Sunday, September 12, 2010
I know I write about bugs a lot, but....
There was a giant spider in my room. And it was a different kind than I normally see. The others are mostly legs, but this one had a gaint body too. We're talkign bulkier than a quarter, in addition to its monstrous legs! And, to top it off, there were two scorpions and a lizard on my wall. All at the same time. And I was too scared to kill them myself, so I went to ask a neighbor girl, who told her mom, who came over with two other women and the elderly man who lives next door. They all come into my room (which in Togolese culture, is VERY private). They smack the spider and I scream as an additional cockroach also falls form the ceiling. Ick!! But now I can tell the elderly man every time I need help with bugs. I felt like such a girl!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Breast-Feeding and Shot-Giving
So the most interesting day at the disponsaire: It is the baby-weighing and vaccination day. Good thing I came because the Sage-Femme didn't and the aide would have been all by herself. I filled out registration cards and what-nots while the aide administered the vaccinations. She has a child, 5-6 months or so. Well the baby screams, so it's time to feed her, but the aide is working. So she whips out one breast over the top of her shirt, lays the child across her knees to feed, and holds on to another baby's kicking leg as she gives the injection. Absolutely crazy!!
Friday, September 3, 2010
Balance
I am having to find a balance between helping and not being seen as a source of money and gifts. Example…
I was playing with the children in my neighborhood for nearly two hours. At the end, one little girl cut open her elbow. I have medical materials, but I am only supposed to use them for myself, because if I give it out or use it for others, I will be seen as a source for all those materials, for free. So the most I could do for this girl was to wash the blood off with water. The French volunteers who live in my compound, of course, come and help, and are able to clean it off with antimicrobials and put Neosporin and bandaid on. I wanted to be able to do that, but knew if I did, I would have a never-ending line for free care. And sure enough, two minutes later, a young boy comes up to me with his cut up ankle. It’s so frustrating to not be able to do as much as you want to. And I can’t even really tell them – “Hey, you need to clean this with alcohol and antibiotic ointment and bandage it” – because no one has any of that stuff. You’d find it at the pharmacy, but my local clinic doesn’t have a functional pharmacy! And not one has money – I told the little girl she should go to the disponsaire because she has other similar wounds that look like they’ve been infected and the wounds need to be reopened and cleaned. But how do you tell people they need to spend money they don’t have on care that isn’t essential?
I was playing with the children in my neighborhood for nearly two hours. At the end, one little girl cut open her elbow. I have medical materials, but I am only supposed to use them for myself, because if I give it out or use it for others, I will be seen as a source for all those materials, for free. So the most I could do for this girl was to wash the blood off with water. The French volunteers who live in my compound, of course, come and help, and are able to clean it off with antimicrobials and put Neosporin and bandaid on. I wanted to be able to do that, but knew if I did, I would have a never-ending line for free care. And sure enough, two minutes later, a young boy comes up to me with his cut up ankle. It’s so frustrating to not be able to do as much as you want to. And I can’t even really tell them – “Hey, you need to clean this with alcohol and antibiotic ointment and bandage it” – because no one has any of that stuff. You’d find it at the pharmacy, but my local clinic doesn’t have a functional pharmacy! And not one has money – I told the little girl she should go to the disponsaire because she has other similar wounds that look like they’ve been infected and the wounds need to be reopened and cleaned. But how do you tell people they need to spend money they don’t have on care that isn’t essential?
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Better day, worse night
Better day, worse night
Today started out well. I slept in, and had the rest of my nutella and bread for breakfast. I cleaned my house – and I mean cleaned! I moved everything out. Washed the table and put everything in new places. I organized some of my stuff and put them into baskets so that my room looks a little more put-together (mind you I still don’t have any furniture except a borrowed bed, borrowed table and two borrowed chairs). I swept the floors. I took out the garbage – two bags of organic waste that I was going to start my compost with. I burned all the non-organic waste. (First time I tried, and it was a success except that the plastic stuff melted into the bin I used to burn stuff in. My neighbor said to just burn the stuff on the ground and sweep it away, but I dumped the ashes into my latrine to cut the smell and deter cockroaches. She helped me clean the bowl but it was a lost cause – doesn’t matter because I’ll keep using the same one only for that function.)
