Sunday was the best day. I got up early to head to the market with Anna, Stephanie, and Haley. We had planned a party for that evening to say thank you to all of our friends at the lodge and to spend a fun night together before we left. We went with Anna to buy all of the ingredients for dinner. Unfortunately that included fish from the fish market. I almost made it out of The Gambia without having to go there, but I was one day short. It was awful!
That afternoon we hung out with Anna and learned how to cook some of her specialties, including cous cous pancakes! I can't wait to try them out at home. Haley and I decided to give our little goodies to the 3 girls from next door- Anna, Ndey, and Juwana. They were so excited! It was wonderful to see how such simple toys like stickers and silly bands could brighten their day so much.
Jambos organized a relay race type of game for us that included carrying water on our heads. We had so much fun competing with each other and goofing off together!
The lodge staff and pretty much all of our best friends in The Gambia, got together and decided to have dresses/shirts made for all of us to wear at the party. It was so sweet! They had them all made out of the same fabric and even had them made for them as well, so that night we were all decked out. We were constantly amazed at how loved they always made us feel. The party was perfect. We took tons of pictures, hugged each other to death, cried a little too much, and laughed the night away. I couldn't think of a better way to spend our last night together!
Monday was our last day but we didn't leave until 1:50 Tuesday morning, so thankfully we had the entire day to spend saying goodbye. We headed over to the Sowe compound to give them gifts to say thank you for letting us cook with them everyday for 6 weeks. They were so sweet- they draped us in Gambian flags! It was awesome! Many of us had been saying we wished we could buy one while there but couldn't find one, so it was so exciting that they had made us 2 each! They all wanted our contact information and to take pictures together before we left. It was extremely hard to say goodbye and leave such a welcoming family that has done so much for us.
That evening was rough. I have never felt so bittersweet about going home before. I hung out at Anna's house pretty much the whole night and said my goodbyes to my 3 favorite little ones- Anna, Ndey, and Juwana. Jambos told me that the whole gang wanted to go to the airport with us to say goodbye. We figured that wouldn't happen since we only had one car and there wasn't room. Little did we know they had arranged cars and we ended up having a 4 car entourage follow us to the airport. It was unbelievably humbling to feel so loved and missed. Saying goodbye was a thousand times harder than I had prepared myself for and I was a mess.
Going into the trip I don't think I realized how long 7 weeks really is: long enough to form a family. To me, it felt like I was leaving behind people I had made lifelong bonds with. I can't bear the thought of never seeing them again. I had no idea I would become so attached to a little hardly known country on the western coast of Africa, but it will forever hold a huge piece of my heart. What a beautiful life this is to travel halfway across the world and be embraced and loved by so many.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Our last weekend
So yes I've been gone for almost a week, but I wanted to get a chance to tie up all the loose ends and talk about our last couple of days in The Gambia since they were so special.
On Saturday we went to Makasutu Culture Forest, a nature reserve just outside Brikama. Anna used to work there so she went with us to show us the ropes. On the way there, we got stuck in the mud! We knew it was bound to happen with all of the puddles we had been driving through the whole time we were there, but it was funny all the same. With the help of some neighboring boys, we got the car out and took an alternate route. Makasutu was gorgeous! The name actually means "holy forest" and the entire place was absolutely beautiful. We set out on a short hike to the edge of the Gambia River, where we were supposed to take a canoe out. Unfortunately, the water was too low and we didn't get a chance to go, but we were secretly okay with that since it was miserably hot. We continued our hike and came to a hut where a "fortune teller" lives. The man predicted long ago that Makasutu would become an attraction for people all over the world, and because he was right, the owner let him stay. It was interesting to hear a little bit of history about his family and one of our group members even got her palm read!
About 10 minutes further into our hike we got to the lodging part of the park. Our tourist book described the rooms as some of the most "luxurious rooms in The Gambia". There were about 6 floating houses that slept 2 and they were impressive! The park also had what they called "jungle houses" which were small 2 story houses for 2 that were very luxurious! I swore that if I ever go back to The Gambia that I will stay one night there!
When we got back to the front of the park we were greeting with lots of baboons. We enjoyed watching them interact and getting lots of pictures of them! After we had enough baboon watching, we were served a plethora of traditional Gambian foods and were entertained by some Gambian women who danced under the Baobab tree for us. We got to join in at the end and had so much fun attempting to dance along with them.
Saturday night a few of us went to Senegambia to have one more night of pizza at our favorite restaurant. We danced along with the live music, people watched, and had great food! We sat on the beach for a couple of hours afterwards and just enjoyed hanging out with each other. I think we all started to realize how soon our trip was going to be over and wanted to spend as much time with each other as we could.
On Saturday we went to Makasutu Culture Forest, a nature reserve just outside Brikama. Anna used to work there so she went with us to show us the ropes. On the way there, we got stuck in the mud! We knew it was bound to happen with all of the puddles we had been driving through the whole time we were there, but it was funny all the same. With the help of some neighboring boys, we got the car out and took an alternate route. Makasutu was gorgeous! The name actually means "holy forest" and the entire place was absolutely beautiful. We set out on a short hike to the edge of the Gambia River, where we were supposed to take a canoe out. Unfortunately, the water was too low and we didn't get a chance to go, but we were secretly okay with that since it was miserably hot. We continued our hike and came to a hut where a "fortune teller" lives. The man predicted long ago that Makasutu would become an attraction for people all over the world, and because he was right, the owner let him stay. It was interesting to hear a little bit of history about his family and one of our group members even got her palm read!
About 10 minutes further into our hike we got to the lodging part of the park. Our tourist book described the rooms as some of the most "luxurious rooms in The Gambia". There were about 6 floating houses that slept 2 and they were impressive! The park also had what they called "jungle houses" which were small 2 story houses for 2 that were very luxurious! I swore that if I ever go back to The Gambia that I will stay one night there!
When we got back to the front of the park we were greeting with lots of baboons. We enjoyed watching them interact and getting lots of pictures of them! After we had enough baboon watching, we were served a plethora of traditional Gambian foods and were entertained by some Gambian women who danced under the Baobab tree for us. We got to join in at the end and had so much fun attempting to dance along with them.
Saturday night a few of us went to Senegambia to have one more night of pizza at our favorite restaurant. We danced along with the live music, people watched, and had great food! We sat on the beach for a couple of hours afterwards and just enjoyed hanging out with each other. I think we all started to realize how soon our trip was going to be over and wanted to spend as much time with each other as we could.
Friday, August 5, 2011
A 3 day trip in an ambulance
Tuesday morning we started the second leg of our travel week plans. Ebrima is a close friend of ours who works with the health center and has done so much for us. It's his family that we cooked with everyday. He got transferred to work at the Regional Store (pharmaceutical supplier) in Mansa Konko so he wanted to take us for a short trip there and to the surrounding areas. We woke up super early on Tuesday, because our ride was supposed to be there at 6am. Well apparently that was GMT (gambia maybe time) and I have decided that GMT doesn't exist. I think GMT just means late. They didn't show up until 8:30. Needless to say, we were all a little ticked that we missed 2 more hours of sleep. Anyways, we loaded up with 11 people in the back of an ambulance and headed to Banjul. We had to take a ferry ride over the Gambia River in Banjul to Barra. When we got there, we toured Fort Bullen. Fort Bullen is the only fort ever built for anti-slavery purposes. The British built the fort to combat ships from entering the mouth of the Gambia River to capture and transport Gambians as slaves. It was very interesting to hear a little bit about the history of Gambia and the slave trade.
We made a few stops on the way, but eventually made it to Albreda, where there is a museum about the Gambian slave trade. We spent a little bit of time touring it and then took a boat over to James Island. Interestingly enough, the island's name was recently changed to Kunta Kinteh Island by Michael Jackson's brother. Strange right? Anyways, the island was used as a fort to keep captured slaves while they were waiting to be shipped to the Americas. I loved getting to see all of the various historical sites throughout Gambia.
To end the day we visited some salt fields. Basically it was this really soggy muddy area by the water where salt has collected. It was awesome! You could literally stomp on the ground and see salt chunks come out of the ground. Unfortunately it was super muddy, but it was interesting to hear how the salt accumulated there and how it is collected.
When we finally got to Mansa Konko, the lights were out (go figure) and the place we intended to stay didn't have a working generator. Clearly this was a problem because it's way to hot in Gambia to sleep without a fan all night. After scarfing down dinner in candlelight (we hadn't eaten all day), we searched for a new place to stay. The lodge wasn't exactly clean by anyone's standards, and 2 of the 3 rooms didn't have running water, but we managed.
The next day we were pleased that we only waited an hour for Ebrima instead of 2 and a half. We first visited a Fula village in the area. There are lots of tribes in Gambia, but 3 main ones: Mandinka, Wolof, and Fula. We stay in a primarily Mandinka area and have become accustomed to the language, customs, and traditions of this tribe. It was really interesting to see the way a Fula community differs and to learn a little bit about their culture. Next, we drove to the Senegal/Gambia border and took a picture in two places at once-straddling the the border! Finally, we drove to our lodge for the night called Tendaba. It was located directly on the edge of the river and had a gorgeous view! Our rooms had a porch that sat right next to the water. We spent the evening relaxing after several busy days and enjoyed a night off.
We got up early on Thursday and headed out. We drove 2 hours back to the Brikama area and went to a nature reserve called Abuko. The hiking was beautiful, but unbelievably hot. One of our group members is fasting since it's Ramadan and I felt so bad for her that she couldn't drink any water! It was awful! We hiked to the animal orphanage where they house lots of monkeys and baboons, along with hyenas. The hyenas were really cool! I've never seen them before and I was amazed at how ugly they are!
We were all so happy to be back in Brikama last night! We spent the evening hiding out from the rain and catching up with all of the lodge guys. It's so good to be back to my Gambian home and I'm looking forward to spending the last few days here with our little family.
Today we are going to our last futbol game and we're getting to watch all of our friends play. Their lower division team is playing in a qualifying game and we haven't gotten to see them play yet so we are extremely excited! Wishing good luck to New Town!
Tonight we are breaking fast with an American family so we are excited for a taste of home! Tomorrow we will head to a nature reserve to do some hiking and hopefully see some animals. I'm looking forward to Sunday, because we are throwing a party for the lodge to say thank you and to spend time together.
I'll be back to Texas in 4 days!!
Love you and miss you-
Morgan
We made a few stops on the way, but eventually made it to Albreda, where there is a museum about the Gambian slave trade. We spent a little bit of time touring it and then took a boat over to James Island. Interestingly enough, the island's name was recently changed to Kunta Kinteh Island by Michael Jackson's brother. Strange right? Anyways, the island was used as a fort to keep captured slaves while they were waiting to be shipped to the Americas. I loved getting to see all of the various historical sites throughout Gambia.
To end the day we visited some salt fields. Basically it was this really soggy muddy area by the water where salt has collected. It was awesome! You could literally stomp on the ground and see salt chunks come out of the ground. Unfortunately it was super muddy, but it was interesting to hear how the salt accumulated there and how it is collected.
