Hearing aides, butt boils, HECKMAN!!

Phew! July is just a little silly…really. Father dearest arrived on July 2nd…his plane was an hour early (typical) making the arrival time 430am. Of course I was wide awake making coffee and crepes. Dad came to Samoa this time around with a residential friend (by that I mean he is a resident who works with Dad and is one of his “Buds”), Jayme Stokes, and his wife, Laura Carr, who is an audiologist. Dad arrived from America looking like a young Humphrey Bougaurt and we put him on the plane 6 days later looking like Keith Richards after binge-drinking for a week and climbing coconut trees, but I digress.
Shortly after arrival our band of merry pranksters headed to Apia to fuel up on coffee and Mama’s cookies. We then scooted up the hill to the National Hospital where dad gave a riveting speech on Thyroid cancer. We mingled and schmoozed with some of the Samoan Docs who said “Gee I wish I had known you were coming, we could have put some cases together for you.”* (This was extremely “funny” to Teuila, our peace corps medical officer, and I because we had just spent the last 3 months sending emails, letters, making personal visits, and calling every single doctor in the $%&*%^ hospital informing them that my father and Jayme were coming that week. All you can do is laugh and go have something to eat.)
After a little tour of the hospital, Dad did his impression of what happens when you jump out of an airplane and your parachute doesn’t open for a couple hours. Jayme, Laura, and I wandered around Apia for a bit.
The next day (Thursday, July 3rd) Dad and Jayme went up to Med Cen so Dad could give another talk and Laura and I headed to SENESE school where I take Malaki every Friday. Laura gave an information session on Cochlear Implants to the teachers at SENESE and Loto Taumafai early intervention. She then proceeded to test a number of children with varying hearing disabilities until about 5pm. Many of the kids had been tested before and had hearing aides made in Australia, so Laura was able to re-test them and then fit them with their new hearing aides and send them on their happy, noisy way. Malaki was one of them since he broke his last hearing aide a few months ago. Three cheers for collaborative leadership and all around do-gooding!
Friday, the dynamic-Americano 4-some did rounds at the National Hospital which I found super interesting (interesting is such a nerdy word). I saw my first gun shot wound and quite a few other fun things. Laura and I then headed across the street to Loto Taumafai for more hearing tests while Dad and Jayme apparently ran a marathon and did a Whipple. I think they might have been joking….
That night we went up to the condemned American embassy that we only use for special occasions such as 4th of July, which, as it just so happened, was on that day. I don’t really know how to explain 4th of July in Samoa so it is probably best for you all to just use your own imaginations…yeah….
Saturday we loaded up all the medical supplies we could stuff in a garbage bag and headed towards the Manono Warf. Stephanie (think Asian who I went to Thailand and ‘Nam with) and I have spent the last few months planning a one day free health clinic for the people in her village (pretty much the same idea as what the Hanks fam did in my village last year). Stephanie’s digs are just cool because she is the only Peace Corps Volunteer on Manono island. One can walk around Manono in about an hour and a half and doesn’t have to worry about mangy island dogs because there ain’t none and you don’t have to look both ways when you cross the “road” i.e. sand path because there ain’t no cars neither - not sure why that needed to be in Southern Virginia hick language, but apparently it did. Anywho the clinic was totally awesome. Dad, Jayme, and Dr. Thompsen from the Ministry of Health (who helped us last year) ran the main room while a group of PCV helped with the check-in area and a craft room for the kids. Laura ran more hearing tests for the kids.
Sunday and Monday we spent laying around the beaches and patting our selves on the back for being professional do-gooders.
So that is that, pics bellow, hope you enjoy
PS- Ramesh-call me

Malaki saying thanks for the portable hearing test....notice the huge one in the foreground...that is what we have in Samoa to test kids hearing...the smaller one is Laura's from America...that will hopefully be donated to Samoa
nice face Laura

This is one of Sally's kids from Fasitootai. Laura is fitting him with his first ever hearing aide!

Nice skirts! Jayme and Dad showing off their presents from Teuila at the 4th of July party

Dad and I bringing a little bit of Charlottesville to Samoa. Dad is holding Jim Heckman's auto scope that conveniently says "HECKMAN" in case we forgot. I am also wearing a shirt from "2 Sides" restaurant only the best place to get burgers and bloody marys in cville....oh and johnny is the owner

CUTE! This is Jayme taking a little boy over to Laura's "quiet" room for hearing tests at the Manono clinic

Jayme, Dr. Thompsen, and Dad working hard at the manono clinic

Dad looking for some lost change in Stephanies nephews ear lobes.

Stephanie and her nephew. Aren't they pretty?

The whole gang of PCVs at Manono plus a few happy and healthy samoan gremli-I mean children

Dad and I on the dock of Manono. That is my island, Upolu, behind us

The kids of Manono waving goodbye to our boat

the sick commander and chief of our trip. This was out at lalomanu...he was still in charge

Me holding Dr. McPukie up at lalomanu