have been serving on Rotaplast missions every year for dozens of years. Accounts are related by these veterans about 19 hour flights followed by eight or nine hours of auto travel over rough roads to remote places where one can’t eat the food safely and one needs to share a thin mattressed bed with another. Now I know why they return to do it again.
Rotary is all about “Service Above Self” and I witnessed first hand on the Lima 2012 Rotaplast Mission what that really means. The team of volunteers, only a few of which were actually Rotarians, demonstrated to me how our motto really works. Their tireless devotion to people in need left me with an indelible memory of their service and a personal challenge to devote my few strengths, time and resources in a more significant way as I attempt to fulfill my obligation to place “Service Above Self”.
Incidentally, each Rotaplast Mission, of which there are a half dozen or so a year, costs approximately $80,000. Rotaplast has been in existence since the eighties and has provided tens of thousands of youngsters around the world with a new look and new life.
Love to all,
Bill, Grandpa Bill, Dad
I’m on my way home after two of the most interesting weeks I’ve known in recent years. When I was invited to participate in the 2012 Lima Rotaplast Mission, I had a small idea about what was ahead. I knew that volunteers, under the auspice and financing of Rotary, traveled to strange places around the world to provide surgery for children who were born with cleft palates and lips. Two members of our Rotary Club had participated in the past and have given talks about their experiences. What I’ve learned from my experience in Lima is that there are some truly awesome individuals in this world and that I’ve had the privilege of knowing and working with a number of them.
Most of the twenty six members of our team had served on several Rotaplast missions and nearly all were already signed up for future missions. With rare exceptions, the professionals left full time practices to serve with Rotaplast. All of the nonmedical volunteers, with the exception of the Mission Leader, paid their own expenses with the exception of their hotel accommodations. One of the local Rotary clubs in Lima provided morning snacks and lunch each day as well as serving as host for a farewell appreciation dinner. Dinner each day was at the volunteer’s expense
I had heard our club members who had participated in previous Rotaplast missions speak of long work days but I didn’t realize what that meant. Our team’s work day began with a bus pick-up at our hotel each day at 7:00 am. We rarely returned to the hotel before 7:00 pm and on several days the return was after 9:00 pm. The surgeons were on call each night in the event that a patient was having difficulty. Each day was followed by a “happy hour”, to which participants contributed, where the team anjoyed relaxing and sharing the events of the day.
It was amazing to me to observe the medical volunteers and the endurance they displayed. I never once heard anyone mention fatigue or the stress of the busy day. Each day I saw these medical volunteers intensely involved in the skilled work they performed, bustling about seeming always to be on the run. If one of the medical folks completed his or her surgery assignments for the day, he or she always seemed to find some supportive involvement with surgeries yet completed. And all of this tireless effort accompanied by smiles. I was amazed.
In all, the team completed approximately ninety surgical procedures. While cleft palate and lip repair was the primary function, several patients received surgery of the nose that related to his or her deformity. The vast majority of patients were very small children; many less than a year old. A small number of older children and a few adults were also treated. One patient, a lady, was seventy-four years of age and had lived her whole life with her birth defect. One of her sons had heard a radio broadcast reporting on the Rotaplast Mission and decided to try to get surgery for his mother. He drove several hours to pick-up his mother to bring her to the clinic where she was interviewed, evaluated and accepted for surgery. The lady seemed frightened but patiently went through the process. On the final clinic day she was seen looking as though she was afraid to smile with her new lips but a twinkle in her eye showed the joy in her heart. One boy of about eight years of age was evaluated and found to have club feet and clubbed hands along with his cleft palate and lip. A decision was made by the surgical team to see if something could be done. After a study of X-rays, it was determined that it might be possible to make the boy’s thumbs functional. I watched much of the surgery and was amazed at what was accomplished. The boy went home with the potential for being able to grasp something with hands for the first time in his life.
The smiles of joy on the faces of parents and the hugs of appreciation received by volunteers perhaps explains in part why some volunteers have been serving on Rotaplast missions every year for dozens of years. Accounts are related by these veterans about 19 hour flights followed by eight or nine hours of auto travel over rough roads to remote places where one can’t eat the food safely and one needs to share a thin mattressed bed with another. Now I know why they return to do it again.
Rotary is all about “Service Above Self” and I witnessed first hand on the Lima 2012 Rotaplast Mission what that really means. The team of volunteers, only a few of which were actually Rotarians, demonstrated to me how our motto really works. Their tireless devotion to people in need left me with an indelible memory of their service and a personal challenge to devote my few strengths, time and resources in a more significant way as I attempt to fulfill my obligation to place “Service Above Self”.
