It's been quite a while since I've last written something for this blog. Nine months and a few days to be more exact. Anyway, I will be writing something once a week from here on and I trust my readers will find my words helpful and at the very least, amusing.
The past nine months have been filled with more than a few adventures and some insightful and at times sobering lessons.
Perhaps the most sobering lesson came when I was in Peru with a group by the name of
IRIS Mundial, providing eye care to a community that has limited access to health care, especially eye care. To put the need into perspective, the team saw over 2,000 people in the span of 5 days, working 10 to 12 hours each day. There were people who'd arrive at 5:00 AM after walking or taking a bus from a remote village to wait their turn to be seen. For some, that wait was 10 to 12 hours. When I'd see one of these people, they were not upset that they'd waited hours to be seen, sitting outside the makeshift clinic in the hot Peruvian sun. Everyone, to a person, were extremely grateful that we were there.
Waiting patiently to be seen by doctor
I have two short stories from my time in Peru.
The first is a lady who gave me a big hug after her exam, with tears in her eyes telling me "¡Dios te envió a ayudarme!" or "God sent you to help me". She'd not been able to see clearly enough to read for some time and simply needed a pair of reading glasses. I found this very eye opening and sobering.
The second is a lady who I saw, after I examined her 13 year-old son. I asked her "¿ese es tu hijo?", or "is that your son". Her response was "Sí, él me vuelve loco". Translation, "yes, he drives me crazy". With that, I burst out laughing, realizing teenagers are the same everywhere.
With this in mind, here are a few of my musings and observations from my time in Peru.
- Patients is something we all could have more of. Being impatient will not make things better or get us were we want to go any faster so relax and enjoy yourself.
- Where ever you travel, you may be the only glimpse someone will have of your country, state (province) or town so be on your best behaviour and be curious about the place your visiting. Both you and those you meet will be better for it.
- What may seem trivial to you, will mean the world to someone else. In other words a little help and kindness goes further than you imagine it will.
- Look for similarities instead of differences in others. You'll be surprised at how many similarities there are.
My new friend and fellow motorcyclist, José.
Gerald Trees
Musings and Observations of an Adventurous Life Seeker
