One small post for 2011, one giant year for George!

Almost 2012!  Really?  

It has been been a most busy 2011. I've been fortunate to be able to revisit Port-au-Prince again last April and July.  I also had the chance to see another area in Haiti and to volunteer in the the rural area of Pignon, which was  a vastly different yet equally rewarding experience!  When my time commitments calm down a bit, I hope to eventually post more on those medical missions.  

For the most part, my absence from blogging is due to my recent matriculation into grad school.  I'm now pursuing my PhD in Electrical/Biomedical Engineering at The George Washington University!  It's quite an intense program, but I'm truly grateful to have this opportunity toward deepening my career as an engineer. 

At present, I'm attending to several research assignments and applying for a fellowship with the American Heart Association.  (My research partially involves cardiac electrophysiology.)  I'm also preparing for an ECE seminar at Seattle U on Jan. 10th.  I've been invited to share my experiences in Haiti.  With a mixed bag of nerves and excitement, I'm looking forward to being back with the SU ECE community and to further advocate the causes of Haitian healthcare and engineering volunteerism!

Preface to Haiti Posts

Welcome to my blog!  I will soon be adding photos to my Haiti posts.  Most of these blogs are a mix of spiritual reflections and technical details.  With respect to the latter, please feel free to skim ahead those sections.  I put in those details as a way to help me troubleshoot the engineering challenges I faced at the Medishare hospital.  It was also a means to document those problems in hopes that future volunteer engineers could use those notes in the event I wouldn't be able to restore those devices. 

Thank you for reading.  Please also feel welcome to check out the Seattle U Magis link about these experiences and my wife's nursing experiences in Hait.  I hope these posts serve to raise awareness and move your hearts for the people of Haiti!

Day 7: Port-au-Prince, Haiti

This afternoon, I got to go to the J/P HRO field hospital to ascertain whether or not to pinpoint the mechanical failures of the X-ray as we were told that they have a similar system to ours.  This new problem has been especially frustrating since today is my last full day here in Haiti.  Although the X-ray machine is certainly in much better shape that it was before I came, I would like to see it functioning more reliably before I depart.  Sure, we can take as many exposures as cassettes we have, but only being able to successfully load one exposure every hour is ridiculous.  If I am able to isolate the fault to the cassette, we may even actually be able to borrow one of theirs in good-will camaraderie!  

Two doctors accompanied my engineering counterpart and me.  They were transporting two patients with possible spinal, head, and chest fractures.  After about forty or so minutes, we arrived at Sean Penn's J/P HRO field hospital, which was being built brick-by-brick over a former golf course.  It's actually a tent hospital on a plateau overlooking a magnificent landscape of the grand mountains of Haiti and of the shimmering Caribbean Sea.  Downhill from the hospital is a massive tent city of approximately 35,000 displaced Haitians.  Security for the hospital was being handled by UN soldiers from Portugal and Brazil.  

View toward the Caribbean from J/P HRO -
The tent city is beneath and around the trees

Upon arriving, we explained our problem and proceeded to the X-ray machine.  To our dismay, we discovered that they were using an incompatible system.  In fact, X-ray exposures are taken in one tent while the sole cassette they have is walked over across the compound to process the image.  My mood sank as I knew that solving the mechanical problem would take much more time than I had left in Haiti.

I needed to take a walk.  I ventured to the barbed wire fence separating J/P HRO from the tent city.  Walking along the fence's path eerily reminded me of walking along the Mexico-US border.  It was with a deep longing, however, that I wish I could have walked among the Haitians, but even if that were possible, crossing the more transcendent barriers would prove more challenging.  Spending one week here in the capacity of my vocational desires has no doubt given me some perspectives, but there is still so much to learn and so much to do in accompanying Haiti toward true sustainability.  

Such thoughts weighed heavily on my mind during the return ride to Medishare four hours later.  Then I considered that given how long X-ray processing takes at J/P HRO, it may have just been better to take the exposures at Medishare and gruel out the equally long process of loading up the phosphor screens.  We may have even been able to complete all the scans we needed in less time!




