Ethiopia but still Haiti

I have been home now for almost three weeks - just a little longer than I was in Haiti. I still constantly think of my time in Haiti. I have images in my mind that will be there forever. Yesterday morning it was raining very heavily here, and there was thunder and lightening. If my house started to shake, I would have been sure it was an earthquake. I will never hear and feel thunder again the same way. A friend is now in Port au Prince and said that they had a big aftershock over the weekend and it was quite scary. We had lots of rain this weekend, and I was imagining what Haiti would be like with that much rain.

I am still in touch with many people that I went to Haiti with - by email, facebook and phone. For the first week and a half that I was home, I talked to some people several times a day to give them advice about supplies and equipment and personnel. It actually made me feel like I was still serving a purpose in Haiti. I find that my mind almost always ends up thinking about Haiti when I am not actively thinking or concentrating on something else.

It is hard to get real information about what is going on there. I have a few sites that I follow on facebook and twitter, but there is very little on the news. The hospital I was at will probably only continue to provide free care to the community until mid-April. They originally committed to three months, and that will soon be up. There are many discussions both here and there about what is next. I am very conscious of the continuing need for medical care as well as basic human needs.

In a few days, I will be heading to Ethiopia with Healing the Children, Greater Philadelphia to provide medical care and education for pediatric patients at Black Lion Hospital and Cure Hospital in Addis Ababa, the capital. I was there with several others in October and November of 2009 on a planning visit for this trip. We hope that this will just one of many trips in which we will provide services in pediatric ENT (ear, nose and throat) and urology. I was looking at some of my pictures from Ethiopia the other day while getting equipment together. There are many striking similarities between Ethiopia and Haiti. While Ethiopia hasn't just been hit by an earthquake, the need for medical care and education is just as great.

So, stay tuned! I hope to keep adding pictures and comments on my many adventures. You can follow me on facebook or email me: edrum19@yahoo.com

Thanks for reading!!