Africa

Africa. I am sitting here by the window, with a moist, warm night breeze breathing on me, I can hear the crickets outside in the darkness, and the nearly full moon is like a celestial street lamp.

I am in East Africa, a few hours from the equator, and 25 kilometres outside the capital city ofTanzania: Dar Es Salaam....Arabic for House of Peace.
Amen!

We live on an 81 acre plot of land, and indeed it is very peaceful. It’s the simple life here; the base grows their own vegetables, makes real coconut cream from the towering coconut trees above, and we all have a hand in sorting the rice and beans to rid them of stones and tiny insects.

We rise early with the sun and watch the stars bright against the dark sky at night. And when the power cuts out, orange glows of little candle flames can be seen in all the rooms, and we continue to go about our evening.

We take bucket showers outside, drink freely from the fresh well water that fills the taps, and wait patiently for the massive mango trees to yield their fruit in season.

We have entered our Applied Lecture Phase... lectures in our breezy African schoolhouse coupled with hands-on learning in clinical settings.

For the past few weeks we have been able to experience helping and observing in the nearby Birth Clinic; learning the ways of Antenatal Care, checking a woman’s progress, and feeling little kicks inside of growing chocolate bellies.

Clad with our student-midwife uniforms: baby blue collared zip-up dresses

(which could also pass as 60’s air hostess outfits), stethoscope, and official name tag

around our neck, we have been able to do simple teachings on pregnancy at the clinic, and even step into the delivery room!

A few weeks back I saw my first labouring woman, it was pretty intense. She had been in labour for about 6 hours already and was so tired that she had no energy to push. The nurse told us in confidential code that she was HIV+ and explained that lack of strength/weak pushing is usually the case for them. This young mother was just recovering from a bout of malaria, with an already weakened body from the virus, and now having to muster up all the strength she could had left her utterly exhausted. They were trying to give her handfuls of glucose and eventually resorted to giving her some sugars and salt through an Intravenous fusion.

After watching two failed attempts at digging around with a very long needle for a good vein to hook up the IV to, becoming aware of how hot and stagnant the room was, having not eaten for 7 hours, and seeing the desperation and intense pain of this woman, I actually fainted!! In the delivery room!

I know, I was shocked myself. It was definately a combination of circumstances, as I am usually good with blood and those types of things. My memorable First Labour Room Experience.

ha!

As we walk through the neighbouring village, visit little shops and meet more people, we are constantly reminding ourselves to “be relationship-oriented and not task-oriented”. It’s the African way. Relationship far outweighs how much you can get done in a day.

We chill with plenty of little African children, and are learning tidbits and phrases of Swahili from the locals.

And yes, I can validate that “Hakuna Matata” from the Lion King really does mean “no worries” in Swahili.

We have finally been granted our Work Visa Permits by the government to work in the Hospital, and tonight is the eve of that. We’ve been bustling around, preparing our things, and now we climb into our bunks, tuck our mosquito nets round us, and wait with anticipation for tomorrow to come. I will be on the pre-delivery and post-natal ward this week.... I am so excited to set foot in the hospital! Thank you Lord!

I know more exciting stories are just on the horizon!

Looking forward,

Fia