When we finally got to Mansa Konko, the lights were out (go figure) and the place we intended to stay didn't have a working generator. Clearly this was a problem because it's way to hot in Gambia to sleep without a fan all night. After scarfing down dinner in candlelight (we hadn't eaten all day), we searched for a new place to stay. The lodge wasn't exactly clean by anyone's standards, and 2 of the 3 rooms didn't have running water, but we managed.
The next day we were pleased that we only waited an hour for Ebrima instead of 2 and a half. We first visited a Fula village in the area. There are lots of tribes in Gambia, but 3 main ones: Mandinka, Wolof, and Fula. We stay in a primarily Mandinka area and have become accustomed to the language, customs, and traditions of this tribe. It was really interesting to see the way a Fula community differs and to learn a little bit about their culture. Next, we drove to the Senegal/Gambia border and took a picture in two places at once-straddling the the border! Finally, we drove to our lodge for the night called Tendaba. It was located directly on the edge of the river and had a gorgeous view! Our rooms had a porch that sat right next to the water. We spent the evening relaxing after several busy days and enjoyed a night off.
We got up early on Thursday and headed out. We drove 2 hours back to the Brikama area and went to a nature reserve called Abuko. The hiking was beautiful, but unbelievably hot. One of our group members is fasting since it's Ramadan and I felt so bad for her that she couldn't drink any water! It was awful! We hiked to the animal orphanage where they house lots of monkeys and baboons, along with hyenas. The hyenas were really cool! I've never seen them before and I was amazed at how ugly they are!
We were all so happy to be back in Brikama last night! We spent the evening hiding out from the rain and catching up with all of the lodge guys. It's so good to be back to my Gambian home and I'm looking forward to spending the last few days here with our little family.
Today we are going to our last futbol game and we're getting to watch all of our friends play. Their lower division team is playing in a qualifying game and we haven't gotten to see them play yet so we are extremely excited! Wishing good luck to New Town!
Tonight we are breaking fast with an American family so we are excited for a taste of home! Tomorrow we will head to a nature reserve to do some hiking and hopefully see some animals. I'm looking forward to Sunday, because we are throwing a party for the lodge to say thank you and to spend time together.
I'll be back to Texas in 4 days!!
Love you and miss you-
Morgan
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Banjul in a day...or 2
Saturday afternoon we headed to the capital to spend the first part of our vacation week. We stayed just a few blocks down from a highlight of the city- Arch 22. It's the big cement arch over the road that has lit up letters that spell out "Happy Birthday Mr. President". Again, they love their president. We spent the first evening getting harassed in the market and making a few purchases just to get out alive. The craft markets are always a danger zone but somehow we always find ourselves there. Saturday night we relaxed and enjoyed our one air conditioned room. One thing I hate about Banjul- the mosquitoes are horrific! They are enormous and outnumber us! Its ridiculous!
Sunday morning we got up early and headed to Tanji to do the one thing I have been looking forward to since we got on the plane to The Gambia- camel rides! It was awesome!! My camel's name was Chencha and she was wonderful. We spent 30 minutes on what seemed like a roller coaster ride and we laughed the whole way. They took us down to the beach and we got some great pictures. I loved it!!
Afterwards, we left for Kachikally, a famous crocodile pool. They had a small museum at the beginning with memorabilia from all of the different tribes in The Gambia. They had musical instruments, traditional celebratory clothing, jujus, and a war history museum. I really enjoyed getting to read about the traditions behind some of the things we have been seeing and hearing about throughout the trip. After a short hike, we made it to the pool. We learned that they feed the crocodiles fish, so we were a little disappointed to know they aren't really wild animals, but it was still cool to be that close to them. The pool is relatively small and there are about 80 crocodiles living in it!
We spent Monday on the Gambia River. We had arranged a boat cruise that showed us the environment on the river. It was so nice! Unfortunately it rained most of the day, but the scenary was really pretty. The best part was the food! They had us set up with brandy in our coffee, homemade garlic bread, mimosas, a buffet lunch, and cookies for dessert. We were in heaven! We stopped for a short while so we could swim in the river. I chose to fish instead and caught a couple catfish. I guess that was the Texan in me...
It seemed like we couldn't wait to get back to Brikama on Monday night. Brikama is like our home here and it surprised me that I missed it so much over the few days we were gone. It's making me really dread having to say goodbye to this place and all of the people here. I can't believe the time has gone by so fast and everything is ending!
I'll try to blog about the second part of vacation week tomorrow!
Love you and miss you all-
Morgan
Sunday morning we got up early and headed to Tanji to do the one thing I have been looking forward to since we got on the plane to The Gambia- camel rides! It was awesome!! My camel's name was Chencha and she was wonderful. We spent 30 minutes on what seemed like a roller coaster ride and we laughed the whole way. They took us down to the beach and we got some great pictures. I loved it!!
Afterwards, we left for Kachikally, a famous crocodile pool. They had a small museum at the beginning with memorabilia from all of the different tribes in The Gambia. They had musical instruments, traditional celebratory clothing, jujus, and a war history museum. I really enjoyed getting to read about the traditions behind some of the things we have been seeing and hearing about throughout the trip. After a short hike, we made it to the pool. We learned that they feed the crocodiles fish, so we were a little disappointed to know they aren't really wild animals, but it was still cool to be that close to them. The pool is relatively small and there are about 80 crocodiles living in it!
We spent Monday on the Gambia River. We had arranged a boat cruise that showed us the environment on the river. It was so nice! Unfortunately it rained most of the day, but the scenary was really pretty. The best part was the food! They had us set up with brandy in our coffee, homemade garlic bread, mimosas, a buffet lunch, and cookies for dessert. We were in heaven! We stopped for a short while so we could swim in the river. I chose to fish instead and caught a couple catfish. I guess that was the Texan in me...
It seemed like we couldn't wait to get back to Brikama on Monday night. Brikama is like our home here and it surprised me that I missed it so much over the few days we were gone. It's making me really dread having to say goodbye to this place and all of the people here. I can't believe the time has gone by so fast and everything is ending!
I'll try to blog about the second part of vacation week tomorrow!
Love you and miss you all-
Morgan
The first of many lasts
Well Friday was our last day at work at the health center and it was a pretty great way to end it! I spent most of the morning taking pictures and saying all my goodbyes to friends in the various units. It felt like the last day of high school or something- we were all exchanging emails and facebook names and taking pictures together. Later in the afternoon we all ventured over to maternity since we were closest with the midwives in that unit. All summer I have been saying I wanted to see twins born and Stephanie has been wanting to see a breech vaginal birth. Well Friday we got 2 in 1. It was AWESOME. The first baby was breeched so she came out butt first. Every time I see a birth I'm totally amazed, but this one was even more incredible. In the US a breeched baby is immediately taken out in a c-section, but here they are vaginally delivered, so it was something I will most likely never get to see again. I felt so bad for the mother! She looked like she was in an incredible amount of pain. After quite a long while of pushing, the baby was finally born but wasn't breathing. It seemed like we all stopped breathing along with her. We resuscitated her for about 20 minutes and she finally started breathing! It was so exciting! We couldn't put her on oxygen until the current came on about 15 minutes later, but as soon as she was put on that she started improving a lot more. We were all smitten with these babies! The second one was head first, thankfully, and came out a lot easier. Although, she was having difficulty breathing as well. They shared the oxygen back and forth and both continued to improve as time went on. The family was overjoyed since they didn't even know they were having twins and both of their previous babies had passed away. It was such a wonderful way to end our time in the hospital. We were thrilled to be a part of something so special and I will definitely never forget it!
When the work day was finished, we had put together a little party to say thank you to all of the health center employees. It was so much fun! We had lots of music and dancing! Even the Cuban doctors brought out some Cuban music and showed us up with their moves. We all jammed out to some tu-pac as well. Towards the end of the party, they brought us all together and had prepared a couple short speeches for us. It totally caught me off guard and I was a mess. They had someone from each department talk about how much they appreciated our coming and how much we had affected them. It was such a great feeling to know they enjoyed us being there just as much as we did. It's hard to put into words the type of relationships I have formed with these people and every time we have to say goodbye to someone else, it seems even harder.
We kicked off vacation week by heading to Senegambia again to see what Duplex had to offer on a Friday night. This time Haley and I brought our own whiskey! The club was so much fun! They a lot more American music and we had a blast!
I know I'm so behind on blogging but I promise to write about the beginning of vacation week soon!
Morgan
When the work day was finished, we had put together a little party to say thank you to all of the health center employees. It was so much fun! We had lots of music and dancing! Even the Cuban doctors brought out some Cuban music and showed us up with their moves. We all jammed out to some tu-pac as well. Towards the end of the party, they brought us all together and had prepared a couple short speeches for us. It totally caught me off guard and I was a mess. They had someone from each department talk about how much they appreciated our coming and how much we had affected them. It was such a great feeling to know they enjoyed us being there just as much as we did. It's hard to put into words the type of relationships I have formed with these people and every time we have to say goodbye to someone else, it seems even harder.
We kicked off vacation week by heading to Senegambia again to see what Duplex had to offer on a Friday night. This time Haley and I brought our own whiskey! The club was so much fun! They a lot more American music and we had a blast!
I know I'm so behind on blogging but I promise to write about the beginning of vacation week soon!
Morgan
Thursday, July 28, 2011
NaNA and PACKAGES!
*Disclaimer* If you are totally bored with Nutrition, you probably shouldn't read this.
Chad, a fellow Aggie in my group, and I went to the National Nutritional Agency office today. I was really excited to see how professionals view the Nutritional status of Gambians and what areas were major concerns. When we first arrived we were sent to the Director of Program's office. Alieu gave us a general overview of the history of the organization and what exactly they do. He talked about the breastfeeding policies in the Gambia and how women are sensitized to this information. Over 60% of all births in The Gambia are at home with the help of a TBA, or traditional birth attendant. Because these women at not at a clinic where information on the importance of breastfeeding cannot be relayed, NaNA has teams of 8 that go out in the community to talk to TBAs about the policies they support. I think this is awesome! I can't believe that the number of births we see at the health center is only representative of 40% of the births occurring in the area. There are so many babies here! He also talked about the 3 major micronutrients that are of concern in The Gambia. Iron is a concern for citizens of all ages. The normal hemoglobin count for patients in the US is about 12. In contrast, a good value for a patient here is anything above 8. The iron in their diets is so low due to the amount of fish they eat, instead of meat. Iodine is also a major concern, which is rarely mentioned as one in the US. The salt produced in the area isn't normally iodized, so UNICEF has funded mobile salt iodizing plants which will iodize local salt production for free. The last nutrient of concern is a deficiency in Vitamin A which is the leading cause of childhood blindness in the world. Eye abnormalities and blindness are very common in The Gambia because of the prevalence of these deficiencies as well as the prevalence of syphilis is pregnant mothers.
After chatting with Alieu for a while we were fed lunch and then directed to a presentation over nutrition for people living with HIV/AIDS. I learned so much about the disease and its low prevalence in eastern and middle Africa. It's a common misconception that the AIDS epidemic is widespread across Africa. In actuality, sub-Saharan Africa is the major area where this disease is so common. There are 33 million people in the world living with AIDS and 22.5 million live in southern Africa. After covering the statistics of the disease, we talked about how it is crucial that an infected person have adequate nutrition. I learned so much about such an interesting topic. I didn't want to leave when it was time to go!
