The Art of Sweating

I have become a master sweat-er. Mostly because that is what I do about 20 hours a day- without fail. Other than trying to find way to combat the heat, Lindsay and I have been getting more comfortable around the clinic. This morning we just missed a birth and came into see the baby girl being cleaned off and the mom looked exhausted and wailing. We helped with the physical examination of the baby and chatted with some of the nurses. About an hour later (after having said our names in front of the new mom), we noticed the baby was named Lindsey. Interesting... 

After the delivery we got to learn all about gram stains for STD panels. This is essentially a pap smear where two swabs are put on a slide and sent to the lab for results. If the women have any STD's (don't worry mom, they have never had anyone HIV +) they are treated immediately and cannot give birth at GR until they are clear of their infections. 

Following this lesson Lindsay and I experienced our first, and definitely not last, couple hours of boredom and heat. We sat in the clinic while the nurses charted, read our books, played sudoku, cooled off in front of the fan and tested each others blood pressure. In the US both of us constantly have jam packed schedules. We run from one activity to the next without even thinking about it. Here in the Philippines- despite the constant noise, traffic and mayhem, there actually is a lot of down time. This is something that will definitely get some taking used to. 

This afternoon we took a taxi to Hilary and David's AC house and swam in their community pool. It has never felt so good to wade around in a murky pool with 10 tweens blasting Metallica. We are now going to have a BBQ with some of Hilary's classmates from her Filipino MCAT (equivalent exam) class and indulge in brownies and ice cream. Unless I started vomiting  soon, I will be coming home a lot chubbier!

Speaking of food- Lindsay and I are both experiencing the beginning of what will likely be a month of slight stomach pains/cramping and general discomfort in our guts. We didn't dare touch the chicken at lunch today and stuck with rice. I know (all too well) that food in developing countries can play a nasty trick on your intestines. We are slowly starting to feel some stomach aches but nothing too bad yet. I'll keep you posted. Speaking of which- time to go eat Kebabs!