A DAY IN THE EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK, JUST A SMALL PART OF IT

I am lucky to be visiting this national park on a regular basis and occasionally get it to see it close. There are birds aplenty these days 

Ibis

Herons

Egret and today even saw a 

Wood Stork . Much of the park is left untouched and there are non polluting ways of appreciating the beauty of this park.

Ochopee is the name of this area, which in local language means Farm. This is supposed to be the smallest post office in the USA and it is a full service post office. The lady in charge today regaled us with stories of her childhood in nearby Everglades City and the history of the famous Smallwood General Store .

 A wood stork.

The Wood Stork (Mycteria americana) is a large, bald-headed wading bird that stands more than 3 feet (0.9 meters) tall, has a 5 foot (1.5 meter) wing spread, and weighs 4 to 6 pounds (1.8 to 2.7 kg). It is the only stork breeding in the United States and was placed on the Federal Endangered Species list in 1984. The species was downlisted from endangered to threatened in June 2014, reflecting a successful conservation and recovery effort spanning three decades. 

Human encroachment and diversion of water flow has decreased the number of breeding pairs in the Everglades National park. They may have moved north in search of a suitable habitat. 

The Native people living in the park confirmed that decades ago it was a common sight to spot pairs of Wood Storks but they seemed to have gone away..

On my next visit , I want to detour to Everglades city and visit the Smallwood's Store established in 1906 and also the inappropriately named Everglades city Gun and Rifle Club..

DR BOURLA A JEW FROM THESSALONIKA GREECE AND CEO OF PFIZER

The Genesis Prize Foundation is pleased to announce that Dr. Albert Bourla, Chairman and CEO of Pfizer, has been selected as the winner of the 2022 Genesis Prize, dubbed the “Jewish Nobel” by TIME Magazine. Thank you for taking part in the global voting campaign, during which 200,000 people cast their votes for one of the six finalists. Watch this two-minute video to learn why the Prize Selection Committee chose Dr. Bourla and find out about the contribution of other Jewish doctors and scientists to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Bourla, whose parents are Holocaust survivors, declined the financial part of the prize and has asked our foundation to use the $1M award to fund projects aimed at preserving the memory of the victims of the Holocaust. With best regards, Stan Polovets Chairman and Co-Founder The Genesis Prize Foundation My Note : we to take pride when one of our people, excels in science and mathematics or Medicine (winning Nobel Prizes makes us even more proud!) The number of jewish people who are involved in the production of the vaccine for Covid 19 as scientists, as CEO or Directors (CDC for example) is something to be proud of . It follows the Jewish concept of TIKKUN OLAM. Heal the World and this time the Jewish people have played an enormous part in the healing of the world

LANDS OF THE SAMI PEOPLE IN HE NORTH.. SWEDEN NORWAY FINLAND AND RUSSIA

 I consider myself to be very fortunate to have visited the SAMI people. They are spread over the arctic in Norway and Sweden, Finland and Russia in a large contiguous region. 

I had gone to Helsinki to see to the arrangements of Halcyon the dilapidated cargo ship belonging to my Lebanese friend Abdur Bashur. In what seems to have been its last trip, the ship set sail for the port of Pollenca in the Balearic islands 

Having a little time in our hands, Abdur and I decided to fly north to Ivalo. Abdur wanted to see the woods and nature that inspired Sibelius. I had secretly hoped to meet the indigenous people of Northern parts , the Sami or as they used to the called the Lapplanders or the Lapps.

We stayed at the lakeside town of Inari and as if decreed, Sami began to appear and I was so delighted. An older man who looked very much like an American Indian informed me that there is a Native Doctor who lives on the Norway-Finland border.

Abdur and I rented a car and stopped at the lone shop at Karigisnaemi junction from where a narrow road went up north along the salmon rich river that marked the border with Norway. 18 km to the west was the Norwegian town of Karasjok with a sizable Sami population 

But our destination was the house of the Finnish Sami doctor who lived a few miles north along the lonely road by the salmon rich river 

The lone store at the corner was owned by a Jew who had left some Russian pogrom or other and was kind enough to give directions to the Doctors house.

I knocked at the door of the lovely house standing by itself, trying to remember the Swedish I had leaned years earlier in a school in Southern Sweden.

A lady opened the door and said 

We are expecting you and your room is ready upstairs 

That was my introduction to the Sami People of the North 

 

I still remember fondly a visit to Sevettijärvi

a village of SkOLT SAMI .. and meeting the students of the elementary school and visiting the church and cultural centre 

We were able to drive to the border of Russia with signs in russian asking us to Keep Out.

