November 3rd, 4th and 5th

November 3 Tuesday
We were up early for devotions and had breakfast at the hotel. Dr. Elidia who I met last year met us at the hotel along with Carmello and a couple of other Mexican volunteers. We headed up the road toward Oaxaca but soon turned off on a gravel road. The sign said that Buenos Aires was 13 kilometers. We were soon passing km. posts as we wound back and forth through the mountains. It was basically a one-lane road but we were able to pass the occasional oncoming traffic even a bus which we understand makes on run in the morning and another at night to a town that is past Buenos Aires. The scenery was spectacular and the conversation lively as the van made its way through the dusty wake of the Jeep ahead driven by the short term missionary on our team Bruce. There were unguarded drop offs and culverts along the way but none were really scary.
Soon we arrived at the town which was perhaps a little bigger than we were expecting. A left hand turn down a steep dusty road brought the school into view and another sharp left turn through a narrow gait brought us into the actual school yard. Inside the fence were several buildings, two of which held the three main classrooms. We waited near the basketball court as the children assembled. Bruce amused them teaching them “Good morning” in English and a few other phrases like “How are you?” and “fine!”
Chairs were set up under one basket and a loud speaker system along one side. Opposite the microphone the kids in their uniforms formed two lines almost the length of the court with their teachers standing behind them. A color guard of about 7 students formed near the loud speakers dressed like the rest of the students except for the addition of white gloves. The director of the school approached from the office building carrying a Mexican flag and it was presented to the child with the leather flag holder. As the color guard marched in great style around the court making sharp turns in the corners and tossing in a few goose steps at appropriated times the children sang a song to the flag led by a child at the mike. Everyone saluted the entire time the flag was in motion. Once the flag was dismissed we were all introduced by our leader JoEllen and some speeches occurred.
We began to screen the children after some amount of setting up and deciding in which room each part of the screening would take place. The first step in the process was to have each child wash their hands with sanitary gel. That was my job which was not a problem the first day with the older children. Sometimes I demonstrated so they got the idea and then instructed them to take off their shoes and step on the scale. I had cheat sheet cards and started to get the hang of it after a while. Next I would have them step onto the height measuring device and record that. “Ponte los zapatos .” was the next instruction, “Put on your shoes.” Then they were off to the eye exam. Before they left the room I would check to see if everything was complete. Then they would go to the next classroom for hemoglobin which required a finger sticking and then on to the doctors for a short examination. Each child carried a sheet on which the results were recorded and when finished the sheets would come back to me to entered in a data base.
At lunch time we walked down the steep dirt road to a building where children from distant villages were housed on school days. Transportation on a daily basis is impractical so they stay there on school days. We had packed a picnic lunch so we set up a table and made sandwiches. After lunch it was back to the classrooms to screen more children. Late in the afternoon we left for the hotel and I took the opportunity of the bumpy road home to drift off into a beautiful afternoon siesta (nap).
We had dinner at the hotel and then made a few Skype calls and checked email and then turned in.
Wednesday November 4
Today was much like yesterday. We returned to Buenos Aires with a day’s experience behind us and a clear idea of what our responsibilities were and where they would be performed. We had no ceremony to begin the day so we got right to work. At lunch we were served the same lunch as the boarding students. It came on a cafeteria tray that took me right back to my days in elementary school in the US. There is where the similarity ended. We had a very good vegetable mix that had a type of squash as a basis. We were also served rice and a container of yogurt. A bunch of tiny bananas were also served along with a typical drink made from a gourd which I did not try choosing instead to stick with my bottled water. Soon it was back to work and we were able to finish early so when we arrived back at the hotel we had a few minutes to rest before supper. It was our night to dine at the Asador which features a thatched roof palopa that is probably large enough to seat 30 or more. We were the only party there so the service was great. After the usual questions about what is in this and what is in that two men ordered the “Cowboy” some kind of steak and potato that came in quarter, half, and I think three quarter and full kilo. Since a kilo is over two pounds most folks order the quarter. Dr. Bill was thinking about the medio but settled for the quarto. I got a prime rib which like the Cowboy was served on a small cast iron grille pan. By the time we got home I was ready to sleep.
Thursday November 5
Today we visited another school and got set up rather quickly. We did make one change because our original sequence had the kids leaving one room and then returning for further testing. We were supposed to have about 25 but ended up with closer to fifty. The Mexican workers have been visiting this school which is very close to our hotel so there were not too many left to do. We had two vision stations, two hemoglobin, and two doctors examining. I started on the height and weight but a Mexican volunteer took over so I was able to concentrate on the recording. I was getting pretty used to the Mexican appellation so was able to keep up. When we were finished we headed for the place I had wanted to go since last year, THE BEACH! The restaurant featured two large palopas right on the beach although they were set back several hundred yards from the Pacific. We put in our order and headed off for a walk on the beach. It was blowing about 30 or 40 knots from the north. The Pacific is south so the sand was being blown out into the surf what little there was with that much off shore wind. Of course I had to get my feet wet and the bottom of my pant legs. This was not the greatest day at the beach. Attempts to get pictures of the group with the water as a backdrop were severely hampered by all of us ducking to keep the sand out of our eyes. We trekked back to the restaurant but although the wood fired oven was belching clouds of smoke our food was nowhere near ready. I took my turn in a hammock hanging near one of our tables and we snacked on salsa and a kind of chip very popular in the isthmus. When my order arrived it was a fish about the size of a porgy covered with tomatoes and onions. Of course the head was still on as was the tail and the dorsal fins were about two inches long and spiky. As I dug into it I found a very tasty white meat and although it was about four times the portion size to which I am accustomed I enjoyed it thoroughly.
We arrived back at the hotel and after a short break met in the restaurant to have dessert together. I was one of three to have the banana split. Mexican ice cream is not the same as we have in NJ but this particular dish was delightful. I had down loaded almost everyone’s pictures to my computer so I presented the slide shows at one end of the table as we ate. After some Skyping I returned to the room where Rodney was watching a modern Robin Hood in English with Spanish subtitles. I chose to do that instead of blogging and it was fun to brush up on some Spanish words.