After dodging a near death head-on collision on the way home compliments of the fantastic driving skills of Gambians, the rain started in. A few of us were determined to get the post office today and decided to battle the rain, thinking it would probably quit soon anyways. Oh my goodness were we wrong. It poured and we definitely didn't have a rain coat. We laughed the entire way there. Thankfully the trek paid off because I got 2 packages! My parents sent a package of goodies and the English's and Reeder's sent one together. I am so blessed to have family that loves me so much! Thank you for being so thoughtful! Normal American junk food is way better than Gambian junk food any day! Thanks again for sending love half way around the world!
Tomorrow we are celebrating our last day of work with a little end of the day party to say thank you. Saturday we will start our travel week of crocodile pools, river cruises, camel riding, and lots lots more! Can't wait to write all about it!
Love you all so much-
Morgan
Chad, a fellow Aggie in my group, and I went to the National Nutritional Agency office today. I was really excited to see how professionals view the Nutritional status of Gambians and what areas were major concerns. When we first arrived we were sent to the Director of Program's office. Alieu gave us a general overview of the history of the organization and what exactly they do. He talked about the breastfeeding policies in the Gambia and how women are sensitized to this information. Over 60% of all births in The Gambia are at home with the help of a TBA, or traditional birth attendant. Because these women at not at a clinic where information on the importance of breastfeeding cannot be relayed, NaNA has teams of 8 that go out in the community to talk to TBAs about the policies they support. I think this is awesome! I can't believe that the number of births we see at the health center is only representative of 40% of the births occurring in the area. There are so many babies here! He also talked about the 3 major micronutrients that are of concern in The Gambia. Iron is a concern for citizens of all ages. The normal hemoglobin count for patients in the US is about 12. In contrast, a good value for a patient here is anything above 8. The iron in their diets is so low due to the amount of fish they eat, instead of meat. Iodine is also a major concern, which is rarely mentioned as one in the US. The salt produced in the area isn't normally iodized, so UNICEF has funded mobile salt iodizing plants which will iodize local salt production for free. The last nutrient of concern is a deficiency in Vitamin A which is the leading cause of childhood blindness in the world. Eye abnormalities and blindness are very common in The Gambia because of the prevalence of these deficiencies as well as the prevalence of syphilis is pregnant mothers.
After chatting with Alieu for a while we were fed lunch and then directed to a presentation over nutrition for people living with HIV/AIDS. I learned so much about the disease and its low prevalence in eastern and middle Africa. It's a common misconception that the AIDS epidemic is widespread across Africa. In actuality, sub-Saharan Africa is the major area where this disease is so common. There are 33 million people in the world living with AIDS and 22.5 million live in southern Africa. After covering the statistics of the disease, we talked about how it is crucial that an infected person have adequate nutrition. I learned so much about such an interesting topic. I didn't want to leave when it was time to go!
After dodging a near death head-on collision on the way home compliments of the fantastic driving skills of Gambians, the rain started in. A few of us were determined to get the post office today and decided to battle the rain, thinking it would probably quit soon anyways. Oh my goodness were we wrong. It poured and we definitely didn't have a rain coat. We laughed the entire way there. Thankfully the trek paid off because I got 2 packages! My parents sent a package of goodies and the English's and Reeder's sent one together. I am so blessed to have family that loves me so much! Thank you for being so thoughtful! Normal American junk food is way better than Gambian junk food any day! Thanks again for sending love half way around the world!
Tomorrow we are celebrating our last day of work with a little end of the day party to say thank you. Saturday we will start our travel week of crocodile pools, river cruises, camel riding, and lots lots more! Can't wait to write all about it!
Love you all so much-
Morgan
Monday, July 25, 2011
Parades, Beaches, and Gambian Weddings!
This week was a three day weekend and we packed it full! Friday was Gambia's Revolution Day, which is a celebration of when the current president took over and basically overthrew a more corrupt government. This country loves their president! He has been in office for 17 years now. We took part in the celebration by loading in the ambulance (our usual transportation) and heading to the capital Banjul. We were surprised to see everyone in green! Apparently we didn't get the memo that the president's political party is represented by green and none of us had it on- oops. After quite a bit of waiting, we finally got a glimpse of the president. He rode by in a stretch hummer truck limo- very extravagant. The security was ridiculous! There were men with machine guns in the back of the truck and snipers on the roof! I was afraid just to reach in my bag! After the president drove by, he stood at a podium under this giant pavilion where most of the spectators of the parade were sitting. We were ready to escape the heat so we decided to head out. Ebrima had this grand idea that the shortest way to get to the car was to just jump in the middle of the parade and walk with them to where our car was. He is too funny! So we jumped in behind a marching group of kids from a local school. I'm sure everyone was wondering what the heck we were doing there! We were even on TV. Ana said they saw us cracking up and everyone watching started yelling about how they knew us! It was quite the entertainment of the day.
Saturday we headed back to Sanyang for another beach weekend. We had originally thought we were going to go to Senegambia, but after hearing of the abundance of jellyfish and bumsters (men that steal your stuff in plain sight), we decided Sanyang was the better option. We had another great beach day playing in the water, basket tossing each other, and even had some giant seaweed fights! It was a blast. Ana brought chicken and cooked grilled chicken sandwiches on the beach for us. It was perfect. We even joined in on a local party and did some dancing while waiting on our driver. We have been so lucky that the weather has cooperated every beach weekend. I couldn't have asked for better memories at Sanyang.
Sunday we spent the day relaxing at the lodge and sleeping in-our favorite pastime besides Canasta. We headed to Serekunda in the afternoon to celebrate Maimouna's wedding. The entire maternity ward had dresses made out of the same fabric, so to join in we took scraps of the fabric and added them to our outfits. It was so cute! The wedding was gorgeous. The women are all so glamorous! I was surprised at how similar it was to a traditional outdoor wedding reception in the states. We had dinner and sat outside waiting for the bride and groom to arrive from the mosque. The bride spends the day at the salon, while the groom and the elder men go to the mosque and get the wedding approved and blessed. Lamin (the groom) picked up Maimouna from the salon and they made a grand entrance. Chad and I were very disappointed that for some reason the Ford Explorer they showed up in had a longhorn sticker on it! What the heck?!?! They greeted everyone and took lots lots lots of pictures. Maimouna looked gorgeous! The only downside of the wedding are the attendance of griots- one of my top 3 least favorite things about Gambia. I was more prepared to ignore them this time and Haley had a great time video taping our responses to these annoying begging women. After Maimouna had greeted everyone, we were moved to a different compound just down the street. They had cultural music playing and everyone enjoyed dancing and observing. The biggest event of the night is when they arrive again, Maimouna in a new dress. They have a cake set up and a leather couch where the bride and groom sit and cut the cake. Overall the wedding was tons of fun and a great way to celebrate and special friendship we have all made with her.
This week I will wrap up our hospital time with RCH (peds) and Hands on Care again. Friday we are having a small going away party with the hospital staff to show them how much we appreciate all they have done for us. As time is ticking away and I get excited to head home, I can't help but think about all of the relationships we have made here and how sad it will make me to say goodbye.
Looking forward to seeing my American family and friends very soon!
-Isa
Saturday we headed back to Sanyang for another beach weekend. We had originally thought we were going to go to Senegambia, but after hearing of the abundance of jellyfish and bumsters (men that steal your stuff in plain sight), we decided Sanyang was the better option. We had another great beach day playing in the water, basket tossing each other, and even had some giant seaweed fights! It was a blast. Ana brought chicken and cooked grilled chicken sandwiches on the beach for us. It was perfect. We even joined in on a local party and did some dancing while waiting on our driver. We have been so lucky that the weather has cooperated every beach weekend. I couldn't have asked for better memories at Sanyang.
Sunday we spent the day relaxing at the lodge and sleeping in-our favorite pastime besides Canasta. We headed to Serekunda in the afternoon to celebrate Maimouna's wedding. The entire maternity ward had dresses made out of the same fabric, so to join in we took scraps of the fabric and added them to our outfits. It was so cute! The wedding was gorgeous. The women are all so glamorous! I was surprised at how similar it was to a traditional outdoor wedding reception in the states. We had dinner and sat outside waiting for the bride and groom to arrive from the mosque. The bride spends the day at the salon, while the groom and the elder men go to the mosque and get the wedding approved and blessed. Lamin (the groom) picked up Maimouna from the salon and they made a grand entrance. Chad and I were very disappointed that for some reason the Ford Explorer they showed up in had a longhorn sticker on it! What the heck?!?! They greeted everyone and took lots lots lots of pictures. Maimouna looked gorgeous! The only downside of the wedding are the attendance of griots- one of my top 3 least favorite things about Gambia. I was more prepared to ignore them this time and Haley had a great time video taping our responses to these annoying begging women. After Maimouna had greeted everyone, we were moved to a different compound just down the street. They had cultural music playing and everyone enjoyed dancing and observing. The biggest event of the night is when they arrive again, Maimouna in a new dress. They have a cake set up and a leather couch where the bride and groom sit and cut the cake. Overall the wedding was tons of fun and a great way to celebrate and special friendship we have all made with her.
This week I will wrap up our hospital time with RCH (peds) and Hands on Care again. Friday we are having a small going away party with the hospital staff to show them how much we appreciate all they have done for us. As time is ticking away and I get excited to head home, I can't help but think about all of the relationships we have made here and how sad it will make me to say goodbye.
Looking forward to seeing my American family and friends very soon!
-Isa
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Hands on Care
I have spent the week in the Hands On Care, HIV unit, rotation. Monday I enjoyed getting to sit in on some counseling sessions for patients who are getting ready to start their ARV medications. They are required to meet with a "counselor" (nurse) 3 times prior to beginning, and they must bring in a "supporter" for at least one session so they are notified that the patient is HIV positive. I had some difficulty watching the reactions of some of the patients since a few broke down into tears. One woman got upset telling us that her husband was divorcing her because of "the sickness". (they rarely ever say the words HIV or AIDS. It's always "the sickness")
The second part of the day was a lot better! I got to help with antenatal visits. They taught me to do palpitations where I could feel for the baby's head and back, listen to the fetal heartbeat, and even date pregnancies. I was so excited the first time I actually heard the heartbeat! The mom just laughed at me! I really enjoyed getting to perform them on my own and then have him do them and compare our results. It was definitely a more rewarding and uplifting way to end the day.
Tuesday was extremely slow. I spent half of the day working with the home based care unit in HOC. They provide infant formula and milk powder to children with HIV, orphans, and children with HIV positive parents. It was interesting for a while, but wasn't very busy at all. After work we went to the post office since several of our group members are getting boxes of American snacks! I cooked at Yandey's house for dinner. We made spaghetti with an onion sauce and potatoes- the most American meal we eat. I always love spending time over there with all of the women. They get a kick out of watching us toubabs attempt to cook like they do. Yandey tied a wrap skirt around me yesterday and patted my butt saying she liked my "loppy". It seems to be a reoccurring theme here for Stephanie and I. The women love to tell us how we have the "African style loppy"- so funny.
