September 5/6---Back to work

This is the 'follow-up' week. As mentioned before, new to 1000 Smiles is to have a doc stay after to handle any problems created by the last three weeks of Stadium Clinic.  We are working in the Chief Dental Surgeon's office downtown.  We were told she sees patients there in the afternoon so the mornings are available for us.  Three patients were already scheduled, starting at 9am.

Our taxi was to pick us up at hotel reception at 8:30 for the 30-minute commute downtown.  He showed up at 10:00!  So, a late start for the morning.  Also, to our surprise, our host and one other dentist were seeing patients when we arrived!  Only two chairs in the clinic, so the logistics were a bit messy.  We did end up seeing those three patients between 10:30 and noon, then a taxi ride back to Sandals for a free afternoon.

So, the photo below illustrates the two competing worlds in Grenada.  We have spent all week treating 750 patients who otherwise could not afford to see a dentist.  But we then retreat to Sandals where the truly blessed (and entitled) enjoy a 'bubble bath' in the pool.  Culture shock is whip-sawed every day.  Two worlds.

Tuesday saw us back in the clinic, now with a third doc! We were again picked up late by the taxi, just an hour, though.  We ended up seeing just one patient to pull a tooth, the second patient's blood pressure was so high that we sent her to a medical clinic for medication and told her to return on Thursday, she needs her four front teeth removed, (decayed below the gum line).  

So back to Sandals for a bonus dive of Grenada's Sculpture Park.  Created in 2006 to honor the history of Grenada, hence the history of slavery in the Caribbean.  75 sculptures in about 30 feet of water.  A good dive.  A few pictures are below.