My wife and me with some of
our Haitian friends at Medishare

As I wrap up my last night-shift at Medishare, I am poignantly aware of the wonderful community I am about to leave behind.  Walking through Peds, I see the patient monitor I restored for a premature baby, who is conspicuously missing.  The nurse then tells me that he passed this morning.  Again,  as how it has been here since I arrived, my heart becomes heavy.  I remind myself that at any hospital, life is restored, but life's duality dictates some are fated to death.  This humbling reality has too helped to put my frustrations of not being to repair even more medical devices in perspective.  I try my best to thank God for affording me the perseverance and insight to repair an X-ray machine, a patient monitor, and an ultrasound unit.  Though the X-ray is not functioning at 100%, it can still be used to help diagnose patients.  Nothing will change the fact too that I put 100% into it with the time I had. 



Signing off, I am indeed grateful to have been blessed with this amazing opportunity to make what little difference I could. To paraphrase Mother Teresa, "We cannot hope to do great things.  Only small things with great love."

See Luke 24:13-33, our wedding mass gospel reading -
"Were not our hearts burning?"

Haiti, je dois partir malheureusement maintenant, mais sache ce que je me laisse derrière, c'est pas possible d'expliquer en mots.  Donc, sache une pièce de mon coeur reste ici.  À la prochaine quand je peux encore faire mon coeur en entier, je t'embrasse très fort!"  (Haiti, I must unfortunately leave you now, but know what I leave behind cannot be explained in words.  Know then a piece of my heart remains here.  Until I can again make my heart whole, I embrace you strongly!")

Day 6: Port-au-Prince Haiti

I went on a tour today of Port-au-Prince.  Seeing the absolutely impoverished conditions reminded me so much of some areas in the Philippines and in Mexico.  However, beholding the devastation caused by the earthquake was a novel and profound experience that won't soon fade from memory.  Tent cities huddled  en masse right across the Presidential Palace, which itself wasn't spared, was indeed one of the many dichotomous images I have ever witnessed.  Hearing stories and insights too from our tour guide, who runs an orphanage with dozens upon dozens of children, weighed my spirit even further.  He believes that the earthquake should have been a means to wipe out corruption in Haiti, the true evil.  Alas, corruption again proves more resilient as evidenced with the upcoming elections and with how little resources actually come to Haitian hands from certain NGO's.  He fears too that Haiti will soon be forgotten on the world stage. 

One of many tent cities sprawled across Haiti -
This one is situated right across from the Presidential Palace

Today was thus a very heavy day.  What I saw and what I heard imparted a sense of hopelessness.  However, within the walls of the Medishare hospital, I became again reassured that Haiti will rise someday among the thorns.  That mustard seed of hope is clearly planted within the hearts of the volunteers and Haitian staff that work here.  



An ultrasound Doppler image of my bladder,
the location of which I knew
thanks to my job back home!

Onto to technical matters, I did manage to restore an ATL ultrasound unit after my blog yesterday.  The monitor wasn't receiving power, so I at first developed an AC bypass to feed the display.  After adjusting the contrast to viewable levels, I found mostly everything functioned just fine.  I then decided to ascertain if a more robust solution could be implemented and to track down the source of the monitor power failure.  After removing a rather ancient power regulator board, I discovered a blown AC voltage rail.  Fortunately, there was a functional redundant port that was probably designed in for a second monitor.  I simply made use of that connector, buttoned up the unit, and voilà!   



I then took a walk from Radiology to the ICU and picked up a long-term ventilator with no PEEP.  After asking numerous questions what PEEP actually was, I started to familiarize myself more with the device.  I then got an urgent call to take a look at the X-ray machine again.  An ER doc wanted four exposures, but the X-ray tech couldn't get any of the phosphor screens to load.  As I am now writing after several hours of eletromechanical troubleshooting, I'd prefer to simply report that there must either be mechanical issue with the screen delivery after taking an exposure &/or the cassettes inserted into the loader are damaged.  Considering that this unit along with its cassettes had been sitting out in 120 degree heat back in the days of the Medishare field hospital, I wouldn't be surprised if thermal warping is to blame.  ME's, where are you?  Mechanical engineering is not quite my forte, so let's say we tag-team this problem?

