Oasis of Hope - Day 1

Travel: planes were all on time.  Long lines everywhere, which were so bad that there was no time for Loretta to get Starbucks prior to the flight.  The car and driver from Palm to San Diego was brilliant.  It saved us about an hour versus connecting flights.  First class BMW 7 series sedan - leather seats and great driver.  Plus In-N-Out burger for lunch.  The shuttle van from San Diego had another stop so we waited at a small airport for a patient, coming from a private jet.  And then the border crossing.  And then way too much traffic in Tijuana!  The day got tougher when we got to Oasis.  We were reminded in a powerful and emotional way about the beastly battle we are in, as daily life in Edmonton is quite close to "normal" with routine and cooking/working/hanging with family.  It was a tough emotional day, especially after the long travel day.  But now we are hanging with all of these "sick people", hearing all of their stories, many of which are a blessing.  Lots of great people from around the world - Nigeria, Scotland, Canada!  Many inspirational stories and people, many who are back for their round 2 treatments.  Their passion for this place is so evident, which is affirming for us.  Almost everyone has a "how did you hear about Oasis" story to tell and it is often asked early in the conversation.

Hola from windy Tijuana!

All treatments are done in a community treatment room so there is a great sense of community.  All communal dining as well.  Full days with treatments all morning, plus educational stuff in the afternoon.  Food has been good.  Tons of really fresh salads and veggies.  Fish twice a week seems like the extent of our meat-eating while here.  Accommodations are certainly not as nice as they look on the website.  But if you consider it's a hospital, it's certainly better than most.