In the Hospital!

I finally made it! I am writing this entry from the General Pediatric Hospital in San Lorenzo, Paraguay. In 2002 I lived about 2 km. from here! About 40 doctors work here and there are about 70 beds for patients. The hospital is kind of like a complex of buildings that are interconnected by nice walkways and of course it is Paraguay so there are lots of plants and green and in general it is a nice place to be.

Dr. Noguera picks me up in the mornings and then she goes home at midday. Most of the doctors here work for the government in the mornings and have their private practices in the afternoons. Dr. Noguera is a mom, so she just goes home to her kids in the afternoon. I thought before I came that Mita'i was going to be in its own little building and everything. It turns out that Mita'i isn't a clinic, but an organization that supports the cancer ward here in the pediatric hospital. Most of the money comes from a similar organization in Italy, and some of it is raised here. The organization was started by some more affluent mothers of children with cancer who were able to send their kids to different countries for better treatment. Bone marrow transplants here in Paraguay are the big goal that both Mita'i and Dr. Noguera have. Right now the kids have to go to Argentina or Brazil for transplants.

I have found that basically everybody loves me for being here and I will be able to do whatever I want. My official assignment is to make a webpage for Mita'i, which should be interesting - let's sum me up: a history major who wants to go to medical school and works in the biology and political science departments and is now going to try to design and build a website in 3 weeks. But it shouldn't be too hard, I guess. Hopefully in the next few weeks I'll be able to put up a link to the site so that you can see the fruits of my labor. Apart from the website I can just kind of wander around and talk to whoever I want. There is one building that Mita'i has built which has little rooms and a kitchen and stuff for poor families from outside of Asuncion to stay in while their kids are here for treatment. Also, Dr. Noguera is friends with the Chief of Surgery, who is present at the more serious surgeries, aka tumor extractions, and she said that I should be able to scrub in and observe whenever I want.

Oh, and sad news about the plane in Sao Paulo. Coincidenally, Jill will be flying into Sao Paulo on her way here, but into a different airport. Apparently the airport involved in the accident was right in the middle of the city and consequently there wasn't very much room for any mistakes.