It is incredible here -- a strange mix of intense beauty and poverty. My little bed is in a room with 2 surgical residents. I have a tiny hard little cot that is a little like sleeping on a cardboard box, but I've got good drinking water, electricity for the minute, food and feel generally safe as long as I am within the work place or with someone.

We got here safely and easily – a bunch of docs in a van seated sideways like a police van. All of my luggage arrived intact and I am unpacked. I have a sink in my room and a shower nearby. We had a tour of the hospital which is really an amazing place. They have built a whole maternity ward and even have a surgery just for sections. There were at least 10 women laboring when I was up there. I suspect I will be kept busy, though was given today off, and tomorrow, too, if I want it, though I will likely go to work. Dr. Previl is the director here AND he is OB, so I am golden and will be working with him and the midwives. I'll also scrub in on sections.

People are very nice. Warm. Appreciate the simple "bonjou". The Pedi ward and NICU were heart wrenching. My colleague, Geoff, said he hadn't even seen that level of malnutrition in Cameroon! So many premie babies in a primitive NICU. Severely sick little kids. And then there are the ICU and cholera tents. Rough...

I went into 'town' with Geoff after lunch, for a couple of hours. It's a short walk past the hospital. Milot is made up of streets of hundreds of funky shanties made of everything you can imagine, and very artful looking. There is tons of music, from American-sounding hip-hop to choirs to religious stuff, to stuff I'm sure is stuff I should stay away from. Lots of scooters and overcrowded cars traveling fast that sometimes honk but sound loud enough on the gravel roads and usually have music or something blaring. Practically every kid asked for a dollar. I told them I could give them "high fives." They mostly seemed happy with this. There are dogs, goats, horses, pigs, cows, chickens, everywhere in the streets. At one point I pulled Geoff to the side because a scraggly, cute pony was loose, running up the road straight toward us. The town and the people are so colorful, and the landscape is verdant, rich, and beautiful. There are coconut trees and flowers all over. It is sweaty humid hot, like July in Atlanta. Feels good. Need tank tops!

We went to the Palace Sans-Souci (“palace without grief”). Built by King Christophe who ironically to the name of his home, ultimately shot himself with a silver bullet. Also, 20,000 slaves died building it. But it is GORGEOUS, or what's left of it. Took pictures but haven't uploaded yet and can't send too many from here 'cause it costs them a lot when folks do.

Lunch was delicious. Healthy. Some meat, rice, veggies, and local chilled grapefruit already sprinkled with sugar. Meals are at specific times and if you don't eat then, you don't eat. No room for picky here (and definitely no space to be a vegetarian -- you'd literally become malnourished).

We have dinner at 7 and then a meeting, I think that tonight I'm going to shower early and get into my mosquito netting and review some ob reading.

Last week a pediatrician visiting here got bitten by the compound dog. She is being treated for rabies. The dog was put down. I asked if they sent rabies pathologies. The reply was "this is Haiti." It's a controlled environment but there are overt reminders that this is a seriously impoverished environment in a developing nation.

Apparently voodoo drums start at dark and go all night. That will be incredibly weird and spooky and fascinating and I find myself in awe of folks like Richard Schultes who plunged into unknown worlds so completely. I'm just not THAT brave. We are supposed to stay in at night but I could have to go to births on some nights. This is exciting but I will not be going alone, that's for sure! There is a good bit of local security here. They are as ominous as they are reassuring.

Aviva

P.S. If you do not want to read about my travel adventures feel free to delete any emails from me or my website with any subject line including the word Haiti. I will not be offended.