Friday, September 28, 2007

The grass grows high on Tinian


For those that know me well, they know that I have a 'thing' about weed-wackers (I was once chased by a man with a weed-wacker in his hand while serving on a mission for my church!). So you can imagine my surprise to find that, in spite of the large amount of grass on Tinian, and how quickly it grows, there seems to be few, if any, lawn mowers here. On any given day you will find many laborers along the roads of Tinian cutting the grass...with weed-wackers! It is both a puzzle and a marvel. Today, for example, Terri and I stared in wonder at a hard working man cutting a very large field...with a weed-wacker. He was covered from head to toe--gloves, hat, long sleeve shirt and pants; even a bandana to completely cover and protect his face from the grass clippings flying around him. It was hot and humid, and we marveled that he was able to work in the sun for so long, waving his grass cutter back and forth, back and forth, cutting one small swath at a time as he slowly worked his way over this large field of long grass. It is just another unique picture of Tinian and its culture we have learned to enjoy.

Funeral for Efrain Palacios




Today the funeral for Efrain Palacios was held at the local Catholic church. Terri and I wanted to pay our respects to Efrain and the Palacios family, so we attended the service. Although we are not Catholics by faith (we are Mormons), I was very impressed and touched by the wonderful service that was held.

As is typical of Catholic churches, the church on Tinian was built in the shape of a cross. The altar is at the center of the 'cross' and there is seating and an entry door provided at three legs of the 'cross' (the top of the 'cross' is used by the Priest, and is the back of the altar). It seemed as though the entire community came out to honor Efrain, as the church was full to capacity, and there were people spilling out of all three doors. In addition, there was another large group seated under tents outside of the church.

Perhaps the most touching scene for me was when the family gathered around the casket to say their last good-byes to Efrain before the casket was closed for the last time. There truly was not a dry eye from any of us attending the service, as our hearts and minds strained to comfort this grieving family.

Songs were sung, mass was said, and the sacrament given to those who desired it, all with the greatest reverence and solemnity. Then, as the casket was taken out and driven to the gravesite, another wonderful event occured. The school children had been permitted to leave school, and they lined the road between the church and the cemetary! Perhaps only on a small, close-knit island could I have seen such a display of compassion, as the entire community honored the memory of Efrain and did what they could to support the Palacios family.

Terri and I have been kindly and graciously accepted into this community since moving here, and the help we have received from the local people has been greatly appreciated. The love and sense of community that we saw displayed today gave us a greater understanding of how lucky we are to be living on Tinian.

All individuals, all families, and all communities are forced to go through tough times-- whether it be a death or a loss of employment, or some other trial that is so much a part of life on this earth. It is how the individual, family, or community reacts to and deals with those trials that make them increase in faith and strength or permit life to weaken and crush them. The people of Tinian are definitely the former: they have shown how a group of individuals can come together with a sense of love and community and find the strength to overcome one of life's cruelest tests, the death of a young man before his time.

Once again, our thoughts and prayers are with the Placios family. The greatest comfort we can give them is the sure knowledge that they will see Efrain again! Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we will have the joy of seeing and living with our loved ones again. This is the only thing I know that can take away the pain and sorrow that comes with the death of a loved one-- the faith and knowledge that God is loving and kind, and has provided a way for all his children to find peace and happiness. That peace and happiness can be obtained by all, regardless of the trials we may face, by knowing and understanding the plan of salvation: that God has provided a way for all his children to be together again in the next life. Death is not the end of life, just a stage in our eternal progression. The day will come when we will be reunited with our loved ones. Knowing this to be true brings understanding and peace to the soul.

Monday, September 24, 2007

Mourning a Fine Young Man



It is unfortunate that our time on Tinian begins with the death of a wonderful young man. We have not lived on Tinian long enough to get to know the Palacios family, but our hearts go out to them during this time of grief. We plan to attend the funeral this friday at 11:00 am, and though there is not much Terri and I can do for the family, our thoughts and prayers are with them!

