Floating Doctors

Yesterday I got to translate all day for a group of American medical providers called the Floating Doctors who came to a community near me to provide basic medical attention to surrounding communities. It was awesome! Over two days they were able to see about 100 patients, providing ultrasounds to mothers, medicines, and basic medical advice. They gave out painkillers, worm medicine, yeast infection medication, antibiotics for urinary tract infections, vitamins, and a variety of other medications. The majority of the cases called for simple remedies such as water for headaches and washing hands for preventing diarrhea. Two things which myself and fellow volunteers often emphasize, but which is much more respected when coming from a doctor.

I was translating for a nurse practitioner from Hawaii who had a little bit of Spanish speaking skills, but was very happy to have me there to clarify and translate in both directions. It was truly an incredible experience. The nurse practitioner and I were both impressed by the openness of the villagers here on the peninsula. Women were very open to discuss their sex life, vaginal health, and personal lives in front of me so that I could then translate it. One of my favorite moments was when a couple was trying to figure out why they haven´t had any success getting pregnant for the last 5 years, wanting a third child (hopefully a girl) now that there youngest of two boys was 10. It turned out the husband had had an accident in the last few years after drinking too much and falling. The nurse practitioner recommended that if he is trying to get his wife pregnant he should try not to drink to keep his sperm healthy. Instantly a smile appeared on the wife´s face. Leverage! The nurse practitioner was practically winking at the wife in front of her husband.
Almost every person I translated for I knew and had some backstory with. For those who I did not know, I was able to break the ice with a little ngabere. The nurse practitioner was extremely sweet and quickly picked up the word “koin” which means good. “Lungs koin, heart koin, everything koin.” It made me so proud that the locals felt so comfortable in front of me, and I left feeling so grateful to live in such a warm and open culture.

http://floatingdoctors.com/