On Friday, I caught a flight to Port-au-Prince and then took a bus to Santo Domingo where I stayed for five days. After five months, I'd be lying to myself if I said that living here is a piece of cake. Everyday is a struggle. I'm currently leading 12 programs that are covering everything from disease treatment and prevention to hygiene and sanitation to public health education. I'm well aware of the load I take on and I do so happily but there are definitely moments when it feels as though my back is about to give out from all the weight. I've never been known for taking the path of least resistance and for that reason, I seem to welcome obstacles as nothing more than checkpoints that keep me on track in reaching my goals.
Having never been to Santo Domingo, I decided to take a short break from the stress that was becoming unbearable. I love the work I do and I see the impact I have all around me but still I find myself in search of constant motivation and inspiration. Since being here, I have been challenged emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually on a daily basis. My will to succeed and my drive to accomplish the goals I have set have never been stronger. However, it's become easier and easier for those things to become clouded by doubt and hidden by frustration and a lack in faith.
While I was gone, the public health classes continued uninterrupted and Fritzner even distributed the written test on nutrition and parasites that I had worried wouldn't get done. After the first week of the new TB DOT program, it seems to be a success! I'd like to get my public health team some cool t-shirts and backpacks that say ("Pwoje Espwa Sante Piblik") (Project Hope Public Health).
The fundraising for the marathon is coming along. I'm up to about $11,000 in pledges so far and am hoping that in the next month I'll reach my goal of $60,000.
Before I ever wanted to be a doctor, I wanted to be an architect. All those CAD classes in high school finally paid off when I was asked to design a new public health center for Pwoje Espwa that would serve all of the neighboring villages. I've finished the new clinic design and while I'm still searching for more funding, we will soon be showing the design to an engineer who'll help us get up and running.
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1 comment:
keep it up - you're doing great work, but vacations are an important part of life.
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