Spring is Cervical Screening in Ansapit

• Bonjou enko everyone who might bend their ears my way for a little while.  If you have been following this blog since its creation in February of 2011, you will know that is about the work (I´m a nurse practitioner) and play I have been involved in the twin towns, Ansapit in Haiti and Pedernales in the DR.  I arrived here about 2 weeks ago, this time with a mission to do cervical screenings on the women in Ansapit at the clinic where i have been working, as well as up in the hills.  I arrived in Pedernales after the sweaty bus ride, sticking to dirty naugahide for 7 hours, only to find that my private chaufeur, Meris (below right) had dropped dead of a heart attack 26 days before.  Apparently he had worked all day giving people rides as usual, was relaxing before going to wash up, stood up from a chair, said he felt bad and whap!!!  He had taken me and many of my friends (even Nicolette) on long moto trips to the beach and the mountains,surviving flat tires and other calamities.  He was also gentlemanly and would accompany me and friends to "La Mecca" to dance, the only "pista" that didn´t employ prostitutes.  He was a smooth and easy dancer.  I did catch him swigging from his flask now and then though he never acted smashed and never smelled like alcohol, however now people tell me he drank all day and smoking, well you could tell from his grater quality voice he was a puffer.  Anyway, this first entry is dedicated to him.

TEam of health promoters getting ready to spread the word to the community about the availability of cervical screenings, using simple vinegar and then cryotherapy for postives.

 Me in my usual position for the last 4 days, where I have done about 125 screenings so far.

 Last sunday dinner at my Haitian family´s house, so delicious, better than many restaurants in the States, all made over a little charcoal stove on the ground - beef, beet salad, rice and beans with sauce and salad

 Nasty road rash, motorcycle accidents are our specialty-  luckily people are not going so fast, just skimming the pavement

 I finally have a use for some old curtains I made from African fabric, the women feel relaxed in the exam room where we have colorful drapes and lots of good music off my ipod.

Suddenly half a dozen "washing stations" have appeared in Ansapit, apparently donated by the owner of Taco Bell who came to Ansapit and thought the people needed them when he saw them washin and bathing in the little canals that run through town.  No one is using them yet, there is no water, but someone sitill managed to christen with a little graffitti.