Wednesday I worked in the dispensary department of the HOC unit. I learned a lot about ARV medications and how they are distributed. I enjoyed spending the day in an air conditioned unit and was really busy the whole day. By the end, I was reading and putting together all of the prescriptions while she dictated to the patients how to take them and handed them out. It's always rewarding to feel like the unit has really benefited from my time there. After work we ran some errands in the market and prayed for electricity. We didn't get it. It was the 4th night in a row that we have had to stay up waiting on current because it's too hot in our rooms otherwise. Thankfully, Chad, Steph, Haley, and I have started playing this card game Stephanie taught us called Canasta and now we're hooked. It's a partner game and tons of fun! I can't wait to teach everyone when I get back!
Today was another extremely boring day at the health center. It seems like that's been happening a lot lately. Tomorrow is a national holiday so everyone is off work and apparently today got included in the not working category. We are spending the day in Banjul tomorrow participating in the festivities and taking in the sights. Saturday we are looking forward to another beach day. We are going to head to Senegambia and spend the evening there. Sunday is our favorite midwife Maimouna's wedding! I cannot wait to see how a Gambian wedding is and see her get married. I am so excited!
Can't believe I'll be home in 19 days!
Love you all so much!
-Morgan
The second part of the day was a lot better! I got to help with antenatal visits. They taught me to do palpitations where I could feel for the baby's head and back, listen to the fetal heartbeat, and even date pregnancies. I was so excited the first time I actually heard the heartbeat! The mom just laughed at me! I really enjoyed getting to perform them on my own and then have him do them and compare our results. It was definitely a more rewarding and uplifting way to end the day.
Tuesday was extremely slow. I spent half of the day working with the home based care unit in HOC. They provide infant formula and milk powder to children with HIV, orphans, and children with HIV positive parents. It was interesting for a while, but wasn't very busy at all. After work we went to the post office since several of our group members are getting boxes of American snacks! I cooked at Yandey's house for dinner. We made spaghetti with an onion sauce and potatoes- the most American meal we eat. I always love spending time over there with all of the women. They get a kick out of watching us toubabs attempt to cook like they do. Yandey tied a wrap skirt around me yesterday and patted my butt saying she liked my "loppy". It seems to be a reoccurring theme here for Stephanie and I. The women love to tell us how we have the "African style loppy"- so funny.
Wednesday I worked in the dispensary department of the HOC unit. I learned a lot about ARV medications and how they are distributed. I enjoyed spending the day in an air conditioned unit and was really busy the whole day. By the end, I was reading and putting together all of the prescriptions while she dictated to the patients how to take them and handed them out. It's always rewarding to feel like the unit has really benefited from my time there. After work we ran some errands in the market and prayed for electricity. We didn't get it. It was the 4th night in a row that we have had to stay up waiting on current because it's too hot in our rooms otherwise. Thankfully, Chad, Steph, Haley, and I have started playing this card game Stephanie taught us called Canasta and now we're hooked. It's a partner game and tons of fun! I can't wait to teach everyone when I get back!
Today was another extremely boring day at the health center. It seems like that's been happening a lot lately. Tomorrow is a national holiday so everyone is off work and apparently today got included in the not working category. We are spending the day in Banjul tomorrow participating in the festivities and taking in the sights. Saturday we are looking forward to another beach day. We are going to head to Senegambia and spend the evening there. Sunday is our favorite midwife Maimouna's wedding! I cannot wait to see how a Gambian wedding is and see her get married. I am so excited!
Can't believe I'll be home in 19 days!
Love you all so much!
-Morgan
Monday, July 18, 2011
20 Things I love about The Gambia
1. omelet sandwiches
2. waist beads
3. Gambian children
4. bottled coke
5. skip bo
6. the morning sounds
7. futbol games
8. taxi rides
9. benechin
10. porridge
11. African dresses/fabric
12. my group
13. Africell
14. hair braids
15. Nyambai fast food
16. nutella
17. Gateway
18. beach weekends
19. bats
20. African dancing and music
I thought everyone might want a quick update on the things I love here and at home!
Miss you all!!
2. waist beads
3. Gambian children
4. bottled coke
5. skip bo
6. the morning sounds
7. futbol games
8. taxi rides
9. benechin
10. porridge
11. African dresses/fabric
12. my group
13. Africell
14. hair braids
15. Nyambai fast food
16. nutella
17. Gateway
18. beach weekends
19. bats
20. African dancing and music
I thought everyone might want a quick update on the things I love here and at home!
Miss you all!!
20 Things I miss about Texas/civilization
1. friends and family
2. AIR CONDITIONING
3. warm showers/baths
4. chicken fingers
5. ice
6. milk
7. TV
8. unmosquitonetted beds
9. brushing my teeth without bottled water
10. soft toilet paper
11. pools
12. cheese
13. washing machines
14. dishwashers
15. constant electricity
16. driving myself
17. cleanliness
18. dollars
19. internet connection
20. non gigantic bugs
2. AIR CONDITIONING
3. warm showers/baths
4. chicken fingers
5. ice
6. milk
7. TV
8. unmosquitonetted beds
9. brushing my teeth without bottled water
10. soft toilet paper
11. pools
12. cheese
13. washing machines
14. dishwashers
15. constant electricity
16. driving myself
17. cleanliness
18. dollars
19. internet connection
20. non gigantic bugs
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Birthday Parties and shopping, shopping, shopping
On Thursday, we spent the evening at a 4 year old's birthday party. Juma's son Muhammad invited us to celebrate with them. I was intrigued to see how a kid's birthday party here differed from back home since we've been told that most people here don't even know their birthdays and don't celebrate them at all. However, we were pleasantly surprised at how similar it was. There were a ton of kids there! We had this grand idea to play musical chairs with them since it's a game that doesn't take much explaining, but everyone loves it. It was a hit! We had so much fun with them. There was this one little boy named Musa who was decked out in a suit and tie with Timberlands- So cute! We were crazy about him and took too many pictures. After playing for a while, Juma's wife brought out suckers and balloons, which the kids loved. Dinner was served shortly after, which was sort of a seafood stew. There were full crabs in it! It definitely was not what I was expecting for a meal at a 4 year old's party. They had meat pies, a kind of pound cake, and baobab juice. We had so much fun that we were some of the last adults to leave! Afterwards, a few of us headed over to Gateway, the one place around here with the prepackaged processed food Americans love, and picked up some ice cream to go with the cake we had bought for Ana's birthday. When we got back to the lodge, we sang to her and she blew out a lighter (to replace a candle). She said it was her best birthday yet!
On Saturday, we got up early to head to Serekunda for the day. We had been told that it was more of a touristy area so we should be more careful with our bags and money while there. We looked like such toubabs carrying our backpacks on the front. Saturday was by far the hottest day we've had yet! It was so humid that we were all drenched from head to toe. Ebrima accompanied us for the day and showed us all around the market. He was excited to show us the meat market. We were not excited to see it. I caught one glimpse of the fly-covered, unrefrigerated slabs of meat covering the counters and a whiff of the odor before I decided I would wait outside. The most common purchases of the day were waist beads. They are these elastic beaded jewelry that women commonly wear around their waists. When I first asked Ana about hers, she laughed and totally looked suspicious, so of course that made me want to know even more. Awa explained that "the men like it". Our group thinks it's absolutely hilarious. I'm pretty sure just about every girl in our group bought some- just for the fun of it. I guess it's the closest thing they have to cultural lingerie and we weren't about to miss out on something so uniquely Gambian. The highlight of the day was definitely the "proper supermarket" we had been hearing about. We were not leaving Serekunda before checking it out. Turns out it was Air Conditioned, had a fully stocked alcohol section (which you NEVER see), and had plenty of refrigerated drinks. We were ecstatic!
After spending the day shopping, sweating, and getting sunburned, we headed to a naming ceremony. Ebrima's wife Isatou had a family member who was holding a naming ceremony in Serekunda and invited us to go. We enjoyed great company and great food!
Today it poured all morning long, so we are just having a lazy day reading books and praying for a break in the rain to do some laundry. Tomorrow I will start my rotation in the HIV/Hands on Care unit. I can't wait to see what's in store at the hospital this week!
love you and miss you all!
-Morgan
On Saturday, we got up early to head to Serekunda for the day. We had been told that it was more of a touristy area so we should be more careful with our bags and money while there. We looked like such toubabs carrying our backpacks on the front. Saturday was by far the hottest day we've had yet! It was so humid that we were all drenched from head to toe. Ebrima accompanied us for the day and showed us all around the market. He was excited to show us the meat market. We were not excited to see it. I caught one glimpse of the fly-covered, unrefrigerated slabs of meat covering the counters and a whiff of the odor before I decided I would wait outside. The most common purchases of the day were waist beads. They are these elastic beaded jewelry that women commonly wear around their waists. When I first asked Ana about hers, she laughed and totally looked suspicious, so of course that made me want to know even more. Awa explained that "the men like it". Our group thinks it's absolutely hilarious. I'm pretty sure just about every girl in our group bought some- just for the fun of it. I guess it's the closest thing they have to cultural lingerie and we weren't about to miss out on something so uniquely Gambian. The highlight of the day was definitely the "proper supermarket" we had been hearing about. We were not leaving Serekunda before checking it out. Turns out it was Air Conditioned, had a fully stocked alcohol section (which you NEVER see), and had plenty of refrigerated drinks. We were ecstatic!
After spending the day shopping, sweating, and getting sunburned, we headed to a naming ceremony. Ebrima's wife Isatou had a family member who was holding a naming ceremony in Serekunda and invited us to go. We enjoyed great company and great food!
Today it poured all morning long, so we are just having a lazy day reading books and praying for a break in the rain to do some laundry. Tomorrow I will start my rotation in the HIV/Hands on Care unit. I can't wait to see what's in store at the hospital this week!
love you and miss you all!
-Morgan
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Futbol, Dancing, Maternity, and Birthdays
Sunday night we attended another soccer game at the local Brikama stadium. It was an important game, because Brikama was tied for first place in the league and really needed to win to secure the lead. They were playing the Gambia Army Team, which is who our friend Kaba played for. So basically it was his alma mater versus his hometown team that all of his friends and family were cheering for. Brikama ended up winning and we went on the field for pictures again. My roommate on the trip is dating/head over heels/engaged to one of the guys who plays for Brikama so it was fun to interact with him on the field as well. I don't think any of us realized how big of a celebrity our friend Kaba is. He just got offered to play for Spain's national team and is leaving in August for that! We are so proud of him and we're all praying he ends up in the US.
Monday I spent the day cooking lunch for everyone and didn't get to go to the hospital. At Yanday's we made Chicken Benechin, my favorite! It was a longer process than I expected, but probably something I could make at home. I think we are all kind of shocked by how much oil and sodium they use in their food here! Everything is fried. It seems to be working it's ways on the stomachs of a lot of our group. Last night we bought some apples (expensive here!) and you would have thought we had died and gone to heaven. We scarfed down 5 apples between 6 of us and barely spared a core. We have really been missing our normal regimens of protein and dairy too! The continuous carb diet is taking its toll on our appetites and attitudes with food.
