Africa...nearing an end

Dear Friends,
Our trip is nearing an end. It has been an amazing experience. We have seen and done SO much and God has been very merciful. It is amazing to experience how others live on a day-to-day basis and what is “normal”. We have made many valuable friends and learned a lot. I think our presence has also been a blessing to them.


The stiff political conflict has ended as well. The OB “ran away” a week ago. That has been a relief. And after a few days the staff has settled into a calmer atmosphere. It has left a hole in some of what can be done. (There isn’t anyone to do ultrasounds for things like placental location. Linda and I are able to confirm fetal demise and presentation but that is about it.) There are three midwifes that can do vacuums and there is a general surgeon who will do the c-sections. There has also been some Gyn consults that aren’t being covered (like uterine prolapse). An OB from Denmark is coming mid Sept so that will be good!!

We are working mostly PM and night shifts, although we still spend much time during the day on the ward making rounds, discharging and writing orders for patients since the OB is gone. The prospective midwives had to take a test today and so we covered the ward during the test time. I delivered my 16th baby today. It wasn’t a happy occasion as no fetal heartbeat was found on admission. Culturally when someone dies there is an abundance of wailing that can be heard all over the compound. Today I asked about babies, because I haven’t seen any of this when a baby dies. I was told that there is no mourning until they are about 5 months old. Life is so tenuous until then and death so common that no one cries, there is no mourning. There isn’t a funeral or burial. The babies get taped up in an empty cardboard glove box, left in the hall and the guard comes and takes the boxes away. I’m in astonishment of how unaffected they are by babies dying.

There is an HIV patient who has been here since before we got here. Her husband brought her in because she was sick. She was diagnosed as end stage AIDS. He refused testing, packed up her stuff and left her here – abandoned her. She has no one to pay her bill or, more importantly, buy her medicine to relieve the pain. She has a 9 year old daughter who comes everyday to bring her food. We tested her today while she was visiting her mother. She is negative. That is really good news for her. She has a 6 year old sister at home that the father refuses to have tested. There is also a woman in cardiogenic shock. She has less than a week to live. Her lungs are full of fluid and you can feel her heart murmur by laying your hand gently on her chest. It feels like her heart is trying to surge through her chest wall. Linda and I went with Timesskin to do prayer rounds on all the patients in the hospital this last Tuesday. It was an amazing experience. They LOVE it – every one of them. They see you praying for someone else and come over and ask you to pray for their loved one. Timesskin always asks their name, where they are from, what the problem is and are they getting better (there really is no such thing as privacy). There are some tragic stories. They aren’t the usual heart disease, diabetes, and cancer like you see in the US. There is also a huge number with goiters - goiters as big as soft balls. These I haven’t seen in the hospital but out in the market or at church.

As usual, these trips always confirm to me that I am very grateful to live in the US. It has been so long since I have heard any “news”. Linda and I were talking about, “wow we wouldn’t even know if something terrible has happened”. It was brought up yesterday that the Olympics are happening. I didn’t even know that. Some of the medical students went to a “coffee shop” and it was right when the Ethiopians won a foot race (10,000 meter) and they were watching it in the shop. Everyone was very elated. I hope I get to see some of the gymnastics when I return but they may be over by then. Oh, well. Sigh…

I’ve also missed summer. We get an occasional sunny warm moment on an occasional day. I hope we have an Indian summer back home, so I can bask in the sun just a little before winter sets in. I’m also looking forward to fruit, any fruit other than bananas.

One medical student from the UK is following us around tonight. We had one 2 weeks ago who spent 10 min with the Ethiopian midwives and said no, he’d wait till we were on to get his OB experience. He couldn’t take it. Thankfully, he completely backed us during the political hoopla. I’ve really enjoyed the medical students. They also join us for our potlucks and social events. We’ve had a couple popcorn and movie nights. That has been fun. We have them at our house as we have the most comfortable furniture.

We haven’t had water for days and had to haul water from the hospital a couple of days ago. We haven’t had power for an equal amount of time. This translates into no showers. We smell just as ripe as the locals now. I have also taken to wearing a scarf like the locals. Oh the joys of living abroad!! This lack of power also translates into no bread. We had our cook buy njira from the hospital, today. It is like a giant crepe made from teff flour (This is not wheat but a local grain.) that is fermented to provide the leavening and then cooked on a very large griddle over a fire. It is a might sour depending on how long they fermented it. Njira is a staple and eaten at every meal. They usually eat it with shiro which is a bean power (I haven’t a clue what kind of bean) with spices that makes a sauce/paste/soup base. It is very good.

I’m sure I’ve rambled on long enough. It is 12:20 AM and all quiet in the Female Ward. Time to catch a few winks.

Blessings to each and every one of you,

Amber