Construction at the Good Samaritan Hospital

After hearing so much about the Good Samaritan Hospital from my three daughters (La Romana vets: Erin 2007, 2008; Michelle 2011, 2012; Katherine 2012, 2013) I finally had the opportunity to see it and spend two days working with the construction team.

They put us to work right away hauling cement up to the third floor the old fashioned way - by pulley.  Here are Peter, Hannah, and Chris P. doing most of the work. Upstairs Ronny and Chris B. receive the load and stack it.

One of the first things I had to learn was that this construction project operated in a very different manner compared to an American construction project. Authority on the job site is very decentralized and work seems (to a Type A Americano like me) to proceed in a haphazard manner. I've learned that this style is due in part to the non-Type A Domincan culture and in part to the availability of materials. If a load of tiles arrives, you lay tile -- even if it might be better to wait until more of the heavy inside work is finished. All I had to do was walk downstairs to the first and second floor to see a thriving urban hospital to realize that everything on the 3rd floor will come together eventually.

Here's Hannah, Ronny, and a regular worker mixing the cement by hand.

Jed, Chris P., and Peter work the jackhammer to make way for electrical work.

 I am very grateful to all the regular Good Samaritan workers who were so patient with me as I learned how to install studs to frame a room. Below, I am working with Jean Baptiste to get the stud perfectly upright before we fasten it in place. And Chris B. and Peter work together to join a vertical and horizontal piece. 

It's also been very gratifying to work with all the members of the mission team from the U.S. -- such inspiring dedication!
All in all, it's been a great two days on the construction team. Today I'm off to a batay for the first time.

Dominican Time

One cultural difference that our orgnizers told us about was Dominican Time: Relationships are more important than running to a tight schedule, so be flexible about time.  So, when we landed at 4:30 am with 24 people, 46 duffle bags of donations, plus our personal suitcases and carry-on and found no bus, I wasn'tp erturbed.  There was some mix-up so we settled in to wait. Four hours later when the bus and the open-air cargo truck arrived some of us had managed to nap amomg the duffles. We all piled into the bus for the 90 minute drive to LaRomana.  Once we clered the outskirts fo Santo Domingo we drove through several miles of beachfront before getting into mile of sugar cane.  you can smell the burning fields from miles away, reminiscent of campfires.

The bus ride got very intersting when we stopped about 15 minutes int to drive to check the brake fluid. Fortunately there were no hills on the drive. We continued on with the windows -and the bus door wide open.  The fresh warm air is a wonderful change from cold, dry Massachusetts.  Our hosts are also warm and welcoming and I'm enjoying getting to know the rest of the team.  Taking a trip with this many strangers is certainly out of my comfort zone.

This morning we attended a Haitian Baptist Church, this afternoon, the beach. Tomorrow the real work begins.

patience please.  I'm typing on a tablet and the keyboard interface is less than friendly. Please excuse the spelling and punctuation. I don't have time to fix it.

Getting Ready to Go

Wow, we are so close to taking off. We have a group of 26 travelers who are heading down to La Romana Domincan Republic to bring medical care to the Bateys and Barrios, as well as construction teams working on the hospital. We are getting so excited to take off. Hope you all will be able to follow along on our adventure as we head out. I want to do a shout out to some of the folks who have put a lot of work in behind the scenes who will not be traveling with us; First on my list is Susan Crimer, Director of Sunday School at First Church in Sterling. She has been collecting and keeping track of all of our paperwork and payments (no easy task believe me). She has also been sending letters and making calls on our behalf. We would not be able to do this without her. Helen Hill, the unflappable secretary of First Church who has been helping with paperwork, copies, flyers, answering phone calls, tracking deposits, and helping us in ways I can't even begin to describe for years!! Bob Beck, for helping with airline tickets, bags, supplies, experience and his continued work in organizing the collective of mission teams known as The Good Samaritan Mission Councel. Partners for World Health, for their help in the last few years of gathering medical equipment and supplies that has made a huge difference in the work we do. Pastor Nancy  for her continued support and prayers, letters, and guidance. Mary Higgins for continuing to show up and help out with our fundraising and packing. Daisy Rivera, for sharing her heart, passion, cooking and helping to co-ordinate with New Life Christian Church. And thank you to all who have gone before, those who dug foundations, poured cement, hoisted blocks, shoveled sand, as well as those who examined a person in clinic, checked a blood pressure, or counted out vitamins, we could not be doing this without the work you have already done. There are so many more people and organizations that we should stop and thank, this list is by no means complete, it is a mere beginning. Thank you

First post

The blog is up and ready to go.  The background photo was taken by my daughter, Katy H., on a previous trip to La Romana.  Invitations to the team members have gone out asking them to contribute content here.

This is my first trip to La Romana.  My daughter went for the first time when she was 17. This time she invited me to go along so I said yes.  I've been too busy with work to think much about it.  We leave tomorrow and I haven't started packing yet.  I have my passport, my anti-malaria horse pills, and some scrub pants.  Hopefully, I can get anything I've forgotten after I get there.  Now I'm starting to get a bit nervous, but excited too.  Looking forward to warm weather, a new culture, and meeting new people.