Life (More) Lately

Updated Statistics:

Birth Count (observed and delivered): 27
Deliveries: 11 and 12 (we're taking turns)

Today we had a "real Zambian meal. Bruce (the hospital administrato) and his wife invited us over for caterpillars. He said that they would taste like shrimp. We respectfully disagree. But, they really weren't bad: just a weird texture. We also had wusi (a sour vegetable), little dried fish (whole, about an inch or less long), cassava greens, shima, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, and even some chicken. And corn on the cob for dessert :)

We've had lots of interesting experiences since last we wrote, including spending a day at Samafunda Community School. They have outdoor squat toilets there. The teacher who brought us made sure to point out that if we needed to use them, to make sure we used the one on the left. Neither of us used them. It's a basic school - going from grades 1 to 7. They don't have much room, so some of the grades meet in the morning, and some of them in the afternoon. While we were there, two of the teachers got called away, leaving one teacher in the entire school. He bounced from room to room giving lessons, and we saw some that amused us, including a lecture on "what characteristics make a good marriage partner" for seventh graders. The school textbooks were few and termite-eaten and their erasers were worn all the way to the wood. It was certainly different than American schools.

We went to another mission station, along the Zambezi River, Chitokoloki for a few days over July 4th. July 4 and 5 are Zambian national holidays as well, but we made an American Flag cake so that all the canadian/Irish/Scottish/New Zealanders could celebrate properly. It was interesting to see life at a different mission station and a different hospital. Where Loloma has only one doctor, Chitokoloki is teaming with med students, visiting surgeons (well, one visiting surgeon), and surgical residents (the New Zealanders). We each delivered two babies, all girls :) They had an orthopedic surgeon come through for a day while we were there, and Loloma sent a few vehicles of patients, which brought us home. We also used the opportunity to cross the Zambezi River, at dusk, in a dugout (leaking) canoe with a Zambian rowing us.

Tomorrow, we are going to the Palace to greet the Chief (yep, you read that right). There's still a chief here. I don't completely understand his role, but he's a super important man - everyone kneels in front of him and all that. Apparently there's a lot of etiquette involved as well...clapping your hands the right number of times in the correct rhythm and so on. It's all rather confusing, but Bruce said "just do what Tim does and you'll be fine" (Tim is the missionary taking us), so there's definitely hope that we won't be beheaded ;)

We've been hanging out with a lot of other visitors lately as well. Jessie and David are brother and sister from Canada who spent some time at Loloma, though they're mostly here to see Chitokoloki. Jessie taught us a hat crochet pattern, so we've been playing with yarn a lot lately. Beth is a med student from Ireland, also mostly at Chitokoloki, who we're passing along that knowledge to.

The hospital has been busy today, which is good for us, but can be rather depressing sometimes. Since we last wrote, we've each gotten to suture; we've observed skin grafts, traction, more surgeries, gangrene, Down's syndrome, whooping cough, typhoid, 12 lead EKG practice, lots of malnutrition, resuscitation of adults and babies, JRV, club feet (and lots of other ortho stuff), etc.

We'll be back August 12, which is coming soon, which is weird. But, it will be good to see you all again...not so good to go back to school, but...that's life.

Love,
Carolyn and Ali