Working on the X-ray machine with my mechanical engineering counterpart helping

On a somewhat related note, through all my engineering endeavors, it has been uplifting to work with the mechanical engineer on the long-term staff as well as with various other logistic and healthcare staff.  It's been engaging to sound off ideas and observations to both fellow techies and non-techies toward solving the problems we face here in the developing world.  The community element is clearly present where the most joyous moments I have experienced have been in the company of kind and generous souls. 

Day 5: Port-au-Prince, Haiti



One of the many dedicated
Haitian X-ray techs at Medishare

The news of the repaired X-ray spread like wildfire in our little Medishare hospital!  Other than marrying my beautiful wife, never before have I received so much congratulations!  All the American volunteers and Haitian healthcare staff were simply ecstatic to have this machine up and running again.  Upon waking up for my shift today, the logistics director greeted me with a huge bear hug!  The Haitian X-ray technicians were especially grateful as there were concerns of some of them possibly being laid off.  Witnessing to these beautiful Haitian smiles glowing back at me has no doubt been one of the most humbling experiences of my life. 

The support I have been receiving from back home has also been incredibly uplifting!  Thank you all for tuning into these blogs and for offering your generous responses. I'm not sure if you know, but your affirmations and prayers a world apart have really made a world of difference.

Of course, as soon as the word was out on the X-ray, I received a flood of requests from virtually all the departments to fix their devices.  It has astonished me to hear just how many machines were inoperative!  For most the day, I focused on repairing a Spacelabs vital signs monitoring device from PICU.  Compared to the X-ray, it was a relatively easy fix.  No power was being delivered to the touchscreen LCD, but voltage probes revealed no problems with the power delivery.  There were also no problems with the LCD lamp itself.  I eventually tracked the problem to a loosely crimped connector, which was easily rectified. 

The precious premature baby whose monitor I repaired -
I only wish I could have done more before he passed

After returning the PICU to appreciative hands, I headed over to Radiology to start troubleshooting one of the ultrasound units.  I was told it was unresponsive to any input, but I somehow managed to initiate a self-test.  It's currently running right now, and I should have the results in an hour or so.  From there, I'll figure out my plan of attack.  

Truthfully, I have to admit that these straight 12 to 16 hour night shifts (for every day of  the mission) are starting to take take their toll on me. Most of my time is devoted to engineering projects, and unfortunately, I'm awful at taking breaks.  Combine this with continually shifting language gears from English to French, and you've got yourself a mentally enervated engineer!  Sometimes, I feel as if I'm just running on auto-pilot.  Still though, my spirits remain high, and I give thanks for all the meaningful work the Lord has placed upon my shoulders.  

Day 4: Port-au-Prince, Haiti

There have been moments at work where engineering just doesn't seem worth it.  Politics, egos, and the almighty bottom dollar often get in the way of creativity and obfuscate genuine problem solving.  At times, I have felt that I am not making any difference and that I embarked upon the wrong path.  I realize that I do contribute toward improving health care indirectly through my work with medical devices.  Even so, there is so much disconnect in my R&D job from the people I hope will benefit from my labor.  Where is the human connection?

Nurses, doctors, EMT's, & translators tending to patients and their families -

My heart too yearns to serve

Then, there are moments like today.  These are the moments when your vocational hopes become reaffirmed.  Where I had pretty much given up hope on repairing that X-ray machine after toiling dozens of hours on it, suddenly a burst of fruitful insight came to me today!  

The path to this revelation began after I spoke with the X-ray tech from Miami.  He had gone through my e-mail documenting all my troubleshooting steps I had performed to date.  Strangely, he suggested diagnosing a certain board that had came well after the main power distribution node according to the schematic.  I questioned this suggestion but put faith in his experience with these machines.  Sure enough, I discovered a blown fuse!  Still though, it didn't make any sense.  I had previously probed the input to the main regulator and found absolutely zilch voltage.  Since this PCB the tech suggested I test came well after that main node, it shouldn't have been getting power in the first place.  No power equals no tripped fuse.  Enter another mystery. 

