Bolts and Hose

"Bolts and Hose, Bolts and Hose, gotta get me some Bolts and Hose..." (sung to the tune of the song at the end of Step Brothers...hehe)

While I spent my Monday lecturing to the nurses about IV lines, insertion, and line care including infection control, and then a joint RN/MD lecture on Infection control measures in the NICU with policy changes, Randy and Priscilla spent their day trying to find some bolts to fix 2 broken heat lamps.  Usually in the States, if you need bolts, you go to the hardware store.  In Guyana, you have to go to the "hoses and bolts" store.  I wish I were making this up!  True to form, everything is way more complicated here than it needs to be, having multiple vendors selling specific products and having a few that specialize in ordering everything from the internet for you to avoid customs (naturally, there is a store just across the street from the hospital where you can buy almost anything you want for a small fee, and it gets delivered right to where you need it).  After multiple stores and hours, they came back hot and tired but with the right pieces to fix our much needed heat lamps so babies stay warm (side note- the temp logs are still in use and going strong....yessss!).  

Tuesday was another typical day of doing lots and getting no where (ok, probably not as dramatic as I make it seem, but every day goes by way too fast and I feel like I've accomplished nothing!).  I spent my afternoon organizing and labeling supplies in the crash  cart so that it's not just a dumping ground for equipment.  Medications, IV equipment, syringes, intubation supplies, suction equipment, and resuscitation equipment were divided, labeled and cleaned.  Our main doc, Dr. Sara gave me such a big hug when I showed her that it made it all worth it.  Many nurses were impressed and said, "I really hope we can keep it this way."  You can keep it this way...it's called ownership.  If the charge nurses would actually take responsibility for the unit and stick to the small checklist of items to check during each shift, there is no reason shelves, carts, storage rooms can't be kept neat.  If only I could get them to step up.  There are a few nurses willing to take on the responsibility, and one of them is our current nursing student, Nurse Lochan, who helped me take apart all 10 laryngoscope blades so that proper cleaning could be done (yet another piece of information I would never have known if I wasn't involved with this program....just call me jill of all trades....).  The blades had NEVER been taken apart, and I can't tell you how disgusted I was at what we found.  The job is now on the list of responsibilities for our PCAs.  Just waiting on the hospital to give us the approved cleaner or donate an autoclave machine for the unit....someday :)

Our culture education focused on teaching Priscilla about Guyanese food.  Monday we took her to Borda Market for some fresh fruits/veggies and Tuesday I attempted to make cook-up for the first time (rice, blackeyed peas, garlic, onions, thyme, chicken, spices and coconut milk).  Our house manager, Marcy, tasted it and said I did a good job, which definitely made my day.  "I'm turning Guyanese I think I'm turning Guyanese I really think so..."

I took over the OB coordinator's office while she is on Maternity leave...Is it sad that this office, without air-conditioning, is actually better than mine in Columbus?!

Randy and Priscilla fixing the heat lamps

After Priscilla shared her harrowing story of her flight from Trinidad to Guyana on Caribbean Airlines (they had to turn around because they lost contact with Guyana), Rajohn, our office volunteer, made a slightly smoky paper plane for her

Randy and Priscilla at Borda

Discovered my new favorite drink, a "guyana mule"- El Dorado rum, ginger ale and lime

Priscilla showing off the "new" heat lamp

Our perfectly organized Crash cart!

The horses outside Project Dawn....while they may be devil creatures (ask anyone about my dislike of horses), they are still pretty to look at after a long day

My first attempt at cook-up

Fresh carrots and bora beans (not as good as Kates, but still good!)