Incidentally, each Rotaplast Mission, of which there are a half dozen or so a year, costs approximately $80,000. Rotaplast has been in existence since the eighties and has provided tens of thousands of youngsters around the world with a new look and new life.
Love to all,
Bill, Grandpa Bill, Dad
Thursday, January 19, 2012
LIMA PERU 2012 BLOG #4
LIMA PERU 2012 BLOG #4
Imagine getting ready for a Sunday drive. You get the kids in the car, load in the picnic lunch(there aren’t many McDonalds outside of Lima) and the fishing rods (just in case you pass a promising looking stream or lake) and then you get the tank of oxygen and place it conveniently where all in the car can reach it. This is real life according to an account shared with a new Peruvian friend. Less than two hours east of Lima the road climbs from sea level to over 12,000 feet and even the locals admit to having problems with altitude sickness. The sudden change of altitude does strange things to most of us and the tank of oxygen is the most effective means of saving the day. I recall our recent trip to Macho Pichu w here we found “oxy-shots” available at the airport and at our hotel.
Not many of the nine million residents of Lima would make such a trip. As a matter of fact, there’s not much to be seen or do if you do make the drive. There’s plenty to do in town and if you’re a Lima resident you’re too spoiled by the weather to chance getting cold for nothing. Limans are used to two seasons; summer and winter. Since Lima is situated in the desert (Lima is the second largest desert city in the world. Do you know the largest?) , one would expect high temperatures in the summer. Actually, summer temperatures range between a high of 89 and a low of 69. Winter on the other hand is wet. Locals complain about the constant “rain” although no one owns an umbrella or a raincoat. The “rain” consists of an almost constant fog that locals call a drizzle. Now that sounds pretty wet but in actual measures the drizzle amounts to an annual average of 2.4 inches. And oh yes, the winters are “cold”. The daily highs and lows are about ten degrees lower than summer readings.
By the way, L:ima is the fourth largest city in South America. Can you name the other three. If you you add Mexico City, Lima is the fifth largets city in Latin America.
Lima, and this part of the world, has a long history of devastating earthquakes. Historical accounts list some major quakes that “leveled” the city on several occasions. One local friend told me that “…we know that every four years there will be an earthquake” with a certainty that made me a believer. The city center has many buildings that appeared to be built in the middle to late nineteenth century suggesting that something big must have happened th. No one tell me what happened and all seemed not to care. The hospital where we are working is one such building. It is old and not in good repair but it does provide the primary source of health care for poor people in the area. Several modern hospitals exist where services are available for those who can afford it. Patients in “our” hospital spend the night in open wards with forty or more beds side by side
While I was impressed by the number of cars on the streets, I was surprised not to see a parking lot for patients’ cars at the hospital. I was told that most who are served by the state operated hospital don’t own cars. Some of our patients came from homes that were hundreds of miles from Lima; usually by bus
Archeological studies indicate that the Lima area was inhabited as early as 14,000 BC. On Sunday I visited an archeological site that once was a city built of mud bricks dated somewhere around the 5th or 6th century. Spanish explorer Francisco Pizzaro sailed into Callao Bay in 1535 and named what was the beginning of Lima “La Ciudad de los Reyes”, the city of kings. Pizarro immediately defeated the Inca leader Atahualpa and took over his empire. Spain ruled the country until 1821. During the next several centuries, Lima played an important role in supporting the sea trade routes from Europe and the far east. Because of the valuable cargoes carried to and from the city, pirates and privateers roamed the coast attacking ships at will. The problem was of such an extent that the Spanish built a wall around Lima in 1687-89 to protect inhabitants from attack from the sea.
Peru is another of the South American countries that gained its independence from Spain in the 19th century. In 1820 a group of Argentine and Chilean patriots, led by Jose de San Martin, decided that Peru should also be free so they traveled to Peru. Fearing the worst, the then Spanish Viceroy invited San Martin into Lima hoping to save his loyalist guards from harm. What the history books call the War of Independence drifted along for several years but was officially ended on July 28, 1821. The next several years where unsettling but the new country got its feet on the ground by 1850. About that time, guano exports became a big thing and Peru’s economy was off to a good start. Why guano? Guano was an excellent source of nitrate and an important ingredient in gun powder.
Lima is the home of the oldest higher learning institution in the new world. The National University of San Marcos was founded on May 12, 1551 and is the oldest continuously functioning university in the Americas.
I had an opportunity to spend some time at the Museo Nacional de Arqueologia, Anntropologia e Historia del Peru. Well organized and maintained exhibits tell the story of Peru and its people from its known beginning in 14000 to the present. Artifacts are displayed that show the growth of skills and products as the country grew. A book I recently read hypothesized that when people became farmers instead of hunters and gatherers they had time to devote to things artistic and political. The pottery displays effectively demonstrate this idea as household pottery changed from functional things made to do a particular job to jugs and bowls that were intricate in their design and color. The concept I read about seems proven by these exhibits.