I was about to give up hope and go back again to document my work today for future volunteer engineers, but the tech's seemingly crazy idea kept coming to me.  What could he have been thinking about that would trip that fuse?  Certainly, no power should be coming to that board at all with no input voltage at the main distribution node.  The next steps would be to probe the voltage rails at that board, but those rails are impossible to access due to its position in the system.  In any event, it must be getting power.  How else could that fuse have been blown?  

Then it came to me!  If I start with the premise that power is in fact getting to that PCB alone and not to other digital boards as I discovered, it follows that the elusive power supply somehow must be feeding into that board.  If I follow the path from the input power of that board with the tripped fuse, I should find the power supply.  One panel that could actually be disassembled later, there it was!  And what's this?  It's not only somehow connecting to the blown-fuse board, it's directly connecting to it!

The mystery was now unfolding! I had mistakenly started with the assumption that the electrician who had previously worked on this machine had connected everything properly with the exception of the floating ground wire I had come across the first day.  With the discovery of the power supply, I found that its +24V output, which should have been going to the main distribution node, was actually going to the blown-fuse PCB!  After reconnecting the main voltage regulator, I even found the proper regulated voltages at its outputs!  Given that the connectors were identical, there must have been some confusion and hence an unintended switch.

I didn't want to get too excited yet because there may still be other problems to work out, but my heart was nonetheless racing with excitement.  My instincts were telling me that I came across the true culprit.  I calmed myself down by taking a little break and went out for some beers at the United Nations bar.  After enjoying some good company and two Prestige brews, I returned to the hospital via the secure shuttle and got back to work in Radiology.  

Fortunately, thanks to the advice of an Engineering World Health contact of mine, I had packed some glass-tube fuses.  However, the blown fuse was actually a through-hole part that looked more like an electrolytic capacitor.  I attempted to remove the open fuse with a 25-W soldering iron and some solder wick I had donated to Medishare, but to no avail.  The cheap-O RadioShack iron just wasn't getting hot enough for solder to flow.  I even used some desoldering tricks my senior tech at work taught me, but still nada.  

I decided to just leave the fuse on there since the circuit was already open anyway.  Its real estate on the board was not sufficient anyway for the glass-tube replacement.  This is what I ultimately did:

1. Soldered some leads from the bottom legs of the through-hole fuse
2. Salvaged a fuse receptacle from a random useless PCB from another X-ray machine beyond hope
3. Soldered the other end of the leads to the poles of the receptacle
4. Inserted the 1A-250V glass-tube fuse
5. Wrapped up the receptacle and fuse with electrical tape to prevent electrical shorts
6. Bonded taped assembly somewhere on the PCB with sufficient clearance with non-conductive epoxy

My "workbench" in Radiology -
where my vocation was reaffirmed (reworked PCB in the foreground)

After I finished these board-reworking steps, I performed a few more safety checks with and without AC power being fed to the device.  I then hooked up the reworked board  and one last linear-motor controller board and fired up the machine.  With my heart pounding in anticipation, I anxiously waited for the moment of truth.  As the monitor and X-ray electromechanical systems sequentially turned on, I raised my fists in the air with uncontrolled excitement.  With the Haitian X-ray tech's help, we performed a sample scan and was greeted by the beautiful interior of one of the previously toasted boards!

A baby receiving an X-ray
thanks to God's graces!

While allowing the fruits of my labor to sink in, I was almost in tears in realizing the difference I had just made.  The week before, two patients died because there was no X-ray.  To put this all in perspective, imagine how many Haitians could have been saved in the time this machine was out of service, which was a whopping 7 weeks!  As I'm writing now, tears are starting to well up within me as I now think about those patients that really needed this resource often taken for granted in the States.  It is in this moment that I am so grateful for God's graces leading me here to Haiti.  I was so worried that with my nonexistent clinical skills, I would just be a burden on this mission.  On this medical mission, though, I have directly seen the suffering  and my heart has become many time over heavy since I got here.  While I busily engineer in Radiology, I am poignantly aware of the dying right outside my doors.  Though it is not me who tends to them, I nevertheless hear the cries which weigh my heart down.  With every fiber in my being, I become thus impelled to restore this vital resource while very much cognizant of how integrated I am in the cycle of care here.  With a much lifted heart, I give thanks to the Holy Spirit for divining a purpose here for me.  