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Terri's First Day at Work







Although it seemed like forever, I have to admit that the medical board was pretty good about getting my license done. After they received all the information they needed, it was only another week until my license was approved. That’s pretty darn quick for these parts! It was lovely to finally get word that I had been approved, and the staff here actually had my license put on the plane and hand-delivered to me because they didn’t want any question that I was licensed.

So I started work Thursday, September 20, 2007 . . . and what a day it was. Kevan and I got to my office early to complete the preparation of my office, which included hanging pictures. I had received compliment after compliment about the color I had chosen, and I was relieved. When we first started painting over the aqua color, the paint took on that yellow/brown/green baby poo color to my complete chagrin. I assumed it would take two coats to cover but, alas, there was not going to be enough paint. To my ultimate delight, it only needed one coat and once the paint had dried, the paint was the color I had, indeed, chosen. As I was pulling off the paint tape, it grabbed a corner of paint on the highly-enameled door and pulled the new latex off like a balloon! A little touchup should do fine.

So as my first patients arrived, the hospital/clinic came alive. It was an interesting experience. I was new and the office looked new, which seemed to create a sort of carnival atmosphere or perhaps better described as an “open house.” Everyone stopped by to welcome me and look at Liz’s photographs hanging on the wall. I had to explain each picture and then, of course, go through the family photograph and name each individual, where they are living, and what they do.

As we finally got down to the business at hand, I saw three 18 month-old babies with sore throats, earaches, and rashes, and then the usual adult complaints of gout, high blood pressure, and diabetes. I saw 10 patients before lunch . . . pretty good for my first day! Things had quieted down around 11 AM, so I walked down the hall to our hospital rooms to see if anyone had been admitted, and sure enough a gentleman was receiving an IV of antibiotics. As I was visiting him, I heard quite a commotion in the hallway as our ambulance arrived, so I went to help. There in the hall were probably 15 firefighters and police along with a very, very distraught mother.

I pushed my way through the crowd and into the emergency room, only to see a young boy being moved to the hospital bed while the medic reported no breathing and no heartbeat. With heart in throat, I stepped forward to be helpful. After all, this was what I have trained for and, as Kevan would put it, “You can’t complain now . . . this is exactly what you’ve wanted for all these years.” The fact that this was a 13-year-old boy created unimaginable stress. We worked on him for 60 minutes using all our medical capability but to no avail.
As the family has not requested an autopsy, we will never know exactly what happened, but as he had a history of asthma and had just completed a mile run in 7 minutes 35 seconds, we are assuming that his airway closed and he died from an asthma attack, although from the conflicting reports in the news, it may have also been a fatal heart arrhythmia.

In a quiet room, I told the mother her son had died and held her tightly while she grieved. I’ve watched movies and television programs where parents have been told of the death of a child or a family of the loss of a loved one, but until you’re the one doing it, I’m not certain you can understand the awesome responsibility of saying just the right thing in the right way while knowing that certainly there isn’t any right way that’s going to make it easier or better. So I held her for a long time and tried to convey my own sorrow for her loss. Her only question was “what happened” as she repeated over and over that he was just fine that morning.

Beyond this boy’s mother, the friend who first asked him if something was wrong and helped him to the school office had not yet been told his friend had passed away. I found him standing outside the emergency department and took him aside to speak with him. I told him that his friend had died. I’ve often wondered how it is that something as inert as eyes can express emotion, but you could see the flash of hurt cross his eyes. I expressed to him my understanding that he had been a good friend to this boy in helping him out and that there was nothing anyone could have done to save him . . . that he in no way had been neglectful or could have changed the outcome. I asked him to come see me on Monday to talk about how his weekend.

