September 1-7, 2019
Well, the weekend did not go as planned. I don’t have my mini-fridge, my fan, or my bicycle. This was due to an unexpectedly copious amount of rainfall, and ATM services being completely down. But this is Uganda. And in Uganda – like anywhere else in the world – things happen. Which is why the mentality here is along the lines of “the work will get done… eventually.” I’ll get what I need and what I’d like to have eventually, but not necessarily when planned. So, in the meantime, you just have to greet these changes with a positive attitude, and find other work and activities to occupy your time.
And Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were… an experience. Monday and Tuesday with more than 150 patients each, and Wednesday with around 75 patients… to put it very mildly. While it was an extremely informative three days at the health center, there’s clearly a very large amount of work to be done. When we have an influx of patients (sometimes as many as fifty in an hour), the center devolves into absolutely chaos. Somehow every patient is seen, and somehow the nurses make it work, but there are opportunities for space maximization, resource allocation, time management, and more. I’ve already started planning a nearly complete restructuring of the floorplan, and we’ll be working on putting that into practice moving forward. I’m also going to need to practice my Lumasaaba, but with twenty-one possible languages spoken in all of the villages served, there are many more language barriers that need to be traversed. It was also a fine three days getting to know new co-workers and healthcare professionals.
Thursday and Friday were slow days in the office. I spent the time drawing up an outline of the individual subjects for the health promotors’ curriculum expansion, and researching the first topic. I’ve been preparing a draft, one that should be ready for adjustment, critique, and improvement by the end of next week. We can then work on moving forward with all of the topics, as well as what is next on our leadership training for the month’s coming CHP leaders meeting.
September 8-14, 2019
This weekend was the right – and the wrong – time to buy a bicycle. The shop owner is a wonderful man, who sells used bikes at very reasonable prices. They are sturdy, strong, and solid. So, I bought mine, and began to ride it home on Sunday. I made it further than three-fourths of the way back to my house… when the rear tire exploded. Literally, it sounded like a loud rifle blast, and it was most likely due to over inflation, which I was told is a common problem for bicycles, motorcycles, and cars in this country. Regardless, I have a bike, and it will be repaired for free, but it is currently out of commission.
This week, during my days at the health center, Monday was completely madness once more – seeing more than one hundred and fifty patients come through. But Tuesday and Wednesday were much slower. As it turns out, word can travel very fast when a clinic is out of medication for particular – highly recurring – illnesses in the community. When it comes to diarrhea, malaria, flu, and the like, we’ve run out of medication for treating them, and so the number of patients coming through dropped to less than fifty patients a day. If anything, this speaks to the clear and present need for better prevention strategies and interventions in the community. Like in America, people have become too reliant on medications, instead of focusing on keeping themselves healthy before they become sick with something that is preventable.
Wednesday was also the day when I caught a cold working at the Health Center. Not all that surprising, considering every other patient presents with cold, flu, and coughing symptoms. Which they then cough and sneeze in our general direction all day long. But I don’t have malaria, and I feel strong enough to continue working, while resting earlier and longer while home.
Thursday, I felt stronger, so I spent the day at the office, as was the plan. I met with Joseph, a member of the Peace Corps staff here in Uganda, and he was very excited about the work that I’ve been doing and the work I will be doing here at Spotlight. He is also considering me for a position on a new regional committee of volunteers that the Peace Corps is building, so that’s pretty exciting. Joseph is also a gosh dang superhero! That’s very important for you all to know…
I took a malaria test, to prove that my sickness wasn’t malaria, and I was right!
But that didn’t stop me being more or less completely bedridden for all of Friday… Only cold showers could really break my fever and there was a lot of resting and recovery. Everyone in this country (exaggeration for the win!) seems to have this cold, so even my neighbors were sick, and we were all miserable together.
I felt strong enough to make my way into town on Saturday to buy food, because I need food and food is important. But as soon as I got home, my fever had spiked back up and it was time to stand under cold water for a while!
It’s been an interesting week… We feel so proud when we go for a such a long time without getting sick (five years!) but then when we do, it hits us like a an unpredictably moving car. Oh well, another week, another experience…
September 15-21, 2019
Something interesting that I’ve noticed, I’ve been in this town long enough now, and I’ve met and have gotten to know enough people, that I find myself running into friends, acquaintances, and co-workers every time I go into town. I know there’s not a whole lot of people in this city, but it’s still a nice feeling to have, and a nice realization to make.
This week was relatively uneventful; spent much of the time recovering from my cold. I did go to work, however, just not at the health center. I refused to stay in my house as I recovered. Just not the kind of guy I am. But it is the smarter option not to risk re-infection, or catching something entirely new with a compromised immune system. So, my week was spent in the office, and even there it was a mad scramble for much of the week.
There is something very big – several somethings, actually – that will be taking place next week. And since I’m feeling puckishly cheeky, what with being healthy and strong again, I’ll be leaving you on a cliffhanger to find out what happens when I release the next post.
Once again, thank you all for your time and coming with me on this journey! It means the world that so many of you find enjoyment and education from this: our shared experience. So, until next time, dear readers: be well, be wise, and be good to one another!
Peace, Love, and Uganda 