The expansive wards at St. Martin de Porres Hospital are social places. The patient's family attends to those admitted, cooks their food in a large cooking building, and performs many tasks which would be done by hospital staff in the United States. The "neighbors" in the ward are always willing to translate for patients, to offer advice, and to "correct" the history given you. "No, he really hasn't been eating well!". On those sad occasions when someone dies at the hospital, people will hurry from around the hospital grounds to see what is wrong and to offer condolences to the family of the deceased.
Yesterday I saw a man in the ward who has been ill with a serious lung infection. I was quite concerned for him until last evening when I stopped by to see how he was doing. His response to my inquiry as to how he was feeling was "small better". Happily, today he is again small better which is giving hope that he will do well. I asked this morning if he was perhaps "much better" (it was worth a try) and was informed that, no, it was just small better. Regardless, I figure that several days of small better will be just as good as one much better.
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