SO things started not being great because my kitten is not eating. I bought her some fish yesterday, which she ate before, but wouldn’t eat this time. I tried more powdered milk, and couscous. She wouldn’t eat any of it. So I thought that I’d run and get her some concentrated milk from the marche. Not a big deal, but I was a little worried. Things were fine for a while. I visited my homologue and was invited for lunch – pate with a sauce made from something similar to peanuts, and palm oil. It was good. Then I just hung out with the neighborhood (who are all related to my homologue) and the elder man bought me a soda (I tried to refuse but it was insisted – it’s not polite to refuse drinks, except most understand why I refuse alcohol.) Then I went home to find my kitten had thrown up several times, and wouldn’t eat the concentrated milk. I don’t know what to do and I am really worried because she is so young. I don’t know what to give her, esp since she won’t take anything and there isn’t exactly a petsmart or veterinarian here. I took a lovely shower though – I heated the water. It was wonderful. So everything was basically fine up until this point. Then I went to rest on my bed and I could hear a cricket. So I went to hunt it down and instead found a MOUSE!! (I was surprised at first and not sure what it was because they look different than at home. Their tails are furry, I am still not convinced it’s a mouse but maybe something else). Well, I leave to get a bowl and cover to trap it and set it outside (there is no way I could kill it and kitten is too small) and when I came back it ran away and I lost it. Of course. It’s the scorpion all over again. So I look everywhere, but it is no where to be found. So now I am just uncomfortable in my room, but I tuck in my mosquito net and try to go to sleep. It goes well for about an hour. Then it starts pouring outside, and I hear that darn cricket again. And I have to pee. So I get out of bed, see that my sick kitten has gotten sick on my bed. I go to grab the toilet paper and, low and behold, there is the lost mouse that has multiplied into two (the second larger than the first)!! So I chase them around and get them outside. Yay! Then I go to use my chamberpot (yes, I use one – I am deathly afraid of the cockroaches that come out in my latrine at night) to find another mouse by the catbox! I chase that one out and of course I can’t sleep now – how many more are there and where are they hiding because I just found the two sets in two different places?
Today started out well. I slept in, and had the rest of my nutella and bread for breakfast. I cleaned my house – and I mean cleaned! I moved everything out. Washed the table and put everything in new places. I organized some of my stuff and put them into baskets so that my room looks a little more put-together (mind you I still don’t have any furniture except a borrowed bed, borrowed table and two borrowed chairs). I swept the floors. I took out the garbage – two bags of organic waste that I was going to start my compost with. I burned all the non-organic waste. (First time I tried, and it was a success except that the plastic stuff melted into the bin I used to burn stuff in. My neighbor said to just burn the stuff on the ground and sweep it away, but I dumped the ashes into my latrine to cut the smell and deter cockroaches. She helped me clean the bowl but it was a lost cause – doesn’t matter because I’ll keep using the same one only for that function.)
