1) My husband, family and friends at home.
2) My friends and colleagues here in Salone.
3) The internet, slow as it is, at least its reliable enough to keep in touch with people at home.
4) Turning on a tap and seeing water coming out.
5) Flushing toilets.
6) Lights that switch on and fridges that are cold.
7) Malaria prophylaxis.
8) My husband and parents and other friends who have been or are coming to visit – it is so nice to look forward to your visits (and the treats you are taking out for me!)
9) Smiling children and their parents in the hospital.
10) Being able to text friends and family in SL and at home.
Sunday 16 January 2011
Things I miss about home
1) Clearly there is only one real answer to this – my husband.
2) But it wouldn’t be a good blog entry without a longer list! So I also miss the following:
3) My family and friends from home.
4) Yogurt. Actually you can buy this here, its just so expensive that it’s a massive treat.
5) Fruit’n’fibre. For those of you who know me well (Steph) you’ll realise just how much I miss this! Again, you can actually buy this here, but its £5-6 a box. And when you have a budget of £7.50 a day, it’s just not worth it. Especially when, in order to enjoy fruit’n’fibre properly, you also need the next item on my list.
6) Milk. Fresh milk. There is UHT and there is powdered stuff but its just not the same (in fact I don’t drink it at all!)
7) Cheese. Laughing cow abounds but otherwise you’re paying £5 for a small block of cheddar. (Note for all the dairy products it also helps to have a working fridge i.e. constant electricity, which Freetown doesn’t have). Fred’s parents made our Christmas by taking out (among other Christmassy things) goat’s cheese!
8) Cycling in Oxford. Fred cycles to work every day and I have considered it but think I might be risking my life.
9) Strawberries, courgettes and broccoli. Although there is a tonne of other gorgeous fruit and veg you can get.
10) Brown/wholemeal bread. The white stuff is very addictive though.
11) Sodiums, potassiums, blood gases and microscopy for CSF. Although sometimes I’m glad I don’t know a child’s electrolytes, as I’m sure it would scare me so much, and there’s no potassium to add to fluids anyway. And no PICU for the massively acidotic children to go to. But microscopy would be hugely helpful!
2) But it wouldn’t be a good blog entry without a longer list! So I also miss the following:
3) My family and friends from home.
4) Yogurt. Actually you can buy this here, its just so expensive that it’s a massive treat.
5) Fruit’n’fibre. For those of you who know me well (Steph) you’ll realise just how much I miss this! Again, you can actually buy this here, but its £5-6 a box. And when you have a budget of £7.50 a day, it’s just not worth it. Especially when, in order to enjoy fruit’n’fibre properly, you also need the next item on my list.
6) Milk. Fresh milk. There is UHT and there is powdered stuff but its just not the same (in fact I don’t drink it at all!)
7) Cheese. Laughing cow abounds but otherwise you’re paying £5 for a small block of cheddar. (Note for all the dairy products it also helps to have a working fridge i.e. constant electricity, which Freetown doesn’t have). Fred’s parents made our Christmas by taking out (among other Christmassy things) goat’s cheese!
8) Cycling in Oxford. Fred cycles to work every day and I have considered it but think I might be risking my life.
9) Strawberries, courgettes and broccoli. Although there is a tonne of other gorgeous fruit and veg you can get.
10) Brown/wholemeal bread. The white stuff is very addictive though.
11) Sodiums, potassiums, blood gases and microscopy for CSF. Although sometimes I’m glad I don’t know a child’s electrolytes, as I’m sure it would scare me so much, and there’s no potassium to add to fluids anyway. And no PICU for the massively acidotic children to go to. But microscopy would be hugely helpful!
Things I really like about Freetown
1) The climate (okay sometimes it’s a bit TOO hot – but I prefer it to the cold).
2) Our balcony – with a great view of the sea and the rest of Freetown, its so tranquil (when you get used to the dogs, and the call to prayer) and cool, and the perfect place for reading, eating, drinking and blogging.
