Greetings from Santa Marta, Colombia

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I made it to Santa Marta from Tampa, Florida and have been immediately immersed in the work of Project HOPE. This project is part of the US government's mission called Continuing Promise 2008, a humanitarian mission to Central American and Caribbean countries April through November 2008. In addition to the medical teams with primary care and surgical components, there are dentists, hygenists, optometrists and veterinarians. The engineers are building schools, clinics and playgrounds. The USS Kearsarge has ~1500 personnel aboard, with US Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps staff, as well as personnel from other countries including Canada, the Netherlands and others. We're providing services to thousands of local people (over 11,000 during the 2 weeks in Nicaragua before the ship came to Colombia). Operation Smile also assisted in Nicaragua with repairs of cleft lips and palates, but are not with us in Colombia. Each host country has identified its needs.

After a day of trooping up and down passageways and steps to get oriented to the location of important shipboard sites like the dining area, the computer room and where to go to be counted during 'man overboard' drills, the outgoing Project HOPE Operations Officer, Jarrod, gave me a quick education in how to be the Ops Officer. Submit daily reports, account for the Project HOPE staff (easy right now - there are only 3 of us and 2 leave on 1 Sept), and submit and dog requests for transportation of goods and people.

Day 2: up at 0430, dress, breakfast and 'muster' (gather with everyone else who is going ashore that day) on the hanger deck. Wait for 2 hours (not sure why, but we wait), then walk off the ship for the 15 minute bus ride to the Candelaria clinic for a fast-paced day of one patient after another. Return to the ship by water transport because the ship went back offshore during the day.
Evening: shower, dinner and the Internet. The 'net is really /i] slow (reminds me of Pakistan - I work with 3 windows simultaneously), and g-mail doesn't work (the Navy blocks it, apparently). So for personal e-mails you can send messages through Travel Blog or to my temporary e-mail with Project HOPE: nfoote at projecthope dot org.

Hope all is well with everyone. More to follow, including pictures......

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