Day 1 in Point Lay

Well it's been quite a hectic day! I got to the airport early this morning and checked in for the flight to Point Lay. It was still on time even though weather was slightly increment. When the pilots finally took us outside at 9 I didn't really know what to expect but what I saw made me laugh. I was about to step onto the TINIEST plane I've ever seen in my life! SIX SEATS! I mean, this thing was about the size of a bathroom in my house. I was slightly worried. There was a pilot and co-pilot who were dressed in what looked like construction clothes--not like the pilots for big airlines who wear suits and carry briefcases, etc. Anyways, we climbed this crooked ladder which was swaying because it was so windy. I took my seat on the right side next to a tiny window. It was freezing on the plane. We boarded up the cargo and everything and then we were off! No safety introductions, anything. It was dark, and I hate flying in the dark because I need to see what's happening. We got off to a wobbly start and all I could do was close my eyes because I was so nervous. About an hour later things got choppy and we went down swaying like a teacup on the runway--we didn't even touch the ground with both wheels. The "runway" was a squat little road in the middle of nowhere. The health aid van was waiting for us. We drove to the clinic a few minutes away, dropped off our luggage in the itinerant quarters, took a quick tour, and then gathered the PPD's to do Mantoux tests at the school. I gave about 40 PPD's, which was fun, new experience for me. After those were completed we heard there was a death in the village so only one of the expected afternoon appointments came to the clinic for her immunization. It was tragic to see how the death affected the entire community, even in the schools. Most of the children (about 70) grades K-10 are related somehow, so the death is likely someone very important or well-known in the community. The rest of the afternoon went by pretty slow as we waited to hear news on shipping the body to Anchorage for an autopsy. Life in the village is even more remote than in Barrow. There is a certain process when things happen, but things don't and can't always happen like they should because the resources just aren't there. It's been an exhausting, eye-opening experience today, that's for sure. The rest of this week we'll be placing the remainder of PPD's, reading them, and doing Tdap immunizations and flu shots.