Survivor Ofu

Monday March 5, 2007

Eleven of us set out for Ofu on Friday. Ofu is one of the Manu'u islands - very remote and quite pristine. Unfortuantely due to weather we were turned away at the airport - I guess the 18 seat plane does not do well in bad weather. Some of us headed back to Sadies and drowned our sorrows. Suzanne, Martee, Stephanie, Isabel, and Rachael did retail therapy, which did improve their spirits.

Saturday morning we tried again and thankfully we made it off the island. Before getting on the plane it was a little disconcerting to have to be weighed in with our bags. Yes - everyone had to weigh themselves - I didn't watch - I didn't want to know considering how many pina coladas I have had. I am sure with the amount of Valima everyone else had been drinking they were unhappy as well.

It was a nice small plane, where everyone gets a window seat. Julie wasn't thrilled with flight, but playing possum for the flight helped her out. Becky had the bench seat in the very back of the plane, all by herself - probably the best place for her. On the runway just before takeoff there was steam coming out of all the air vents - so much so that you could not even see the pilots in the cockpit. Interesting and not comforting to say the least. As we approached the first stop on Ta'u (another island in the Manu'u group) it was noted that the runway was VERY short and nestled between the pounding surf and the towering cliffs. And we used every inch of it. As I am here to write this - we obviously made it (three times).

Ofu was spectacular with thrusting volcanic peaks, lush vegetation, pounding surf, virgin white sandy beaches. We were the only people at the Asaga Inn, except Andre a very nice tour guide from Poland - who loaned his fins to Becky. Everyone reports that snorkeling was phenomenal - I sat on the beach. It pretty much rained the whole time so I did not get the chance to work on my sunburn too much. We had to walk back to the inn - about 2 miles partially uphill, but in the rain it was acutally a nice walk. Suzanne had a bit of a problem with chafing - thats what she gets for borrowing Becky's shorts.

We settled in at the inn for the evening - they cooked us a great dinner of steak and fish. Then as I sat down to work on my book chapter the gang started a game of Samoan Poker. Alas I was easily distracted, so after succumbing to peer pressure, and making an Excel spreadsheet to keep score I joined in the festivities. We were helped along by some fabulous rum drinks by Duane and much Valima consumption. Duane won the match - I lost (by a lot). I think I was too distracted by making sure the spreadsheet, along with the sum fields, were accurate - at least that is my excuse.

We were hoping for bad weather so that we would have to stay at least one more day, but unfortunately the sun came out. More great food for breakfast and lunch. Boomer - the guard dog - helped clean up the plates. Once full he buried the remaining SPAM in four different locations in the yard. Becky, Julie, and Andre spotted some black-tipped reef sharks (up to 5 feet in length).

On the trip to the airport Becky had a very surrealistic experience - sitting in the back of the truck with Samoan church music playing and the waves crashing in the background. She says she felt a presence. Ofu is considered to be very haunted by the Samoans - so she may be correct. I think that it has something to do with the fact she started drinking Valima at 10:45 in the morning. Unfortunately we were overweight on the way back so we could not take our luggage, except for carry-ons. Maybe we ate (and drank) too much.

One more flight back to Pago Pago and we were back at Sadies. That night we said goodbye to Robin, Deb, and Jessica and welcomed Susan, Erica, Craig, and Steve to the island.

It was a slow day in the hut. today Irish came back for a cast check, which we pulled off and bivalved. Jack's owner brought us a kahlua cake (very good). The village visit team was pretty busy. We are hoping for more action tomorrow. Suzanne and I did some more retail therapy, including a Cost-U-Less run to buy lots of chocolate, Pringles, and Valima. Unfortunately we made the mistake of buying the small bottles of Valima, which apparently have less alcohol then the big bottles, and we were persecuted for this choice for the most of the evening. That's what they get for sending two non-beer drinkers for a beer run. Our chocolate choices did make up for it slightly. So it is sun, snorkeling, Valima, chocolate, shopping, and poker to report. Yes, we are doing some spays and neuters as well.

Blog by Jen

Squalls and Shopping

March 2, 2007
Friday
Well, We had some serious storm squalls come in
today which, unfortunately, delayed our flight to Ofu until tomorrow morning. So we are all getting dolled up to go to a nice dinner tonight at the Sadie Thompson Inn. We took the opportunity on the way back from our drive to the airport to do a little shopping. Poor Isabelle is without her luggage and needed some necessities. I just needed a shopping fix! I got some T-shirts and trinkets to take home with me. Rocky and Jack recovered well overnight and both went home with their owners. (Rocky, with his new look, is seen with Junior, one of our excellent local volunteers)
Isabelle and Rachel got some more experience neutering- With owners either watching outside through the screen windows, or inside on the other side of the surgery table! Everyone is looking forward to the weekend off to play, relax, and explore Ofu and American Samoa...