The border between Finland and Russia ..

I am truly richer by my contact with the SAMI people.

JACQUES BREL ARRIVED IN MY AUSTRALIAN LIFE LONG BEFORE I LEARNED MY FIRST WORDS OF FRENCH

 It has been a while.

My magical life in Melbourne, Australia was in full swing.

I heard this song 

Ne me quitte pas 

after listening to it a hundred times i could sing along without understanding a word 

did it matter /

No 

To this day, it remains one of my favourite songs and of course, I know what the words mean

It is sheer poetry

wandering around the South pacific, I heard Jacques Brel had died in Hiva Oa , Polinesie Francaise. (he is buried there, where he spent his last years but had died in Bobigny, France in the hospital where he had been taken urgently)

Years later I would meet a group of elderly visitors from Marquesas, who spoke French and I longingly asked.. any one of you from Hiva Oa ? 

How did it feel, arriving in the centre of Bruxelles

knowing this is where Jacques Brel was born and raised ..

I felt his presence in those very first days in Quartier Europeen and the centre vile ..

While he sang mainly in French, he had influenced so many English speaking singers.. His songs have been translated into over 100 different languages.  The version of Ne me quitte pas most remembered in the English speaking world was by Nina Simone..

I remember sitting with Le petite poete de Côte Sauvage at a small theatre in Bruxelles, listening to a re enactment of Brel's life, with his songs.. I particularly liked Les Bourgeois

It is midnight in Miami and I am not sleepy . 

Two weeks ago I was in Quiberon

In one week, hope to be back in my beloved Island ..

HOW TO MAKE CHAI FROM AN AMERICAN FRIEND OF MINE ... DRINK OF PARADISE INDEED

 I have a close friend I met through our work with Native Indians of the USA. She worked as a Director of Nursing at one of the larger reservations in the Pacific North West and I enjoyed my man visits to that region. She retired from her job after many years of DEVOTION to the Indians. 

She had helped me with two projects that I can think of immediately, the one of educating providers in various towns in Cambodia and the second one, a sweet project of helping young girls becoming educated in Chaungtha, Myanmar.

We keep in touch and from her description, she is leading an idyllic lifestyle by the wild coast of Washington State.

The Sun is playing with the colours as it rises .

Today as the Sun was setting into the Pacific Ocean, she sent this picture with a very nice note.

i made a mental note to go by this fairly isolated part of the wild coast of Washington state in the near future (after the cold and wind and the rain of the winter)

She wrote to say that she was brewing tea and making CHAI .. ah that spicy drink that brings such sweet memories ..

Chai in Cochin and Teh Tahrek in Malaysia would always bring me back to the reality of life in these lovely places and the unending summer days of childhood and adolescence and rediscovering them as an adult after becoming a traveller. 

It was a pleasure to have met Vijayan the tea maker in Ernakulum in Kerala and his wife. 

In Malaysia, no breakfast for me is complete without Teh Tahrek and Roti Canai.

ah well.. nice to think of such moments rolling off the canvas of the memories 

I am making Chai declared my friend 

Where did she learn ? I wondered, but she is innovative in the kitchen if I remembered the long conversation filled dinners at their house on more than one occasion.

Your recipe please ?

I brew 8 tea bags in 2  quarts (almost 2 litres) of water to which I have added 2 1/2 tablespoons of ground ginger, i tablespoon of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon s each of cardamom, allspice and nut meg. After brewing in low simmer for 30 minutes, i add 1/4 cup of coconut sugar and strain into quart jars. Refrigerate until you are ready, add coconut milk and drink.

Looks and sounds good ..

From India, I would bring Masala Chai powder and in La Habana, on occasions, would bring a mixture of water and milk to boil and then add a healthy tablespoon of the tea. simmer and watch it foam and then add sugar . then try to emulate tea makers of Kerala such as Mr Vijayan above or the Teh Tahrek makers of Malaysia ..

BBC this week had an article on Teh Tahrek and how it brings the various races together in Malaysia. Teh Tahrek regardless of their south indian muslim origins, is considered a Bumiputra (son of the earth) of Malaysia ..

When will I be in Cochin?  sooner than you think and I have applied for a tourist visa.

and in KL Malaysia .. a city of so much memories and friends and acquaintances and lovers .. as soon as they relax the quarantine requirements.. I would be at the Makan Kitchen of the Double Tree Hilton Hotel in Jalan Tun Abdul Razak ..

