Awakened: Buhongwa, Day Two

Journal Entry, September 25

Another full day! We returned to Buhongwa today and clearly the word had gotten out after Saturday that we would be coming back today. We saw double the amount of patients - about 230. Dr.'s Mukulla, Ikoko, and Dany were with us, along with Modesta, Neema, Edah, Matari and Aron. We had a fascinating conversation with Aron in the van on the way to clinic about HIV/AIDS in Tanzania. Aron works in a Reproductive Health Clinic and is a talented Lab Technician. He has a great passion for his work and a great passion to educate people about HIV/AIDS and its transmission. As I've mentioned before, people are very hesitant to speak of HIV/AIDS and yet it is a grave reality that is bringing death to families because people are unwilling to talk about it - the prevention of it or the treatment of it. If there is no conversation about it, there is no prevention...it's as plain as that. There is a good portion of the disease that has historically been transmitted through long distance truckers who have a woman in each of the cities that they visit - it may be the same woman, but she is only one of many and so the disease, along with other sexually transmitted infections (STI's) are passed along. We see a large amount of STI's in women here and it is a frustrating thing to treat a woman when her husband is not present to be treated as well, because the infection will simply reappear.

I have felt the feeling today of sometimes wondering if there are situations where we border on doing harm here - not intentional, by any means, but I question sometimes what information gets lost in translation during health teaching and the things that may be missed as the Doctors move people through. It seems so fast at times. I have said often to our team here, including the Urafiki team, that we must balance the desire to see everyone, with the very important point of providing good care and no doing any harm. This is a continuous battle for me on a trip such as this, but it is always important to focuse on the good that has been done also.

Dallas and I continued in Pharmacy today, while Gisela continued to love triaging and Marilyn did some consulting, while Ellen prayed with people and helped in every other way she could!...pill counting, passing out stickers, etc. Sara Jane kept the people moving through Registration...she is our organizer! I just giggled every time I could hear her voice through the fabric room divider, saying (in very lovely, slow english), "Hello. My name is Sara. I am very pleased to meet you". I am sure they were won over by her smile, but they were likely looking at her thinking, "I have no clue what you are saying to me!" Funny times. Yet...love and acceptance transcends language and I believe the people have known that from this team.

A few quick memories from today:

seeing Aloyzi at the Urafiki before we left today. This is a man who Marilyn saw in Buhongwa, who had had a stroke and thus has left sided weakness. His BP was outrageously high, over 200 systolic. We arranged for him to come to Urafiki for a four legged cane that we brought down and it was amazing to see him using it! What a difference it will make in his life! He even had a smile today :)
Latifah and Lea - the two little girls outside our gate - so, so precious. Latifah's smile could just keep you going for days!
out first rain in Tanzania! We are entering the rainy season here. Thankfully it wasn't heavy enough to create a lot of mud, but just enough to keep the dust down!
Cooler nights...I love it! I actually wore a long sleeve shirt to supper tonight.
Neema reading Kande's Story, a story about a young woman impacted by HIV/AIDS, to the people waiting for Pharmacy.
Ellen being swarmed by kids when the stickers came out!
Ellen and Edah's prayer time with a Pastor and his family...waiting for God's timing in the situation in their lives...believing for the fulfillment of His will for their lives.
learning which direction to pee, as a woman, in the "choo" (toilet) - this resulted in lots of conversation amongst the team...quite the funny talks we have in our tired state at night. All I'll say is facing the wall was definitely the right way to go! ;)
Lots and lots of young children and young babes today - many more than in Nyambatala.
Dallas' language lesson with Servelina, our gate keeper at Hill Front Hotel - they had a grand time learning from one to another.
Feeling rather smothered in the Pharmacy space - looking out and seeing about 100 faces looking back at us, waiting for their name to be called for medications.
Gisela's face when we reached an empty "in" tray in the Pharmacy! Finally!!!!!
Aron and his shiny shirt. I made a comment about his nice shiny shirt (satin like material): "Aron, you are shiny today!" His response..."Julie, I am always shiny!" And you know what ...he is!
Falling asleep while journaling tonight and also attempting to blog. My journal is hilarious. My writing is fine and lovely and then there is a line where I have, "So, so tired - it's taking 10 minutes to write 2 sentences. I really...." and then I can't even read my own writing after that!!