Like almost every place in the world, there is more to see and do than time permits. The few days I’ve spent in Peru were a marvelous learning experience that I found very enjoyable.
Love to all,
Bill, Grandpa Bill and Dad
Imagine getting ready for a Sunday drive. You get the kids in the car, load in the picnic lunch(there aren’t many McDonalds outside of Lima) and the fishing rods (just in case you pass a promising looking stream or lake) and then you get the tank of oxygen and place it conveniently where all in the car can reach it. This is real life according to an account shared with a new Peruvian friend. Less than two hours east of Lima the road climbs from sea level to over 12,000 feet and even the locals admit to having problems with altitude sickness. The sudden change of altitude does strange things to most of us and the tank of oxygen is the most effective means of saving the day. I recall our recent trip to Macho Pichu w here we found “oxy-shots” available at the airport and at our hotel.
Not many of the nine million residents of Lima would make such a trip. As a matter of fact, there’s not much to be seen or do if you do make the drive. There’s plenty to do in town and if you’re a Lima resident you’re too spoiled by the weather to chance getting cold for nothing. Limans are used to two seasons; summer and winter. Since Lima is situated in the desert (Lima is the second largest desert city in the world. Do you know the largest?) , one would expect high temperatures in the summer. Actually, summer temperatures range between a high of 89 and a low of 69. Winter on the other hand is wet. Locals complain about the constant “rain” although no one owns an umbrella or a raincoat. The “rain” consists of an almost constant fog that locals call a drizzle. Now that sounds pretty wet but in actual measures the drizzle amounts to an annual average of 2.4 inches. And oh yes, the winters are “cold”. The daily highs and lows are about ten degrees lower than summer readings.
By the way, L:ima is the fourth largest city in South America. Can you name the other three. If you you add Mexico City, Lima is the fifth largets city in Latin America.
Lima, and this part of the world, has a long history of devastating earthquakes. Historical accounts list some major quakes that “leveled” the city on several occasions. One local friend told me that “…we know that every four years there will be an earthquake” with a certainty that made me a believer. The city center has many buildings that appeared to be built in the middle to late nineteenth century suggesting that something big must have happened th. No one tell me what happened and all seemed not to care. The hospital where we are working is one such building. It is old and not in good repair but it does provide the primary source of health care for poor people in the area. Several modern hospitals exist where services are available for those who can afford it. Patients in “our” hospital spend the night in open wards with forty or more beds side by side
While I was impressed by the number of cars on the streets, I was surprised not to see a parking lot for patients’ cars at the hospital. I was told that most who are served by the state operated hospital don’t own cars. Some of our patients came from homes that were hundreds of miles from Lima; usually by bus
Archeological studies indicate that the Lima area was inhabited as early as 14,000 BC. On Sunday I visited an archeological site that once was a city built of mud bricks dated somewhere around the 5th or 6th century. Spanish explorer Francisco Pizzaro sailed into Callao Bay in 1535 and named what was the beginning of Lima “La Ciudad de los Reyes”, the city of kings. Pizarro immediately defeated the Inca leader Atahualpa and took over his empire. Spain ruled the country until 1821. During the next several centuries, Lima played an important role in supporting the sea trade routes from Europe and the far east. Because of the valuable cargoes carried to and from the city, pirates and privateers roamed the coast attacking ships at will. The problem was of such an extent that the Spanish built a wall around Lima in 1687-89 to protect inhabitants from attack from the sea.
Peru is another of the South American countries that gained its independence from Spain in the 19th century. In 1820 a group of Argentine and Chilean patriots, led by Jose de San Martin, decided that Peru should also be free so they traveled to Peru. Fearing the worst, the then Spanish Viceroy invited San Martin into Lima hoping to save his loyalist guards from harm. What the history books call the War of Independence drifted along for several years but was officially ended on July 28, 1821. The next several years where unsettling but the new country got its feet on the ground by 1850. About that time, guano exports became a big thing and Peru’s economy was off to a good start. Why guano? Guano was an excellent source of nitrate and an important ingredient in gun powder.
Lima is the home of the oldest higher learning institution in the new world. The National University of San Marcos was founded on May 12, 1551 and is the oldest continuously functioning university in the Americas.
I had an opportunity to spend some time at the Museo Nacional de Arqueologia, Anntropologia e Historia del Peru. Well organized and maintained exhibits tell the story of Peru and its people from its known beginning in 14000 to the present. Artifacts are displayed that show the growth of skills and products as the country grew. A book I recently read hypothesized that when people became farmers instead of hunters and gatherers they had time to devote to things artistic and political. The pottery displays effectively demonstrate this idea as household pottery changed from functional things made to do a particular job to jugs and bowls that were intricate in their design and color. The concept I read about seems proven by these exhibits.
