me & me

A new little girl

This morning I saw a woman give birth to a little girl. That was the source of my stand off with Binta, whether I could “train” in the village, or not. She gave in though and this morning I showed up at the health post unsure of what to expect.

It was a little boring at first. A group of about 6 disinterested pregnant women listened to a short lecture on STDs, while I watched a girl outside with the saddest eyes I had ever seen and wondered why she was wearing a wool sweater in this weather.

Things picked up soon after the STD lecture. Instead of going home, one of the women stood up and said she was in labor. She had probably said something beforehand, but that’s when it came to my attention.

She was hooked up to an IV, and a little while later the girl with the sad eyes came in and was placed on the bed a foot away from her. She couldn’t have been older than 16, and was miscarrying. I’m told it’s because she has malaria. So she lay down, they put the IV in her to administer the malaria medication, and then proceeded to pry the 2-month-old fetus out of her while I held her hand.

She didn’t cry once. She moaned, clutched at my hand, writhed, gasped for the woman to have mercy … but she didn’t cry. Soon I was looking at the fetus and she was putting her underwear back on.

Minutes later the other woman gave birth to a little girl (another quiet affair). I won’t go into details. It was sort of what I expected, except more smells and faster. The baby had too much fluid in her lungs, so there was a lot of forcing a tube down the nose and throat then pumping it out. Apparently there’s a machine that does it, but it’s been broken for months. So are the bulbs that are supposed to warm the baby.

 

I'm going to win this

I’m going to Velingara tomorrow. I don’t want to. I hate Velingara (the word translates to “come in happiness” – definite misnomer, trust me). One of many problems with Velingara is that you can to that sandpit fairly easily, but it’s near impossible to find a ride out. You’ve got to really settle in for a wait at that garage. Fortunately I have a depressing book to keep me company. Fun!

The trip is necessary because of a stand-off I’m in with the local midwife. She thinks she’s won because it’s so hot I won’t make the trip. She had no idea to what lengths I’ll go to though – Binta doesn’t stand a chance. 

Don’t worry about Binta, she’s not a sweet woman. 

losing battle

The hot season is in full swing, has been since January, and it’s getting to the point where you can’t force yourself outside during the day. One day I’ll get the snapshot I’ve wanted to take for all of you; a wall that has about 20 donkeys, sheep and goats lined up against it, desperate for shade.

I told Fatimata how badly I wanted to go swimming, and she was horrified. The ever-hungry genie under the bridge would get me, so “no, under no circumstances was I to go swimming.”

I don’t know why I even argued with her. Part of me wants to swim under the bridge just to prove her wrong, and then another part of me thinks that would be a bad idea. I wonder what part is more rational.

The BBC this morning was talking about preparing for heat waves and avoiding fatalities. The reception was bad, but I think the guest expert said something along the lines of people who are habituated to the heat stand a better chance. That prompted the gloomy realization that for once I would be the best physical candidate. 

I want to start using my fan, but I don’t trust my repair job (I blogged about it awhile back). I think I’ll hold out a little longer. 

another note

One of the best parts about staying in Dakar was my host family, which is where we went after the conference. They were a wonderful German/American family (with three adorable daughters) and they sent Maggie and me back to village with loads and loads of cloth reusable diapers. Those are going to be a huge hit.

They also sent us back with chocolate, but we don't have to share that. And mom, God bless her, sent me pounds of popcorn via the diplomatic mail system. The package was ostensibly for my passport, but she packed popcorn and candy around it. I gave away most of the candy but none of the popcorn. 

duty post

I owe my legion of readers a blog post. How many of you owe me an email? Because let's face it, the interesting stuff never makes it into the blog. 

Things are fine here in Senegal. I finished up the nearly two weeks of conferences followed by partying, and there was no harm done. I had a good time. 

Are you hoping for something more exciting? Well, I don't have it. I'm busy typing up close-of-service reports and filling out financial aid requests for graduate school (thank you to dad and Camie for all your help). I'll probably go back to the village on Sunday to work on the computer project there for a bit. Then we have a HUGE mosquito-net distribution taking place in about a week. 

Honestly, although I don't leave until April it feels like everything is winding down. I need to start repairs on my hut for my replacement. When I look at it with a critical eye I admit there is definitely work to be done. For example, my replacement probably won't want to be visible to passerby's from the backyard. For the most part I have ceased to care, but it took awhile to develop that attitude. 

I am really, really hoping my replacement is male. Overall I loved/liked my work site and family, but it would be so much easier on a guy. Because I was assigned to work at a middle school I worked with nearly all men. That was tough, hence the elaborate fiance ruse (we're still going strong). I don't know if it would work for another girl. What if she doesn't have my gift for lies? 

I'll sign off because I don't have much more to say. I'm winding down but still have enough stuff to keep my busy, including an incredibly depressing book mom has always said I should read. 

Oh- almost forgot! Here's my stage at our closing conference. This was an exciting photo to take. I think 28 of the original 39 made it - but I may be one or two off.  People who left had good reasons for doing so. 

 

it's nearing the end

I'm in Dakar for my official Close of Service conference. They're sort of jumping the gun with that name because none of us are allowed to leave for awhile yet. Anyhow, it promises to be a good 3 days. We're at a nice hotel in Dakar, they feed us, there's a pool ... you get the picture. 

After the conference volunteers from all over West Africa will descend on the city for an annual softball tournament. I'm curious about the turnout. Since last year's event two neighboring countries (Mauritania and Guinea) have had to close their programs due to terrorism and political unrest. That's quite a few softball teams down. I won't be stepping in to fill the gap either because - little known fact - I hate flying objects. This includes softballs.