We have now been here in Palawan for a week but this blog will just focus on our first few days. We have many things going on here in Palawan- turnover of donations, checking up on the peer-to-peer tutoring program that was implemented in the two school divisions and a medical mission in Balabac along with Mabuhay Deseret. Balabac is a municipality that includes about 32 islands off the coast of the southern tip of the Province of Palawan. It was quite the journey to get there and back. We flew earlier to Puerto Princesa and visited two schools right in the city. They are going strong with their tutoring program and loving it so far! We stayed in a fantastic hotel that felt like a nice getaway in Thailand or somewhere exotic. We felt so spoiled and it wasn’t expensive at all. Bonus! We met up with the rest of the doctors and volunteers and traveled in a huge Balabac vehicle that had no air con. Luckily it wasn’t a hot morning. I took a motion sick pill since I was at the back of the van and I was kind of out of it for two days! I don’t think I will do that again.

After 5 or 6 hours of riding, we took a speed boat for about an hour to reach the main island. This island is about 70% Muslim . We were met by ladies in their traditional fancy clothing . It was fun to hear the call to prayer and to see the women in bright flowy pants and head scarves. The island had a small community feel to it. Everyone was so friendly, people were walking around the small downtown area, especially in the evenings, and there weren’t many cars. Lots of tricycles and scooters, though. We were worried about where we would stay, but it was a clean room and had AC. So a relief!

The medical mission started not long after we arrived, so we went to the hospital, which was quite far out from the main part of the town and Lennie worked the refractor machine while I was his assistant. I also had the joy of giving out the reading glasses. My favorite was a man who was so animated and excited to receive his reading glasses. He exclaimed “I can see! I can read again!!”. We also met the Chief of Hospital, Dr. McQueen, and her father who is American, married to a Filipino and has made their home here. What a great guy! He used to be a Marine officer then became a pastor, and is now retired, just helping as he can. He was accompanying a local man who is his neighbor and hasn’t been able to see due to cataracts. He had the surgery and could see again! The cataract patients had to sit in a room for hours and hours on Saturday, waiting for their surgery.

Mabuhay brought along 3 doctors and they did around 67 surgeries that day!! They didn’t get back to their rooms until after 11 pm. I tell you! These doctors are such heroes to me. We were given meals by the local government (mayor’s office) which was good and bad. Something didn’t agree with me (probably the crabs and fish) and I ended up with the worst diarrhea I have ever experienced. It started around 11pm and by 3 am I decided to take two Imodium. That didn’t help and it soon became apparent that I wouldn’t be able to hop on a speedboat at 5:30 am and take the 5 hour ride back to Puerto Princesa. Jeremiah Gaer, from Mabuhay Deseret was so worried and attentive. He brought me some more Imodium, Gatorade and kept checking in. In fact, all the doctors were very kind and concerned. Such mother hens (or roosters?). I decided to go to the hospital to talk to the medical doctor there and see if they had some suggestions for me. I ended up in their little emergency room with an IV for rehydration.

I was basically hostage there while they gave me electrolytes and made me stay there to ensure that I was hydrated. I was the only patient for the most part. One baby did come in. Luckily, it’s a new health center and quite clean. Except for the flies coming in. Also, they don’t have electricity down there, so they use a generator which they have to turn off for periods of time. When we checked out, we had to wait for the generator to come back on so they could print up our receipt. The whole experience, including 20 pesos for the IV fluid and other meds, cost us a whopping 1,200 pesos, which is about $22. Cheap for us, but very expensive for the locals.

My Imodium did kick in and I mostly hung out in our tiny room, reading scriptures and enjoying the Sabbath the best I could. The unfortunate thing about our room is the toilet didn’t flush and you had to dump in a large bucket of water each time to flush it. Normally this isn’t a big deal, but….. Anyway, we got up early Monday morning and caught the speedboat and then an air conditioned van to make the long trek back up to Puerto Princesa. We had a deadline of a turnover that started at 2:00 pm. We made it with time enough to check in to our hotel, iron some clothes and get ourselves to the turnover. A different experience than we had planned on, but it all turned out in the end. One more thing: Clackers! Those plastic balls on a string that kids swing around. I think every child on that island had a set! They are the noisiest things! From dawn to dusk you could hear them everywhere. I found out they had a revival here after a tik-tok video. They aren’t as prevalent in the City of Puerto Princesa, but I have noticed them in Tondo, and other areas all around the Philippines. Curses!!!

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