Well, after a month furlough in Canada, I am back in the Philippines. It feels glorious to once again smell, feel, tast and hear the beautiful Phillipines; although this time it is wonderfully familiar rather than new and exciting.
However, there is one this that no matter how many thousand is never old and familiar....being the first hands to welcome a Newlife and share the birth of a baby with a family. My first shift back at Mercy was the Day after I arrived and with good 'ole jet leg kicking in, it was all I could do to stay awake. For once I was actually thankful that we did not have any labors that shift!
The next day I was in the birthroom for night shift, (talk about counterproductive to try to establish the Filipino time zone!) and it was excellent. Within 39 min, a brand new wet and squirming little baby boy was born quickly and perfectly into a world a lot larger and colder than his previous address :) But the love expressed on his mama's face was warm enough to heat up all of southeast Asia! Whha, I just love it!
