In the previous post I explained what went on at the clinics and how they were set up. One station that I did not mention was the photo station. My job at the clinics was to capture the people in a photo. It is a privilege for me to know that I was able to see every person who came through the clinics, maybe I didn’t see them in person or talk to them but I saw their picture.

Majority of the people we saw had never owned a photo of themselves. This is rather mind boggling coming from a culture full of photos and pictures we often just throw away!

While people were waiting to be seen, we would take their picture and then print it using a mobile printer. We put it in a plastic sleeve and gave it to them when they were finished. So many people broke out into a huge smile or even cried. I received a few kisses from old babushkas. I discovered later that many of the people have no record of their existence. There are no birth certificates, no shot records, nothing. So when someone dies it is often as if they disappear. Families have nothing to remember them by. The missionaries we worked with explained that they have been asked more than once to take a picture of a loved one in a coffin.

So taking photos of the people who came through was not just a fun hobby or a job to keep someone busy, it was a true ministry and blessing to the people. I was blessed to see on a house call, photos from the year before on the wall in the home of a dying man. The family treasured those small pictures.

The people varied from single moms to single dads. There were the young teenagers to 80 year old men with great health. We saw 20 year old moms with 10 year old kids, we saw grandmas taking care of multiple children, we saw singles, widows, couples, and families. Everyone was different in their own way.

I wanted to give you a glimpse of some of the people we saw. I don’t know all their names or their stories, but I love their faces. The people are beautiful and God loves them all.

How in the world do you set up a mobile medical clinic, you might ask. That’s a great question.

We had 8 days of clinics in 6 different villages, there were two villages that we came twice to.

There was one doctor, one nurse acting as a doctor, one pharmacist, three medical students scripting or working in the pharmacy. There was one other American nurse working at triage, one Romanian nurse doing triage and helping translate, 2 translators, one CNA acting as an optometrist, and there were about 8 people that were not medically inclined that were either a) acting as a medical person or b) helping in the logistics and admin of the clinic. There were also other translators that changed each day and people who acted as crowd control, trust me that was an important job!

It takes a lot of people to help run a successful clinic!

The clinic requires bags and bags and bags of drugs. Lots of drugs, we have a miniature pharmacy station at every clinic. We had lots of supplies that were needed or were there for “just in case” since you just never know what you might see in the villages.

At the start of the clinic, someone goes around the village to announce that the medical team is coming and that they should bring their whole family to such and such place. We pull up in our two vans and a trailer and quickly set up.

Every location is different, sometimes it was just one giant hall and people rotated around the room to the different stations. Sometimes there were different rooms that they had to float between, it just depends on the place.

The different stations start with a waiting area. Every member of a family gets a number. Next is triage. This is where they take blood pressure, pulse, name, age, and write down the major complaints. Then they wait some more for the doctor stations. They take the little slip of paper they got at triage to the doctor, he reads it, asks some more questions, maybe the doctor asks to have an EKG done on their mobile EKG machine. (There’s a separate station for that.) The doctors generally always look into their ears, listen to their hearts and breathing, check throats, maybe freeze a wart and then prescribe some medicine.

The major complaints were headaches and back pain. Many of the people we saw were very, very poor. Many of them were gypsies whom are never treated well in the hospitals. There were more than one instance of someone having had a heart attack a week ago and was sent home from the hospital with only a few pills. Nothing else. Most gypsies are afraid of the hospitals because of how they are treated there and therefore have many health problems.

There is also the optometry station. Triage may prescribe them to go and get some glasses. Lots of people needed reading glasses. We had a bunch of glasses donated and so simply needed to find the right fit for each person. I was amazed at how many people desperately needed glasses but did not have them. Quite a few people cried when they could read for the first time.

After seeing the doctor, the next station is the pharmacy. Everybody gets vitamins, many people receive Tylenol or something similar, there are many people who received high blood pressure medicine, lots of people had worms and so got medicine for that. We had many instances of scabies and ears that needed to be cleaned out. We actually cleaned out a piece of wood from someones ear and saw a dead fly in someone’s ear. (They didn’t believe us when we said that and didn’t want their ears cleaned.) There were several ulcers that needed to be dressed and other various wounds that needed cleaning. Sometimes we gave out canes to the those that needed it.

We did a few house calls to some that could not come. Once to a man who was dying of cancer and once to a lady with diabetes and was not able to walk very well.

The last official station was a prayer station. There was almost always someone who stopped people on their way out the door to pray for them. There were several people who gave their life to Christ and wanted to know more about God. This is a very important station.

 

 

As weird as it may sound, I think I’m picking up an Irish accent in Romania. I really don’t know how that all works out but it’s true. I’m here in Laslea, Romania working with a bunch of Irish (Northern Irish to be exact) and English. Yesterday I caught myself speaking in Ukrainian… with an Irish accent! What is going on?!

Here are a few things that I’ve learned about Northern Irish English:

-“That’s a funny crack” has nothing to do with a crack in the ground or someone’s rear end, a crack=a joke.

-“That’s good crack.” is not talking about the drug or a joke, they’re sayin it’s good fun.

-The hob is the stove.

-“We’re having mince tonight” means we’re having ground beef.

-“Sufferin ducks” is just a funny phrase that makes me laugh every time.

-Power is pronounced ‘paaar’

-Pants are not pants, they’re underwear. I got some weird looks when I was at the table at lunch wearing capris and I said “I think I’ll put my pants on.” It was a little chilly, what should I have said?

-Vests are undershirts.

-“Clean boggin” has nothing to do with something being clean, it is actually the opposite. It means something is really dirty.

-“That’s class” means that’s awesome.

-A brew is not alcohol, it’s coffee or tea.

-“It’s tapping down.” means it’s raining.

-“Dear” means expensive

-Buns are not rolls or bread really, they are cookie like things maybe more like bars or squares of something. So we ate rice krispie buns.

-Fringe = bangs

-“It’s half 5” is 5:30

-“I’m goin to the big smoke” means “I’m going to the city.”

-“She’s in a bit of a warbler” means “She’s having a tantrum or a rant”

-“You’re a minger” is “you’re gross.”

-Bonnet = engine & boot = trunk “I’m just gonna look under the bonnet” or “I’ll just throw this in the boot.”

-Wee really does mean small or little and ‘me’ can be used in place of ‘my’

-Our dear UK friends sang the common Christian kids song “Oh you can’t get to heaven on roller skates” with a new verse, “Oh you can’t get to heaven in a biscuit tin, cause God don’t let those crumbies in” Hahahaha, only in the British Isles…

 

Yes, the Irish really do talk like they do in the movies, I still can’t over that Hollywood was actually right on that one! I’ve learned it might be useful to have a translator from English to English when working here!

I know I missed other differences, there were just too many to keep track of!