15 March 2005

MIA

Yes, I'm back after missin in action for the past week. First I had a serious case of bloggers block (not a damned thing of worth to write about) , then I wrote a vicious blog about Wife Swapping....tek wunna minds outta de gutter I'm talking about Wife Swap or Cambiemos Espousos as they call it here---the TV show, but no sooner had I finished writing and went to save, did blogger eat my entry, (I'll re-blog later) next ah had blogger issues, as I was not able to post any comments or write on muh blog...issues, issues issues...and then it was the weekend and I ws away...so have no fear I ein give up yet, I still hey as Lickmout Lou (Bajan columnist) would sey Abiding in de faith.

So let me tell about the weekend. The hubby and I had the unfortunate experience of having to travel to another state to identify the remains of a deceased Barbadian. Not know the particulars we travelled to make arrangements, do translation and coordination with the family back in B'dos. Well first thing first and most shocking. We meet the funeral director and a friend of the guy at the airport. Travelled about 45mins to the city driectly to the hospital... Well let me give you a advisory warning here, cause it din a pleasant site, so if yuh eating or drinking while yuh reading dis and yuh ein got a strong stomach. Stop reading now...doan sey I din warn yuh...good.. Now dat I got that outta de way.

Anyhow, now yuh know when yuh watching TV all dem crime shows and thing and sumbodie gotta go tuh de morgue tuh identify a body how it is. Dem walk into a nice clean well lit place, neatly lined with silver draws. The attendant looks at a list, finds out what number draw, slides open the draw and either unzips a bag show the face, and the person does either brek down crying or sumthing so shake duh head yes, and walk out...easy so....or in de case like Barbados, yuh walk in...wait till de attendant tell yuh dat yuh cud go in de room and duh also got draws, but depending on wha movements did gine on dah day, yuh might see a fella or two still sitting out waiting tuhget process before going into he own draw. In any case de fella/woman might be dey and positioned in such a way dat yuh might not see the face, but only a big toe wid a tag or yuh might see de person wrapped up in a sheet.

Well not in dis case atall...dis is Venezuela, outback country venezuela, so things a lot different. So we get tuh de place and a fella walk we in bout 3 or 4 steps from de main outside door is de morgue. As soon as yuh step into de morgue, they is a big freezer, one like yuh does see in de back of the meat section of a supermarket. My man open de door and right dey pun de floor is about 30 or so dead men pile on top of each other, laying face up, naked as duh born. I guess yuh born naked and yuh gine stan dead naked...whalooosss. talk about culture shock. that sight had we taken aback fuh a second..but duty calls and we must hold our composure and look fuh we fella and identify he. But can yuh imagine. the bodies did just dey like in a slaughter house. some ah dem wid blood still on duh, just as de get pick up off de street or wherever. just carry and dumped in de morgue. duh all had a number written on duh leg to identify dem.

Now, I stayed outside the freezer, but de hubby had to go inside to look at the man face and look fuh some other identifying marks, tuh say yes it's he. We din know this fella, so the family told us what tuh look for. Good thing de mark din on he back or nuttin so, cause I would feel fuh de hubby if he had tuh turn de man over or move he in any way. Meanwhile while he in de freezer, trying to keep he composure, he see a fella dat did in dey for what seems tuh be bout 6mths or so, frozen till he can't be frozen nuh more, he see another fella dat did like a skeleton, and we see body parts wrapped up in plastic bags...everything right dey in yuh face. It was horrid.

Can yuh imagine dat we had tuh go and eat breakfast after this...whalooossss...but we managed through de day and conducted the business that needed to be done. There is more to the weekend, included travelling to the place where he lived and seeing the conditions in which he lived. I tell yuh, these things does really make you think about your own mortality and two, they make you want to be very thankful for what little you have. Many of us, think that we are poor or that we are living below standards, but if you see how so many people of this world live, we would be so thankful for all we have, especially if we have clean running water, electricity, and something to eat daily.

So here is my weekend and my blog issues, I hope this week is better than last week was.

6 comments:

Jdid said...

ruff!

Scratchie said...

leaves you thinking ain't it.

Abeni said...

Ewwww.Couldn't handle that.Not that I scared of dead people but what you described is too much

Abeni said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Campfyah said...

well dah is one ah dem once is enuff situations....

Anonymous said...

Can't believe the comment box actually opened.

Camp....I remember my first day in the autopsy room as a medical student....made an about face when the smell hit me from the first door. Eventually got the courage to go in.

The anatomy lab was a bit different...the cadavers so preserved in formalin they almost don't look real...

What you describe not nice at all. Anyway, at least you did what you set out to do. Dr. D.