Today was good day.  Today, I have been affirmed by my vocational call as an engineer for others. 

Day 3: Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Part of what Medishare hopes to accomplish here in Haiti is to enhance the education of the existing Haitian staff.  The goal of this teaching hospital is for the Haitians to eventually take competent ownership and to in turn educate the public on health issues.  Nevertheless, how can such a reality truly manifest if people obdurately cling to crippling superstitions?  Today, a nurse came into the pharmacy picking up meds for a child burn victim.  The child had gone into a seizure, which some Haitians take to mean Satanic possession.  Unfortunately, the father of the child was one of those who believed in this myth, where the prescribed "remedy" was to throw those with the devil into the fire.

As horrifying as we may find such an act, the father was most likely acting in what he thought to be in his child's best interest .  He wished nothing more than to return the devil to the fire and to thus release his child from evil.  When love is so great yet you know nothing but the actions dictated by fear, you are falsely empowered by illusion.  I think it is not only the physical rubble above which that Haiti must climb.  Should they not also overcome that pervasive internal prison holding them back in the past?  What a glorious sight it would be to behold a truly liberated Haiti, which does mean "Land of High Mountains".  Let's pray that the Haiti truly lives up to her name and rise even above the clouds. 

With respect to engineering matters today, we weren't able to get a hold of that X-ray technician in Miami.  I did however do quite a bit of documentation of all my observations and test results to date so that future engineering efforts on the machine would not have to start at square 1.  I also forwarded my work and inquiries to the tech.  Hopefully, he'll have some time to contact me before I depart.  

Radiology -
where 3 out of 3 machines are broken and where I'm working most of this week

I wanted to then start working on the ECG, but the ER had to open up Radiology late last night for a critical case. I attempted to shift gears by looking at the two broken ultrasound units, but these devices were quite outdated.  Fortunately, my experience with ultrasound technology at work has helped me become familiar with their general operation.  Still, without manuals and schematics, I'm struggling to understand these machines from a different era. 

Although I do feel like I'm making a difference here, it has been overwhelming.  There's so many broken instruments, yet there is only one of me here for just one week.  I had a conversation with logistics about officially adding an engineer to the roster for each weekly recruitment or at the very least for one week every month.  They told me that they had looked into that option, but due to frustrations with management from Miami, they abandoned the idea.  In effect, they're shooting themselves in the foot, for equipment continually breaking down just equates to higher operational costs.  I'm hoping to continue my dialogue with logistics even after I leave Haiti to help them push for a regular engineering role.  Perhaps, we could even work to have two engineers visit at the same time.  On peut rêver, n'est-ce pas?  (One can dream, right?)

Day 2: Port-au-Prince, Haiti

I was greeted this morning with a plethora of activity!  I began the day doing some urgent consulting work with the Haitian electrician and logistics director about their inverter-generator configuration, which was initially deployed to offset those frequent brown-outs.  Apparently, the inverter was not charging the generator batteries.  I probed what was coming in from the city and found it running hot at 143 VAC.  The electrician subsequently regulated the voltage toward 120 VAC, and we found that the charger functionality was restored! 

After helping with the inverter, I moved onto the X-ray machine, my top priority.  I began implementing the test protocol I came up with the previous night.  Everything started out okay.  The fuses checked out, and the main voltage regulator for the digitizing system had no visual defects.  However, I ran into a problem while testing the input of the main voltage rail.  With the regulator board removed, I found no voltage at its input.  I was expecting to see +24V, but the DMM spit out a big fat 0.  Of course, with no input, the regulator board would not be able to produce the +/- 24V, +/- 12V, or +/- 5V required by the digitizing system.  

Digitizing system close-up

I proceeded to trace the input voltage of the main power distribution node down to the bottom half.  Unfortunately, I could not ascertain the proper voltage lines due to welded enclosures.  I did however discover what appears to be an interface board to which all the major sub-systems appear to connect.  Moreover, upon powering up the unit, I noticed some diagnostic LED's, but nothing in the manual I studied the previous night contained any information on these mysterious bottom-half components.  