Like almost every place in the world, there is more to see and do than time permits. The few days I’ve spent in Peru were a marvelous learning experience that I found very enjoyable.
Love to all,
Bill, Grandpa Bill and Dad
Sunday, January 15, 2012
LIMA PERU 2012 BLOG #3
LIMA PERU 2012 BLOG #3
After several days experience, I now know what a “sterilizer” does. It goes something like this. Surgeons use trays of instruments that are fitted out with the specific instruments needed for a particular procedure. Each tray is exactly like all others designed to support the named procedure. The instruments used in the operating room are sterile as is all else, as much as possible, that comes in contact with the patient. My job as sterilizer is to insure that the instruments delivered to the operating room are clean, sterile and that the tray has all of the instruments expected.
As each surgery is completed, the tray of instruments used in the surgery is delivered to the area where I work. A Peruvian lady specifically trained for the purpose washes the returned instruments and delivers them to me. I examine the instruments to determine that all of the instruments that need to be on the tray are present. Some of the instruments need to be reassembled; a task for which I have been trained. I count and recount the instruments and note the number on a card that is placed on the tray. The tray is then placed in a machine, an autoclave, that is designed to create steam and maintain a temperature of 270 degrees Fahrenheit for a minimum of three minutes. The process takes about thirty minutes per tray except when the washed instruments brought to me doesn’t include all of the instruments that are supposed to be on a specific tray. This leads to a search that may include a return to the operating room where the tray was last used, an examination of other trays that may have been used at the same time as the incomplete tray and an occasional search of waste cans in the area where the missing item may have been inadvertently tossed. If the missing item cannot be found, a replacement must be taken from a supply of “extras” so that the tray will be complete for the next surgery. When a surgeon calls for a specific instrument during a procedure, he or she needs to know that the needed item will be available.
Since most of our days so far have been 10 or more hours long, I have had the opportunity, when no trays need my attention, to walk freely among the operating rooms to watch the surgeons at work. My presence in the OR area requires that I wear scrubs at all times, a hat and covers on my shoes. Whenever I enter an operating room while a patient is present I must wear a face mask. A number of times the operating surgeon has invited me to put my head next to his or her head so that I could look directly into the mouth of the patient’s mouth. This was a totally new experience for me and one that I found fascinating. Often there were Peruvian doctors and/or doctors and nurses in training gathered around the operating table observing the procedure. The surgeons often kept up a continual dialogue explaining everything that was happening. In some instances, two of our team’s surgeons worked together on a single patient. Most often, the “scrub nurses” supporting the surgeon were Peruvian nurses who normally assisted Peruvian doctors in the operating room. Our surgeons each took the time to train the Peruvian nurses in the techniques that were expected by the American doctors. I found our surgeons to be very patient with the training process that they found necessary.
This was my first experience working closely with a group of medical professionals. Many in our group had served on pervious Rotaplast missions. I was impressed with several qualities that were present among the medical professionals. Although we worked long hours each day, starting early and ending late, none of the professionals ever seemed to tire. Each moved rapidly from one task to another never slowing down. Everyone smiled and joked even after a fourteen hour day. Most of all, each demonstrated an intensity of purpose that I imagined was the product of knowing that what was being done would be a significant benefit to the patient being served. My first few days as a part of the Rotaplast team gave me a new understanding and appreciation for those who choose to serve as medical professionals.
Love to each and everyone,
Bill, Grandpa Bill and Dad
After several days experience, I now know what a “sterilizer” does. It goes something like this. Surgeons use trays of instruments that are fitted out with the specific instruments needed for a particular procedure. Each tray is exactly like all others designed to support the named procedure. The instruments used in the operating room are sterile as is all else, as much as possible, that comes in contact with the patient. My job as sterilizer is to insure that the instruments delivered to the operating room are clean, sterile and that the tray has all of the instruments expected.
As each surgery is completed, the tray of instruments used in the surgery is delivered to the area where I work. A Peruvian lady specifically trained for the purpose washes the returned instruments and delivers them to me. I examine the instruments to determine that all of the instruments that need to be on the tray are present. Some of the instruments need to be reassembled; a task for which I have been trained. I count and recount the instruments and note the number on a card that is placed on the tray. The tray is then placed in a machine, an autoclave, that is designed to create steam and maintain a temperature of 270 degrees Fahrenheit for a minimum of three minutes. The process takes about thirty minutes per tray except when the washed instruments brought to me doesn’t include all of the instruments that are supposed to be on a specific tray. This leads to a search that may include a return to the operating room where the tray was last used, an examination of other trays that may have been used at the same time as the incomplete tray and an occasional search of waste cans in the area where the missing item may have been inadvertently tossed. If the missing item cannot be found, a replacement must be taken from a supply of “extras” so that the tray will be complete for the next surgery. When a surgeon calls for a specific instrument during a procedure, he or she needs to know that the needed item will be available.
