Oh no. It’s been an entire month since I’ve blogged, shame on me. I think this has probably been my busiest month ever, both at work and socially. That and still not having an Internet connection at home make blogging a bit more of an effort. So, to those of you who check this page regularly, sorry for my lack of blog posts, as they would say in Krio – “Oshya”. I will do my best to get into the habit again. Seriously, I love blogging and find it’s a good way to ‘escape’ the craziness of my world here.
So, what’s happening in my world?
Work has been really busy with a pre-accreditation that took place earlier this week, meeting with people at the Ministry of Health, checking out support services at Connaught (the main government hospital), helping organize some of the postgraduate training sessions with the residents on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, signing contracts with national staff, trying to get the x-ray unit up and running, renewing my registration with the Sierra Leone Medical Council, attempting unsuccessfully to get someone’s container released containing items for the hospital lab, working on getting duty free concession for the oxygen concentrators, preparing for the Welbodi Directors’ meeting next weekend, compiling statistics, facilitating a Mercy Ships/Children’s Hospital partnership, and last but certainly not least (although it’s what I’ve unfortunately spent the least time on) sneaking on to the wards now and then to see patients.
There you have it, my work in a nutshell. Well, all of the above plus attempting to solve any immediate problems or small crisis that come my way. They are probably as diverse as the above. Some examples are: nurses coming to the office for connecting pieces for oxygen concentrators or batteries for pulse oximeters, trying to track down one of the doctors when rounds aren’t underway by 9, going into locked consultation rooms in the evenings looking for blank patient charts and prescription pads to put in the ER for the new admissions when ER runs out, running to the blood bank to get blood for a critically ill child, searching for the generator man when we have a power cut so that the babies in Special Care continue receiving oxygen and the list goes on. Honestly, there is never a dull moment.
So, besides work I have been about as busy in the evenings and weekends. I tend to get home at 6, 630 or 7 depending on when I get out of the hospital and what traffic is like and then sometimes have a 10 minute turnaround at home before heading out again. Someone said recently that they get quite bored here. What? Really? Not a chance. I feel like I’m hardly home. I am not even quite sure what I do every evening but I suppose there are various friends I visit, I’m often at the Aberdeen Women’s Centre (formerly Mercy Ships in Aberdeen), Tuesday evening women’s group, Wednesday evening house group, often out for dinner on a Saturday evening, catching up with Sierra Leonean colleagues, birthday dinners, goodbye dinners, beach trips, church, international service and the list goes on. The social life gives me a boost of energy although I have to say that as of late I have been quite tired as well. I suppose everything has piled up a bit and I’ve reached my limit. That might explain my need to buy a small Cadbury chocolate bar after work everyday last week. Desperate measures. Honestly, the last few weeks have been both very difficult and very good. An odd statement, I know, but that’s what life is like here. It’s an interesting world.
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