Hello from Manila!

Sorry for not posting sooner, but it's taken a couple of days to get our bearings set and get into a routine. It's just been nonstop action since the plane touched down. We had a big traditional Filipino meal on our first night and crashed early (there were some tired people around the table by 8 o'clock). On our first day of the clinic we took a 'scenic' boat ride that took us through the slum area that all of our patients were living in. 200,000 people are living in 5 hectares of rickety houses built on top of a decades-old land fill. It was shocking, to say the least. I know I speak for everyone when I say that I was very happy we got to really emerse ourselves in their community. Unfortunately it isn't easy to post the pictures we got of that trip, we will try soon.

That first day of clinic got started late and even after only beginning at 10:30, we saw 186 patients (mostly children) before 3 pm. Just this morning we saw an additional 300. It's already been a wild ride-- the sights, the sounds, the -smells-, have all been a completely new experience for the vast majority of us.

The medical experience has largely been a crash course in diagnosing bacterial or fungal skin infections and handing out huge amounts of antibiotics. Our huge stock of med supplies is already looking noticably smaller and we have been trying to buy more supplies (especially things like the antibiotics and hydrocortisone cream) from government officials that sell at cost. It's been a wonderful experimce already to treat these adorable kids and hopefully we are making their lives a little bit better.


- At the airport right when we landed, already feeling the mid-day heat



- Our hired ride, called a "jeepney." Most are left over WWII transport vehicles with elaborate color schemes. Ours is a deluxe version with air conditioning (a welcomed luxury after spending the day sweating profusely)



- Dr. Dave, with Geoff (from the other group) looking on.



- These kids are tough as nails. This poor little guy had a huge abcess on his forehead that had to be drained and packed with antibiotics and gauze.


More to come,
Mike