The "Frosty Stuff"... #2

Sally I agree with Kathy. You need to write it all down. Your family will love it. I tell that to my residents at the retirement home all the time. They have the best stories. I have two men who were rocket scientists. One of these guys went on a trip we took to the Heritage Flight Museum and he knew more about all the planes etc. than the guys working there. They were thrilled to talk to him. One of the docents told him he needed to write it all down for them!

hey all!
sally what a wonderful time you had! and great stories. you should be very proud of yourself and those you helped out. what a great life experience.

Sally I was in Guyana - not the French one, the other one. It is separated from French Guyana by I think Surinam? I was on a medical mission while still married to my husband. He is an eye surgeon and we went with an organization called SEE - surgical eye expeditions. Since I was an RN before becoming an arch I was the scrub nurse in the OR. We had to set up a field hospital in the jungle and it was so incredibly hot and buggy. The OR was really makeshift but worked out ok. I'm sure you experienced those conditions! We gathered the patients from the little villages along the rivers - we were in native canoes and there were piranas in the water!!! We ate star fruit right off the trees. It was an amazing experience but very tough conditions. BIG BIG nasty mosquitoes and we had to take big big pills for malaria before we went. On the way down there I was reading a book about Jonestown (remember that?) and I was advised to not take the book with me when I left the big plane for the little bush plane since Jonestown was on the border of Guyana and Venezuela. That border was always in dispute and the Guyanese government knew what was going on at Jonestown but ignored it because it deterred the venezuelans from encroaching further into Guyana. I hid the book under the seat in the plane because I got freaked out!
We made quite a scene at the airports, carrying all equipment and microscopes, etc. Wow - I haven't thought about that trip in a long time!

Now you know where I was last night, some little thing triggers a long forgotten memory. I did go through pictures and kind of noted what they were about and where, some more detailed than others. The China trip I made up a notebook and captioned all the pictures. One of our crew even made a video and we all got copies. Every launch we got pictures of the whole crew with the spacecraft, those are special. I know Surinan all too well, we tried to avoid going through there, but sometimes it was necessary. Never went to Guyana (didn't want to either) but I'm sure it was the same as far as weather, BIG bugs, and humidity. I have some pictures made from butterfly wings and some carved wooden vases. I was fascinated by what these people could do with very little, a lot of them used a light bulb hanging from the ceiling for lighting and turned out the most beautiful embroidery. Have some of that too. LOL I remember the scenes at the airports, especially when we got in one time at 2 am, the airport was closing and our transportation wasn't there. Glad I wasn't by myself that time!! After that they made sure we had rental cars waiting, but the drive through the jungle at that hour wasn't fun. Fun times, I guess I should write it down before I forget.

I use FB for pictures and quick notes. It was neat to be able to tell my GD good morning! For some reason that is easier for her than using email.

I have never been to China and would like to go. I can understand why you had no desire to go to Guyana. There is electricity only in the cities, people are always getting cut up in machete accidents because that is the only tool that can cut through the jungle, and the only way to get anywhere is by tiny little planes since there are very few roads. But the native people are very open and sweet and so kind. They brought us fruit and fish. And they can make anything out of rope like vines. So the other country is Surinan - I've forgotten my geography! We took one of our kids with us on that trip. He was 16 and was in charge of setting up the microscopes. That trip made a huge impact on him and today he is 37 and a biotech researcher with Genentec. It was a life changing experience for him. It's strange to remember things from when I was married since I've been divorced for 13 years. It seems like another lifetime! Yes, the bugs are big down there, and the frogs are the size of your head. And they can jump far.

OMG, that's a nice "visual". Frogs the size of your head. I LOVE frogs, but I've never seen a really big one.

You wouldn't love those frogs - they jump on you in the shower, which is a little curtain hanging from a cistern that catches rain water. Imagine being naked and a slippery frog jumps on you. Eeeekkk. There were black tarantulas as well - also huge about the size of a large man's foot. All the insect creatures are very big and scary. You must sleep under mosquito nets that are so thick that no breeze can penetrate and it is 110 degrees and 100 % humidity. You must wear several layers of clothing even in the daytime because of the mosquitos unless you want malaria. We were assisted by a group of kids from England called Operation Raleigh and they all had gotten sick at some point in their time in Guyana. A lot of my time was spent teaching these kids about hospitals. They went on to build a leper colony the next month. They were amazing and worked very hard. Wow - it's all coming back to me now.

Yeah, I can imagine that would be a little much. I wouldn't ever live where the bugs were that big, I don't think. And, being a Scottish girl, the heat and I don't get along too well. And don't get me started on the sun . . .

I can't believe we are talking about the jungle on a thread called frosty stuff. Don't like the sun too hot either, and humidity - yuk!

Talk about being off topic! We were better off, we did have electricity, and it did improve over time. They actually put in a big grocery store. Before that we shopped in a Libre Service (like a stinky 7-11) and at the open air market in town, which was actually pretty good for fresh food. One of the trips our guys liked to do was to go into the jungle with some of the natives and hunt bugs. They put up a big sheet, shine a light on it and see what comes. Then they sold them to a man in town, who sold them to tourists. Too many things you could catch in the jungle for me, especially at night. I'd forgotten about the malaria pills, they made me feel awful, and the yellow fever shot. One thing I have is a very interesting looking passport!!