Tuesday, Stephanie and I went out with the RCH (peds) and public health units to a small village called Pirang. I spent most of the day weighing infants and marking them on the weight chart. Stephanie dealt with most of the antenatal checkups for pregnant women in that area. It was really nice to get out of Brikama for a day and to see a smaller, more remote area of Gambia. The health center there was extremely small, but in such a gorgeous area. After we loaded up, Stephanie and I noticed we were heading in the opposite direction of Brikama and asked where we were going. Of course we weren't given a straight answer, they just said we were going a different way back. Well it turned out we showed up in this open area where there were a bunch of women sitting in a circle underneath a tree. It's pretty common for the ambulance to take a million stops on the way home as if the vehicle isn't needed and the employees aren't supposed to be working. They fed us some lunch and before we knew it they were making a bunch of music! It was hilarious! They broke out in traditional African dance (it was chaotic/awesome) and insisted that Stephanie and I join. We were adorned with dancing beads around our necks and did our best to keep up with them. It was so awesome! We couldn't stop laughing and got some great videos of the whole thing. Can't wait to show them to everyone when I get back!
Wednesday was my first day in the Maternity unit which I was a little nervous about since it can often be the most stressful area. It was a pretty slow day, surprisingly. They didn't have any women in the postpartum area (a first) and when I got there, they only had 1 woman laboring. By the end of the day, I got to see 2 deliveries. The first was relatively easy and the baby was healthy. The second was another story. At first, the mother lied about how many children she had (I have no idea why), but we later found out this was her 10th. Hearing that, I was expecting a pretty quick and easy labor. Well it turns out the woman was exhausted and couldn't push. They attempted using the vacuum, but since we're in the middle of Africa, it was broken. They ended up having to push the baby out by putting pressure on her stomach. It looked awful, but I was impressed it actually worked! I was pleased that the day went smoothly, but Thursday wasn't so lucky.
Today the maternity ward was nuts! Within 10 minutes of arriving, a transfer came in from Pirang and needed urgent attention. It turns out Stephanie had just seen this woman on Tuesday for her antenatal checkup and determined that she was 30 weeks. She came in with intense hemorrhaging and had lost an enormous amount of blood when she arrived. Being that there is no hurry in Gambia, midwife attention was minimal at first. After a few exams, they concluded that there was no fetal heartbeat and that she had a placental abruption, where the placenta had detached from the uterine wall and was causing lots of bleeding. They decided to transfer her to Banjul to get better help. The ambulance ride was interesting. They crammed her in a car with another woman who was pregnant, but there was also no fetal heartbeat. The nurse shared a seat with the second woman, the woman's mom sat in what was left of the back seat, and I straddled the stick shift in the front seat with another woman. It was an interesting 30 minute drive as vomiting and lots of moaning occurred the whole way. We safely transported them and of course made a million stops on the way back, but finally returned around 12. When I got back, there were 7 women laboring and 3 had already given birth! I didn't get to see any births, but I did get to see them tie off a 6th finger on both hands of 2 newborns. It was pretty interesting!
Tonight we are attending a friend's son's 4th birthday party and then throwing a party for Ana's birthday at the lodge! Can't wait for an eventful night!
-Isa
Monday I spent the day cooking lunch for everyone and didn't get to go to the hospital. At Yanday's we made Chicken Benechin, my favorite! It was a longer process than I expected, but probably something I could make at home. I think we are all kind of shocked by how much oil and sodium they use in their food here! Everything is fried. It seems to be working it's ways on the stomachs of a lot of our group. Last night we bought some apples (expensive here!) and you would have thought we had died and gone to heaven. We scarfed down 5 apples between 6 of us and barely spared a core. We have really been missing our normal regimens of protein and dairy too! The continuous carb diet is taking its toll on our appetites and attitudes with food.
Tuesday, Stephanie and I went out with the RCH (peds) and public health units to a small village called Pirang. I spent most of the day weighing infants and marking them on the weight chart. Stephanie dealt with most of the antenatal checkups for pregnant women in that area. It was really nice to get out of Brikama for a day and to see a smaller, more remote area of Gambia. The health center there was extremely small, but in such a gorgeous area. After we loaded up, Stephanie and I noticed we were heading in the opposite direction of Brikama and asked where we were going. Of course we weren't given a straight answer, they just said we were going a different way back. Well it turned out we showed up in this open area where there were a bunch of women sitting in a circle underneath a tree. It's pretty common for the ambulance to take a million stops on the way home as if the vehicle isn't needed and the employees aren't supposed to be working. They fed us some lunch and before we knew it they were making a bunch of music! It was hilarious! They broke out in traditional African dance (it was chaotic/awesome) and insisted that Stephanie and I join. We were adorned with dancing beads around our necks and did our best to keep up with them. It was so awesome! We couldn't stop laughing and got some great videos of the whole thing. Can't wait to show them to everyone when I get back!
Wednesday was my first day in the Maternity unit which I was a little nervous about since it can often be the most stressful area. It was a pretty slow day, surprisingly. They didn't have any women in the postpartum area (a first) and when I got there, they only had 1 woman laboring. By the end of the day, I got to see 2 deliveries. The first was relatively easy and the baby was healthy. The second was another story. At first, the mother lied about how many children she had (I have no idea why), but we later found out this was her 10th. Hearing that, I was expecting a pretty quick and easy labor. Well it turns out the woman was exhausted and couldn't push. They attempted using the vacuum, but since we're in the middle of Africa, it was broken. They ended up having to push the baby out by putting pressure on her stomach. It looked awful, but I was impressed it actually worked! I was pleased that the day went smoothly, but Thursday wasn't so lucky.
Today the maternity ward was nuts! Within 10 minutes of arriving, a transfer came in from Pirang and needed urgent attention. It turns out Stephanie had just seen this woman on Tuesday for her antenatal checkup and determined that she was 30 weeks. She came in with intense hemorrhaging and had lost an enormous amount of blood when she arrived. Being that there is no hurry in Gambia, midwife attention was minimal at first. After a few exams, they concluded that there was no fetal heartbeat and that she had a placental abruption, where the placenta had detached from the uterine wall and was causing lots of bleeding. They decided to transfer her to Banjul to get better help. The ambulance ride was interesting. They crammed her in a car with another woman who was pregnant, but there was also no fetal heartbeat. The nurse shared a seat with the second woman, the woman's mom sat in what was left of the back seat, and I straddled the stick shift in the front seat with another woman. It was an interesting 30 minute drive as vomiting and lots of moaning occurred the whole way. We safely transported them and of course made a million stops on the way back, but finally returned around 12. When I got back, there were 7 women laboring and 3 had already given birth! I didn't get to see any births, but I did get to see them tie off a 6th finger on both hands of 2 newborns. It was pretty interesting!
Tonight we are attending a friend's son's 4th birthday party and then throwing a party for Ana's birthday at the lodge! Can't wait for an eventful night!
-Isa
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Dancing the night away
Friday in pediatrics was just what I needed! It was such a relief from all of the stressful units to just be in charge of healthy kids for once. The setup of the pediatrics unit is quite interesting. They just use 2 tables underneath a covered pavilion area to do checkups. There are no doctors in the area at all. Basically, mothers are given a blue birth card, similar to a birth certificate, after delivery. They are instructed to bring their children in every month until they turn 5, which I think is way excessive. On the cards is a growth chart made by the World Health Organization where we mark the child's weight each month. I was in charge of weighing the toddlers on Friday. The whole system is a little silly in my opinion, since the majority of the children are extremely underweight and after we mark it on the chart, they just go home. There is no counseling or suggestions given to help the mother raise a healthier child; they are just sent home. It's not surprising that most cards were at least 6 months behind. The whole experience is a little chaotic. There aren't any lines, so its pretty much which mother can shove their card into my hand before everyone else!? The kids are funny too. Some are so brave and just stand there, hand over their card, get weighed, and leave. Others are deathly afraid of me!! They take one look at white skin and sprint in the other direction. I couldn't help but laugh even though it's kind of sad. I know I mention it a lot, but it's so hard to get used to looking like some kind of monster here! Anyway, after they are weighed they are sent to get vaccinations pretty similar to the US. However, in The Gambia, all children get an injection of Vitamin A every month. Being a nutrition student, I find that very interesting. Vitamin A deficiency is the number one cause of blindness in childhood, so I think it's awesome that kids are supplemented here! Although, its sad for the women who go 6 months without bringing there children in. Since we finished at noon in pediatrics we went into the maternity ward (everyone's favorite) to see what was going on. It wasn't a very pretty sight, as it normally isn't. There was a woman there that had given birth to a stillbirth child and was hemorrhaging. It was really scary! She had lost so much blood. To check the relative amount of healthy blood a person has you pull down the skin underneath the eye and check the color. It's supposed to be a healthy pink/red color, but her's was the whitest I had ever seen. And it was ridiculous how the nurses and midwives were acting. She was probably a max of 10 minutes away from passing away and they were just sitting around talking. There is no such thing as an emergency here! They were waiting on a unit of blood to warm up since it had been in the fridge, but they were running it under the cold water-the only way it comes. We were all freaking out. FINALLY, she hooked up the blood and Fatou was able to be transfused. Maiouna, the head maternity midwife we all love, said they would also put her on oxygen since her hemoglobin was so low, except there was no electricity. Yet another downfall of living in the area. She was transported to the Banjul hospital shortly after and we haven't yet heard if she made it. I swear I can never escape the sad parts of a frontier hospital even for a day.
After getting off work early on Friday, we met up with a friend, Isa (yes it's VERY common here), to search for fabrics. A couple girls want to get traditional African dresses made and a lot of us want pajama pants! The fabric is relatively cheap, but we have to take an escort with us since it's easy to rip off the toubabs. After shopping, we went for our weekly night out to eat at the "American fast food" restaurant. It's always a nice break from all of the fish!
Saturday was another day at the beach. This time there were 18 of us in a 13 passenger van! It was a sight to see! We had so much fun, like we always do! The swim lessons continued and of course the basket tossing. The weather was perfect and so was the water. After a full day at the beach, we traveled to Senegambia to go to dinner. Senegambia is apparently the tourist spot of Gambia, because it was SO nice! The restaurant had a dance floor and we had such a good time learning some new African moves.
After dinner we headed home for a quick shower and then a few of us went to a traditional Gambian nightclub. We weren't sure what to expect, but were definitely pleasantly surprised. Either Kaba is apparently more famous than we thought or because we were white, we got in VIP, which was a treat! It was the nicest place we've been yet, and the first with air conditioning! We just couldn't get over how a night club had guaranteed electricity and AC, but the hospital seems to never have it. Anyways, we stood out even more since Muslims don't drink and us Americans were ecstatic that they had whiskey! Not to mention, we were all wearing three times the amount of clothes the locals were! The nightclub stayed open until 5am, but we left around 3:30. It was a great way to have some fun together and let loose. :)
Since we didn't get home until after 4 am, most of us slept in until around noon today. We are spending the day playing cards and relaxing around the lodge. Tomorrow and Tuesday I will finish my time in Peds and will be put in a new rotation Wednesday. Looking forward to a start of a great week.
Love and Miss you all!
-Isa :)
After getting off work early on Friday, we met up with a friend, Isa (yes it's VERY common here), to search for fabrics. A couple girls want to get traditional African dresses made and a lot of us want pajama pants! The fabric is relatively cheap, but we have to take an escort with us since it's easy to rip off the toubabs. After shopping, we went for our weekly night out to eat at the "American fast food" restaurant. It's always a nice break from all of the fish!
