On Wednesday and Thursday, I went out into the rural villages with the Community Health's clinic to help the nurses/nursing students administer immunizations to pregnant women and children.
We left for the villages every morning at about 10 am. We stopped at the health ministry's storehouse to pick up about 200 immunizations and syringes. The storehouse was little more than a shed with unorganized boxes piled between motorcycles. Supplies taken out of the storehouse were recorded on paper on the honor system--it would never fly in the US. Then onto Nyambugo! The roads were completely uneven and rocky. No meaningful communication could happen over the sound of the window panes rattling loudly in the frames. No seat belts, either.
In Nyambugo, the villagers were very relaxed. The clinic setting was not as fast-paced or outcome-based as the clinics in the US. In between waiting for patients, I played a round of pool in a shack! I think they got a kick out of the fact that 1) A white person was hanging out in their remote village. 2) A girl was playing pool. It was the spectacle of the whole village. I wish I had a picture, but unfortunately it will remain a memory in only my mind's eye. My opponent scratched on the 8 ball like 5 times, but eventually beat me, so we called it a tie!
On the bumpy way up to Malot the next day, we stopped at a hot springs! Below is a picture one of the nurses told me emphatically "your husband will really like this picture of you!" xD
We left for the villages every morning at about 10 am. We stopped at the health ministry's storehouse to pick up about 200 immunizations and syringes. The storehouse was little more than a shed with unorganized boxes piled between motorcycles. Supplies taken out of the storehouse were recorded on paper on the honor system--it would never fly in the US. Then onto Nyambugo! The roads were completely uneven and rocky. No meaningful communication could happen over the sound of the window panes rattling loudly in the frames. No seat belts, either.
In Nyambugo, the villagers were very relaxed. The clinic setting was not as fast-paced or outcome-based as the clinics in the US. In between waiting for patients, I played a round of pool in a shack! I think they got a kick out of the fact that 1) A white person was hanging out in their remote village. 2) A girl was playing pool. It was the spectacle of the whole village. I wish I had a picture, but unfortunately it will remain a memory in only my mind's eye. My opponent scratched on the 8 ball like 5 times, but eventually beat me, so we called it a tie!
On the bumpy way up to Malot the next day, we stopped at a hot springs! Below is a picture one of the nurses told me emphatically "your husband will really like this picture of you!" xD
Now you might be thinking, Crystal did immunizations?! Mind you, I was NOT doing the administering of the immunizations, but I made a darn good bookkeeper! And for those of you who know me, I accomplished a great personal feat on the second day: I actually watched the nurses poke the needles into the patients! Maybe I'll build up the courage some day to give the shots if they let me! Here is a picture of the nurses and me eating sugar cane in the township of Malot:
The township is not where we did the immunization, but rather WAY out in the interior. Here is a picture of the women and babies we served in Malot:
Here is a picture of children excitedly running after our vehicle down the rocky road-- some without shoes-- upon seeing "a mzungu" (white person).
One of the nurses liked to joke around. "Just wait until we go out tomorrow! It is 3 hours there, 3 hours back, plus the clinic time! And we must account for another 2 hours when we get stuck in the mud! I can't wait to see you get out and push us!" As enjoyable as it sounded, I did not travel with the clinic team the following day, but opted to go with the water/sanitation team, which I'll write more about in my next blog.