Normal or not...

Here the unusual starts seeming quite usual after you’ve been here for awhile. Someone asked me this evening if I noticed the loud barking dogs last night. I said, no, I didn’t hear them last night but I heard them every night for the first two months I was out here! I do think the dogs are out there every night…but after a few months, I guess I just got used to them. Just like I get used to seeing people walk up the street every morning with buckets of water on their head or used to the piles of trash on the side of the streets (used to the sight, not the smell!). I’ve gotten used to the sound of the generator at night, people honking their car horns every five seconds, little kids yelling ‘white man, white man’ and so many more things. This picture is just an example of one of the many things one can encounter on a daily basis here :)

Red moon rising...

“A dark red shadow crept across the moon last Saturday [March 3rd] during the first total lunar eclipse in nearly three years, thrilling stargazers and astronomers around the world.” (CNN)

I was one of those stargazers that night. It was quite incredible. Actually we were sitting inside and someone mentioned there was supposed to be a lunar eclipse at around that time. So we quickly went outside and stood there gazing at the moon. And sure enough it really was a reddish orange moon. Very cool. Also, I did recently read a book called ‘Red Moon Rising’ which has to do with a 24-7 prayer movement. Also very interesting!

Anyway, for those that don’t know: lunar eclipses occur when the earth passes between the sun and the moon, blocking the sun’s light. The next total lunar eclipse is on August 28th.

Friday...

This is how I felt last night. It’s been a long week although, to be honest, I’ve had busier weeks. This week was just a bit more chaotic. I guess some of that was because our lab tech was sick yesterday. That meant that I had to simultaneously run clinic and do lab work. Mind you- I requested much less lab work than usual and treated some cases empirically instead. However, in some cases you do really want to do some tests.

There was a 2 year old boy that came in with fever and vomiting. He looked pale enough to need a transfusion, so I wanted to double check his hemoglobin before sending him to the referral center. I took him to the lab, did a finger stick, ran his blood through the hemocue and set up a rapid malaria test. 15 minutes later I had my diagnosis; anemia and malaria. His Hb was 3.0g/dl, so off he went in a chartered taxi to Emergency. I have to admit it was a cool feeling to be the doctor and lab tech at the same time…but it also added to the workload. I finished with my last patient at about 630pm.

Needless to say I was quite tired. When I woke up this morning I was happy it was Friday and already looking forward to being able to sleep in on Sat and Sun! So, here I am. Friday evening. Relaxing. Emailing. Watching a movie. Doing house laundry (yeah, that’s my chore). But I’m sitting here knowing that I can sleep in tomorrow morning.

I love weekends.

2 years in Sierra Leone...

It’s hard to believe that exactly two years ago (probably to the hour) I arrived in Freetown.

I remember meeting up with Josette and the boys and James in Brussels, flying to Freetown, Pastor Mark running around arranging our helicopter tickets, laughing at the wooden boarding passes, waiting for the helicopter, Doug meeting us on the Lungi side, taking the helicopter over, being picked up by my dad, driving over to the Lumley team house…not knowing that this would be my home for the next two years.

That first night I shared a room with Gisela in the house; the noisy room next to the generator. We had a small portable AC that leaked and so if you got up in the night you’d be standing in a puddle of water! I didn’t know my ‘own’ room wouldn’t be ready for another few weeks but since then I’ve been in my own room, overlooking the gazebo, with a view of the ocean and its been great (besides the walls that are sometimes wet and moldy!)

My first day in Freetown was spent exploring the ACFC (our center). Wow, it’s changed a lot over the past 2 years. Of course the outpatient clinic part was just empty rooms. But even the wards weren’t wards yet at the time. I remember one ward was totally full of boxes and medical supplies that had just been offloaded from a container from the USA. We didn’t even have a kitchen or laundry yet at the center. At the time I didn’t know it would be another month before we started surgery and two months till the opening of the clinic!

Wow, how time flies. It’s fun thinking about everything that’s happened over the past two years; the good, the bad, the funny, the sad. I’ve made some good memories, met some cool people, helped many children, made many beach trips, taken lots of Lariam tablets, posted a number of blog entries and done so many more things. And, the adventure continues…

Same child???

Aug. '06- 7w 2.8kg..........Feb.'07- 8m 8.5kg

In August 2006 a mother showed up with her 7 week old boy, weighing 2.8kg. Apparently after her first child died as an infant, the blame was put on her breastmilk. Consequently, to ensure her second child’s survival, she was told not to breastfeed him. Instead he was fed a total of about 250ml of watery milk a day! Obviously he wasn't going to survive like this. We strongly encouraged the mother to start breastfeeding the child. She probably spent half the day with us learning how to breastfeed the child; needless to say the baby was quite eager to be fed.

A week later mom and baby came again; unfortunately his weight had dropped to 2.7kg. According to the mom breastfeeding wasn’t going well and she wanted to give milk. So, although we encouraged her to continue breastfeeding as well, we showed her how to make the milk properly- enough water, enough scoops of milk and enough times a day, Unfortunately they didn't come back the next week. I thought the worst and every time I looked at pictures of him I wondered what happened.