Since most of our days so far have been 10 or more hours long, I have had the opportunity, when no trays need my attention, to walk freely among the operating rooms to watch the surgeons at work. My presence in the OR area requires that I wear scrubs at all times, a hat and covers on my shoes. Whenever I enter an operating room while a patient is present I must wear a face mask. A number of times the operating surgeon has invited me to put my head next to his or her head so that I could look directly into the mouth of the patient’s mouth. This was a totally new experience for me and one that I found fascinating. Often there were Peruvian doctors and/or doctors and nurses in training gathered around the operating table observing the procedure. The surgeons often kept up a continual dialogue explaining everything that was happening. In some instances, two of our team’s surgeons worked together on a single patient. Most often, the “scrub nurses” supporting the surgeon were Peruvian nurses who normally assisted Peruvian doctors in the operating room. Our surgeons each took the time to train the Peruvian nurses in the techniques that were expected by the American doctors. I found our surgeons to be very patient with the training process that they found necessary.
This was my first experience working closely with a group of medical professionals. Many in our group had served on pervious Rotaplast missions. I was impressed with several qualities that were present among the medical professionals. Although we worked long hours each day, starting early and ending late, none of the professionals ever seemed to tire. Each moved rapidly from one task to another never slowing down. Everyone smiled and joked even after a fourteen hour day. Most of all, each demonstrated an intensity of purpose that I imagined was the product of knowing that what was being done would be a significant benefit to the patient being served. My first few days as a part of the Rotaplast team gave me a new understanding and appreciation for those who choose to serve as medical professionals.
Love to each and everyone,
Bill, Grandpa Bill and Dad
Thursday, January 12, 2012
LIMA PERU 2012 BLOG #2
Lima PERU 2012 BLOG #2
Our first day of real activity involved the registration of potential candidates for the kind of surgeries we will perform. About 75 victims of cleft palate and/or cleft lip answered the advertised call for patients who wished to undergo surgery to change their particular problems. Potential candidates appeared at 8:00 am to begin the process of evaluation and selection for the process. Candidates lined up outside the clinic door with full anticipation of waiting most of the day to be interviewed and evaluated. Only one or two adult candidates came alone. All of the rest came with a family member or two and began the waiting for a call to be interviewed.
The first step involved registering. Clerks were waiting at a table to get specific information from candidate. Name, age, address, telephone number and specifics about how far they had traveled were duly recorded on data sheets that became a part of the medical record for each. Following registration, candidates were evaluated by a surgeon who took notes on each candidate’s problem and possible strategies for its correction. Next, each candidate was interviewed and evaluated by an anesthesiologist to determine if each could withstand anesthesia and its potential complications. Then a pediatrician examined each candidate to determine wellness in terms of the demands of the planned procedures. A dentist examined each patient to determine the implications for dentistry following corrective surgery. And finally, the candidates’ vital signs were determined and made a part of the patient’s record. At every station, several photographs were taken for future reference.
At each evaluation station, the doctor and the other professionals responsible for the examination made a crucial decision regarding the patient’s eligibility. Green dots were awarded those patients that showed signs of profiting the most from corrective surgery. Blue dots were awarded patients who showed and need and potential for success but with a lesser degree of need than those awarded green dots. These would be scheduled for surgery if time permitted. Red dots were given to those candidates that the medical professionals deemed unsuited for corrective surgery. Poor health, problems too serious to be corrected, lack of an obvious need for corrective surgery and/or a combination of some of these usually denied the corrective surgery being sought.
After the evaluations began, one wall of each examination room began to display post-its with notations regarding the patient and a colored dot denoting the decision resulting from the examination. The post-its were arranged in order of acceptability with those deemed worthy of surgery on the left and those least able to profit on the right. Each candidate was evaluated at each station with consultation following disagreements by evaluators. The final selection was evaluated by surgeons and the administrative nurse who made the final decision about scheduling surgeries.
All of this was accomplished on Wednesday, the second day of the team’s presence in Lima. Some experienced volunteers recalled such days when 150 or more potential candidates were evaluated with the process beginning at 8:00 am in the morning and ending at 10:30 at night. Our day of evaluation was completed by 4:00 pm.
