Vincent Pescatore Clinica de Ojos, San Benito, Guatemala

I woke up and the first thing that comes to mind is "Why do the roosters believe that it is normal to start each day at 5 am?"  I decided not to ponder it too long and went back to bed, very thankful for a warm blanket, a comfy mattress, and another hour to sleep, despite the unwanted wake-up call.  

After round two of waking up (this time at a reasonable hour), I dressed, ate, and headed out to tackle the days agenda.  The agenda was more full than I could have expected!  When I arrived at Vincent Pescatore Clinica de Ojos with Dr. Linda Novak (a Loyola Stritch grad, and our host), we found a waiting room PACKED with patients in need of eye care, waiting to be seen.  

When I found out that many of them had traveled upwards of three or four or even five hours to come see the ophthalmologist, I felt a quick second of disappointment (in myself) for being annoyed with the rowdy rooster wake-up call!  Instead, waking up a little earlier would have meant a little shorter waiting time for someone who would have probably appreciated it very much.  

We saw each patient, one by one, for the rest of the morning.  I took note of Dr. Novak's calm demeanor throughout the hours, even though there was a mountain of work left in the waiting room.  It hardly seemed like work to her, though, because of her servant heart.  I left the clinic that day with a couple lessons on ophthalmology/los ojos, a lot of lessons on service, and excitement for the next days agenda - una jornada (an eye screening in a rural village).   

Christine Garcia, M2