3) How, although TIA (this is Africa) some things are remarkably easy to sort out. Take for example when we ran out of gas a couple of weeks ago. One phonecall to the gas man and he was around with a new gas canister in about half an hour. I’m not sure you would get this service in the UK. (Clearly this doesn’t apply to all things, and many things are MUCH harder to do).
4) The UN pool – another place of tranquillity.
5) The amazing fruits including pineapple, bananas (4 for 15p today), paw paw, mangoes, watermelon, oranges and grapefruit.
6) The way that the coconut sellers expertly machete off the top so you can drink the water inside, then machete them in half and scoop out the meat for you to eat. All for 15p.
7) Blissful lunches and brunches in Bliss Patisserie.
8) Meeting such interesting and inspiring people – Saloneans and ex-pats alike. There are some unbelievably dedicated staff at the hospital who are truly awesome (I am using this word in its correct meaning Andy). More on these people in a later blog.
9) Dinners at Mamba Point – particularly the salad, pizzas and fish carpaccio. And Real Red Wine. And the company there is always good.
10) Barracuda or lobster at the beach. Yum.
11) The walk down the alley beside our house (aptly nicknamed “sewer alley”) where we say “Ow di bodi?” to everyone including Sidney and his Mum who owns a shop, Mussa who owns another shop, the little kids getting bathed and dressed, the older kids cooking on the open fires, the old lady who is always so friendly, the carpenters busily making beds, chairs and tables, the girls getting their hair done in amazing hairdo’s and I noticed, one on her laptop this morning! (it’s a strange world this one, where running water and electricity are luxuries for many, but I get mobile internet which – when its working well – works anywhere).
12) “I tell God Tenki.” This is the answer to “how is your child today?” when the child is better. Mother’s intuition is great, and they really are truly thankful. So many children die in the hospital (1 child in 5 dies before the age of five years in this country) that it really is wonderful when the children get better.
2) Our balcony – with a great view of the sea and the rest of Freetown, its so tranquil (when you get used to the dogs, and the call to prayer) and cool, and the perfect place for reading, eating, drinking and blogging.
3) How, although TIA (this is Africa) some things are remarkably easy to sort out. Take for example when we ran out of gas a couple of weeks ago. One phonecall to the gas man and he was around with a new gas canister in about half an hour. I’m not sure you would get this service in the UK. (Clearly this doesn’t apply to all things, and many things are MUCH harder to do).
4) The UN pool – another place of tranquillity.
5) The amazing fruits including pineapple, bananas (4 for 15p today), paw paw, mangoes, watermelon, oranges and grapefruit.
6) The way that the coconut sellers expertly machete off the top so you can drink the water inside, then machete them in half and scoop out the meat for you to eat. All for 15p.
7) Blissful lunches and brunches in Bliss Patisserie.
8) Meeting such interesting and inspiring people – Saloneans and ex-pats alike. There are some unbelievably dedicated staff at the hospital who are truly awesome (I am using this word in its correct meaning Andy). More on these people in a later blog.
9) Dinners at Mamba Point – particularly the salad, pizzas and fish carpaccio. And Real Red Wine. And the company there is always good.
10) Barracuda or lobster at the beach. Yum.
11) The walk down the alley beside our house (aptly nicknamed “sewer alley”) where we say “Ow di bodi?” to everyone including Sidney and his Mum who owns a shop, Mussa who owns another shop, the little kids getting bathed and dressed, the older kids cooking on the open fires, the old lady who is always so friendly, the carpenters busily making beds, chairs and tables, the girls getting their hair done in amazing hairdo’s and I noticed, one on her laptop this morning! (it’s a strange world this one, where running water and electricity are luxuries for many, but I get mobile internet which – when its working well – works anywhere).
12) “I tell God Tenki.” This is the answer to “how is your child today?” when the child is better. Mother’s intuition is great, and they really are truly thankful. So many children die in the hospital (1 child in 5 dies before the age of five years in this country) that it really is wonderful when the children get better.