Within the hour, family member after family member arrived at the hospital as the news spread through the community. I was a silent witness to a very sacred tradition here. As family members came in to say goodbye to this young man, each one loving caressed his face with their hands and then brushed his cheeks with their own cheeks. It was almost as if each one was taking a small piece of his soul to carry with them. We moved his body from the emergency room into a hospital room where extended family members came to say goodbye. The Priest arrived to perform Last Rites and then the family surrounded this boy’s bed, spilling into the hallway because there were so many, and they said the Rosary. Quietly, with deep spiritual sense, they repeated the Rosary.

I returned to my office just down the hallway as I still had patients to see. What a contrast! From handling a fatal code to seeing beautiful, smiling 18-month-old babies for their well checks. It was so . . . the embodiment of life itself.

From time to time, I would walk back down the hallway to check on the family and friends as their numbers continued to grow. I wanted to make certain I was available to answer any questions that might arise.

As the Rosary was completed, it was time to clean the body. You see on Tinian, there is no mortuary or mortician or medical examiner. Our nurses have been taught to perform these tasks. I attended this ritual so I could learn how to do this myself. It was a quiet, very dignified procedure. Since there is no mortuary, we have a large cold room behind the hospital that is capable of holding two bodies. This young man was placed there, and I learned of the island tradition of burial. This is an island. The indigenous people come from many islands in the West and South Pacific. A body is not buried for nine days. The only reason I could come up with was that this tradition arose from the fact that before airplanes, it would take that many days for family members to arrive from all over the Pacific via outrigger canoes. I imagine this is a very old tradition. Talking to my friends, Florence and Ben, they agreed that this is the reason for the nine days.

A tent is erected behind the hospital, next to the “morgue” where family and friends gather to sit vigil over the body. A beautiful altar has been erected for this young man with local flora and flowers and a picture of him for those who mourn. Many, many friends arrived the first night to pray and say the Rosary.

I spoke with his mother the next day, and she expressed that she is “hanging in there.” We embraced and expressed our sorrow one to the other. She has two older sons who are a great comfort to her.

On the ninth day, we will again clean the body and dress it in preparation for the funeral, which will be held at 10 AM on September 29, 2007. Kevan and I will attend, although I will be on call at the hospital just a half-block away.

I understand that this young man was a very talented singer, an excellent student, and loved by many, many family and friends. I hope to learn more about him.

What a first day! But in the tragedy of death and the hope of beautiful, happy babies, it was verified that I am where I have always wanted to be: a place where I will know and love my patients and become involved in their lives, and a place where I can cry and mourn the loss of my patients without embarrassment because not only are they my patients but my family.

News articles:

Saipan Tribune
Marianas Variety

Monday, September 17, 2007

Still adjusting

Our extened family now has a saying for us: "There's no Thursday on Tinian". This comes from the fact that when we traveled here, we left on a Weds. and arrived on a Friday--Thursday was lost forever. The saying captures some of the adjustment we are going through as we learn to live on Tinian.

Today I must be living in the twilight zone, as it is thursday in Tinian! As fate would have it, things got all mixed up for Terri and I. Terri started work, then had to stop because her paperwork still wasn't done. They said it was done, or would be done, or could be done, but it wasn't, so we are back on vacation for another week.

We feel like we are in limbo, as Terri is on hold, our internet access is on hold, it has rained constantly for two days, so we are kind of stuck in our apartment watching cats and dogs...no that's not right! Its geckos that rain down on us here!

We have a constant battle with the local wildlife for access to our apartment. We have screens on the windows, but almost everything seems to be able to find a way around them (the 1/2" space around the door and air conditioner could be one reason). So I got a can of bug spray to lay out a line of defence. We seem to be winning the battle slowly, at least the dead bodies of our victims that we find on the floor each morning tell us we are doing something. We have two sizes of ants. Large red ants that have quite a bite, and small (almost too small to see) ants that just search for food. As long as we keep the apartment spotless of food remnants, we seem to be able to manage the ants. We have had a few cockroaches (very large!) that hide from us, but the bug spray seems to have worked with them, as we almost never see them, or at least haven't seen them since our last 'war'. Which leaves the geckos.