Following the completion of the evaluation process, Parents and their children gathered in the courtyard outside of the building we used to wait for the announcement of candidates that had been chosen for surgery. Hope was written on the faces of parents in the crowd as names were read. Wide smiles were seen on the faces of parents when the name of their child was read. These parents who had been waiting since before 8:00 am showed no sign of weariness, just eager anticipation that their child might be chosen for a new look and a new life.
Surgeries are planned to begin on Thursday; our third full day in Lima. When we arrived we found that the surgery rooms were being painted. Everyone knew that we were going to be needing the rooms six months before our arrival. For some reason yet explained, the maintenance was scheduled making it impossible for our team to begin surgeries as planned. The first surgeries will probably not begin until noon rather than 7:30 am as planned. None the less, the team will be prepared and on the job at the earliest possible moment. Some of our team expressed disappointed with the lack of cooperation exhibited by the hospital. There seemed to be little regard for the fact that each team member had paid more than $1500 for a plane ticket to come to Lima plus the cost of meals and such would add. Additionally, most team member were either losing earnings from their individual practices or vacation time that was being used for the trip. There was no griping from team members but rather regret was expressed that the limiting of the use of facilities simply meant that fewer children could be scheduled for surgeries.
My role on this second day was to assist the registration desk. I spent several hours setting up file folders that would later be used to record all of the patient data necessary for the evaluation and eventual surgeries. I spent an additional three and a half hours recording patient data in a computer data bank that would eventually list the procedures used with each child.
During the remainder of the day I was able to observe the evaluation process in operation. One surgeon showed me a one year old child that exhibited a classic cleft palate. Looking into the child’s mouth I could see the hole on the top of the child’s mouth that allowed one to see the inside of the child’s nose. The child was chosen for surgery.
At our second night’s cocktail hour get together, one of the surgeons gave a talk, supported by a computer generated set of pictures, that described the surgical process used to repair cleft palates. We were also given some information about the causative factors leading to such conditions. Heredity, environmental factors (ie pollution) and cleanliness were described as known contributors. Some countries have a greater incidence than others. Africa, India and South America have a high incidence of cleft palates while Europe and the United States have relatively few. The U.S. has about 7500 cases a year. Peru has about twice that number. The presence of a cleft palate begins to show in infants as early as the 6th week of gestation.
I’m learning a lot and meeting a number of wonderful, dedicated and interesting people.
Love,
Bill, Grandpa Bill and Dad
Our first day of real activity involved the registration of potential candidates for the kind of surgeries we will perform. About 75 victims of cleft palate and/or cleft lip answered the advertised call for patients who wished to undergo surgery to change their particular problems. Potential candidates appeared at 8:00 am to begin the process of evaluation and selection for the process. Candidates lined up outside the clinic door with full anticipation of waiting most of the day to be interviewed and evaluated. Only one or two adult candidates came alone. All of the rest came with a family member or two and began the waiting for a call to be interviewed.
The first step involved registering. Clerks were waiting at a table to get specific information from candidate. Name, age, address, telephone number and specifics about how far they had traveled were duly recorded on data sheets that became a part of the medical record for each. Following registration, candidates were evaluated by a surgeon who took notes on each candidate’s problem and possible strategies for its correction. Next, each candidate was interviewed and evaluated by an anesthesiologist to determine if each could withstand anesthesia and its potential complications. Then a pediatrician examined each candidate to determine wellness in terms of the demands of the planned procedures. A dentist examined each patient to determine the implications for dentistry following corrective surgery. And finally, the candidates’ vital signs were determined and made a part of the patient’s record. At every station, several photographs were taken for future reference.
At each evaluation station, the doctor and the other professionals responsible for the examination made a crucial decision regarding the patient’s eligibility. Green dots were awarded those patients that showed signs of profiting the most from corrective surgery. Blue dots were awarded patients who showed and need and potential for success but with a lesser degree of need than those awarded green dots. These would be scheduled for surgery if time permitted. Red dots were given to those candidates that the medical professionals deemed unsuited for corrective surgery. Poor health, problems too serious to be corrected, lack of an obvious need for corrective surgery and/or a combination of some of these usually denied the corrective surgery being sought.
After the evaluations began, one wall of each examination room began to display post-its with notations regarding the patient and a colored dot denoting the decision resulting from the examination. The post-its were arranged in order of acceptability with those deemed worthy of surgery on the left and those least able to profit on the right. Each candidate was evaluated at each station with consultation following disagreements by evaluators. The final selection was evaluated by surgeons and the administrative nurse who made the final decision about scheduling surgeries.
All of this was accomplished on Wednesday, the second day of the team’s presence in Lima. Some experienced volunteers recalled such days when 150 or more potential candidates were evaluated with the process beginning at 8:00 am in the morning and ending at 10:30 at night. Our day of evaluation was completed by 4:00 pm.