Things it takes a while to get used to in Freetown
1) The shouts of “White Girl, White Girl” and “How are you?” and “What is your name?” that follow you around when walking anywhere.
2) Greetings of “Hello Doctor” or “Hello Shona” from people you don’t recognise.
3) Requiring a torch to go anywhere after dark (no street lights) – most VSOs have the little cheapo Nokia phone which, handily, comes with a built in torch.
4) The lack of pavements – you often find a pothole or sewer where a pavement should be.
5) Being an instant millionaire every month, even with the small VSO allowance. The largest note is Le10,000 so you get used to carrying around wads of cash (especially after taking money out of the bank).
6) Talking of the bank – the annoyingly short banking hours of 8.30am-3.30pm Monday-Friday. And no bank card to withdraw from an ATM. No, we’re into queuing here (or, being recognised as “Doctor Shona” by one of the nice staff who then serves me long before anyone else….!)
7) More money issues – paying for EVERYTHING in cash. No credit cards, debit cards or Tescos loyalty cards here.
8) A tin of tomatoes costing over a pound. Even when there is a label saying “25p” on it….
9) Being delighted when the electricity is on at home, and when there is running water.
10) Drinking water out of plastic bags – you bite the corner off the bag and drink (its safe – honestly! And much cheaper than bottled water)
11) The crazy public transport system and the mad crazy traffic in Freetown.
12) White bread and laughing cow cheese being the staple lunch diet of most VSOs.
2) Greetings of “Hello Doctor” or “Hello Shona” from people you don’t recognise.
3) Requiring a torch to go anywhere after dark (no street lights) – most VSOs have the little cheapo Nokia phone which, handily, comes with a built in torch.
4) The lack of pavements – you often find a pothole or sewer where a pavement should be.
5) Being an instant millionaire every month, even with the small VSO allowance. The largest note is Le10,000 so you get used to carrying around wads of cash (especially after taking money out of the bank).
6) Talking of the bank – the annoyingly short banking hours of 8.30am-3.30pm Monday-Friday. And no bank card to withdraw from an ATM. No, we’re into queuing here (or, being recognised as “Doctor Shona” by one of the nice staff who then serves me long before anyone else….!)
7) More money issues – paying for EVERYTHING in cash. No credit cards, debit cards or Tescos loyalty cards here.
8) A tin of tomatoes costing over a pound. Even when there is a label saying “25p” on it….
9) Being delighted when the electricity is on at home, and when there is running water.
10) Drinking water out of plastic bags – you bite the corner off the bag and drink (its safe – honestly! And much cheaper than bottled water)
11) The crazy public transport system and the mad crazy traffic in Freetown.
12) White bread and laughing cow cheese being the staple lunch diet of most VSOs.
Water....
On Thursday morning we my shower stopped half way through – yes my hair was lathered with shampoo. Nightmare. Luckily we have a supply of water in the house for just such an emergency. It turns out that the pipe supplying our house has been cut during the ongoing roadworks. Interestingly it had been cut a week ago and our tank had only just run out.
It turns out that we really take water for granted. How many times do you turn on a tap a day? Every time you wash your hands. Every time you clean your teeth (although I now use “safe” water for this”). Every time you want to wash some dishes, or to rinse them. Every time you have a shower, wash your face, wash your clothes. And here’s what takes the most water – flushing a toilet. Unbelievable how much water it takes to flush a toilet.
Here’s another thing I didn’t think about before – water is SOOO heavy. Joe our amazing neighbour went to get me some water yesterday morning. He came back with several jerry cans full just so I can get through the weekend (the pipe down the road from us still works – so another kind neighbour is donating water to us). I really struggle to lift them to pour water so I’ve no idea how the little kids you see with buckets of water on their heads manage.
Of course many of my VSO friends have been without running water for several months, and we only get water in the hospital twice a week so I can’t complain too much. And actually this morning, I’m rejoicing. I woke up, absolutely delighted to find that my bathroom tap is working!!!! The water pressure isn’t good enough for the shower, but you can’t have everything. I’m just so grateful for the water I now have.
