This
volunteer at the clinic is indicative of the support
from the community.
The second
morning at Guachochi, I took another stab at breakfast and
failed. This time I spied exactly what I wanted on Jack’s
plate. I couldn't contain myself as I jumped up and pointed to Jack’s
plate. "That’s it! That’s the one. Which one is
that, Jack?"
"It’s
a number four, Kent," Jack answered, half laughing.
I made
a mental note to order it at tomorrow’s breakfast. Too
bad this wasn’t the Village Inn, because I would have
even eaten it for dinner. I could hardly wait for the next morning.
As we reached
the clinic the second day, again hundreds of Mexican
nationals and indigenous Indians were patiently lined up, waiting for
treatment. Alfredo acted as crowd organizer and had issued
sequential numbers to eliminate the need to remain in
line. Groups began to form. A line-up comprised of male Mexicans with
large white hats resembled a scene out of a Clint Eastwood
movie. Colorful lavenders, greens, reds and deep blues, all
mixed in lively patterns, distinguished the Indian women.
The children were very quiet until some of the Rotary team
prodded them out of their shells. It was fascinating how the
children enjoyed getting several Disney stickers
placed on their faces and interacting with our team. Even
teenage girls were mischievously running around the clinic
showing off their new ornaments. The children were even more interested in what was going on under the shade tree.
Doctor Friedman had started oral surgery and eventually
pulled 26 teeth that day.
Though the
Indians wore a variety of clothing ranging from Nike to
local Mexican dress, some Indians appeared never to have
been introduced to western clothing. Indian men tend
to wear more natural colors. One wore a coarsely woven,
white wrap about his waist. He carried a horse’s collar
around his neck for lack of a place to store it at the
clinic. In describing this picture, it would seem as if
this Indian could be the focus of ridicule. Instead of
finding it humorous, I stood in awe, as if I were standing
before a time window and feared being pulled into a
different reality, as in the esoteric writings of Carlos
Casteneda.
I saw an
Indian dressed in a simple loin cloth, but sensed a
powerful man looking through the facade. Looking at his
strong features and sandal clad feet spurred my curiosity
to understand more about his way of life.
This day was
going even better than the first. Time flew by and it was
already past noon. I was thinking about how good Jack’s
breakfast looked when Patty came up and asked me if I
wanted a hamburger. "Oh, yes," I anxiously
answered, and then I heard my stomach growl in
anticipation.
Peg
fits Melina with temporary glasses until a special 11
diopter correction can be made.
It
was hard to keep my mind off of that hamburger, but video
taping distracted my hunger pains. Then Peg motioned me
over. "Kent, this is the patient you’ve been
waiting for. I had mentioned to Peg that I wanted to show
more of the lifestyles of those who depend on the Rotarian’s
services. She’s a 13-year-old with 11 diopters of
correction. She’s going to see a big difference when she
gets her glasses. Her father says she trips over things
when she walks."
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