SO things started not being great because my kitten is not eating. I bought her some fish yesterday, which she ate before, but wouldn’t eat this time. I tried more powdered milk, and couscous. She wouldn’t eat any of it. So I thought that I’d run and get her some concentrated milk from the marche. Not a big deal, but I was a little worried. Things were fine for a while. I visited my homologue and was invited for lunch – pate with a sauce made from something similar to peanuts, and palm oil. It was good. Then I just hung out with the neighborhood (who are all related to my homologue) and the elder man bought me a soda (I tried to refuse but it was insisted – it’s not polite to refuse drinks, except most understand why I refuse alcohol.) Then I went home to find my kitten had thrown up several times, and wouldn’t eat the concentrated milk. I don’t know what to do and I am really worried because she is so young. I don’t know what to give her, esp since she won’t take anything and there isn’t exactly a petsmart or veterinarian here. I took a lovely shower though – I heated the water. It was wonderful. So everything was basically fine up until this point. Then I went to rest on my bed and I could hear a cricket. So I went to hunt it down and instead found a MOUSE!! (I was surprised at first and not sure what it was because they look different than at home. Their tails are furry, I am still not convinced it’s a mouse but maybe something else). Well, I leave to get a bowl and cover to trap it and set it outside (there is no way I could kill it and kitten is too small) and when I came back it ran away and I lost it. Of course. It’s the scorpion all over again. So I look everywhere, but it is no where to be found. So now I am just uncomfortable in my room, but I tuck in my mosquito net and try to go to sleep. It goes well for about an hour. Then it starts pouring outside, and I hear that darn cricket again. And I have to pee. So I get out of bed, see that my sick kitten has gotten sick on my bed. I go to grab the toilet paper and, low and behold, there is the lost mouse that has multiplied into two (the second larger than the first)!! So I chase them around and get them outside. Yay! Then I go to use my chamberpot (yes, I use one – I am deathly afraid of the cockroaches that come out in my latrine at night) to find another mouse by the catbox! I chase that one out and of course I can’t sleep now – how many more are there and where are they hiding because I just found the two sets in two different places?
Friday, August 27, 2010
What is worse than cockroaches, but not as bad as snakes?
SCORPIONS!! I found one in my room after being gone for the day. I left to get the broom to smack it to death (as I do daily with the giant spiders), only to find it had disappeared. The next day I tore apart my room cleaning and simultaneously looking for it, but to no avail. Good thing I sleep under an impregnated mosquito net – that’ll kill any bug that comes too close.
No named kitten…
I went to the Agoe marche – it was awesome: big but not overwhelming, with tons more options than Tsevie (although the prices of the same items may be a little higher). It is there that I bought my tiny kitten! It’s orange with big blue eyes. There were so many options at the marche and I was actually afraid to take this one home because she is so small. But when I put my hand into the cage she was the only one that wasn’t scared. She came right up to me and let me pet her all day long. Once I took her home, it was obvious that I made the right choice. She follows me everywhere and stands right by my feet (I have to be careful not to step on her) and she sleeps on my stomach. I wanted a lap cat and that’s what I got. But she’s got a feisty side too – she likes to roll over and she’ll nip at my fingers. She loves the lace on some of my shirts. I think she’ll be a great bug-catcher!! But what to call her? I have yet to pick out a name and just keep saying kitty. Any suggestions?
Working at the Disponsiare:
I am working on getting to know the health system in my community. I have been frequenting the USP, helping with whatever tasks the Sage-Femme (midwife) asks me to, and asking questions when I see the ASC’s (Agents de Sante Communitaire – Community Health Workers). ASC’s are volunteers which is why it is a difficult system because they are relied on to disseminate general health knowledge. When you are not paid to do so, the accountable work load is very little. There are not enough workers for my village, which consists of 6000 people. Additionally, my disponsiare serves the neighboring 9 villages. This will be quite a task.
Water load
I tried to carry water on my head like everyone else yesterday. I had a small basin and still only made it a third of the way to my house, and still spilled before another women took it for me. Not sure that I’ll ever get used to that but I want to keep trying. It’s hard to stand up straight and balance, plus you hold the basin with your hands to help stabilize it – it’s all just very tiring. But at least I can pump my own water. Everyone is quite amused when I do.
Making foufou
Well, at least, I TRIED to make foufou. I went over to my work partners house to make lunch with his wife. I wanted to make foufou, to know how and for the experience even though it is not my favorite food. So first you peel the yams (you can make it with cassava too), and you have to careful because apparently the yams will make your skin itch. Then you cut it up and boil it. Madame uses a charcoal pot to cook, as do most people here. (I have a gas stove, two burner and a tank that I had to hook up to the burners myself.) So you have to keep fanning the charcoal too. After boiling it, you let it cool a little. Then you put it in a giant mortar (like 2 feet tall) and smash with a 5 foot…not sure of the word in English…pestle? Anyways, you smash it up and then add water on the pestle so the food doesn’t stick and while you keep pounding it, and I mean pounding with more strength than I possess, and turning it to make a sticky goop. And just when you think it’s done, you add another cup of water and pound away to mix that in, and sometimes you even do that again! All in all, with only two yams cut up to feed the four of us, it took 2 hours to prepare!!! (And in the middle of all this, we made fish sauce, with heads, to pour on the foufou, and then ate it with our hand!)