Following the completion of the evaluation process, Parents and their children gathered in the courtyard outside of the building we used to wait for the announcement of candidates that had been chosen for surgery. Hope was written on the faces of parents in the crowd as names were read. Wide smiles were seen on the faces of parents when the name of their child was read. These parents who had been waiting since before 8:00 am showed no sign of weariness, just eager anticipation that their child might be chosen for a new look and a new life.
Surgeries are planned to begin on Thursday; our third full day in Lima. When we arrived we found that the surgery rooms were being painted. Everyone knew that we were going to be needing the rooms six months before our arrival. For some reason yet explained, the maintenance was scheduled making it impossible for our team to begin surgeries as planned. The first surgeries will probably not begin until noon rather than 7:30 am as planned. None the less, the team will be prepared and on the job at the earliest possible moment. Some of our team expressed disappointed with the lack of cooperation exhibited by the hospital. There seemed to be little regard for the fact that each team member had paid more than $1500 for a plane ticket to come to Lima plus the cost of meals and such would add. Additionally, most team member were either losing earnings from their individual practices or vacation time that was being used for the trip. There was no griping from team members but rather regret was expressed that the limiting of the use of facilities simply meant that fewer children could be scheduled for surgeries.
My role on this second day was to assist the registration desk. I spent several hours setting up file folders that would later be used to record all of the patient data necessary for the evaluation and eventual surgeries. I spent an additional three and a half hours recording patient data in a computer data bank that would eventually list the procedures used with each child.
During the remainder of the day I was able to observe the evaluation process in operation. One surgeon showed me a one year old child that exhibited a classic cleft palate. Looking into the child’s mouth I could see the hole on the top of the child’s mouth that allowed one to see the inside of the child’s nose. The child was chosen for surgery.
At our second night’s cocktail hour get together, one of the surgeons gave a talk, supported by a computer generated set of pictures, that described the surgical process used to repair cleft palates. We were also given some information about the causative factors leading to such conditions. Heredity, environmental factors (ie pollution) and cleanliness were described as known contributors. Some countries have a greater incidence than others. Africa, India and South America have a high incidence of cleft palates while Europe and the United States have relatively few. The U.S. has about 7500 cases a year. Peru has about twice that number. The presence of a cleft palate begins to show in infants as early as the 6th week of gestation.
I’m learning a lot and meeting a number of wonderful, dedicated and interesting people.
Love,
Bill, Grandpa Bill and Dad
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
LIMA PERU 2012 #1
Lima 2012 Blog #1
On January 6, 2012 I received a call from fellow Rotarian Tom Fox who was quick to explain that as “Mission Director” for the ROTAPLAST 2012 mission to Lima, Peru he had a big problem. Due to a heart attack with one of his volunteers, he was short two positions for a ROTAPLAST mission to Lima, Peru that was scheduled to leave on the following Sunday night. He asked if I would be interested in becoming a member of the mission team as one of the non-medical participants. After discussing the idea with Dottie, I called Tom and told him I would be glad to volunteer.
ROTOPLAST is a little known program operated by Rotary International that focuses volunteer effort to help children who suffer from cleft pallet. Rotary volunteers visit foreign countries and perform operations on children for whom there is no other opportunity to recover from the abnormality they were born with. Volunteers pay their own expenses to third world countries where need exists and no other programs are available to meet the needs. Rotary International pays for the surgical supplies necessary for the project but the rest of the costs are covered by volunteer participants. Visit the website rotaplast.org to see what has been accomplished over the past decade. It is truly amazing.
My Rotary friend, Tom Fox, has participated in 16 missions to date. Another member of our Pleasanton Rotary Club is currently the President of the ROTAPLAST board of Directors and has devoted her vacations for the past half dozen years as a volunteer visiting dozens of countries in the process. When we had our introductory meeting, as we waited for a connecting flight in Miami, I was impressed with the number of our 26 member team of volunteers who were repeat volunteers; many who had served on a half dozen or more missions in the past.
Our Lima, Peru Mission follows the pattern established some years ago. A local Rotary club does what is necessary to recruit children who have cleft pallets and are appropriate candidates for corrective surgery. The local effort takes at least a year and includes doing whatever is necessary to make facilities available for the surgeries. The ROTAPLAST information states that it takes about seventy volunteers to make the program work. Our team from the United States usually consists of 27 volunteers. The Lima 2012 Mission Team had 26 members.
The team I will be working with has the following make-up; 1 Medical Director, 3 Surgeons, 4 Anesthesiologists, 2 Pediatricians, 6 Nurses, 1 Speech Pathologist, (non-medical) 1 Mission Director, 1 Interpreter, 1 Medical Records Manager, 1 Post-operative Assistant, 1 Photo Journalist, 1 Quartermaster, 2 Ward Coordinators and 1 Sterilizer. I was the “Sterilizer”; a position that has yet to be defined to me but one, I am told, is very important.
