TGIF!

I'm not so used to this Monday - Friday work week thing...not so crazy about it to be honest, but it's good for me I think. Believe it or not, I have more routine here than I have since graduating from high school...

Here's a few things from the week...

• I was walking to the Heath Center one morning this week and there on one of the sparsely populated porches of the shops/living quarters that sit back from the road a bit there was a young guy, probably about my age, standing with a towel wrapped around his waist and bathing in a basin much like I wash my dishes in...I guess he just decided he'd rather bathe on the front porch that morning...whatever :)
• Sunday afternoon I had a cold coke when we ate in Bundibugyo town before sending Dave off to Fort Portal, and can I just say IT WAS FABULOUS! By the time I went for a soda last night at Team Pizza there weren't anymore coke's left so I had a Fanta Orange, it was good, but can't quite measure up to a cold Coke!
• Yesterday morning during rounds we came upon our first of what would be 4 kids with convulsions of various sorts...this one unconsciousIt was just Jennifer and I at that point, so I'm pushing (yes, 8E, PUSHING) valium, ceftriaxone, and D50 diluted with NS...every several seconds the kid (maybe 2 years old guestimating) would pause in his breathing and my eyes would move from the IV catheter that wasn't really working all that well, to his chest that had momentarily stopped moving up and down, and say a little prayer, "please God, not now, not another one" and think "BREATHE!" to myself, and his little chest would return to it's heaving, pulmonary edema-like pattern...the mom started crying at one point and as a nurse there's an unbelieveable feeling of helplessness to not be able to communicate with her and reassure her or even ask her what she's feeling...he's still alive today, has malaria and a Hgb = 4, so was being transfused when I left...
• Jennifer recieved confirmation from the Dr. in Kampala that Maate arrived safely at International Hospital and we'll hopefully hear updates at some point of what they find/how he's doing. Thanks for praying and keep it up!
• The men hanging around at various points along my walk home from the Health Center today were in rare form, jeering/mocking/laughing...(I guess they're glad it's Friday to0)...and after our study at team mtg. yesterday about forgiveness I'm trying not to let their behavior define them in my heart/mind...trying not to let their behavior affect how I respond to the smiling/friendly kids I pass a few paces beyond them...evidently Desmond Tutu defines forgiveness as not letting what someone does/says define them...God help me...

I'm going to try to post more pictures tomorrow, we'll see what happens.

Later Gators.