SCORPIONS!! I found one in my room after being gone for the day. I left to get the broom to smack it to death (as I do daily with the giant spiders), only to find it had disappeared. The next day I tore apart my room cleaning and simultaneously looking for it, but to no avail. Good thing I sleep under an impregnated mosquito net – that’ll kill any bug that comes too close.
No named kitten…
I went to the Agoe marche – it was awesome: big but not overwhelming, with tons more options than Tsevie (although the prices of the same items may be a little higher). It is there that I bought my tiny kitten! It’s orange with big blue eyes. There were so many options at the marche and I was actually afraid to take this one home because she is so small. But when I put my hand into the cage she was the only one that wasn’t scared. She came right up to me and let me pet her all day long. Once I took her home, it was obvious that I made the right choice. She follows me everywhere and stands right by my feet (I have to be careful not to step on her) and she sleeps on my stomach. I wanted a lap cat and that’s what I got. But she’s got a feisty side too – she likes to roll over and she’ll nip at my fingers. She loves the lace on some of my shirts. I think she’ll be a great bug-catcher!! But what to call her? I have yet to pick out a name and just keep saying kitty. Any suggestions?
Working at the Disponsiare:
I am working on getting to know the health system in my community. I have been frequenting the USP, helping with whatever tasks the Sage-Femme (midwife) asks me to, and asking questions when I see the ASC’s (Agents de Sante Communitaire – Community Health Workers). ASC’s are volunteers which is why it is a difficult system because they are relied on to disseminate general health knowledge. When you are not paid to do so, the accountable work load is very little. There are not enough workers for my village, which consists of 6000 people. Additionally, my disponsiare serves the neighboring 9 villages. This will be quite a task.
Water load
I tried to carry water on my head like everyone else yesterday. I had a small basin and still only made it a third of the way to my house, and still spilled before another women took it for me. Not sure that I’ll ever get used to that but I want to keep trying. It’s hard to stand up straight and balance, plus you hold the basin with your hands to help stabilize it – it’s all just very tiring. But at least I can pump my own water. Everyone is quite amused when I do.
Making foufou
Well, at least, I TRIED to make foufou. I went over to my work partners house to make lunch with his wife. I wanted to make foufou, to know how and for the experience even though it is not my favorite food. So first you peel the yams (you can make it with cassava too), and you have to careful because apparently the yams will make your skin itch. Then you cut it up and boil it. Madame uses a charcoal pot to cook, as do most people here. (I have a gas stove, two burner and a tank that I had to hook up to the burners myself.) So you have to keep fanning the charcoal too. After boiling it, you let it cool a little. Then you put it in a giant mortar (like 2 feet tall) and smash with a 5 foot…not sure of the word in English…pestle? Anyways, you smash it up and then add water on the pestle so the food doesn’t stick and while you keep pounding it, and I mean pounding with more strength than I possess, and turning it to make a sticky goop. And just when you think it’s done, you add another cup of water and pound away to mix that in, and sometimes you even do that again! All in all, with only two yams cut up to feed the four of us, it took 2 hours to prepare!!! (And in the middle of all this, we made fish sauce, with heads, to pour on the foufou, and then ate it with our hand!)
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Humpty Dumpty
So in my brilliance to charge my solar charger, I placed the panels in my window, the most direct route to sunlight. Well, then the wind blew, and like humpty dumpty, my solar panel had a great fall, but unlike my egg-shelled friend, all the kings horses and all the kings men did not come to put it back together again. Fortunately only one panel is completely shattered, and it still kind of work if I tilt it just right, and the sun is blazing. That was, since being here, the first time I outright cried.