IT IS RAINING IN PARADISE . BE HERE AND BE PRESENT

 Delightful day at the National park among the Indigenous people.

as always.

Someone determined to chat, comes through the rain, clutching his dog

He asks for a towel so that he can dry his canine.

Night is falling as I drive away.

The rain began falling from an angry sky.

When the car stopped at a red light, i managed to take a photo.

this is the moment. not the fear of tomorrow. nor a plan for tomorrow. this moment of mindfulness. Be here  Be present .

Dedicated to the vietnamese monk, Thich Nhat Hanh who died in Hue, Vietnam 21.1.2022

FLIGHT TO NO DESTINATION, MOROCCO IS CLOSED SO I HAD TO CREATE AN ITINERARY

I had a ticket on British Airways to London and then on Iberia to Madrid and Marrakech. I was looking forward to returning to Riad 58 Blue and my new friends.

It was not to be.

I was informed by Iberia that Morocco has closed its borders and that it will fly me to Madrid. 

(muchas gracias, Katerine Estrada, a very good hostess at Flagship Dining in Miami Airport)

I was at the Flagship Lounge of the American Airlines in Miami and enjoying a flute of Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle. A Cuban American, Katerine was very attentive and made sure that I had a nice repas before boarding the flight. Eating and drinking, far above my normal limits and a comfortable flight across the Atlantic allowed me to digest, pardon the pun, of the news of the cancellation of Marrakech as a destination.

C'est la Vie..

The BA lounge was inviting and I had a shower and I could feel the fatigue of a short flight across the Atlantic .. 

When in London, one must have Afternoon Tea.

Arriving in Madrid, cold and rainy and dark, stayed at Bonvoy hotel near the airport.. I slept so late that the check out time had lapsed and I decided to stay another night since I had no destination!

Everything was closed, the spaniards out celebrating Noche Buena. The F and B manager of the hotel was a friendly Moroccan transplant to whom I could recount my woes .. He suggested a nice wine and a fish dish which I enjoyed. 

It was nice to chat with Sr Mallouki from Maroc, now resident in Espana. 

that night I decided where to go, as I did not have to be in France for another week .

I have always wanted to visit Tenerife in the Canary Islands and I booked an early morning flight. Before the flight, I could enjoy the Iberia lounge with a nice breakfast 

I was quite surprised that IBERIA served lamb chops on this relatively short flight to Tenerife. It is a very user friendly airport and I immediately felt at home. 

The hotel was not very far away and the view of the sea and the mountains were very welcome. While technically still in Europe, this island is 200 miles west of Morocco. This is as close to Morocco that I would get.

Just behind the hotel was a string of outdoor restaurants serving small portions of food and I chose an Araperia and enjoyed a nice arepa, with a fresh juice and thought of Colombia where these things originate but the server reminded me that they were venezuelans and that is the land of arepa.. it was christmas day and I was enjoying my Arepa.

I was supposed to go to Marrakech and I ended up in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the Canary Islands, Spain

Many other unexpected things were in store ..and a little sweetness from Tabriz..

 

WHEN ONE DOOR IS CLOSED, ANOTHER OPENS. IRAN IS MORE THAN A PERSON. LOVELY DAYS IN MIAMI. THANKS TO FRANCE AND SPAIN AND LOOKING FORWARD TO MI ISLA RICA, CUBA

 I have been in a very good mood since my return from France and Spain (Malaga and Islas Canarias). The weather in Miami has been superb, the kind one expects in the Mediterranean region.. but it is still the height of winter here..

Each day I look at the sun coming up and the sun going down, marking one day that I have enjoyed before it becomes past. Unborn tomorrow and Dead yesterday, why fret about them if today be sweet thus sung the bard of Mirzapur .

Yes days have been sweet . Last night was the full moon and enjoyed a discourse about the importance of enjoying the person who you are, if you do know who you are..

The sun is rising, I go barefoot on the grass, moisture from the blades transferred to my skin, grateful for this earth.

 

The days are blending into each other, pleasant, new experiences. 

The Sun sets and the Moon will take its place in the sky. The fury of the Sun and the gentleness of the Moon.

I have noticed a curious phenomenon, even though it has happened many times before .

Someone leaves and immediately someone enters as if they were waiting at the door waiting for it to open.

A trader from a snowy city in the east left, an adventurous soul who left her land arrived her and we say hello to her, filling our hearts with her adventurous story.