We have a small family of geckos living in our home. Now, geckos are supposed to bring good luck, and on the islands we are told that they are considered somewhat sacred. The bug spray doesn't bother them, and they do eat insects, and even cockroaches, so we tend to leave them alone. They can actually talk to one another, kind of a screech/hiss sound, but fortunately don't talk much, usually just at dusk as dad calls to the family to come out to eat. Then, one by one they appear on the walls of our home, always up near the ceiling and in corners. They stake out
their possition, and usually stay there for the duration. For some reason they stay in the living room, never in our bedroom. Perhaps it is the light that comes from the living room window (we have a light outside our door for the apartments). They don't bother us, so we don't bother them. We have gradually accepted them as pets, although we haven't named them yet.

Because of the light outside our apartment, getting in the apartment at night can be risky. All the bugs and wildlife in the area are attracted to the light, so they seem to congregate outside our door, en masse. You have to shoo them off the handle of the door to get the key in, then time your entrance just right so that they all don't follow you in when the door is open! During the day they all hide, and there is no problem. But come home after dark, and you have to
run the gauntlet!

We hope to finally get to our church this weekend. We are Mormons, and there is no branch of our church on Tinian, but there is on Saipan. So, if the weather clears up, we will fly to Saipan on Saturday, do some shopping (we need to get snorkle gear), go to church sunday, and fly back sunday afternoon. That is, if the weather is good. The small puddle-jumper airplanes that fly from Tinian to Saipan and back don't fly if the weather isn't clear. So we could get stuck here, or there, if the weather moves back in on us. It becomes a sort of chess game with the weather man.

Terri and I have been walking 3-5 miles a day, and swimming almost every day. The day we got sunburned, we had gone swimming in the middle of the day (we usually go near sunset), and found ourselves surrounded by tropical fish! The water is so clear, you can see 10'-15' to the bottom with ease, and as we were standing in about chest-high water, a school of fish swam around us. There were tropical fish of almost every color, shape and size! Beautiful yellow fin,bright green and black, white/silver, blues, pinks, etc. They swam around us for quite some time (we were later told that the japanese tourists feed the fish, so they often come in to shore seeking food). It was wonderful experience. At first it was a little unnerving, as the fish swam around you and in-between your legs, but you soon got used to it, and realized that they were not there to eat you... Needless to say, we were entranced and found ourselves out in the sun too long. It hasn't been too bad though, just mild sunburns, not serious.

We did get to Saipan, and to church. And were able to buy our snorkle stuff, with the help of Harry Blalock. He talked me through finding the right place to purchase good equipment, and suggested what to buy. We can't wait to try them out! We also bought some paint for Terri's office. That way she will have a new fresh place to work...if she ever gets to work, that is! Oh well, I guess we'll just go to the beach and snorkle while we wait!

Monday, September 10, 2007

Starting a routine : Kevan

It has been a slow, but relatively easy, transition into the Tinian lifestyle. We have been graciously welcomed and helped by the people of Tinian, which has made our move to Tinian much less stressfull. We lived in the Fleming Hotel until we could find a place to live, but quickly found that there were few homes available in town (there were a few more available up in the hills, but we had decided we wanted to stay in the village, and be able to walk rather than be forced to buy a car). Fortunately, an apartment came available at the Lorrilynn Hotel, where we will stay until a home becomes available.
We enjoy walking, and although the weather can be warm and muggy, it is good for the body and soul. There are plenty of little stores around to buy what we need-- each store is just a little bit different, and has different food and/or household items, so we will need to learn which store has the specific item we want.
They have a water company here that will deliver 5 gal jugs of water to your home, so water is not an issue, and the power here seems to be very good and predictable. We are always reading stories in the paper about Saipan and Rota having power outages and problems, but so far, there have been none on Tinian.
Terri started working today at the Clinic. All her government paperwork finally got processed and she was able to begin the work she loves: helping people to heal. And I was able to get back to what I love: research and writing. So Terri and I are finally starting a routine here on Tinian, which is always a comforting event. Kevan

Saturday, September 8, 2007

A tour of our apartment


The LoriLynn Apartments/Hotel

Looking toward the east to Broadway with the Community Gym/Recreation Center in the background.
Looking down the street the "other way."