Saturday was another day at the beach. This time there were 18 of us in a 13 passenger van! It was a sight to see! We had so much fun, like we always do! The swim lessons continued and of course the basket tossing. The weather was perfect and so was the water. After a full day at the beach, we traveled to Senegambia to go to dinner. Senegambia is apparently the tourist spot of Gambia, because it was SO nice! The restaurant had a dance floor and we had such a good time learning some new African moves.
After dinner we headed home for a quick shower and then a few of us went to a traditional Gambian nightclub. We weren't sure what to expect, but were definitely pleasantly surprised. Either Kaba is apparently more famous than we thought or because we were white, we got in VIP, which was a treat! It was the nicest place we've been yet, and the first with air conditioning! We just couldn't get over how a night club had guaranteed electricity and AC, but the hospital seems to never have it. Anyways, we stood out even more since Muslims don't drink and us Americans were ecstatic that they had whiskey! Not to mention, we were all wearing three times the amount of clothes the locals were! The nightclub stayed open until 5am, but we left around 3:30. It was a great way to have some fun together and let loose. :)
Since we didn't get home until after 4 am, most of us slept in until around noon today. We are spending the day playing cards and relaxing around the lodge. Tomorrow and Tuesday I will finish my time in Peds and will be put in a new rotation Wednesday. Looking forward to a start of a great week.
Love and Miss you all!
-Isa :)
Thursday, July 7, 2011
A Tough Work Week
So it's been a busy week and the time has flown by without having time to blog! Monday I finished my rotation in the pharmacy. I enjoyed it, but was ready for something a little bit more exciting. We have an arrangement with a couple friends of ours that they will cook us meals if we have one person learning to cook with them each time. So Monday night was my first shift at Yandeh's house. I was slightly nervous and didn't know what to expect, but it was so much fun! We made Turangetta, or what we call porridge, but with a Gambian twist. We used a giant mortar and pestel to grind peanuts with rice grains. It was pretty entertaining to watch me attempt this. They were even trying to teach me tricks to do like clap while pounding. We added a sauce made of peanut butter, boaboa, and bananas. It was great! I loved the food and had even more fun making it. I got to see how the typical Gambian lifestyle is. At about 6 it was bath time and all of the kids got bucket showers outside! It was adorable! I am so glad we are getting this opportunity to get to know such a warm, welcoming family.
After dinner our group decided we wanted to sing the national anthem to our friends at the lodge to share the holiday with them. They thought it was so neat and wanted to hear all about it. Ibrihim couldn't believe we actually worked on our Independence Day! It was definitely a 4th of July I will never forget!
Tuesday I started in the Inpatient Department. It was a little boring at first, but got a little better as the day went on. Its a huge unit with 5 different wards: male, female, peds, acute, and ER/ICU. I enjoyed following all of the doctors during their rounds and seeing how they manage such vast amounts of patients. However it did get a little tough when I met Sally Camara. She's an adorable 8 year old who is HIV positive and battling bronchiopnemonia. It broke my heart when she came in with a 106 degree fever, went unconcious shortly after, and started seizing. I could barely stand to be in there! She's so sweet and it makes me so sad that they don't have the resources to help her the way she needs them to. Yesterday the electricity went out all day (like it does constantly) and the doctors refused to see her because her room was "too dark" to see her. I was so mad. Finally Stephanie and I pretty much insisted on getting them a flashlight so someone would help her. They put in a feeding tube and I actually got to feed her with a syringe in her tube. It was interesting from a clinical standpoint, but was so hard to do on someone so young. I have been praying she can make it through.
Today I went with the Hands On Care, or HIV, unit out to a small community called Sukuta. We visited their small health facility and counseled pregnant women on the importance of getting tested for HIV, Syphillis, and other diseases. Overall, we tested about 89 women so we were very pleased with the result. I got to sit in the lab and watch blood draws, see HIV testing, observe Hemoglobin analyses, and even do the urinalyses by myself! We only had 3 positive results from the tests which I thought was great. After testing and recording the data, we had to help notify the patients on their results. Gladly I only had to watch, because I don't know how I would have handled telling someone something like that.
Tomorrow I will rotate to the area I am most excited for-Pediatrics! I can't wait to weigh and examine babies and interact with them all day!
Foinyato! (talk to you later)
After dinner our group decided we wanted to sing the national anthem to our friends at the lodge to share the holiday with them. They thought it was so neat and wanted to hear all about it. Ibrihim couldn't believe we actually worked on our Independence Day! It was definitely a 4th of July I will never forget!
Tuesday I started in the Inpatient Department. It was a little boring at first, but got a little better as the day went on. Its a huge unit with 5 different wards: male, female, peds, acute, and ER/ICU. I enjoyed following all of the doctors during their rounds and seeing how they manage such vast amounts of patients. However it did get a little tough when I met Sally Camara. She's an adorable 8 year old who is HIV positive and battling bronchiopnemonia. It broke my heart when she came in with a 106 degree fever, went unconcious shortly after, and started seizing. I could barely stand to be in there! She's so sweet and it makes me so sad that they don't have the resources to help her the way she needs them to. Yesterday the electricity went out all day (like it does constantly) and the doctors refused to see her because her room was "too dark" to see her. I was so mad. Finally Stephanie and I pretty much insisted on getting them a flashlight so someone would help her. They put in a feeding tube and I actually got to feed her with a syringe in her tube. It was interesting from a clinical standpoint, but was so hard to do on someone so young. I have been praying she can make it through.
Today I went with the Hands On Care, or HIV, unit out to a small community called Sukuta. We visited their small health facility and counseled pregnant women on the importance of getting tested for HIV, Syphillis, and other diseases. Overall, we tested about 89 women so we were very pleased with the result. I got to sit in the lab and watch blood draws, see HIV testing, observe Hemoglobin analyses, and even do the urinalyses by myself! We only had 3 positive results from the tests which I thought was great. After testing and recording the data, we had to help notify the patients on their results. Gladly I only had to watch, because I don't know how I would have handled telling someone something like that.
Tomorrow I will rotate to the area I am most excited for-Pediatrics! I can't wait to weigh and examine babies and interact with them all day!
Foinyato! (talk to you later)
Monday, July 4, 2011
Weekends!
This weekend was a busy one! Saturday we were at the hospital all day assisting with a blood drive program. The hospital blood bank is in low supply, so they put on a seminar type workshop to try to convince people to donate. We started by participating in another parade through town. We followed behind the band and marched through the marketplace. We listened to another pretty long (and boring) 2 and a half hour lecture with speakers talking about blood donation. At this point- the rain started, and didn't stop. It poured!! I guess we really are getting deeper into the rainy season. After lunch, we headed home to relax and help celebrate Ana's daughter's 9th grade graduation. There was a big party with great food! We scarfed down the chicken since it was the first time we've had it (or something other than fish) since getting here.
Sunday we headed to the beach! Some friends from the compound next to us came, Ana, Isa, Awa, Jambos, and Kaba. They were just as excited as us! Ana hadn't been to the beach in 15 years! We were shocked. We took a taxi to a small beach they knew about. IT WAS AWESOME. The beach was gorgeous and we were the only ones on it. The water was SO warm-definitely the warmest ocean water I've ever been in. It was really shallow too, so we could walk out far to jump waves and still be only waist deep. We had such a good time trying to teach them to swim, basket tossing each other, and just playing in the sand. I couldn't have thought of a better way to spend a Sunday after a long week of work at the hospital in the heat. We think we may want to make it a habit to go every Sunday!
This week I will finish my time in the pharmacy and move on to the inpatient department. I am a little nervous about it since it's pretty much the ICU. Looking forward to a challenging, but rewarding week ahead!
Sunday we headed to the beach! Some friends from the compound next to us came, Ana, Isa, Awa, Jambos, and Kaba. They were just as excited as us! Ana hadn't been to the beach in 15 years! We were shocked. We took a taxi to a small beach they knew about. IT WAS AWESOME. The beach was gorgeous and we were the only ones on it. The water was SO warm-definitely the warmest ocean water I've ever been in. It was really shallow too, so we could walk out far to jump waves and still be only waist deep. We had such a good time trying to teach them to swim, basket tossing each other, and just playing in the sand. I couldn't have thought of a better way to spend a Sunday after a long week of work at the hospital in the heat. We think we may want to make it a habit to go every Sunday!
This week I will finish my time in the pharmacy and move on to the inpatient department. I am a little nervous about it since it's pretty much the ICU. Looking forward to a challenging, but rewarding week ahead!
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Happy Birthday to Jill!
Along with Chelsea's song, Kamas also wrote a poem for Jill's birthday so here it is in English:
Happy Birthday to you
Hope your day is merry and bright
Happy Birthday to you
That is our wish tonight
We miss you in Gambia
Your smile, beauty, and such
We miss you in Gambia
And we love you so much!
It's a little cheesy, but it was they best they could do to make it rhyme!
Happy Birthday big(gest) sis! Hope your day was perfect!
Love you so much!!
Happy Birthday to you
Hope your day is merry and bright
Happy Birthday to you
That is our wish tonight
We miss you in Gambia
Your smile, beauty, and such
We miss you in Gambia
And we love you so much!
It's a little cheesy, but it was they best they could do to make it rhyme!
Happy Birthday big(gest) sis! Hope your day was perfect!
Love you so much!!
Friday, July 1, 2011
A Week Coming to a Close
Over the last two days I have spent my time working in the Pharmacy department. Although it can be a little tedious at times, it's definitely the area to be in if you want to stay busy all 6 hours. I learned a lot about different medications and when they are prescribed. It was the first time that I felt like I was actually really helping them, instead of just observing. It was nice to see them benefiting from my work instead of me being the one who gains the most knowledge. They were so appreciative of my help and continually told me how much it made their jobs easier. Pharmacies here are a lot different than pharmacies in the states. Most of the pills are handed out in wrapped pieces of paper with the name of the medicine handwritten on it. We fold up pills in scrap paper and that's usually the way the patients have to handle them. If there are more than 10 pills, they will put them in a little baggie, but that's rare. It's a lot different since we get our medication with descriptive instructions, a full list of possible side effects, and detailed ingredients. They only get a piece of paper and a few words to tell them what to do. VERY DIFFERENT.
Tonight we are headed to an "American" fast food restaurant and we are all excited for the possibility of eating something other than rice! We have high hopes for this place so it better not disappoint us! Other than that we have been dodging the rain and preparing for the blood drive tomorrow. We have been asked to hand out water and sodas to donors so it should be a long day in the heat. After, we'll get to celebrate and cool off with Ana's cooking for her daughter Fatou's 9th grade graduation. I am looking forward to games, dancing, and great food for Saturday and a relaxing day on a sandy beach on Sunday! Wishing everyone a weekend as great as mine!
