September 24, 2007

Update on my Living Situation

After not posting for several months, I know it might seem strange for me to post two updates back to back. But fortunately for me, things have taken a turn for the best and I have finally found a place where I like the living situation. I've struggled with my living situation for the past month and a half. So far I've lived in a Hotel, a family home (where about 12 people shared the same house and what I would like to call my closest experience with prison), and now an apartment. Luckily, I think I've finally found what I will call home for the next three months. The funny thing is that my living space has gotten progressively larger and while my costs have done the opposite. As of last Friday I've been living in a giant apartment with my own room, personal bathroom, high speed internet, and utilities included for the low, low price of $100/month. Yes you're eyes are not mistaken $100/month! Best of all I have an awesome view of the city and access to most of the cool places to hang out.

The Reason I'm writing this Blog

Besides trying to update my friends and family about my living situation and life for the past month and a half of almost complete solitude I wanted to write this blog to tell anyone who reads it that I love and miss you all.

Now you may ask – "Why the hell is Eddie being so sentimental? – He's usually not like this".

It's not that I'm sentimental; I just wanted to reflect on something that I learned last night. The only thing that separates life from death is a simple breath of air. In that last second between the tangible and intangible, you end up exhaling that which is most valuable, life.

Last night, a friend that I met while in the semi-prison situation called me. She told me that if I could do her a big favor and escort her to the hospital a few minutes away. I agreed since it was past 10:00 pm and I was in a Taxi on my way home from the movies. When I arrived she told me her cousin had just past away and she needed someone to go with her to the hospital since, aside from her aunt, she was the only family he had in Cali. When we arrived the hospital was a complete chaos. Before we went in through the emergency ward they brought in a man with several gun shot wounds. I didn't even want to look.

As we started walking in we started to see anything you would imagine you would see in a third world hospital and more. In the doorway before we entered the building stood a lady covered in somebody else's blood, it could have been that of her child, husband, or brother, who knows. As we made it into the building we started to see more and more people, some with bandages and others with patches in their eyes. This was no military hospital; this is what is seen in the Cali hospital everyday. As we walked up the stairs to the second floor where she said her cousin was, I felt a small relief knowing that I didn't have to see any of the people in the emergency ward. Then I saw something unexpected. In the middle of the second floor lobby, lying on a stretcher lay the body of her 18 year old cousin. His body was still warm; he had died a little over an hour before we arrived. Beside him lay the frail body of an elderly man, also recently deceased. Christian's body was swollen from his disease, Lupus Erythematosus, he had been struggling with it since the age of 15.

Due to his illness, his cells had practically destroyed his kidneys which caused him to retain massive amounts of fluids. His feet were swollen out of proportion as was the rest of his body from the torso down. Due to this swelling, the only way to provide him with any type of intravenous medication was through his jugular. Several minutes after we arrived we noticed the body was releasing fluids through the small cavity on his neck. None of the nurses did anything. Aside from being a health risk, it seemed so callous for any nurse to ignore someone even if they're dead. Unfortunately, things went on as business as usual in the hospital. I got home at about 2 am.

This got me thinking. If someone who has family here is treated that way after their death, what of those without any one to look after them. I started thinking about the way they would treat my body if it was me on the stretcher. What if I got shot and mugged left with no cell phone or wallet to identify my body, and nobody to claim it. I look like the everyday Colombian; no one would know I'm a foreigner.

This is why I would like to tell anyone who is near to me that I love and miss every one of you. I know I don't say that enough. So, enjoy every breath in this life while you have it, don't fear death, and love your family and friends, I do.