Socios

So I'm leaving Socios, did I mention that already? I got offered this short term job with ProPeru in Cusco for the month of January. So I'm leaving here before the end of December to spend Christmas in Boston, then going to Cusco for January. After that--who knows. Could be coming back to Socios--which seems the most likely right now as I am realizing how much work I still have to do, and how fun some of it is. Although I am also remembering how boring lots of it is, and can imagine myself not feeling motivated enough to come back here. Nonetheless, the option is available, which is really nice of them. The option is also available to stay in Cusco, although after January it would be unpaid.

One thing we've been talking about doing for many many months, we finally did last Friday. We held a kind of group therapy and small group work with the psychiatrist we work with for the people that work in the communities with patients. The focus was how does one manage when a patient is abandoning treatment, or failing the treatment, or dies. Peoples' stories were really extreme, but everyone seems like they have a really good sense of how to take care of themselves throughout these stressful events and occurrences. Or maybe not that they know how take care of themselves, they just do, and don't complain about it. They don't complain about getting a phone call in the middle of the night from a patient's brother who said, I think my brother is dead. They just head over to the house and do all they can. What they do, is really inspiring and impressive. At the groups, we also had the secretaries who basically serve as the intermediaries between the patients, the health workers, the morgue, the hospital--everything. I think it went really well, and I hope Socios does it more frequently. The last time they did this was in 2002.

Here are some pictures from the session. One is me with a birthday cake for one of our secretaries. Another is of 3 of the health workers. The one on the right is one of my favorites.