May 2022
Ever wanted to stay and work in a rural community without speaking their language? This was me in Cheffe!
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In May, I I had my first volunteer rural trip to a small community called Cheffe in Bolivia. This trip was organized through Medfund; an organization who organizes medical clinics involving different professionals to provide free medical services in rural communities. Joey the general director of Medfund, had driven me five hours from LaPaz’s city to Cheffe. In that time, a new friendship grew as I discovered Joey’s compassion and love for people, as well as, his believe in Christ Jesus.
On organising this trip, Joey had warned me about the accommodation that I was staying in. His family owns a very old mill that is made out of mud and stone, and I was told to bring my camping gear, and I’m glad I did. The hike through the bush to the river where the mill is located, was an adventure in itself. The walk to the mill took 15 minutes, and that does not seem long, however, when bushing through deep dense bush to keep on a certain pathway, the time can go slower. Once reaching the mill, and the location was absolutely beautiful, I could notice how run down it was, and I saw holes in the roof and walls. Once we entered through the old wooden doors and stepped onto a dirt floor, Joey turned to me and said “watch out for scorpions, tarantulas, rattle snakes and garden snakes”, and I replied with a laugh and said thank you. I was not expecting to hear that, but it made sense once I looked around at the condition of the mill and its location. It was either I was going to die a horrible death that night or it will make a fantastic story for later, and look, here we are!
The Mill
Once Joey left me, I had to kick into survival mode by getting food, collecting wood, showering in the river, and starting a fire for a cold night ahead. Luckily for me, there was a store in the village to buy some limited ingredients to cook. Unlucky for me, it was close, but on the way I met a cool old man, and I was able to have a small conversation with him in my limited Spanish gringo pronunciation. As I was walking back to my 5-star accommodation in the woods, the old man showed me his house and introduced me to his wife. As I was leaving, his wife called me over and handed me three eggs, and offered bread some bread too. I took only the three eggs, and I was so touched by her act of kindness, an act so small meant a lot to me because what may seem small to me may be a large sacrifice for her. What 3 eggs meant to me, may have been a stretch for her. I walked away happy and felt touched by her generosity to a stranger, and yes, a few days later, I gave her 4 eggs and said thank you again.
My time in Cheffe was special for me, and it was my first time in a community that did not speak any English. I was heavily reliant on my basic Spanish skills, hand gestures, head nodding and agreeing to everything I was asked or told. Google translator was fantastic for when I had to ask specific questions with the patients I treated. My first day of clinic was quiet, and I only had two or three patients in the late afternoon. I spent a lot of time watching the young local doctor, and she was fun to be around. Even though we couldn’t speak the same language well, I found that you can understand each other over time. She would encourage patients to see me, and soon enough over the week I became busy with people coming with their ingrown nails, sore callus or just wanted help cutting their thick nails.
Communities medical center
My favorite experiences were when we would go visit other villages riding in the ambulance. The doctor would see her patients and hand out medications, and I would treat patients feet, so we were a good team. During the week, the doctor went back to her home in the city of La Paz, and the local nurse came to stay. I also got on well with her, and over a few days, I discovered she had a really good sense of humor, and we started to understand each other’s jokes. For the travelers reading this, If I can give any advice for making new friends, always cook extra for your new friend. Food is so powerful, and when you share a meal with someone, you connect on a deeper level.
Ambulance transport
On one of the days, we spent visiting another village, I was reminded of how useful my podiatry skills can be for helping people. I saw a patient who complained of pain in his right foot and toe. There was no broken skin or trauma that may have pointed to a direct cause of infection. The man’s foot had some signs of infection; pain and swelling. After some basic questions, with the help from the ambulance driver (and Google translator) who spoke the different dialect of the old man, I had learnt that his signs and symptoms had started the same time as his laceration on his ankle. I was confident that his laceration had gotten infected from a bacterial infection, and travelled distally to his foot, and now a healing scar. We communicated this to the patient and the nurse, and I suggested that he needed a strong antibiotic. The nurse gave the old man an intramuscular injection of antibiotics into his bottom, and the poor man did not enjoy dropping his pants to receive a large needle in his bum, but I’m hoping that gave his foot a good chance to heal. As a side note, foot hygiene was not great in these rural communities, and I saw some of the dirtiest feet I’ve seen so far.
Village woman
I had some great experiences in Cheffe, and met some great people. One of the cool one’s I had met, was a kid that was always around when I had free time. He watched me when I was exercising, he was there when I was flying my drone filled with curiosity. He seemed like a cool kid, and enjoyed his company when he was around. However, I spent a lot of my free time organizing ‘the pizza challenge’ event, and Cheffe was the start of that journey (explained in my first blog). My volunteer work was recognised by the community, and I felt so blessed for it. I was invited to the community’s lunch, and it was a feast! I wish I had known about the gathering earlier because I had just finished my lunch when I was called into my second lunch with the community. I am getting use to spontaneity of this culture, where time schedule nearly does not exist. That day, I was truly a big piggy after forcing down some delicious food that I did not recognize.
Village kid
Later that evening, I was called back to that same house we feasted in over lunch, and I saw a man who has specifically dressed differently. He looked like he was wearing ceremonial clothes, and people approached him in such a way that made him seem more important than the average person. Remember, put yourself in my shoes, I have absolutely no idea what’s going on, and at the moment, I just go where they say go, and come when they say come. The specially dressed man waved me over and shook my hand and handed me a certificate signed by some important people of the community. It was their way of demonstrating their appreciation for my volunteer work. Also, I was told that this certificate can be of good use in the future, so I was happy to be appreciated by the community of Cheffe.
THE TRAVELING POD 