Pulangbato diaries: The Life of a Community Medical Intern

Week 1: Getting to Know Pulangbato.

This was really what community was all about. Up in the mountains, walking on rough, up and down roads and no regular transportation that passes in front your house. This was Survivor Pulangbato.

The whole thing about Barangay Pulangbato was an experience and living in this community with two Richie Rich groupmates had added to the flavor. The moment we got into the beginning of the off-road was initially puzzling and what awaited us was still a mystery. We passed by the Barangay Health Center and been asking Pedro (the Community organizer) where we would live there and the service ambulance still continued to drive along the rough and dirty road and ended in a sitio which on my estimate was quite far from the Poblacion.

Our rotation in the community went hand in hand with the election and fiesta seasons. As we arrived, we were welcomed in a rally meeting of one of the running Mayors and his councilors. And yes, we were invited by the barangay council in the eating and drinking spree. Rejecting the invitation would be a big mistake in that situation since we were newcomers. Our group accepted the shot glass and joined the men of the community in the party and exchange talks with them. People were happy to get to know us during that time and I could see that they were glad to see doctors who had no apprehensions in joining them in a cheap setting. People were singing with the videooke and they even offered me the songlist for me to offer them few songs. I was thinking then that if we got drunk that would be a bad impression for them but thanks to the Barangay Captain who pulled out us from the round table. It was my first time to drink hard (and that would be the cheap Ginebra San Miguel bilog) with community people and that was a sense of fulfillment for me and I really enjoyed that.

The rest of the day was getting to know our foster home and family. Nanay Tinay, her son Kuya Pauli and grandson Jev were accommodating and treated as well. They live a very humble life and are contented on what is available on the table. We helped prepared our sumptuous meal of fried eggplants and sautéd squash which they got from their own garden. Cooking on firewood was difficult but that was an experience. We had the afternoon chatting with the members of the family getting to know them and getting to know the community. There was no faucet, but a deep well pump was available for us to gather water for our dishwashing chores and to fill the drum in the bathroom where frogs and insects go with you during your bath. I was praying before I went to the community that it was ok for me if there’s no TV set in the house but wished for a single electric fan for us and Lord granted that for us. Nanay showed us to our room which nakedly welcome to us. I saw the rolled red banig at the corner. The space just enough to accommodate half-turns for us three groupmates and make us less intimate. The compound has a rest house where we stayed at night talking to each other. I got to know my groupmates better especially Post-Graduate Intern RJ. Sleeping time came very early since most of the housemates sleep even earlier but we still continued our chat at our humble boy’s room together with the stinging bees which have stung RJ twice. But that did not bother us and had a good night sleep with the cool temperature in the mountains accompanied by light breeze.

the cozy room

the rest house 

poso

I woke up early in the morning and in the morning of Friday, I prepared the breakfast for the whole family. That day Ate Shirley, one of our Barangay health workers, accompanied us to the Health Center and that was the start of it - the adventure of Pulangbato boys under the scorching heat of the sun. We walked almost 40 minutes along the rough road of the barangay. Ate Shirley was fun to be with. She was even very respectful to us, addressing us most of the time with po’s and opo’s. As we walk along, she would be introducing us to a handful of community members who live on houses far apart from each other. This was our second day in the community and our skin had already turned tan.

As we entered the barangay health center, we took a short rest and Ate Shirley showed us the stocks of the medication in the cabinet. We went home at 12pm and walked again under the scorching heat. We arrived at home enjoying the ice cold water and then prepared our lunch. I took a nap during siesta time while my 2 groupmates played basketball at the improvised basketball ring of one of the barangay councilors. After my nap, as they finished sweating out dunk shots, we played billiards with the kids.

Dinner was special that night. We were offered a delicious meal of fried fish and ginataang langka with matching ginataang hipon as appetizer.

Before Ate Shirley left us, I already requested her to find us a tricycle to bring us to the Poblacion before 7am. Its already 630am but Nanay was still asleep and it seemed that I was the first to wake up that morning. Our transportation came very early but the driver told us that he was really in a hurry and he was also to service someone to another place so he left us while I was preparing the breakfast. I contacted another tricycle but it came very late at 830 for us just to be exact for the signout and did not make it to the meeting with the resident doctors. I realized then that we really needed to move earlier or even sleep already in the staff house on Friday nights. Obviously, as we had arrived in the staff house, we were late and most of the interns were already leaving.

The events that happened in Pulangbato in our first 3 days were all significant and worth notetaking. These were preludes to community immersion and building rapport with our foster family and the rest of the community. No more butterflies in my stomach. No more turning back. This was the Pulangbato experience.