The back of the apartments. We are on the left side, second floor, the first balcony on the closest end (you can see our bedroom air conditioner).

Closeup of our apartment door

The center garden
The back garden

More of the back garden

Back garden in the rain . . . note the raindrops . . . I'm not sure you could call them "drops."

More of the rain and the gardent in the back

Entering our apartment

Our living room/dining room or perhaps "space" would be better

Kitchen

Kitchen from our bedroom

Our "stove." The stovetop needs parts, so it is underneath this tile cover. This is a butane burner that I absolutely love. You get really great heat from it. Luckily, we sent a microwave, so that takes care of our "baking" chores and keeps the room a little cooler.

Haven't figured out if this is a dishwasher, or dish sterilizer, or what, but I do know it seems to keep the ants and other critters out, so I like to keep the dishes in it anyway.

Our bedroom

Our bedroom from the kitchen.

The bathroom, guess we didn't take pictures, is very clean and tidy. Sink, toilet, and very large shower. Didn't have hot water for a few days, but after the initial shock, decided that that's the only way to really take a shower in the tropics anyway. Hot water not needed!

Geckos revisited

Geckos DO make sounds. The "monkey call" sound belongs to them as well as a hissing sound when one is chasing the other . . . could be a male-female thing or a male-male thing I guess. Anyway, the sound travels quite a distance through the night air. When I find some time, I guess I'll have to do a little reading into all things gecko!

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Do geckos make sounds?

I forgot to ask. While we were sitting watching the geckos last night, every once in a while we would hear a very clear sound . . . almost like a monkey’s call. Since there are no monkeys on Tinian, and it was nighttime so I doubt it was a bird, and since the sound seemed so close—do geckos make a sound like a monkey’s call?

Ants, gnats, and geckos

I knew about the ants. One could suspect gnats would fly and annoy during the rainy season. I met the geckos in May.

In May, the geckos stayed outside. In my new apartment, they come to visit at night. I have a Papa, a Mama, and two babies. The babies explore the intersection of the wall and ceiling a bit while the Mama stays between the slat window and the screen and Papa comes in every once in a while to check the babies. While trying to stay calm and simply watch TV, I asked Kevan to tell me some ancient story about how the geckos are really genies or guardian angels or something positive. He tells me that there are such ancient stories, although he did not know any off the top of his head. He also tells me that they are good luck and that they eat insects.

I’ll believe the good luck thing, but I’m not certain about the insects. I sat here and watched an ant and a baby gecko nose to nose. The gecko did nothing while the ant ran all around it—and over it! It finally looked as if the ant might eat the gecko. The baby finally had enough of the ant and ran off to the corner.

But the geckos never came down from the ceiling more than a foot, and Papa went back outside as soon as he checked on the babies. Every time I would wake up at night, I would peer around the room, and there were no geckos in my bedroom, so I have relaxed.

Kevan must be right . . . there must be a good story about geckos.

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

To Lori, my hair stylist extraordinaire in Utah

I’m glad you cut my hair shorter, I would have died from the heat and humidity. As beautiful as my hair is right after I’ve dried it, once I’ve walked outside for any length of time, I am a frizz-ball. We’ll have to figure things out in December. Oh, there are a bunch of salons here—I have yet to get a recommendation.