I could have very well started cutting into the welded enclosure to obtain access to that elusive voltage rail.  However, I thought it more prudent to contact the Miami technician who has been trying to help diagnose this equipment in the past.  In particular, I was hoping he would be able to provide additional schematics to aid in my troubleshooting efforts.  Unfortunately, this means that there is a good chance that this project cannot be completed before I depart back to the States.  I'm a bit disappointed as a return trip to Haiti would be way down the road since I've pretty much depleted my entire vacation time. In any case, the logistics staff member who's been in contact with this technician will be making the Skype call tomorrow morning.  

Later in the night, I received word that the ECG was generating noisy waveforms.  Radiology, where I set up to do most of my engineering work, needed to close up for the night due to security reasons.  It makes me miss being able to work long nights in Bannan on my senior design project!  Anyway, I collected the ECG device from the ICU, and put in on my bench to work on after hopefully speaking with the X-ray tech.  I plan to run some continuity and impedance tests on all 12 leads.  I really wish though that I had an oscilloscope!  The problem leads probably just need some passives to clean up the noise.  Oh yah, we're lacking those resources too!  A message to my fellow EE's: Don't take your components and tools for granted! 

Actually, a common theme so far in this mission has been to deal with the lack of resources.  We often become so use to what we have at our disposal that we allow ourselves to become helplessly reliant or worse defined by such luxuries.  Why bother figuring out the tip in your head when you have an app for that?  I can't really speak much with authority as I am too guilty of occasionally being seduced by latest and the greatest.  However, I try my best to remind myself I went into engineering to create innovations that augment human capacity and not to replace or to distract from it.  I define what I create and imbue it with purpose.  It shouldn't be the other way around.  Truly, I think it's important to strive for such generosity for the sake of our shared humanity.  If not, don't we just become more and more distant from those less fortunate? 

An invitation to find Christ together -
Will your "Evite" RSVP stay on "Not yet responded"?

Day 1: Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Looking out the window as we were landing in Port-au-Prince, I was struck by predominantly blue patchworks of improvised tents.  Displaced Haitians have been using tarps as meager protection from the elements.  As we scurub-dressed volunteers were being transported to the hospital, I was reminded by the littered streets of Payatas in Manila.  The heat was overwhelming where even a gentle breeze did little as it carried the pungent stench of garbage.

Upon arriving at the hospital, I was oriented into my roles both with pharmacy and with logistics.  The former entails helping count pills, checking expiration dates, and portioning injectables into syringes whenever I could spare the time.  The latter, my primary objective, requires my engineering skills for taking over repairing medical equipment and for assisting in various technical projects.  I found my French to be helpful (albeit out of practice) in helping Haitian medical staff pick up meds for their patients.  Simple things like pronouncing "tetanus" with French diction goes a long way!  My work with logistics, however, is almost exclusively with staff from a Miami-based NGO.  I quickly received a run-down of all their current projects at the hospital.  Combined with meeting American volunteers and even friendlier Haitians, readjusting my brain to French, and suffering from a dearth of sleep, I did my best to absorb those technical details without overloading myself.

The road to Bernard Mev's/Project Medishare Hospital

The top priority by far is to return the X-ray machine to service.  It's been out of a commission for some weeks now, and the medical staff recently even had an emergency requiring an X-ray.  They had no choice but to transport the critical patient to Sean Penn's hospital 30-minutes away.  Fortunately, after that incident, another X-ray machine was procured, but it's an outdated C-arm not capable of being utilized in thoracic procedures.  If I am to accomplish only one thing in Haiti for this mission, my hope is for it to be the restoration of the previous X-ray equipment.