Tonight we are headed to an "American" fast food restaurant and we are all excited for the possibility of eating something other than rice! We have high hopes for this place so it better not disappoint us! Other than that we have been dodging the rain and preparing for the blood drive tomorrow. We have been asked to hand out water and sodas to donors so it should be a long day in the heat. After, we'll get to celebrate and cool off with Ana's cooking for her daughter Fatou's 9th grade graduation. I am looking forward to games, dancing, and great food for Saturday and a relaxing day on a sandy beach on Sunday! Wishing everyone a weekend as great as mine!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
New Adventures
Yesterday we had our first full shift at the hospital. I was in Outpatient care again and it was insane! We saw 328 patients. I cannot imagine a nurse or midwife seeing that many in one day in the US. It was crazy. It is neat to compare the treatments to those I have seen when shadowing at the ER in Ft. Worth. For all infections, they basically prescribe 3 general antibiotics, which is way too much. They have no way of figuring out the specifics of the problem, so they have to take all 3. This can cause a ton of problems though, because after a few separate doses, the bacteria become immune to it and the problems get even worse! I guess they just do what they have to do. It's just going to take some time to understand the way they have to do it.
After work, we visited a local rural village about 30 minutes away. The most entertaining part was the cab drive. It was pretty much a huge van will TONS of decorations. They were all over the place-hanging from the ceiling, dashboard, and even the windshield! To add to the great decor, my bench seat wasn't even bolted to the floor so we lunged forward with every bump, needless to say the roads aren't paved and it rains all the time. After determining we were going to have to hold onto each other to survive, we drive up to this huge traffic jam where all the taxis are. It was madness! They were laying on their horns and trying to maneuver around each other coming within inches of the the other cars and of pedestrians. All we could do was laugh at the situation! Our driver stopped in the middle of the road at one point to get a drink from a local store and this man jumped in the car and tried to steal it while we were in it! It was hilarious! When we were driving, people would just start running next to the car and open the door and hitch a ride. This one pair of guys climbed the ladder in the back and sat on the roof! Definitely not like any cab drive we had ever experienced!
When we finally arrived at the village we explored a few areas and met a family of a guy that works for OCA. They were so welcoming and kind-just like most Gambians. We went on a little hike through the woods and it was BEAUTIFUL! This was exactly the Africa I was expecting- not the urban area we work in. The village was so peaceful and quaint. I LOVED IT! There was this one little boy (wearing an obama shirt like they all do) who pretty much sought me out. He spotted me as soon as I got out of the cab and wouldn't let go of my hand until we had to leave. It was adorable. I've never had kids so drawn to me in my whole life. He would hold my hand with both of his hands and just rub it on the side of his cheek. Its amazing how you can love a little kid you can't communicate with, have never met before, and will never see again. Speaking of kids- I finally got to hold Pamusa yesterday! He's the little boy at the lodge I mentioned in an earlier post. He cried the first time he saw me and now I'm holding him! I swear I would take him home if his mom would let me.
Today we worked a short 2 hours at the hospital. We are constantly invited to events and can't ever actually work! We were invited to participate in the world's nurses and midwives day! The highest level of most health employees here is a senior midwife so it's a huge deal to them. They had a parade with a band that went from Brikama Health Center to the Gambia College about 30 minutes away. Marching in the sun at 12 o'clock was really hot, but it was actually a lot of fun! When we got there, they had a long boring program we had to sleep through. Afterwards we were invited to lunch with the staff. We had benechin again (my favorite!) and had to all share one bowl. The first time we've had a full meal that way. I'm sure it won't be the last. We've spent the evening shopping at the market and relaxing. This African sun makes the days feel really long!
We had some big plans for the weekend so I am sure I will have a lot to talk about. Saturday we are working the National Blood Drive and they are having an official welcoming party for us at the hospital. We are constantly being celebrated for our work and as a result can't actually work! Afterwards, we have been invited to a graduation party at the compound next door. Ana, a friend of ours, has a daughter that is graduating 9th grade, so they are throwing a little party and want us to come. It should be fun and it's free food from the best cook around so we are definitely going to show up! That night we are supposed to have a dance party to learn more African dance- I'm very excited! We taught them the cupid shuffle and the dougie and they thought it was awesome! On Sunday we are finally headed to the beach! We'll see how "The Smiling Coast of Africa" can compare to the beaches on my resume :)
LOVE AND MISS YOU ALL!!
After work, we visited a local rural village about 30 minutes away. The most entertaining part was the cab drive. It was pretty much a huge van will TONS of decorations. They were all over the place-hanging from the ceiling, dashboard, and even the windshield! To add to the great decor, my bench seat wasn't even bolted to the floor so we lunged forward with every bump, needless to say the roads aren't paved and it rains all the time. After determining we were going to have to hold onto each other to survive, we drive up to this huge traffic jam where all the taxis are. It was madness! They were laying on their horns and trying to maneuver around each other coming within inches of the the other cars and of pedestrians. All we could do was laugh at the situation! Our driver stopped in the middle of the road at one point to get a drink from a local store and this man jumped in the car and tried to steal it while we were in it! It was hilarious! When we were driving, people would just start running next to the car and open the door and hitch a ride. This one pair of guys climbed the ladder in the back and sat on the roof! Definitely not like any cab drive we had ever experienced!
When we finally arrived at the village we explored a few areas and met a family of a guy that works for OCA. They were so welcoming and kind-just like most Gambians. We went on a little hike through the woods and it was BEAUTIFUL! This was exactly the Africa I was expecting- not the urban area we work in. The village was so peaceful and quaint. I LOVED IT! There was this one little boy (wearing an obama shirt like they all do) who pretty much sought me out. He spotted me as soon as I got out of the cab and wouldn't let go of my hand until we had to leave. It was adorable. I've never had kids so drawn to me in my whole life. He would hold my hand with both of his hands and just rub it on the side of his cheek. Its amazing how you can love a little kid you can't communicate with, have never met before, and will never see again. Speaking of kids- I finally got to hold Pamusa yesterday! He's the little boy at the lodge I mentioned in an earlier post. He cried the first time he saw me and now I'm holding him! I swear I would take him home if his mom would let me.
Today we worked a short 2 hours at the hospital. We are constantly invited to events and can't ever actually work! We were invited to participate in the world's nurses and midwives day! The highest level of most health employees here is a senior midwife so it's a huge deal to them. They had a parade with a band that went from Brikama Health Center to the Gambia College about 30 minutes away. Marching in the sun at 12 o'clock was really hot, but it was actually a lot of fun! When we got there, they had a long boring program we had to sleep through. Afterwards we were invited to lunch with the staff. We had benechin again (my favorite!) and had to all share one bowl. The first time we've had a full meal that way. I'm sure it won't be the last. We've spent the evening shopping at the market and relaxing. This African sun makes the days feel really long!
We had some big plans for the weekend so I am sure I will have a lot to talk about. Saturday we are working the National Blood Drive and they are having an official welcoming party for us at the hospital. We are constantly being celebrated for our work and as a result can't actually work! Afterwards, we have been invited to a graduation party at the compound next door. Ana, a friend of ours, has a daughter that is graduating 9th grade, so they are throwing a little party and want us to come. It should be fun and it's free food from the best cook around so we are definitely going to show up! That night we are supposed to have a dance party to learn more African dance- I'm very excited! We taught them the cupid shuffle and the dougie and they thought it was awesome! On Sunday we are finally headed to the beach! We'll see how "The Smiling Coast of Africa" can compare to the beaches on my resume :)
LOVE AND MISS YOU ALL!!
Monday, June 27, 2011
A Ceremonious Affair
So today was our first day at the hospital. I started in the outpatient clinic which is really similar to the ER in the states. So needless to say, it was full of activity. I learned how to take a blood sample and determine if a patient has malaria and I got to do that twice today! I also learned that this is NOT a disease I ever want to get. It looks miserable! One of the kids was seizuring from it and the other could barely open her eyes or stand up. I will be bathing in bug spray for sure.
Our day ended shortly because we were asked to attend a traditional naming ceremony for a friend of ours that just had a baby. It is tradition for the baby to not be given a name for one week after birth. The naming ceremony is a very elaborate affair where the baby properly receives his/her name. We were astonished at how big of an event it was and were honored to be invited. It is as big as a wedding reception in some ways. To start, they shave the baby's head as part of a cleansing procedure. Then all of the men go to slaughter a goat as a symbol of the Muslim faith. Of course I opted out of this part. Next, the leader of the ceremonies leads prayer and worship which we obviously couldn't understand but it was a spectacle all in itself. The most annoying part is the griots. UH. They are old women who are legally allowed to beg for money. They basically push you over for coins. It was driving me crazy and I was definitely rude but whatever. The ceremony ends after all the men skin and cut all of the meat off the goat. And I mean EVERYTHING. They eat the stomach, lips, heart, and even the colon. After finding this out, we decided to get our own lunch! Overall it was a great cultural event to be a part of and I learned so much about the Gambian culture!
Love you and miss you all!!
Our day ended shortly because we were asked to attend a traditional naming ceremony for a friend of ours that just had a baby. It is tradition for the baby to not be given a name for one week after birth. The naming ceremony is a very elaborate affair where the baby properly receives his/her name. We were astonished at how big of an event it was and were honored to be invited. It is as big as a wedding reception in some ways. To start, they shave the baby's head as part of a cleansing procedure. Then all of the men go to slaughter a goat as a symbol of the Muslim faith. Of course I opted out of this part. Next, the leader of the ceremonies leads prayer and worship which we obviously couldn't understand but it was a spectacle all in itself. The most annoying part is the griots. UH. They are old women who are legally allowed to beg for money. They basically push you over for coins. It was driving me crazy and I was definitely rude but whatever. The ceremony ends after all the men skin and cut all of the meat off the goat. And I mean EVERYTHING. They eat the stomach, lips, heart, and even the colon. After finding this out, we decided to get our own lunch! Overall it was a great cultural event to be a part of and I learned so much about the Gambian culture!
Love you and miss you all!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO CHELSEA!
So birthdays are a big deal here in Gambia and when I told our friends Kaba and Kamas about my sister's birthday they insisted that we compose a birthday tune for her in the tribal language Mandinka. So here it goes:
Wululung Juro C Ta (Happy Birthday to you)
Wululung Juro C Ta
Wululung Juro C Ta
Chelsea Laa Wululung Juro C Taaaa
Aba Sangi Jelu Sanii (How old is she now?)
Aba Sangi Jelu Sanii
Aba Sangi Jelu Saniiiiiii
Aba Muwang Anin Lulu Sani (She is older now)
Aba Muwang Anin Lulu Sani
Chelsea Ba ba Muwang Anin Lulu Sani (Chelsea is older now)
Alama C Mayala (May she live long life)
Alama Chelsea C Mayala ( May Chelsea live long life)
Fo Asa Kairaba Anin Jata Kendeya Soto (May she have peace, health, and happiness in her life)
I know it sounds a little funny but they were really proud of their work so I wanted to share it with everyone!
Love you big sis! Hope you had a perfect day and I can't wait to celebrate when I get back!
Wululung Juro C Ta (Happy Birthday to you)
Wululung Juro C Ta
Wululung Juro C Ta
Chelsea Laa Wululung Juro C Taaaa
Aba Sangi Jelu Sanii (How old is she now?)
