Refreshing

Today was just one of those days that made me fall in love with this place even more. This morning Laura and I set off on foot for Church, yet did not have directions to the Church. My friend had texted me “I will direct you”. I will direct you where?! :) When you receive texts of that nature or directions with a finger snap and general wave of hand you often wonder if you will really get to your destination! People are often very vague; sometimes you can use for your advantage and sometimes it is annoying. We were able to meet my friend and proceeded to Church. It was a good service (that did not last all day!!) and they preached from the Bible! Out of all the Churches I have attended in Namibia this was my favorite! I hope I can go again soon. The preacher spoke in English but the sermon was translated also into Portuguese and Rukwangali. They spoke very clearly. It was great to be able to follow the sermon so well, but also learn some language at the same time.

After Church we had been invited to eat dinner with a family. These invitations come few and far between but what made this dinner extra special is that we were able to cook. I felt like one of the family! While in no way do I want to boast about my African cooking skills (still learning), I feel as if I am getting better. There are specific techniques that one must learn to cook pap and mutate properly. I also loved our dinner conversation about things that really matter like salvation and having a real relationship with the Lord. Not very often do the people here have truly meaningful and deep conversations. It was so refreshing! Other highlights of the day was playing hide-n-seek with a six year old and feeding a six month old.

My heart is overflowing with joy.

Thank-you Lord for days like today!

p.s. I hear rain drops hitting our roof! I love the rain!

"So much to say, but not really sure what to say…"

First and foremost, I am curious what you all would like to hear as my time progresses in Namibia - Stories of people’s lives? Interesting things in about this unique African culture? What I am doing on a daily basis? Hospital life? Trials? Triumphs?
I also would enjoy hearing about your life and what you have been up to over the past couple of months. I have been here for about four months now and feeling somewhat disconnected with all of you so please share with me a funny story about your life.

Brief highlights:
“Stories of people’s lives?”
The longer I live hear the more I realize that almost every person has a unique story that often contains a lot of hurts and trials and triumphs. Kahilu and Ernest are two of my better friends and we have a ton of fun hanging out. They are really helpful in teaching us cultural things and allowing us to experience things uniquely Africa. As I have learned more and more about their life and story, I realize they too have a unique story which is really not so unique for Africa. Neither of these boys have fathers in their life. Kahilu never has known his father and Ernest’s father has passed away. I think I have met one or two families here that have two parents in the home.

“Interesting things in about this unique African culture?”
As I mentioned above something uniquely African is the unique family unit. Nuclear family is not at all similar to the nuclear family in America. Frequently, mother’s send their young children to live with their grandparents. The family I stayed with last week had a great nephew living with them even though his biological family lives only a mile away. Confusing. Most of the time I do not really know what child belongs to whom. While family is highly valued it is not so much the nuclear family that is valued but extends to the extended family. More or less family is those you live with and around. It’s hard to explain the concept of family because is some aspects family is stronger in Africa and in other aspects is much looser.

“What I am doing on a daily basis?”
Working at the hospital - theatre, community health - villages, team days, and meeting with random people or visiting with friends. Last Friday I went to a track and field meet for several hours in the afternoon. Most days seem pretty full after work, but a good majority of the time I do not really plan out my weeks or days in advance, I just let the day progress… that is the African way!

“Hospital life?”
Last week I saw something I have never seen before nor do I ever want to see again.
I saw a hand completely hanging off the bones in your arm. Image seeing the end of radius and ulna (arm bones) while having ALL of you tissue around your bones fall off so your hand it only hanging on by tissue. Yeah, it looked like I came out of a horror movie.

“Trials?”
Hotness! It is suppose to be the rainy season but it has only been raining about once a week. It is has been SUPER Hott so please please please - Pray for rain! I have never loved rain so much. Last night when I was once again was unable to use a fan (our electric went out) it was quite disheartening.
I have a ridiculous number of bug bits.
I slightly sprained my ankle today.

“Triumphs?”
Biking. I bought a bike so I am able to get around a little more quickly. This has been very helpful for all of last week I was able to commute from Kaisosi village. I was a little nervous about biking in the heat and very sandy/ bumpy roads. Just image biking on the beach in July! It was not as bad as I thought it would be and I made it!!
On Thursday evening Laura’s bike (my roommate) was stolen. We were mad to say the least. However, the amazing thing about this small town is today Laura and I were walking to OK Foods for groceries, and guess what, we saw her bike. We ask who claimed to own the bike, but no one said it was their bike. About 20 seconds later we were crossing the road with her bike!!!

