Almost all of the volunteers (except for our Hawaiian anesthesiologist, Michael) left for the Philippines from San Francisco, with a beautiful view to leave the country. Coming off the plane, we were warmly welcomed by Cebu City's own Rotary Club of Cebu Port Center.
Cebu Port Center Rotarians facilitated our arrival into Cebu by helping load us and our gear into the city.
Gingy, the mission's videographer, received a bright and colorful Cebu necklace from Allen (right), the photographer from the Rotary Club of Cebu Port Center. They're very excited to work together to document the mission.
We walked over to the mission hospital – Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center – to prepare for a very busy week ahead. The medical center is in the process of renovating a brand new trauma center. A trauma center is a facility equipped to provide emergency care to patients suffering from accidents like gunshot wounds or vehicle accidents.
The colorful skyline of Cebu City may be comparable to any large metropolis. The beauty of the work we will be doing over the next 10 days will certainly have a different impact than anything we've done at home. Just walking through the streets, before surgeries, opened many eyes to the impact that we can make, however short our stay may be. A smile and caring word can easily go as far as the efforts on the operating tables. We are so, so fortunate to be able to offer all of our skills. Eager, excited, and extra ready to begin!