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Finding a place to live

Even prior to our arrival on Tinian, the hospital staff and friends made in May have been keeping an eye out for housing for us. We have had many leads and have looked at quite a few houses. Ultimately, Ben Manglona offered us a one-bedroom apartment at the Lorilynn (formerly a hotel) on a month-to-month basis, which we eagerly accepted. We absolutely love staying at the Fleming Hotel, but it’s difficult not being able to just eat a peanut butter sandwich. If you ever visit, the food at the Fleming is magnificent. Every single meal we ate was great! The Fleming staff is friendly and attentive, and by the time we checked out, we were all great friends and the staff knew as soon as we sat down in the restaurant to bring a pitcher of water, because the Clawsons drink a lot of water!

We have some concrete leads on places to live but the homes are either currently not available or not ready to rent. So we sit in our apartment waiting.

My gratitude to Ben as he showed us the apartment on Sunday and told us it would be ready on Tuesday—even though Monday was a holiday. There was still some painting to be done as well as clean up. When he called on Tuesday morning and told us the apartment would be ready at 10 AM, I was astounded. We came to the apartment and what a transformation! It is beautiful. My compliments to Ben’s hard-working handyman who worked so hard for us.

Then I sat on the bed. I had heard about the Dynasty beds that are so hard they are like concrete, but I had never been on one. Well, the same bed must be in this apartment. When you sit on the bed, it does not give . . . at all! Luckily, we had packed our inflatable mattress in our suitcase and it saved the day. The mattress was placed on top of the concrete bed, and we both had a wonderful night’s sleep. Forethought comes to the rescue!

That was one of the hard things about coming to Tinian—what to bring and what to ship. We had been here in May and had checked out what was available on both Saipan and Tinian, so we had some idea about what we might not be able to get here; or would be too much of a bother to acquire. So some things went into boxes and some into our suitcases. We tried to think of the things we would need in the first few weeks before the majority of our boxes arrived. We debated about the mattress and finally decided to bring it in a suitcase. Good thinking! My mother, who had lived in Mongolia for about three years, told me that she and my Dad had the same problem and found they had the same problem—what to take/send and what to find there. They had a thriving black market in Mongolia and found most of the things they looked for. I don’t have a black market here (that I know of anyway) and have not found the need for one. I may not have the variety of choice here, but I can find pretty much everything I want.

So, we’re in our own place. It’s nice to be settled and have our things out of suitcases. The boxes have started arriving, pretty much intact (more later). We have free basic cable and our electricity is part of our rent, so I can have air conditioning! Best of all, we have maid service once a week . . . Kevan is ecstatic!

Monday, September 3, 2007

The boxes are coming, the boxes are coming!

As we sent 65 boxes to Tinian over the last six weeks, Kevan and I were afraid the Tinian Health Center would be overwhelmed with boxes! Luckily, only 3 boxes arrived before we did and then 4 the day we arrived and another 6 arrived on Tuesday. Some boxes made it in great shape but some were a bit battered with post office strapping placed around them. One, though, made it with only two books inside. All the other papers and books had been lost through a split in the side of the box. There was no attached note or explanation, just a resealed box with hardly anything in it. So to the postman who has Kevan’s books, my torn-out-of-magazine recipes, and some notes from PA class, enjoy the reading!

Saturday, September 1, 2007

We have arrived

We arrived on Tinian on the 31st of August without incident this trip. No overnight stay in Nagoya, although I will admit that having that unexpected delay in May made the time transition a lot easier.

As there was no Thursday on Tinian that week (family joke . . . with the time changes, we went from Wednesday to Friday), when we got to the hotel, I checked my email right away. You see, it had been two weeks since I took my boards and I expected my results. But to my disappointment, the scores were not yet posted. This brought with it a very unexpected problem . . . I was to begin work on Monday and without those results, the medical licensing board would be unable to issue my CNMI license! It also meant at least a week of forced vacation because the next round of score postings will not be until Thursday (mainland time) and since there is no Thursday on Tinian, I will get them early Friday morning. So here I wait consigned to paperwork and wandering the clinic.