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| Timmy Global Medical Brigade |
Medical Brigade, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas
Last week I had the opportunity to serve as an interpreter for a Medical Brigade in different communities surrounding Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, one of the twenty-four provinces of Ecuador
Sunday night, I arrived to “Casa Santa Rosa,” a convent that today operates as a hotel which served as our home base for the week. I was welcomed by the 24 members of Timmy Global who came from the U.S. New England College
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| Casa Santa Rosa |
As a translator, the first day I had the opportunity to help the doctor. I was little bit intimidated because it was a big responsibility, and it was my first experiences in the medical field. One of the things that got my attention right away was how sick people with hypertension and diabetes were not taking any medicine regardless of the symptoms they felt. By the end of the day, we had seen more than 20 patients that ranged from kids to elder people; I even got to see a small surgery. I was surprised of how every single patient we saw, expressed how grateful they were to see the doctor and get their medications. The next day I had the opportunity to help the PA, and I felt more confident.
The following days I was assigned registration. I talked to the patient in Spanish and asked those questions about their medical history. Then I had to enter their information and symptoms into the system, and in English!
I also worked where patients were getting reading glasses. Many of the elder people were complaining of how hard it was for them to read the bible. The brigade was providing reading glasses for the people who needed them, and I helped during the process through which they determined which prescription was appropriate for each patient. I was amazed how happy some patients got after they tried the right pair of glasses and were able to see clear.
Every night the members of the brigade, including us Peace Corps volunteers, had “reflection” where we talked about how was the brigade and about the people, the culture, and things they thought were different from the United States
As Peace Corps volunteers we were able to explain and clarify aspects of the Ecuadorean culture to the brigade members. We talked to them about the diversity of Ecuador. Santo Domingo is very humid and warm, and we explained that there are different climates in the country like cold weather in the sierra and hot in the coast. We also informed them of the difference between the “serrano” and the “costeño” culture. For example, the culture from the “costa” is more open compare to the “sierra.”
We also had the opportunity to visit one of the indigenous Tsáchilas communities which was located in a small town full of cacao trees and near a river. The people of this community were very kind and showed us some of their traditions like the red paint which the men put in their hair. The tradition started when the community got sick many years ago; they used “achote” to paint their bodies in order to prevent infections and mosquito bites. Nowadays, they only paint their hair as a symbol of protection.
By the end of the
week, I came to a few realizations:
First: Doctors and
nursed have huge responsibilities and sometimes, as a patient, I take them from
granted.
Second: I realized
how important my presence as a translator was during the brigade. I never gave
much thought to the fact that I am bilingual, but last week I was the bridge between
the doctor and the patients just because I know English and Spanish. Without an
interpreter, it would have been really hard for the brigade to accomplish
everything that they did.
Third: There is
always room for improvement, and to learn new words.
Soplo al Corazon:
Heart murmur
Coyunturas: joints
Fourth: As a Peace Corps
Volunteer, I have the great benefit of knowing the Ecuadorean culture and teach
other U.S. Americans about it.
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