The schedule for our mission begins on the first day after our travel with an orientation at the hospital where we will be working and training for our respective jobs. The next day will be devoted to interviewing the potential patients to evaluate their needs and determine what procedures will be helpful. We have been told that some cases will be rejected because of conditions beyond the scope of the mission but most will be treated. Seven days of surgery are planned and it is expected that approximately 100 children will leave with repaired pallets and lips.
Our flight from San Francisco, via Miami, was a 12 hour affair, plus a two hour lay-over in Miami, that provided an opportunity to catch up on sleep, for those who caught the 6:00 am flight out of SFO and an opportunity for team members to begin to get to know one another. Our Mission Director asked us to travel in khaki slacks, navy blue blazers and white shirts so that we could identify one another. It was interesting to me to learn that our team, while mostly from California, has Rotary volunteers from six other states.
I’m really excited about this new experience and the opportunity to work with the dedicated individuals in our mission group. A quick look at the group makes it obvious that I am the senior member of the group. I hope I can keep up and do my share.
Love to all,
Bill, Grandpa Bill and Dad
On January 6, 2012 I received a call from fellow Rotarian Tom Fox who was quick to explain that as “Mission Director” for the ROTAPLAST 2012 mission to Lima, Peru he had a big problem. Due to a heart attack with one of his volunteers, he was short two positions for a ROTAPLAST mission to Lima, Peru that was scheduled to leave on the following Sunday night. He asked if I would be interested in becoming a member of the mission team as one of the non-medical participants. After discussing the idea with Dottie, I called Tom and told him I would be glad to volunteer.
ROTOPLAST is a little known program operated by Rotary International that focuses volunteer effort to help children who suffer from cleft pallet. Rotary volunteers visit foreign countries and perform operations on children for whom there is no other opportunity to recover from the abnormality they were born with. Volunteers pay their own expenses to third world countries where need exists and no other programs are available to meet the needs. Rotary International pays for the surgical supplies necessary for the project but the rest of the costs are covered by volunteer participants. Visit the website rotaplast.org to see what has been accomplished over the past decade. It is truly amazing.
My Rotary friend, Tom Fox, has participated in 16 missions to date. Another member of our Pleasanton Rotary Club is currently the President of the ROTAPLAST board of Directors and has devoted her vacations for the past half dozen years as a volunteer visiting dozens of countries in the process. When we had our introductory meeting, as we waited for a connecting flight in Miami, I was impressed with the number of our 26 member team of volunteers who were repeat volunteers; many who had served on a half dozen or more missions in the past.
Our Lima, Peru Mission follows the pattern established some years ago. A local Rotary club does what is necessary to recruit children who have cleft pallets and are appropriate candidates for corrective surgery. The local effort takes at least a year and includes doing whatever is necessary to make facilities available for the surgeries. The ROTAPLAST information states that it takes about seventy volunteers to make the program work. Our team from the United States usually consists of 27 volunteers. The Lima 2012 Mission Team had 26 members.
The team I will be working with has the following make-up; 1 Medical Director, 3 Surgeons, 4 Anesthesiologists, 2 Pediatricians, 6 Nurses, 1 Speech Pathologist, (non-medical) 1 Mission Director, 1 Interpreter, 1 Medical Records Manager, 1 Post-operative Assistant, 1 Photo Journalist, 1 Quartermaster, 2 Ward Coordinators and 1 Sterilizer. I was the “Sterilizer”; a position that has yet to be defined to me but one, I am told, is very important.
The schedule for our mission begins on the first day after our travel with an orientation at the hospital where we will be working and training for our respective jobs. The next day will be devoted to interviewing the potential patients to evaluate their needs and determine what procedures will be helpful. We have been told that some cases will be rejected because of conditions beyond the scope of the mission but most will be treated. Seven days of surgery are planned and it is expected that approximately 100 children will leave with repaired pallets and lips.
Our flight from San Francisco, via Miami, was a 12 hour affair, plus a two hour lay-over in Miami, that provided an opportunity to catch up on sleep, for those who caught the 6:00 am flight out of SFO and an opportunity for team members to begin to get to know one another. Our Mission Director asked us to travel in khaki slacks, navy blue blazers and white shirts so that we could identify one another. It was interesting to me to learn that our team, while mostly from California, has Rotary volunteers from six other states.
I’m really excited about this new experience and the opportunity to work with the dedicated individuals in our mission group. A quick look at the group makes it obvious that I am the senior member of the group. I hope I can keep up and do my share.
Love to all,
Bill, Grandpa Bill and Dad
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