Perhaps a soul with a journey has to leave others who are stagnant in their path behind, like the San Bushmen do when they go hunting for a long time or move camps. Stagnation is lack of curiosity about truth and the laziness to move from the accepted untruth of their existence and the fear to question their own existence. 

if you are happy, there is no need to shout at another.. As the Little poet of Côte Sauvage said: If you talk too loudly, eventually you loose your voice. and she was intuitively reminding us of what RUMI said 

Thunder does not grow plants, it is the rain that does it ..

Easy to bring thunder into your voice your heart and your head. but be gentle like the rain, you grow you will know who you are and then find your place in this planet and also in the universe. We don't need a religion or a mullah to tell us what we should think. Neither a Priest nor a Rabbi. 

Wise men should be respected so that we would like to be like them.. Be a Buddha .. 

I was in this pensive mood, while the house was very quiet when I thought of Ashgar Farhadi and his last movie HERO.

When did Ashgar Farhadi enter my life? with his movie, Separation ? 

Here he is talking about the movies and the directors he liked and who influenced him. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tfsR02pTr0

I have not yet learned how to compress it enough to put it in the blog, but i had to cut it into several pieces. But here he is..

Ashgar Farhadi's new movie A HERO is already out, after winning a prize at Cannes. Here is the official trailer.

I have so many people to thank, for keeping alive this love of mine for IRAN (the people, the country but not the Rulers). 

Many people .. and through them I reached Hafez, Maulana, Ferdowsi and many others ..It is a country that I know without ever having visited it .

A special thanks to a friend from Karaj, for lighting this flame in my heart. Thank you ..

 

EVOLVE CONSTANTLY TO FIND WHO YOU ARE. DEVOTION FAR MORE IMPORTANT THAN TRANSIENT INFATUATION WE CALL LOVE. FROM UNTRUTH TO TRUTH

It is the Full Moon.

My good friend, JK, took this in Imperial, Nebraska.

18 January 2022 First full moon of 2022. The above photo of Full moon over Miami

Last of the Full Moon Satsangs of Sadhguru.

Tonight's Satsang was deeply satisfactory to me as it touched upon what I have been thinking and experiencing in the last two weeks in France and USA .

Untruth to Truth.. at least in your behaviour

Know Who you are as the Indians would say 

Your own thoughts would only imprison you in your mind.

Thoughts have limited input , then it begins to recycle itself and then stagnation sets in. This is especially true in relationships 

All the relationships that I know that is a pleasure to observe (MG in Boynton Beach, MM in Cayman Is to give two examples) there is an element of DEVOTION. I see it in their words and their behaviour.

I feel an inner joy being with them.

Regardless of your age, your profession, once you stop evolving, stagnation sets in , rather than progressing towards fultillment.. Yoga means UNION.. like the Lakota Indian word for healing WA PI YAH means bringing together .

I like to share the Full Moons with my friends and other lovers around the world.

Some enter, stay a while and leave

I do not mind them leaving, but when they leave permanently, there is a sense of sadness, an emptiness. 

Cuba is waiting, let's go..

FROM AFRICA TO CUBA AND BACK HOMMAGE A TONTON FERRER. ORCHESTRA BAOBAB. AND DOS GARDENIAS PRA VÔCE

 I noticed the title of the song Homage a Ton Ton Ferrer.. ton ton is a french endearment for Uncle .. I like that word.  so Ferrer did not catch my attention. The group playing was the Orchestra Baobab from Dakar Senegal.

It was during one of our trips to South East Asia, my brother Eliyahu introduced me to the Putamayo album From Congo to Cuba. it is an excellent album, still!

No need to stress the importance of Africa in the music of Cuba, but like souls returning back to their origins, some of this music has travelled back to Africa and it can be heard all over the Atlantic side of Africa from Senegal to Angola and Congo. It seems that in the 1930s Cuban son and other rhythms travelled back and spread throughout the western part of Africa. 

When Club Baobab was founded in Senegalese capital, the resident orchestra was named Orchestra Baobab. Their distinct sound in Wolof and Mande languages but one hears also Matanzas and Santiago de Cuba. as if Mother Africa is welcoming back her children and children of children ..

There have been many artists who play this genre of African-Cuban music.. I remember Africando and some other musicians who moved to New York..

Music does unite people.

I was listening to this song and suddenly my ear picked up a familiar voice, that of Ibrahim Ferrer, whom I had met in La Habana and attended his funeral at Funeraria K 

I thought of the many times I had met Ibrahim, what a humble man with a silky voice always proud of his family, with his black cane adorned at both ends, that went to the grave with him.. a nice dinner at the house of my friend Sandra in Centro Habana..Austin Texas .. Houston Texas..

