Whatever Happened to Peaceful Saturdays?

September 13, 2008

I am not sure what happened to calm, tranquil Saturdays. They are definitely a thing of the past. Last weekend my Saturday plans were interrupted by taking my neighbor to the bank since her car ran out of gas and then going with her to the Supermarket, only to have her car stall continuously and leave us stranded. Next Saturday should be lively since it will be youth camp. And this Saturday, well, where to begin? I have been getting over cold and so I planned to take the day easy, working on communications, cleaning, and perhaps play basketball in the evening. I had just finished making orange juice when my doorbell rang. I was not excited at the thought of having to greet anyone because in Honduras you definitely must shower before going out in public. The grunge look that we have in the States is not appreciated here. To them the US citizens dress pretty sloppily.

At any rate, I looked out my window to see the guard. He proceeded to ask I could possibly help because a woman in an apartment on the other side of mine had just had a baby in the bathroom and they could not get a hold of the ambulance. I was a bit taken back by the situation, but I hurried upstairs, called my roommate to tell her what was up, and then headed to the neighbor’s house. Sure enough I walked into the tiny maid’s quarters and there was a newborn baby lying on the bed, still crusty and red. The mother was standing beside the bed, not looking a bit phased by having just given birth in the bathroom. Other than the pools of blood everywhere and the placenta, I would not have known that she had. She looked like she was barely over 20 in age and her little 3 year old daughter, Anna, was chattering away about it all. I stood there completely unsure of what to do. I suddenly realized that I should have read more books (such as, Where There Is No Doctor) or watched more movies. I felt like there should probably be some hot water around for cleaning and sterilizing but that would have meant finding a stove.

I got in touch with a doctor through my roommate’s contacts but just as she called me, the ambulance arrived. The young mother asked me if I could watch her daughter (which thereby solidified that I was not headed out to camp today) and clean up the room. I must mention that I hate blood and the room was a mess but I had a feeling that if I did not clean it, the woman, Elbia, would have to clean it when she got back from the hospital. And so I took her daughter with me for a snack and drink and then we returned and I started cleaning. Apparently my stomach had not been upset this morning because I would have lost everything had I really had stomach problems.

Just as I was finishing the cleaning the family for whom Elbia worked arrived and were aghast at what had happened. When they left the house this morning, she had been feeling fine. They ended up taking Anna and so I returned to my apartment to do my own house cleaning (which suddenly was not so bad) and to marvel at the day’s turn of events. Perhaps I could have been a nurse after all.
*The latest news on the situation: I returned home this evening to discover that the employers of Elbia had been by to say thank you and to drop off a bottle of wine and a high calorie/high cholesterol pie. The wine I do not like and the pie I am sure that I would like but I am trying to stay away from such desserts. It will save me having to make a dessert though for my next meeting. Emily said that the mother and baby are doing okay but will be in the hospital for several days since the baby was a month premature. I am just thankful that everything seems to have turned out okay (and that I did not have to help deliver the baby).