After being briefed and doing some initial testing on some X-ray electronics, I helped install a wireless range repeater for the long-term staff's apartments.  I then met more amazing volunteers and the most friendly Haitians!  Every "Bonjour" or "Bonsoir" I uttered was returned with big smile and a thoughtful "Ça va?" (Everything OK?).  The food is made generously with love and is even placed by the cots of sleeping volunteers so that they would not miss their meal.  I discovered this kindness upon waking up for my 12-hour night shift.  (Kat is working nights in the ICU, so I had adjusted my schedule to accommodate an occasional visit or shared meal with her.)  Given the enervating heat and "baptism-by-fire", I ravenously yet gratefully consumed my food!

Behold my "Everest" for the week!

I ended my day going through a 245-page manual on the particular X-ray machine I'm troubleshooting.  This $140,000-$150,000 machine is a complex beast!  To that end, after reading the manual and using my notes from what logistics has observed, I generated a test protocol toward hopefully restoring X-ray functionality.  The mechanical engineer who has been doing his best to troubleshoot the machine believes that there might be faulty circuitry on the PCB assembly that routes and drives RS-232 signals into the main controller board.  Inspecting that assembly visually and with continuity and impedance probes, I did indeed discover three burnt out transistors, a couple of charred passives, and even two cracked IC's nearby the board's voltage regulators.  Literally, that board is toast! 

Despite these conspicuous problems on that PCB, I suspect there might be additional faults with the primary power distribution node.  Most likely, the culprit is a combination of too much current being delivered to the RS-232 driver and the oppressive heat that the machine endured when it was being used out in the previous airport field hospital.  It's unfortunate that the X-ray machine could not be stored or used in an air-conditioned environment, but as it is, the air conditioning we have now is intermittent at best due to frequent city brown-outs.

Speaking of infrastructure, one thing keeps returning to me since I arrived.  After the earthquake, much donations were promised from all over the world given the passionate post-Jan. 12th response.  However, to this day, most NGO's working here wonder where that money has gone.  Organizations like Medishare barely have the funds to support their work, and I even heard that Medishare will need to ask future volunteers to subsidize $300 each to offset costs.

Could it be that funneling NGO's who have received those funds are simply sitting on the money for some substantiated reason?  Could it be that there is corruption on the receiving end in Haiti?  Whatever it may be, please pray with me for Haiti.  Even in just one day, I've seen the beautiful and resilient resolve of the Haitians to make a better life for themselves.  I've heard stories of ambitions to train as an EMT, nurse, and an opthamologist from those inspired by the work of the American volunteers.  They care very much for the future of Haiti and seek that transformative path from being victims of one of this century's most pronounced tragedies to becoming wounded healers.





If this happened to us, would we be content with rebuidling half-measures?



To do that, they need resources toward developing a solid infrastructure.  As an engineer, I've seen firsthand how difficult it is to implement a technology that is clearly more sustainable (and even superior) but is passed on in favor of more widely used dirt-cheap solutions or is contested in patent cases by companies whose profitability would be threatened with the introduction of such technology.  Imagine though how profound could it be for Haiti to implement changes that we stubbornly resist for tech that will last them generations.  Let's do better than drilling up holes at the bottom of the ocean floor.  Let's really consider technology like solar energy for Haiti.  Perhaps in devoting ourselves to helping those in need become better than us, we may hold a mirror to ourselves and more thoughtfully consider the future we want to leave behind for our children. 

My Senior Design Project!

Alligator vs. Bunny!

Last week at work, the CEO came into our bi-weekly division meeting and handed us required reading on communication skills. A quick glance around the room revealed just how offended some people were while giving him their best phony smiles.

Anyway, our CEO summarized one of the book's prevalent themes, which espoused that even in the face of genuinely constructive criticism, people react in one of two ways. The road most often taken is the reptile's response, where our reptilian brain compels us to respond with basic instincts. For instance, when a bunny ventures too close to the pond, a resident alligator will invariably snap forward for a light snack. In contrast, the more rationale reaction prevails when we choose to suppress that inner alligator in favor of actions based on neural activity from our cerebral cortex.

Unfortunately, there are a fair share of alligators swimming around in our R&D pond. At least, there are some humbler engineers at Verathon, and it's been vitally refreshing to learn from them. I can also turn to the refuge of other projects whenever I tire of those obstinate power-plays.

Hey, maybe the bunny does have a shot after all.

