Day 11

Today we packed up and began our journey home: this afternoon from one side of the island to the other; tomorrow morning to Medan, then Singapore.

We spent most of the day saying our farewells: to Zulfikar, the little boy we brought to the hospital for fever and abdominal pain, and his family; to doctors and nurses at the hospital in the town where we’ve been staying; to the villagers at our last clinic location who were having a celebration and invited us all to attend – what a scene!; to our faithful translators who have worked with us tirelessly throughout our stay; and to our hosts who went way our of their way to accommodate our team in its (14-person) entirety.

There seem to be two sides to everything in Indonesia: a beautiful tropical paradise spoiled by trash, air and water pollution; well-intentioned, friendly officials some of whom are certainly involved in corruption; a health care system with a presence in every village and a commitment to care for tuberculosis according to WHO guidelines, but unable to go the extra mile when patients really get sick; a strong, optimistic, friendly people in an area under martial law with soldiers and automatic weapons on many street corners; an area previously isolated from the outside world suddenly opened but only because of the devastating tsunami. Bountiful resources and a wealthy country, but so many people consigned to lives of poverty. Grace, perhaps, in the midst of sin and evil.