Aba Sangi Jelu Sanii
Aba Sangi Jelu Saniiiiiii
Aba Muwang Anin Lulu Sani (She is older now)
Aba Muwang Anin Lulu Sani
Chelsea Ba ba Muwang Anin Lulu Sani (Chelsea is older now)
Alama C Mayala (May she live long life)
Alama Chelsea C Mayala ( May Chelsea live long life)
Fo Asa Kairaba Anin Jata Kendeya Soto (May she have peace, health, and happiness in her life)
I know it sounds a little funny but they were really proud of their work so I wanted to share it with everyone!
Love you big sis! Hope you had a perfect day and I can't wait to celebrate when I get back!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
TOBABS
Greetings from Gambia!
I haven't been able to post as much as I would like, but finally found an internet cafe that has fast enough connection. We arrived in Brikama early thursday morning and were warmly greeted by all of the lodge staff. The accommodations are fantastic! We each share rooms with one other person and have our own bathroom and shower. Its almost like a hotel which is definitely not what I was expecting! The staff have become some of our very best friends and we go everywhere with them!
We had an orientation at the hospital and got to meet everyone involved and tour the facility. My initial thoughts were a concern for the cleanliness. Not so much personal sanitation but more about the facility itself. It really is amazing how much they can do with such little supplies and funding though. The biggest part of the facility is the maternity ward. They have about 15 deliveries a day! Yesterday we went there to assist in National Cleaning Day which the president announces every month on the last saturday. We helped clean the ward which is way more disgusting than you want to hear! As we were putting the room back together, there was a woman about to go into labor so of course we couldn't pull ourselves away! I got to hold her hand as she delivered and got a front row seat to my first birth! The differences are incredible. First of all, no one is allowed with the woman in the room, so the father is not present and they aren't allowed to visit until after the woman is moved to a more permanent room. Secondly, the room is shared with nine beds and no dividers so at the time there were 4 women laboring in the same room at the same time. They also use no pain meds and its incredible that they make almost no noise at all! It really makes me wonder how much culture affects how vocal women are. The next birth we saw was a little more difficult to watch. It was the woman's first birth and the baby was stuck in the birth canal so they were worried about the baby going into distress. After using several extremely painful techniques (such as slamming down on her stomach!) they made a makeshift vacuum and pulled the baby out. Needless to say it was hard to watch but interesting in a medical standpoint.
The people here are wonderful! I just can't get enough of the kids! They call us tobabs which means white person! It seems offensive but its actually their way of admiring us? or so they tell us! When we walk a mile to work we probably hear it a hundred times- not exaggerating! They run to us wanting to rub our skin and hair and just keep saying it over and over! Its really adorable. As I sit, there is a little girl sitting on the ground looking at us and saying it over and over. very cute! Yesterday these two kids got into a fist fight about who was going to hold my hand. We got out the bubbles last night and it was like christmas to them. I swear they could have been entertained for hours. There is one little boy named Pamusa that is the child of a lady that works at the lodge. At first he cried every time he saw me because he had never seen a white person before. Its hard to get used to the idea that we are the special ones because of something we never even notice.
The food has actually been really great surprisingly. My favorite dish is called benechin and its like a fried rice with barracuda dish. SO GOOD! We also like a dish called domodou which is cous cous (type of potato rice) with fish meatballs and a type of peanut. The way they eat with very different. They all crowd around one huge bowl and eat with their fingers. so gross i know! Thankfully we get our own plate. I tried to send a picture of us eating with them out of the bowl today but couldn't get it to send. We have found some weird meat though. Olivia, a girl in our group, decided to buy a kabob at the market that smelled so good. Later we found out it was goat heart. so glad I didn't try it. Today we had a mixture of beef and goat liver in our benechin. Thankfully I didn't get any and didn't know. Overall, I'm surviving on Gambian food better than I thought I would. The absolute best thing are cous cous pancakes. Mom would LOVE them! Its a fried baseball sized banana flavored pancake. I can't get enough of them.
Everything has been going great for the most part! We are still trying to adjust to the heat but it seems to be getting better. Every other night we don't have electricity so nights without fans are rough. Yesterday marked the beginning of the rainy season and the weather cooled off tremendously! We couldn't have been happier! The one drawback to the rainy season is more bugs. BIG ones. Yesterday we had to eat on the ground because our table was covered with them, every square inch. They said they will go away after the second rain in a row so only one more night.
We each have our own Gambian name and I was given Isa, pronounced Ice-uh. It is unbelievable how fast we seem to fit in and feel at home. I love Gambia so far but miss you very much!
LOVE YOU!
Morgan, or Isa :)
I haven't been able to post as much as I would like, but finally found an internet cafe that has fast enough connection. We arrived in Brikama early thursday morning and were warmly greeted by all of the lodge staff. The accommodations are fantastic! We each share rooms with one other person and have our own bathroom and shower. Its almost like a hotel which is definitely not what I was expecting! The staff have become some of our very best friends and we go everywhere with them!
We had an orientation at the hospital and got to meet everyone involved and tour the facility. My initial thoughts were a concern for the cleanliness. Not so much personal sanitation but more about the facility itself. It really is amazing how much they can do with such little supplies and funding though. The biggest part of the facility is the maternity ward. They have about 15 deliveries a day! Yesterday we went there to assist in National Cleaning Day which the president announces every month on the last saturday. We helped clean the ward which is way more disgusting than you want to hear! As we were putting the room back together, there was a woman about to go into labor so of course we couldn't pull ourselves away! I got to hold her hand as she delivered and got a front row seat to my first birth! The differences are incredible. First of all, no one is allowed with the woman in the room, so the father is not present and they aren't allowed to visit until after the woman is moved to a more permanent room. Secondly, the room is shared with nine beds and no dividers so at the time there were 4 women laboring in the same room at the same time. They also use no pain meds and its incredible that they make almost no noise at all! It really makes me wonder how much culture affects how vocal women are. The next birth we saw was a little more difficult to watch. It was the woman's first birth and the baby was stuck in the birth canal so they were worried about the baby going into distress. After using several extremely painful techniques (such as slamming down on her stomach!) they made a makeshift vacuum and pulled the baby out. Needless to say it was hard to watch but interesting in a medical standpoint.
The people here are wonderful! I just can't get enough of the kids! They call us tobabs which means white person! It seems offensive but its actually their way of admiring us? or so they tell us! When we walk a mile to work we probably hear it a hundred times- not exaggerating! They run to us wanting to rub our skin and hair and just keep saying it over and over! Its really adorable. As I sit, there is a little girl sitting on the ground looking at us and saying it over and over. very cute! Yesterday these two kids got into a fist fight about who was going to hold my hand. We got out the bubbles last night and it was like christmas to them. I swear they could have been entertained for hours. There is one little boy named Pamusa that is the child of a lady that works at the lodge. At first he cried every time he saw me because he had never seen a white person before. Its hard to get used to the idea that we are the special ones because of something we never even notice.
The food has actually been really great surprisingly. My favorite dish is called benechin and its like a fried rice with barracuda dish. SO GOOD! We also like a dish called domodou which is cous cous (type of potato rice) with fish meatballs and a type of peanut. The way they eat with very different. They all crowd around one huge bowl and eat with their fingers. so gross i know! Thankfully we get our own plate. I tried to send a picture of us eating with them out of the bowl today but couldn't get it to send. We have found some weird meat though. Olivia, a girl in our group, decided to buy a kabob at the market that smelled so good. Later we found out it was goat heart. so glad I didn't try it. Today we had a mixture of beef and goat liver in our benechin. Thankfully I didn't get any and didn't know. Overall, I'm surviving on Gambian food better than I thought I would. The absolute best thing are cous cous pancakes. Mom would LOVE them! Its a fried baseball sized banana flavored pancake. I can't get enough of them.
Everything has been going great for the most part! We are still trying to adjust to the heat but it seems to be getting better. Every other night we don't have electricity so nights without fans are rough. Yesterday marked the beginning of the rainy season and the weather cooled off tremendously! We couldn't have been happier! The one drawback to the rainy season is more bugs. BIG ones. Yesterday we had to eat on the ground because our table was covered with them, every square inch. They said they will go away after the second rain in a row so only one more night.
We each have our own Gambian name and I was given Isa, pronounced Ice-uh. It is unbelievable how fast we seem to fit in and feel at home. I love Gambia so far but miss you very much!
LOVE YOU!
Morgan, or Isa :)
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Ready to get there!
So today was our last day of orientation and it's been a busy/information filled couple of days! I have learned more about what we're going to be doing. We are going to be rotating shifts at Brikama Health Center (BHC) in Brikama, Gambia. Some of these shifts will include the overnight shift (which will undoubtedly be interesting). We will also be traveling with BHC's mobile unit to remote villages to provide home health care. The hospital serves around 20,000 so I don't imagine we will ever find ourselves sitting around on the job.
The part of the trip I am probably most anxious about is the living conditions and food! Alieu (a native Gambian and OCA employee) was telling us about some of the dishes today. One sounded like rice stir fry but the other is a peanut butter soup! Sounds interesting to say the least! He said it's always a favorite among crossroaders so maybe I'll be cooking it when I get back! The living condition description is still pretty vague. We are staying in a "lodge" near the hospital, but who knows what lodge in Gambia means. We have decided the theme to this trip is "we'll see" because it seems like that is all we say when talking about what to expect!
We are spending our last night of orientation touring NYC so I am looking forward to sightseeing a little tonight! It has been a great experience getting to know all of the other crossroaders that are going on the various trips! It's been fun for all of us to get excited together! For now, I am Anxiously awaiting tomorrow morning at 5:45! I cannot wait to see how this adventure will change my life!
Looking forward to keeping you all updated!
Min tian jian! (goodbye for now in mandinka)
The part of the trip I am probably most anxious about is the living conditions and food! Alieu (a native Gambian and OCA employee) was telling us about some of the dishes today. One sounded like rice stir fry but the other is a peanut butter soup! Sounds interesting to say the least! He said it's always a favorite among crossroaders so maybe I'll be cooking it when I get back! The living condition description is still pretty vague. We are staying in a "lodge" near the hospital, but who knows what lodge in Gambia means. We have decided the theme to this trip is "we'll see" because it seems like that is all we say when talking about what to expect!
We are spending our last night of orientation touring NYC so I am looking forward to sightseeing a little tonight! It has been a great experience getting to know all of the other crossroaders that are going on the various trips! It's been fun for all of us to get excited together! For now, I am Anxiously awaiting tomorrow morning at 5:45! I cannot wait to see how this adventure will change my life!
Looking forward to keeping you all updated!
Min tian jian! (goodbye for now in mandinka)
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Challenge number one!
Well today was the long awaited day! I left for New York at 2:05 and arrived here at 6:55. I met up with Chad and everything was going just as planned. We hopped off the plane and picked up some dinner (my last McDonalds for 2 months) before getting our bags and a taxi. When we finally got to the baggage claim, our bags had been taken off the belt so we had to search for it in the lost & found. That's when I saw it. A giant tear covering half the length of my duffle! My clothes were hanging out! The American Airlines employee taped it shut the best he could, but it was obvious I needed a new bag. Long story short- the airlines replaces my bag with a newer, unripped, (and heavier- yikes) bag. Two hours later, I'm checked into my room and ready for the trip to begin! Hopefully this will be my only case of bad luck! Challenge number one averted!
Miss everyone already!
Miss everyone already!
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