Well

Femoral Fractures and Pinnal Amputations

March 1, 2007

Thursday

Well, a banner day in the hut for two of our patients- "Rocky" and "Jack". "Rocky" came to us with ugly ulcerated masses on both pinnae. Flies swarming all around his head. Lucky for him, we have a board-certified equine surgeon on our team- Dr. Jen did his surgery and he is recovering in the air conditioned hotel room- He is only happy, however, when Dr. Julie is in the crate with him. Jack, a black lab mix, was hit by a car on Monday night. Today, Dr. Duane and Dr. Jen pinned his femur. He is currently on a MLK drip, recovering on the balcony. Lucky, lucky dogs..

I spayed a 7 yr old momma dog named "Panda"- she had the largest follicles on her ovaries I have ever seen! Her owner has 21 dogs in all.. Now, at last, they are all spayed and neutered.

(post-op Panda and owner, below)

Julie has successfully arranged for 11 of us to fly off this island tomorrow after work and see the beautiful island of Ofu. It is supposed to have white sandy beaches and a nice coral reef. We shall spend 2 nights at the Asaga Inn and fly back here on Sunday.

Tonight we bid farewell to an awesome volunteer- Gregory from Long Island is flying back to the states and taking "Jeffrey" the puppy he and Deb and Robin rescued from the scrap metal yard down the street. Thank you Gregory!

Peroxide, It's Not Just For Hair

February 28, 2007

Well I must apologize for having missed a day of blogging. I will try to cover the highlights of the last 2 days in this blog. My severe burn from Saturday is fading, and now I am peeling from head to toe! I must wear a hat to disguise my forehead which is still lobster red and the 'dandruff' effect the peeling is causing. At the Hut, we are progressively busier with more surgeries. Julie's vomiting and diarrhea puppies, "Shaggy" and "Moe" (2 brothers) are miraculously improving on IV fluids. Today they both ate chicken and Pizza Hut Pizza. Yesterday we had one cat escape the hut in recovery and stumble (fast!) under a car. An American nurse/midwife volunteer who is living here bravely grabbed him for us! She was bloodied a little, but will be OK. The downside to yesterday was my accidental ingestion of hydrogen peroxide! - it was right next to my bottle of water- I unscrewed the cap, took 2 swigs, then looked at what was in my hand and panic started to set in! (as the bottle reads: "if swallowed, seek medical attention immediately") I learned, that H2O2 is an effective emetic in humans as well as dogs.. We went snorkeling yesterday afternoon- Becky was finally able to submerse her wrist that had surgery a week prior- and we saw 2 sea turtles! At the end of the day, Becky and I took a long walk to find Sal of Maoputasi Tattoos- the boy at the DVD store told us 'turn left then go in the store on the right after the third hump'.. Well, somehow we found it! He will happily 'tat up' some of us 'palongi'' (white people) next week with traditional Samoan tattoos.
Today we had a lot of surgery, and some dogs with generalized demodicosis. Our recent vet school grads, Rachel and Isabelle, are mastering their castration techniques. Tomorrow, Duane is going to do some orthopedic surgeries for us. Julie, Martee, and Joi just got to canoe with the locals in a traditional canoe (Pao Pao). Another group is out ordering custom-made scrub tops out of tropical fabrics. Julie, our entertainment director, has been trying to charter a plane for a group of us to fly to Ofu, a nearby island said to be "The Pearl of the South Pacific" this weekend. .I am saddened to tell you that tonight, bending over to check on our last patient, my camera fell out of my pocket and hit the concrete floor with a loud thud. No more camera. Now I will have to beg photos from other people. Here are some photos- Julie with "Shaggy" and Sandy and Julie relaxing in the pool with some Pina Coladas after a hard days work.

ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE!!!

FEBRUARY 26, 2007

First day in the trenches. Put the final touches on the hut and started business. Had five new arrivals Sunday night, making a total of 19 volunteers. Four of us headed out for a village visit and the remaining 15 manned the 'hut'. Everything went well at both venues. A little bit of rain at the hut, a lot of rain at the village, a few neuters, some spays, casted a fractured radius/ulna, treated some vomiting/diarrhea dogs. We were interviewed by both radio and television so we are celebrities in Amerikan Samoa. (blogged by Julie)

Tisa's and the Almost Pina Coladas

February 25, 2007

Talofa to all from Samoa. It is 9 pm and we are all sitting by the pool waiting our next cocktail and the 9:00 plane arrival from Hawaii with more members of our party. Hopefully all their luggage will arrive--one member of our party is still wearing the clothes she wore here as her luggage didn't follow her from Nigeria.

We had a very productive day for a Sunday, the prescribed day of rest here. All store are closed and only a few cabs and taxis are running. It is very quiet.

A few volunteers returned to the hut for some fine tuning of our new surgical home tomorrow--attaching oxygen hoses and hanging hooks and fluid bags. We should be ready for our first blast of patients tomorrow morning. One of the locals will be manning the front desk, similar to a Walmart greeter, to help with the language barrier. The Samoan alphabet has only 16 letters consisting of mostly vowels, K's. M's and N's. It is a beautiful language and very soothing to the ears.