Then I realized that Orchestra was paying homage to Ibrahim..

What a nice find ..

This is what Orchestra Baobab actually look like..

Cuba has a very rich history of music and genuine original contributions which has touched millions of people all around the world. 

When I was watching Buena Vista Social Club (the movie, I have watched them live a couple of times also), I could hear deep sighs and wimpering from some old ladies in the audience perhaps remembering their glorious days in the pre-revolutionary Cuba, 

The song was Dos Gardenias 

the singers were Ibrahim Ferrer and Omara Portuondo (still going strong in her nineties)

Maria Rita from Brasil gives her rendition (her mother Ellis Regina also had a fabulous voice)

there are lines which bring back tears of joy and sorrrow for me..

tenho saudade por tudo..

I love you
Te quiero

But if a sunset
Pero si un atardecer

The gardenias of my love die
Las gardenias de mi amor se mueren

It's because they guessed
Es porque han adivinado

That your love has betrayed me
Que tu amor me ha traicionado

the joy of cuba is immense, so contagious and so touching.. How could I not remember those days listening to cuban music of the oriental region in Baracoa?

One thing came to my mind: it is I who share other people's lives and no one shares my life? Is that true? Do I have a particular life? Or is it just shekinah, the Jewish mystical idea of ​​wisdom being broken and reflecting, shekinah, so that the various affections are reflecting my love, each of them, so that there is one big love, that is for the universe, which is much bigger than each of us..

 

I wanted to hear Dos Gardenias in Portugese but I couldnt find it but I did find a nice rendition of Veinte Anos 20 years sung by a Cuban artist in Portugese!!

Here are the lyrics to Dos Gardenias.. Enjoy .. I wonder whether this song has been translated into Farsi?

Lyrics

Two gardenias for you
Dos gardenias para ti

With them I mean
Con ellas quiero decir

I love you, I adore you, my life
Te quiero, te adoro, mi vida

Give them all your attention
Ponles toda tu atención

What will your heart and mine be
Que serán tu corazón y el mío

Two gardenias for you
Dos gardenias para ti

That they will have all the warmth of a kiss
Que tendrán todo el calor de un beso

Of those kisses that I gave you
De esos besos que te di

And that they will never find you
Y que jamás te encontrarán

In the heat of another love
En el calor de otro querer

They will live by your side and talk to each other
A tu lado vivirán y se hablarán

Like when you are with me
Como cuando estás conmigo

And they will even believe that they will say
Y hasta creerán que se dirán

I love you
Te quiero

But if a sunset
Pero si un atardecer

The gardenias of my love die
Las gardenias de mi amor se mueren

It's because they guessed
Es porque han adivinado

That your love has betrayed me
Que tu amor me ha traicionado

Because there is another want
Porque existe otro querer

They will live by your side and talk to each other
A tu lado vivirán y se hablarán

Like when you are with me
Como cuando estás conmigo

And they will even believe that they will say
Y hasta creerán que se dirán

I love you
Te quiero

But if a sunset
Pero si un atardecer

The gardenias of my love die
Las gardenias de mi amor se mueren

It's because they guessed
Es porque han adivinado

That your love has betrayed me
Que tu amor me ha traicionado

Because there is another want
Porque existe otro querer

It's because they guessed
Es porque han adivinado

That your love has betrayed me
Que tu amor me ha traicionado

Because there is another want
Porque existe otro querer

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Isolina Carrillo

Dos gardenias lyrics © Peer International Corporation

DR. LESSNER OF MIAMI ONCE SAID TO ME; TO ACCRUE MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE READ JOURNALS THAT YOU OR THE LIBRARY PAYS FOR

AHA: Few Americans With Diabetes Meet Heart Targets

— Vast majority of patients missing the mark on CVD risk reduction

MED PAGE TODAY  10 January 2022

AHA advice for diabetes patients to stay heart healthy

Publish date: January 10, 2022

MDEdge 

Both were written by medical journalists, with no experience in taking care of patients but good at interpreting the results with addition of their own view points to the substance of the article .

The first journalist was emphasizing on the various bio-medical, pharmaceutical and technological aspects of the Diabetes care with emphasis on the newer medications and technology.

From the second article, which was much more socially relevant.

