Settling In

Hooray… no water shut off for the past 2 days!  Still no ice or water readily available in the refrigerator door, and the hot water heater in our apartment has not been working well so mostly lukewarm showers,  It’s amazing the small conveniences that one can really take for granted.  The water is not suitable for our American stomachs, and it has to be filtered and boiled to be safe, and still it is only good enough for cooking.  We must buy water for drinking, which is very expensive here.  The soil is also contaminated and all fruits and vegetables have to be soaked for at least 20 minutes in filtered water with a special bleach solution for food.  The food prep alone can be exhausting and one can long to just run to McDonald’s.  Actually there are many cooked foods available on the street and some of it is not too bad as long as you don’t think too hard about where they got it or how it was prepared. Having tried much of it before and being fully armed with my Cipro, I readily jump in and will eat some of it, but Steph has not yet braved the street food.

Tomorrow two of my good friends from Cameroon, JB & Adda will marry.  I am to be a witness for the ceremony and this has consumed a good deal of time these first few days here.  Material to be bought, then off to the tailor for measurements, a copy of my passport to the consulate, & meeting with the priest.  Last night was the “buying of the bride” ritual, and then finally tomorrow the real deal.  At 9 am tomorrow we go before the council, and then the wedding at 3 pm.  Then in the evening the reception will be held.  One thing for certain it will be one very long hot day with me in an African dress and heels.  Anyone who really knows me will have a hard time envisioning that.  For the reception some other dress, but at least my flip flops.   Traditions run deep here, and they hold deep to their roots.  Whether it be the foods they eat, the style of dress, the type of place they live in, how they deal with pain or a wedding.  They fully embrace their culture, love their people, love their country, and they do not complain.  They are thankful for everything that they have, and we could all use a lesson in that.  For some, truly not knowing when they will get their next meal, when they sit down to dinner and thank God for the food provided, it clearly has a very different meaning for them than it does for us.

There is a constant parade of people at our door… selling fruits and vegetables, peanuts and home-made goods.  Some asking for money for school, others begging.  Today two brothers came selling something we were not interested in.  The youngest pleaded with us… it is so that his brother can get new sandals.  He removed his flip flop to reveal a large hole. Still we refused.  I sit here tonight feeling bad about it because for under $2 I should have just given them the money for the shoes.  We sometimes are in a tight spot.  Does he truly need shoes or does he just wear them to make the sale? One cannot know without further investigation.  So for now I just choose to feel bad about it.

We have started our work at the hospital.  There is so much work to be done there & so many jobs that are bigger than we could possibly accomplish in our time here.  You deal with many types of tropical diseases, and see many things such as deep wounds, horrific burns (both new and old) common medical problems that are quickly treated in America yet here are left to grow into unbelievable horrific medical cases.  The days are long and the nights are short. We just try and do the best that we can.