Electricity…
Electricity is another luxury. Its helpful to keep the fridge cool, the computer and phone charged up and to give you some light to see by. I’m always very pleased when its on though (over the Christmas period we had a great supply – this week its been on about 20% of the time, compared to our normal 80%). At the hospital, we use electricity to power the oxygen concentrators. They don’t give out much oxygen as it is, but what there is, is life-saving. This means if there’s no electricity in the hospital then children will die unnecessarily. Thankfully we do have a generator at the hospital meaning that there is (nearly) always a supply.
The Trip up the Mountain Mark 2
So yesterday, Freya, Alex, Laura, Andrea, David and I decided to have another go at tackling Sugar Loaf Mountain (we had a disastrous attempt when Andy was here involving 20 or so people going up the wrong path… but it was an adventure!) Happily yesterday’s trip was much less like bashing through the bush and much more like a pleasant (although very hot and sweaty) walk up a mountain. A few non-serious falls, cuts and scratches later, we made it to the top. We celebrated with egg and laughing cow cheese sandwiches and some Marks and Spencer’s biscuits (which Andy had brought out – yum!) We finished a great afternoon with a swim followed by a HOT shower at the UN!
It turns out that we really take water for granted. How many times do you turn on a tap a day? Every time you wash your hands. Every time you clean your teeth (although I now use “safe” water for this”). Every time you want to wash some dishes, or to rinse them. Every time you have a shower, wash your face, wash your clothes. And here’s what takes the most water – flushing a toilet. Unbelievable how much water it takes to flush a toilet.
Here’s another thing I didn’t think about before – water is SOOO heavy. Joe our amazing neighbour went to get me some water yesterday morning. He came back with several jerry cans full just so I can get through the weekend (the pipe down the road from us still works – so another kind neighbour is donating water to us). I really struggle to lift them to pour water so I’ve no idea how the little kids you see with buckets of water on their heads manage.
Of course many of my VSO friends have been without running water for several months, and we only get water in the hospital twice a week so I can’t complain too much. And actually this morning, I’m rejoicing. I woke up, absolutely delighted to find that my bathroom tap is working!!!! The water pressure isn’t good enough for the shower, but you can’t have everything. I’m just so grateful for the water I now have.
Electricity…
Electricity is another luxury. Its helpful to keep the fridge cool, the computer and phone charged up and to give you some light to see by. I’m always very pleased when its on though (over the Christmas period we had a great supply – this week its been on about 20% of the time, compared to our normal 80%). At the hospital, we use electricity to power the oxygen concentrators. They don’t give out much oxygen as it is, but what there is, is life-saving. This means if there’s no electricity in the hospital then children will die unnecessarily. Thankfully we do have a generator at the hospital meaning that there is (nearly) always a supply.
The Trip up the Mountain Mark 2
So yesterday, Freya, Alex, Laura, Andrea, David and I decided to have another go at tackling Sugar Loaf Mountain (we had a disastrous attempt when Andy was here involving 20 or so people going up the wrong path… but it was an adventure!) Happily yesterday’s trip was much less like bashing through the bush and much more like a pleasant (although very hot and sweaty) walk up a mountain. A few non-serious falls, cuts and scratches later, we made it to the top. We celebrated with egg and laughing cow cheese sandwiches and some Marks and Spencer’s biscuits (which Andy had brought out – yum!) We finished a great afternoon with a swim followed by a HOT shower at the UN!
Sunday 2 January 2011
The Hospital Cleaner’s Strike
This year was possibly the strangest Hogmanay I have ever had. I got to work by taxi then walking from PZ (a relatively quiet walk in the morning compared to the afternoon when there is a mad crazy accumulation of people selling anything you could possibly want ranging from charity t-shirts, Tescos magazines from 2006, incredibly high heels, the WHO-issue oral rehydration solution and therapeutic feeds for malnourished children, knock-off CDs and DVDs, pots and pans, kettles, cornflakes for £5 a box… the list goes on).