Return of the Georgie-Pie!

My high school English teacher use to say that very few people change in the span of four years. Sure, they may be doing different things, but at the core of their personalities, they remain the same. That's just human nature. (If memory serves accurately, we were discussing the predictability of the human condition according to Shakespeare. For those of you who went to Gonzaga, three guesses who that teacher was.)

Well, almost four years has passed since my last post! Since it's been so long and since those entries were written with a particular focus, I thought about starting anew. I still may, yet I'm curious to see whether what I write now will belie any characteristics manifested in those previous posts.

As a final preface to this theme, let me just say that I don't feel inherently dissimilar. However, I do feel that I am more aware of certain idiosyncrasies. Can that cognizance alone be sufficient to effect change?

In any case, I'm back! If you're reading this blog, know that it's because I value your friendship. I've only invited a few to read what may end up being my rambling thoughts. Who knows? I may not end up writing again for another four years! Nevertheless, your thoughtfulness touches me.

PIE 2005 begins!

Today is the day! Today we leave for the Philippines, and with all the preparations and the anticipation that has been building up, I can hardly believe this moment is upon us. As I am preparing my luggage and tying up loose ends, I am finding it difficult to spiritually center myself. There are so many distractions, any one of which could encumber me if I choose to linger in those worries. At today’s mass at the Chapel of St. Ignatius, the gospel concerned Peter walking on water to join Jesus but ultimately sinking as his faith was shaken by the raging sea and the tumultuous winds. I pray that today I may find God’s voice in the silence to help foster a sense of reflective calm and that the winds we ride upon this evening may buoy our very spirits.

One Month & One Day...

Well, my friends, I can't believe that we will be departing for our mission in one month and one day! It's been such a beautiful journey, and I have truly been blessed to have been able to forge even more beautiful friendships. The thing is too that this is only the beginning! Can you feel the anticipation building? How exciting!

So I feel I should give at least a really quick update on what has been going on over the past month since my last entry was written in May! Ok, here goes: finals, travel warnings, graduations, goodbyes, PIE dinner, kaibigan, BBQ, thumbs up from admin, visas, & community. There ya go!

Oh wait! Before I end this overdue journal, just one more announcement: Bishop Ledesma, SJ of Zamboanga will be having lunch with PIE on July 20th. I'm looking forward to his insights on faith and poverty in the Philippines. Anybody want to get the ball rolling on this topic of discussion?

PIE week definitely not weak!

So I just wanted to write and to thank my wonderful PIE family and all those awesome friends of PIE for making PIE week such a success! From the official pie of PIE to all the pie throwing fun... from the pie social to practicing "PIE girl" for the kapehouse... from all your warm smiles to your even warmer hugs... abundantly heartfelt gratitude I offer you! Thanks for all your incredible work and all your amazing work in supporting PIE. This mission would not exist without your kindness & your generosity!

Fred loves PIE!

Welcome all as our family continues to grow! Let's all be thankful for the many blessings we have received. I love you all!

silly but beautiful PIE smiles! 

long journey completed... long journey still ahead!

It has been over one year now since the first steps of PIE have been taken. Back then, the reality of going to the Philippines in service appeared as some idealistic vision for the distant future. After all this time and after all our preparations, that vision has joined the real world! Manila, here we come! The tickets for the 1st PIE volunteer team have been purchased, and we will see you in less than 3 months!

Interfaith Service Day

Today was the National Day of Interfaith Youth Service, and it was amazing! On top of the transcendental significance of so many people sharing themselves in generous service, the similarities rather than the differences of our many faith traditions were accentuated! We truly are truly interconnected not in spite of interfaith but more correctly and more profoundly through it.

Episode IV

Ok, first thanks to everyone for their kind comments on my appearance on TV last night! You are being way too nice as I feel I came nowhere near the level of praise which you've accorded me! Second, what an awesome day! Got some work done at campus min, prayed in fond remembrance of Pope JPII, hung out with Josh and Jon at the family kitchen (Welcome back guys! We've missed you!), & found inspiration for a new mission... right Carla? =) If you're curious, you're going to have to blog Carla to find out!