No lollipops
I’ve been working at the local disponsaire (clinic) in my village and this week there was a campaign for vaccinations “contre la grippe H1N1”. I watched as dozens of children between the ages of 6-18 months received the needle prick without the reward of sugary deliciousness. How tough the children are.
Feeling a little more comfortable…
While getting anything done is a slow process, I am getting back into a routine. I am running regularly again, and am becoming more and more accustomed to the time consuming daily labors – cooking, hand washing the dishes right away (don’t want to leave anything for the critters), separating garbage between organic waste for my soon to be created compost pile and waste to be burned (and dumped in my latrine to decrease the smell and likeliness of the already existent cockroaches), hand washing laundry including the ever-absorbent jersey sheets for my bed (good thing the fitted sheet I brought is jersey because I am making a twin extra long stretch into a full!), sweeping the concrete floors of my two bedroom/one hallway house, sweeping the latrine, and long walks to the disponsiare to observe the local health care. Candle-lit evenings have become relaxing and once I have furniture I am sure I will feel even more at home. I truly am enjoying all this. I am also trying to incorporate more local language into my daily conversations (just the greetings) but I desperately need to find a tutor. I have also visited my marche a few times to be comforted by the availability of fruits and vegis (some new and some classic favorites). Easily at my disposal are: pineapples, coconuts, bananas, sweet plantains and the kind that taste like potatoes, star fruit, oranges, grapefruit, tomatoes, onion, carrots, green beans, potatoes, cucumber, and more but I haven’t bought because I am not sure how to prepare. Cassava and yams are a staple here. I made “koliko” the other day which is fried yams; made it with an egg, tomato, onion, and pimant sauce (kind of like an omelet but in chunky sauce form). And I ate it with my hands, which is custom here!! It was good.
So in my brilliance to charge my solar charger, I placed the panels in my window, the most direct route to sunlight. Well, then the wind blew, and like humpty dumpty, my solar panel had a great fall, but unlike my egg-shelled friend, all the kings horses and all the kings men did not come to put it back together again. Fortunately only one panel is completely shattered, and it still kind of work if I tilt it just right, and the sun is blazing. That was, since being here, the first time I outright cried.
No lollipops
I’ve been working at the local disponsaire (clinic) in my village and this week there was a campaign for vaccinations “contre la grippe H1N1”. I watched as dozens of children between the ages of 6-18 months received the needle prick without the reward of sugary deliciousness. How tough the children are.
Feeling a little more comfortable…
While getting anything done is a slow process, I am getting back into a routine. I am running regularly again, and am becoming more and more accustomed to the time consuming daily labors – cooking, hand washing the dishes right away (don’t want to leave anything for the critters), separating garbage between organic waste for my soon to be created compost pile and waste to be burned (and dumped in my latrine to decrease the smell and likeliness of the already existent cockroaches), hand washing laundry including the ever-absorbent jersey sheets for my bed (good thing the fitted sheet I brought is jersey because I am making a twin extra long stretch into a full!), sweeping the concrete floors of my two bedroom/one hallway house, sweeping the latrine, and long walks to the disponsiare to observe the local health care. Candle-lit evenings have become relaxing and once I have furniture I am sure I will feel even more at home. I truly am enjoying all this. I am also trying to incorporate more local language into my daily conversations (just the greetings) but I desperately need to find a tutor. I have also visited my marche a few times to be comforted by the availability of fruits and vegis (some new and some classic favorites). Easily at my disposal are: pineapples, coconuts, bananas, sweet plantains and the kind that taste like potatoes, star fruit, oranges, grapefruit, tomatoes, onion, carrots, green beans, potatoes, cucumber, and more but I haven’t bought because I am not sure how to prepare. Cassava and yams are a staple here. I made “koliko” the other day which is fried yams; made it with an egg, tomato, onion, and pimant sauce (kind of like an omelet but in chunky sauce form). And I ate it with my hands, which is custom here!! It was good.
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