Dr. Joseph and colleagues point out, clinical care and treatment account for just 10%-20% of modifiable contributors to health outcomes. The other 80%-90% relate to social determinants of health, including health-related behaviors, socioeconomic factors, environmental factors, and racism.

Kudos, Dr Joseph. This is the first time I have seen this in print in a respected medical journal. Many of us working with marginalized and oppressed people in USA have known this for a long time.

DIABETES IS A SOCIAL DISORDER AND THE WAY TO DEAL WITH IT IS WITH LIFESTYLE AND SOCIAL ATTENTION.

ALSO BEWARE OF WHERE YOU GET YOUR INFORMATION. ALWAYS TRY TO READ THE ORIGINAL SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATION.

ENDOCRINOLOGIST-ANTHROPOLOGIST TO INDIGENOUS PEOPLE, IN THIS CASE THE AMERICAN INDIANS. LOS INDIOS

 I am happy to have come to the USA for my post graduate studies in Endocrinology (excellent clinical education at Jackson Memorial Hospital of the University of Miami) but even a greater gift has been working with the Native, Indigenous people of the country, commonly called Indians. Just after my first acquaintance with them, I realized that to look after a culturally distinct group (my first encounter was with a tribe which had managed to maintain their language and religion), you need much more than what they teach you at the Medical School. So I went to London to study Medical Anthropology which has become immensely useful in my professional and social life ever since.

Today I was happy to read that a distinct group of doctors from multiple specialties under the auspices of American Heart Association had come out with recommendation for Diabetes Care for all sectors of the American society which possibly is the most culturally diverse upon this earth. 

I was interested in the comment of the lead author, emphasizing what we in our work environment had known for a while:

Dr. Joseph and colleagues point out, clinical care and treatment account for just 10%-20% of modifiable contributors to health outcomes. The other 80%-90% relate to social determinants of health, including health-related behaviors, socioeconomic factors, environmental factors, and racism.

I would be more generous. Only 25% of the Diabetes care is MEDICAL, the rest is SOCIAL in origin and treatment. In the context of Indian tribes, that would include the clan, the family, the loyalty to the tribe and its traditions including the language.

I have hundreds of examples but let me give you one from today. In countries where there are obstacles of many sorts, I highly recommend the peer to peer project mopotsyo.org in Cambodia

A patient of mine sends me Blood sugar readings and also photos of food and his life. So he and I know which food makes his blood sugar goes up. With regards to Nutrition, let me say nothing more than: American food and American Indians cant mix very well with each other. ( in fact I don't think American food is good for any one, including Americans)

this reading is slightly higher than normal for him a couple of hours after eating, he and I know the culprit but we do not talk about it. I might may a comment like: you normally do not have blood sugars that high to which he might answer, you know I can bring it down. Respectful and not hierarchical or condescending. 

he sent a note: I am going for a walk. usually the walk is about 1.5 miles.

He sends beautiful pictures from his walk. in his camp, there is a lovely Cuban Royal Palm and I ask his permission to take a photo of me hugging the palm tree. Being a traditional native person, he does not feel superior that his doctor is hugging a palm tree but understands fully when I explain that in the Cuban pantheon of Spirits, the palm tree represents Chango, the supreme spirit, represented also by the thunder. 

When I go visit him in his family's compound, i walk with him along this path and he is always eager to tell me something about the jungle or the animals that live there. 

At the end of the walk, after a rest of 15 minutes he sends me his BS. He has a continuous glucose monitor Libre so that is easier for him to send me the readings. 

He does not laugh that his doctor has named the alligators nearby, Monsieur Francois for instance. 

In the months we have been communicating with each other. He has seen no other doctor but his Hemoglobin A1c (a measure of his blood sugar) had come down from 11.5 to 7.6, a reduction of almost 100 mg/dl points of blood sugar! I am very interested in the kidney metabolism among the Native people and his kidney function also has improved. I have added no new medication but have stopped several of his other medications that his Family Doctor  had him on. Remember Diabetes Care is not ONLY about medications.

Here Lifestyle does not mean giving him recipes or caloric restriction charts but being there for him when he needs (he never bothers me with telephone calls). Showing respect for the patient, putting his concerns first and assisting him with the 20 %  of how best to get benefits from his biomedical encounter ( protection of kidneys, eyes and feet and the heart, laboratory tests)

I can only say, proudly, that i am an Endocrinologist to the American Indians (as well as some other Indians  in other countries of this continent)

and I am grateful for the wonderful people that I have worked with in the Meskwakia HoCank UmonHon Lakota Kickapoo tribes..