Wow, Judi and Sally, such incredible stories you have to tell. Someone in your family should get you to talk on tape so this family history an gat passed on down the generations.

I know all the traveling I did made me appreciate what we have right here at home even more. I sometimes think it would be good to have all young people to do some volunteer work in some of those countries. Even going to Mexico can be an eye opener.

wow, what amazing adventures everyone has had. i'm I'm so glad that it's not me that had to deal with those creatures. I'm always amazed that so many folks there make it into adulthood with the given conditions and all the crazy bugs.

The biggest threat to the survival of these people is a new highway running north & south through South America. It was in the planning stages when we were there. The tribes were very isolated and the biggest health problem was blindness from cataracts, which left many people vulnerable and unable to contribute to the maintenance of their village. Their diet consisted of fruit, vegs, fish & chicken. They were very healthy and happy and lived a stress free life. This new highway will introduce diseases from which these people have no immunity and many will die. I have not kept up with what is happening there. The highway is also a threat to us - increasing the rate of deforestation and hence global warming. It is progress in many ways, but destructive at the same time. I have mixed feelings about it, but tribes of native peoples will be wiped out. Progress?

Judi you are also writing all this down for future generations aren't you?
What great adventures. I thought Mexico was scary!

Judi that is so true. Kourou, where the launch site is only had 1 policeman when we started going there. They brought in Brazillians to build facilities etc., didn't pay them and had a crime wave. But the locals have protested all the outside workers and they are now getting new schools and job training. But would it have been better for them to just stay happy as they were or give them the opportunity to have so much more. Not just material things, but education and medicine. Tough call.

Not frosty today, the rain finally came so things have warmed up some. Not heavy, but steady.

Drizzle occasionally today, and not terribly cold. I agree with you Sally about the "progress" in South America. I want to go to Peru someday.

I have a friend who worked with 'Pencils for Peru' as a nurse. She loved it, had to come home to make more money so she could go back. The pictures she sent back were incredible. Can you image doing your morning run (walk in my case) among ancient ruins?

ROFLMBO - talking about the jungle on a thread called Frost Stuff. That pretty much sums it up for us in this forum, doesn't it?

That's what happens when gardners get bored in the winter and there's no frost.

Good morning everyone! Wow, fantastic pics and stories.
Sally, ROFL! But you're right!
BTW-Meet Zorro! I named him that due to the markings on his eyes, they're identical. He was born yesterday. DH just gave him his Bo-Se (Bovine-Selenium) shot to prevent White Muscle Disease. I had him wait on the ear tag so I could get a pic of him first without it. Mom was on the other side of the fence eating, but after he got his ear tag he got up and mom started getting concerned. I'll post a pic of her next.
Susan

This message was edited Feb 23, 2009 7:41 AM

Here's mom (Rose). She's an 8 yrs old. Valentino's mom (Sunflower) is her first youngest twin calf's calf. So we have 3 generations now. She can be pretty protective so we have to be careful when doing routine work on the newborn's. But the mom's know this and they haven't threatened us so far, they are just more worried about the calf.
Susan

Hats off to Zorro!!! What a cutie!

Thanks Jan. Now Valentino has a play mate, his Great Uncle!!!!
Susan

Very cute, what an appropriate name!

Thanks Shelly! He took the shot like a man!!! LOL!

Zorro is so cute! Isn't the mother instinct amazing. Gardener, what do you do with all those animals?

lol.....I'm glad he took the shot so ????? I'm not sure. the only people I've truly seen faint from shots or get combative about it, are guys. No kidding! So, maybe the calve took it like a champ!??

Red you are so right about the guys fainting - the bigger they are the faster they fall. LOL

He is so cute.

ease up ladies - i've never fainted from a shot - there is a reason people say take it like a man!

Ahhh... Bill, sorry didn't see you here!! lol. Relax... I didn't say that ALL guys fainted from shots. Just that they 5 or 6 that i've ever seen faint from shots, were all guys. But, maybe that says something about the guys that I've dated??.. Hmmm...... there's a thought. But, I've never fainted from a shot either! Twice i've had to give Epi shots to guys on my work crew due to bee stings. It was a battle on both occasions! You need to hang out here more often Bill to keep us all in check!!

i have been here - i just jump in when defense of my gender is required :)
epi shot for bee stings - and shots for poison ivy - never needed either

Thanks everyone! You are all TOO FUNNY!
For the question as to what do we do with all of those animals? Well, we sell beef. They're usually 18-20 months old, big and awnery when they're butchered. And that's all I'm going to say about it.
Susan

and susan you are talking about the cattle - right?

lol. If you know any nurses.... ask them who passes out more due to shots? It's really an odd phenomenom. Try to avoid the Epi shots, it's always a bad day when you need one of those! That's the only time when I've ever had one of the teenagers on my crews try to assault me. But, I knew that he would pass out within in a minute or two anyhow!

Shelly you're a riot!

lol....it's the coffee talking this morning, not me!

That's funny.

Happy to entertain since I don't have any pictures at the moment! I was really hoping for the nurse here to be back up, but I think she's done the smart thing and stepped away from the computer :-p But, then again, she's the architect now anyhow.