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Published: August 20th 2008
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Hello to all my friends and relatives. I am embarking on another adventure, this time with Project HOPE to provide health care to people around the Caribbean. After spending a few days visiting with my son, Daniel, in Florida where he goes to school, I’m flying to Colombia to join the Project HOPE staff, medical personnel from other agencies (Operation Smile is one - they do cleft lip and palate repairs) and a large contingent of US sailors aboard the
USS Kearsarge (check out the link - this ship is amazing! And explore the site for more information about the current ship and its predecessors.
Additional pictures here. ). There are two teams - one stays on the ship for the surgical procedures (there are 4 operating theaters on board) and the other team goes to rural clinics and provides primary care. I was originally scheduled to work as a bilingual educator, teaching safe birthing practices, maternal child health, and disease prevention, but my duties have expanded to include operations officer and, for a short time, medical director. (First rule: be flexible)
From Colombia, we go to the Caribbean coast of Panama (an area where the indigenous people called the Kuna Indians live in the San Blas Archipelago of islands off the coast). After a couple of weeks there, we travel to Santo Domingo, then the Dominican Republic for another two weeks or so. A short vacation follows as we stop off in Curaçao (it’s tough work, but somebody’s got to do it
) on the way to my last stop with the project in Trinidad and Tobago. On the map you can see the route I’ll be following for over 10,000 miles and almost 3 months.
I learned this week that I have to bring my hiking boots so I don’t get bitten by snakes while hiking to the clinic sites, long-sleeved t-shirts to wear under my clothing which is going to be sprayed with permethrin (trying not to catch malaria or dengue fever or yellow fever from our friends, the mosquitoes), and plenty of sunblock. I’m sure I’ll have more details in future blogs about the hazards we encounter.
I’m very excited to start this new phase of my life (I’m hoping to continue to work internationally - with luck the next one will be paid!). I hope to hear from you this summer/fall. You can send a message from this travel blog site. Apparently internet access will be somewhat limited on board ship, but I will try to respond as soon as possible. Enjoy the rest of the summer. More to follow…… Nancy
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Lynne Fulp
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Vicarious Thrill
Thanks for sending me your blog, Nancy - I intend to follow your journey keenly. Be safe, be well, keep us posted!