The New York/Boston contingency went hiking to the top of the local National Park leaving early in the early morning dressed in all black- typical for New Yorkers. It was a humid day as usual and they returned slightly wilted but happy and well hydrated.

The remainder of us hung by the beach relaxing and gathering our strength for tomorrow before heading to Tisa's Barefoot Bar, well known local hangout. Famous for their Pina Coladas, but, alas, there is a shortage of Rum on the island. The surf is a bit treacherous and there is a short briefing prior to allowing the tourists to set out to the sea. The sharp coral reef and the treacherous current sweep many innocent, lackadaisical snorklers out to sea. Luckily only a couple members of our party popped their heads up like turtles astounded to find they were near the 'point of no return' where they get swept out to sea. Luckily with heavy flailing, much splashy kicking, and a few panicked moments, they were able to make it safely back to shore.

Tisa, wizened female chief of her village, instructed us on making plates out of palm trees. Despite the average 8-10 years of college we have each endured, the plate making technique had to be slowed down to the Mr. Rogers level and demonstrated in slow motion. The shrimp, fish-papaya kebobs and fried plaintain chips were delicious.

We also met the local ER doctor whom we are hoping to not visit. Very nice guy who is handy with a camera and a rowdy group of veterinarians on the beach (see picture above).

We saw the fire dancers last night--amazing show of local dancers performing traditional village/tribal dancers that tell a story. Behind the graceful young women is a crazy, loud overly caffeinated man whose function we haven't quite been able to ascertain. The buffet created by our favorite cook, Tony, was fantastic and very filling. Sandy, a lead member of our party, won the contest for the tourists with fanatical cheering and we will all share the bottle of champagne she earned. We have yet to see her pole dancing she's been training for but it is early in the trip ........
(Blogged by Becky)

Withdrawal

February 25, 2007

Sunday

Today is the calm before the storm.. a day to relax before we get to work tomorrow morning. I've found that it is not difficult to adjust to island life. For a stressed-out, work-a-holic like myself, it took a couple days to slow down (and still I find myself busy with emailing and blogging) but today I find the warm tradewinds blowing and the sound of the gentle waves rolling to shore quite welcome. I am having a problem adjusting, however, to one aspect of Island Life. For those of you who know me personally, you know that I am quite a Diet Coke addict, junkie, abuser.. Whatever you want to call it, it is what it is. At home, I drink it from morning till bedtime- finish one can, open the next. Well, it turns out that 'The Boat' did not bring any Diet Coke to American Samoa last week! And now, all the little mini-marts are running dry. Today we took a walk to a different part of town and came across some Diet Coke in a gas station mini-mart. We bought as much as our $9 would buy.. Still, I must try to ration my supply. Meanwhile I will pray that 'The Boat' will restock Pago Pago next week..

'Stubby' and Sunburn

February 24, 2007

Second morning in paradise... I woke up to a beautiful sunrise (still trying to recover from my jetlag) and took a run through downtown Pago Pago while everyone else was still sleeping. The volunteers met at the hut late morning to put the finishing touches on the hospital- we are pretty much ready to go full speed Monday morning. I am told the goal this year is to spay/neuter 1,000 pets in 3 weeks!

We spent the rest of the day snorkeling, swimming, and getting sunburned! (note to self: not only do you have to pack sunscreen, but you actually have to apply it to skin!) Julie and Becky are bronzed, and I, sadly, am bright red.. Our lagoon has a sickly coral reef but I did manage to see some cool fish. I missed seeing the sea turtle though- maybe he will be back tomorrow. We trekked to the 'Young Mart' and stocked up on Vailima because the stores will be closed on Sunday (wouldn't want to risk getting dehydrated). Later tonight there will be a special dinner by our bat-shaped pool with fire dancers and traditional Samoan dancers.

Julie making friends with "Stubby", hopefully he will be our first patient!

Vailima and Fruit Bats

(above: tired and sweaty volunteers)
February 23, 2007

After a 6,000 mile journey (including almost missing our flight out of SeaTac, a lost luggage scare, and a delay at the gate in Honolulu because a paper bag was stuck in the engine!) , 23 hours after we started the day, we finally arrived in Pago Pago (pronounced 'pango pango'), American Samoa! So far there are 14 Vet Ventures volunteers staying at "Sadie's By The Sea"... The humidity is thick and the temperature is in the 80's. We have our own private lagoon, with a pool and outdoor cafe and resident cats (most of whom were patients of the 2006 Vet Ventures mission). This morning, we had a quick orientation meeting, then started setting up our hospital hut- unpacking 42 Rubbermaid bins of medical supplies until we had to stop and cool off by the pool with Vailima (the local beer). The ocean feels like bathwater and, now, as the sun is setting, there are giant fruit bats flying above. We have the weekend to play, and start work on Monday morning. There are plenty of cats and dogs here to fix! We go to bed having learned one very important lesson from 'Doc' our waiter.. "Not all Pina Coladas come with Rum" (you have to request it!)

(right) Julie & Becky unwinding with Vailima