Anyway… I got to work to find that the gates had been barricaded by the hospital cleaners, who were on strike. They hadn’t been paid for two months. So they were stopping anyone getting into or out of the hospital compound. Doctors, nurses and patients included. I spoke to some of the night nurses through the fence who explained to me what was going on. Many people outside thought that the doctors were striking again (the doctors and nurses all went on strike earlier in the year before Free Health Care for under-5s and pregnant and lactating women started – they were no longer able to top up their meagre salaries with extra money by charging patients – so ended up with a 500% increase in salary after a horribly unethical but highly effective strike when the hospital was closed for two weeks).
The nurses inside the gates persuaded the cleaners to let me in. Once inside the hospital it was a) very quiet b) dark – the electricity was clearly off and no one had switched the generator on (meaning that the oxygen concentrators supplying oxygen for children weren’t working) and c) even dirtier than normal. But this was only the start…
I retreated into my office to check my email and text Sandra to let her know what was happening. In the meantime I could hear a commotion outside the office door. My office is just outside ER so hearing a commotion is not too unusual as I can often hear mothers’ wailing. There was proper shouting and the sounds of things being thrown around. When it had quietened down a bit I decided to investigate…. Not only had the cleaners decided not to do any cleaning – they had also thrown all the rubbish from the bins all over the floor or ER and ICU – including needles, syringes, empty bags of blood, and other domestic waste, and – wait for it – a dead cat. They also threw it all over triage and out-patients. And ward 1. And outside. To make matters even worse, they threw water all over it. It was just disgusting.
In the meantime the gates had been opened so the nurses, doctors and patients were able to get inside. Thankfully, the ICU patients had all already been seen by the night doctor. Some of the parents started trying to clean up the mess. Unfortunately this was noticed by the cleaners who started shouting and throwing all the rubbish around again. Several emergencies had been brought into ER so I was mid-cannulation while all this was going on. It was all completely mental.
In the meantime I was so impressed with the nurses on ICU. They all just got up and started sorting out all the patients, going through the medications to find out what was needed from pharmacy, asking me to sign prescriptions and lab forms, and getting me to review a few patients they were really worried about. It was great teamwork and all credit to them for just carrying on.
At about midday, the cleaners all suddenly came back into ER and started cleaning up all the mess they had made! They had obviously come to some sort of agreement. I found out later that they had been on strike before with no results, hence the more forceful “listen to us” message.
A very bizarre day. In the evening I went to pick up Zoe (who was unwell and as she was alone at home I thought she should come and stay with us, where there is a flushing toilet). After dinner and lots of deliberation, and knowing that Zoe was okay, I was persuaded to go out to bring in the bells. Most people had either gone home, or up-country to a place called Kabala where there is a Hogmanay party every year. So there were just a few of us at O’Caseys (yes, there is an Irish bar in Freetown). But there were fireworks and music and friends including Cat, Rey, Sandra, Fred and Emily who had flown in from London that day for a two week holiday and to catch up on the hospital. Despite my saying I wouldn’t have a late night we stumbled in at 3.30am, me very proud that I persuaded the taxi driver, in Krio, to drive us right to our front door.
We spent New Year’s Day at Bliss (where I discovered the joys of a Chocolate Bliss – think Marks and Spencer’s chocolate fondant with vanilla ice cream – yum!), swimming at the UN and then went to Frankie and Howard’s for a very chilled out and red-meat filled barbeque before falling asleep at half nine!
Anyway… I got to work to find that the gates had been barricaded by the hospital cleaners, who were on strike. They hadn’t been paid for two months. So they were stopping anyone getting into or out of the hospital compound. Doctors, nurses and patients included. I spoke to some of the night nurses through the fence who explained to me what was going on. Many people outside thought that the doctors were striking again (the doctors and nurses all went on strike earlier in the year before Free Health Care for under-5s and pregnant and lactating women started – they were no longer able to top up their meagre salaries with extra money by charging patients – so ended up with a 500% increase in salary after a horribly unethical but highly effective strike when the hospital was closed for two weeks).