Well, just last week a mom came to the clinic with her 8 month old son; a chubby, healthy boy except for a pretty bad diaper rash. Mom was happy and thankful. I didn't think anything at first but as we started talking I remembered who they were. This was the little guy that came in looking so malnourished. I could hardly believe my eyes!

Canoe trip...

Yesterday was a lot of fun. My parents, Melissa (new physiotherapist- here for 9 months) and I drove out to River number 2 to meet up with some friends there- Annekoos (doctor) and her husband Bastiaan (engineer), who were staying overnight at the beach. We arrived just as our friends were arranging a boat trip up the river. Perfect timing!

At 1130 we climbed into the canoes and set sail. There were 5 of us in our canoe plus our local captain. It was very peaceful as we started our way up the river, along the beach, gliding past the mangrove swamps, spotting little stretches of deserted beach, listening to the birds chirping away while moving forward into unknown territory. About 30 minutes later we reached the end, or should I say beginning, of the river. We pulled up alongside the rocks and got out of the canoes.

The waterfall we were expecting to see was really not much more than a water ‘trickle’ but maybe this was because it is the dry season now?? Needless to say, it was still a beautiful spot. There was a small pool of water which looked very inviting. Now, I know fresh water is supposed to be out of bounds in the tropics…but sometimes you need to take your chances. Annekoos , a new friend Addy (MSF doctor from Holland doing a lot of pediatrics upcountry) and I figured the chance was small that the pool was infected with Schistosomiasis ‘bugs’ and got in along with a few others. I guess the others figured that if three doctors were getting in, it must be alright. Well, we also figured we can always treat ourselves when we leave the country! Maybe it wasn’t so smart but it was very refreshing and relaxing.

After spending about an hour on the rocks we made our way back to the canoes and headed back. Halfway down the river we were stopped by a man standing waist high in the water in the mangrove swamp with a bicycle on his head! Go figure. He wanted us to come over and give him a lift to the other side of the river. So, we stopped, he loaded his bike onto the canoe, climbed in and we crossed the river. On the other side he got out and disappeared into the mangrove swamp again. We then continued our way back down the river to the beach where we ended our boat trip. The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing on the beach, swimming in the water and enjoying the day!

For more pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandralako

Cat dies after being trampled by refugee...

The following post has been reproduced with permission from the author, my friend Cecily. Her post (from Friday Feb 23rd) really said it all...so I thought it best to share her thoughts with you.

Pamplemousse, a baby cat who was rescued by a Mercy Ships employee three weeks ago, died late yesterday evening after being trampled by a 2 year-old refugee. The boy had been staying at the Mercy Ships house with his family after having fled from a conflict situation in Guinea where his parents were missionaries. While playing in the yard at the Mercy Ships home, the small boy trampled Pamplemousse who was laying quietly in the grass. She died, hours later, surrounded by her loved-ones. She was buried that evening in the Mercy Ships yard. She will be missed by many. She is survived by her loving caregivers and friends. Pamplemousse, we will never forget.What follows is a poem, written by a friend of the late cat, printed with permission of the owner...

Pamplemousse
You came into our lives
So small, so hideous
Covered in dirt, you were
We washed you
We fed you
You survived...
but not for long.
Your young life was taken so soon.
Now we are only left with the memories...
How you used to swim in your milk bowl
How you used to meow incessantly
The way you would find a place to curl up and sleep between the neck and the collarbone of a nearby friend
Now you are gone.
Gone forever.
So sad.
So very, very sad.
Goodbye, sweet cat.
Rest with your fathers.
We will go on...
with the memories we have.
And we will be sad.
So very, very sad.
Pamplemousse.
Trampled, you were.
Trampled.
You were so young.
So free.
And now,
You are gone.
Goodbye.
Forever.

Posted by Bos http://www.thatssobos.blogspot.com/

African internet...

So, here I am trying to create an interesting post…and it’s not working. African internet is such that the connection is not always great. Tonight is one of those nights. On…off…on…off. So much for our internet providers slogan "Always connected". Every time I try to upload a picture the connection is lost…again. I guess it’s good for my patience. However, there comes a time when you just need to give up for the night! That time has come. So, I’ll post a picture next time; if the connection is okay of course.

Don’t get me wrong though. I am thankful that we even have internet here! A big thanks to the anonymous donor that made this possible!!! It’s amazing that we have a connection at both the center and the house…even if they don’t always work. I remember very well that for the first 8 months that I lived here we could only email at the local internet cafes…talk about bad connections!!! I can’t believe the number of hours we spent waiting for emails to download, or driving to the internet café only to find out the server was down, waiting for a computer to be available. At least now, if it takes a while to download or upload I am in the comfort of my own home and can do other things in the meantime. I am thankful!

Hmmm…wonder if I’ll be able to publish this post…

Guess so : )