“So much to say, but not really sure what to say…”

Theatre - Rundu State Hospital

Since moving to Africa I have posted very little about my job… what I do most of the time!
Yes, I am working in the Theatre (operating room) in Rundu State Hospital!
I have starting scrubbing surgeries again (I had to wait a LONG time for paperwork to get processed.)

I scrub about one or two surgeries a day – depending on how many people surgeries we have and how many people we have working. I have learned to scrub C-Sections… one of the fastest surgeries that you can possible scrub. I have also learned the in’s and out’s of pre-operative and post-operative care.

Let me take a week ago Friday as an example of a busy day… we did 6 surgeries among 4 nurses between 09:30 and 13:00, including pre-op and post-op: 2 eye surgeries, 2 hernias and 2 mass excisions. It always is extra busy when we do not have any student nurses helping out or turning over rooms.

The people I work with in the Theatre have been great and I have really enjoyed these making these relationships. I have started to invite, on occasion, different people from the Theatre over for dinner, and this has allowed me to get to know some of them on a more personal level. They are very kind and treat me like a princess, esp. the Cubian doctors! :)

My Wallet

You often realize the value of a simple possession like a wallet, when you lose. Yes, as you may have guessed, I lost my wallet! Losing a wallet in the U.S.A. means you put your credit cards on hold and re-apply for your license. Yes, it is annoying and frustrating… but now image trying to do that living in Africa!

Friday, January 7th I lost my wallet on my walk home from work. It must have slipped out of my pocket at some point. I did not realize I had even lost my wallet till that evening after my roommate Laura had taken a walk. When she returned, she mentioned she had been stopped by some white guys in a truck, asking her if she had lost or knew of a person who lost a wallet. Immediately, I got up to double check I had my own wallet. After tearing up the house and with no wallet to be found, Laura and I started to put our heads together about her interaction with the guys that stopped her. They said, “It was a girl (white) had blonde hair. A black wallet and there was 50 Namibian.” Yes, I am a white girl but I do not have blonde hair, it’s brown. My wallet it brown, not black; but I knew I only and exactly 50 Namibian in my wallet. I was pretty sure that was my wallet! The boys also mentioned that they worked at a butchery shop next to a hardware store. The next morning Laura and I set off on foot to visit every butchery shop in town! In the first week that I lived here a friend from the hospital, Modias, made me a map of the city. It was a great map so I called him up for help. He made sure that we hit all the butchery shops in Rundu. Now take a moment to picture two white girls walking in, trying to explain why you were at their butchery shop looking for a lost wallet (which you did not lose in their store or even near by!!) It was rather comical!

After a couple of hours of searching with no luck I started to accept the fact that I may never see my wallet again. It was sobering. Three times over the next week, I went to the police station, praying and hoping someone would have turned in my wallet. At this point I did not care about the credit cards - I had them on hold and could easily reapply for a new credit card - the only thing I really cared about was my license.

Two weeks before moving to Africa I unofficially moved addresses to back to my parents address, but I did not reapply for a Michigan driver license. Reapplying for an Indiana license was also not going to be possible for I was not living in the same address on my license and technically not even in Indiana. After reading for about an hour to attempt to reapply for a license, I succumbed to the fact I may not have a license till I returned to America this fall. This would mean I technically should not drive nor could I ever provide for someone two sources of identification, someone often important when traveling. Another very sobering thought.

On Thursday, January 20th, I was taking the same walk I take to everyday to work every day. Almost half way to town, I was stopped by a woman in a truck. She said, “Hey did you lose a wallet; is this your wallet?” As held up my wallet!!! I leapt and yelled… “YES, YES, YES!!!” Running to her truck I could barely believe I was holding my wallet again. Everything was still in it! My credit cards, my 50 Namibian, and most importantly my license. It was a miracle!

Whoever picked up my wallet has family who works the butchery shop next to the hardware store in town. We had been to this butcher shop, but I do not believe all the family nor the employees aware that I had lost my wallet. They were waiting to see me again to give it to me.

As I reflect on this phenomenal story I am truly amazed! Who would think you could lose your wallet in Africa and have it laid back into your hand almost two weeks later with nothing stolen. It is a miracle of the Lord! Phenomenal!