The nurses inside the gates persuaded the cleaners to let me in. Once inside the hospital it was a) very quiet b) dark – the electricity was clearly off and no one had switched the generator on (meaning that the oxygen concentrators supplying oxygen for children weren’t working) and c) even dirtier than normal. But this was only the start…
I retreated into my office to check my email and text Sandra to let her know what was happening. In the meantime I could hear a commotion outside the office door. My office is just outside ER so hearing a commotion is not too unusual as I can often hear mothers’ wailing. There was proper shouting and the sounds of things being thrown around. When it had quietened down a bit I decided to investigate…. Not only had the cleaners decided not to do any cleaning – they had also thrown all the rubbish from the bins all over the floor or ER and ICU – including needles, syringes, empty bags of blood, and other domestic waste, and – wait for it – a dead cat. They also threw it all over triage and out-patients. And ward 1. And outside. To make matters even worse, they threw water all over it. It was just disgusting.
In the meantime the gates had been opened so the nurses, doctors and patients were able to get inside. Thankfully, the ICU patients had all already been seen by the night doctor. Some of the parents started trying to clean up the mess. Unfortunately this was noticed by the cleaners who started shouting and throwing all the rubbish around again. Several emergencies had been brought into ER so I was mid-cannulation while all this was going on. It was all completely mental.
In the meantime I was so impressed with the nurses on ICU. They all just got up and started sorting out all the patients, going through the medications to find out what was needed from pharmacy, asking me to sign prescriptions and lab forms, and getting me to review a few patients they were really worried about. It was great teamwork and all credit to them for just carrying on.
At about midday, the cleaners all suddenly came back into ER and started cleaning up all the mess they had made! They had obviously come to some sort of agreement. I found out later that they had been on strike before with no results, hence the more forceful “listen to us” message.
A very bizarre day. In the evening I went to pick up Zoe (who was unwell and as she was alone at home I thought she should come and stay with us, where there is a flushing toilet). After dinner and lots of deliberation, and knowing that Zoe was okay, I was persuaded to go out to bring in the bells. Most people had either gone home, or up-country to a place called Kabala where there is a Hogmanay party every year. So there were just a few of us at O’Caseys (yes, there is an Irish bar in Freetown). But there were fireworks and music and friends including Cat, Rey, Sandra, Fred and Emily who had flown in from London that day for a two week holiday and to catch up on the hospital. Despite my saying I wouldn’t have a late night we stumbled in at 3.30am, me very proud that I persuaded the taxi driver, in Krio, to drive us right to our front door.
We spent New Year’s Day at Bliss (where I discovered the joys of a Chocolate Bliss – think Marks and Spencer’s chocolate fondant with vanilla ice cream – yum!), swimming at the UN and then went to Frankie and Howard’s for a very chilled out and red-meat filled barbeque before falling asleep at half nine!
Christmas at Samso's
So I said that Christmas had bypassed me a bit. Actually it was really fun. I went with Fred and his parents to church on Christmas morning – an epic 3 hour service with lots and lots of Christmas carols, two collections (including a Birthday Competition – you had to go and give your collection in the month of your birthday – December won – wahey!) and communion. We then headed to the beach and spent the weekend at Hamilton Beach with a group of about 20 VSOs, Welbodi’s and various other NGO’s. I had a fab swim in the Atlantic Ocean on Christmas Day. I practiced my Krio on some local children. We had sparklers and fireworks. We had a blind secret santa, with some fantastically imaginative presents (Le20,000, about £3 was our limit). I had a fantastic grilled lobster for Christmas dinner. We all got Christmas crackers, and had Christmas pudding, brandy butter, Christmas cake and mincemeat pasties (as opposed to pies) all courtesy of Fred’s parents and Becky’s friend Kate. A very different, but very memorable Christmas.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)