Hello, folks!
It's Sunday morning here and we are halfway through the training. Time is flying! Here's a glimpse into my usual morning routine...I usually wake up between 5 and 6am, thanks to my bladder and the numerous roosters. I slowly get out of bed, stretching as I go, working out the kinks and pain from sleeping on a very firm foam mattress on a wooden slatted bed. I pull a dress on, open my windows and the front door, and start the kettle. Living in a hut with a grass roof means a thin layer of dust on just about everything, so I shake out my floor mats and sweep the floor, while I wait for the kettle. I have a filling breakfast of oatmeal, dehydrated strawberries and pumpkin seeds (brought from home), local honey and cinnamon, and a strong cup of Kenyan or Ugandan tea. During the week, I usually head to the classroom early to set everything up for the day, but on the weekend, I ease into the day. The midwives have been asking for more knitting lessons, so that's what will keep me occupied this afternoon. This morning, I want to work on a fetal heart lecture and organize some supplies that will go back with the midwives, when they are finished with the course.
Up until this week, I usually sleep with the windows open, cooling the hut when the temperatures finally drop in the very late evening. However, this past week we have had a number of late evening/early morning storms. One of the storms that came through was so dramatic and strong, I had to get up in the middle of the night to close the windows, as rain and strong winds whipped through my hut. The following morning, I woke up and planted my feet on the floor to discover my hut had become a lake.
The original engineer made a huge mistake when building my hut, first by building my hut in an area that is clearly in the path of draining water and putting in my floor below the level of the doorway. We have been arguing with him ever since. His favorite response is to say, "This is how the client wanted it." and we respond, " WE are the client! and NO WE DID NOT." Ugh. Zilla was kind enough to clean my floors while I was in class, and we are still waiting for them to come back and try another "fix".
The week ended for the midwives with a written exam. I am very clear with the students that no one "flunks" my class, the exam is not timed, and they can ask me clarification questions at any time during the exam. All but one of the midwives did very well on the exam. One of the midwives, a petite, quiet young woman, did poorly and even skipped a few of the questions. I spoke with Rachel and Max and after going over the exam with the class, had Max take her aside and go over the exam. Not surprisingly, when Max spoke with her in her indigenous language, she was able to answer almost all of the questions correctly. This is definitely the most common issue I have come across when I do this work, a basic knowledge of English, that makes it a real challenge to understand what I am teaching, combined with a cultural pattern of not speaking up when you don't understand. We also found out that her grandmother passed away a few days ago and she could not afford to travel the long-distance home for the funeral, which caused an extra layer of distraction. Max reminded her that we told everyone to let us know if an emergency occurs, but it is what it is. Max let her take some time to rest and then she returned to the class in the afternoon, to scan with the group. We plan on spending extra time with her, to make sure she understands our instructions. Interestingly enough, she is also the only midwife that has had previous POCUS training. Rachel thought about bumping her from the class, but it's a good thing she changed her mind, because she has given no indication that she has any ultrasound experience. This confirms my suspicions that most of the POCUS training I have seen in Uganda and Kenya, is insufficient and severely lacking.
In other news, I received an email from the Director of the DAK Foundation (the primary funder for the POCUS training with MHI and the founder of the Community of Practice), informing me that they are suspending the CoP, will not be sending me to Kisumu or Malawi, and we will have a meeting the morning after I get into Nairobi. Mind you, this is the reason I booked my travel to spend an extra week in Nairobi. Rachel has also had a series of email communications with them, none of which have confirmed that they will continue funding the training, so we are frustrated and anxious. In the meantime, I have had communications with multiple potential clients in hopes of meeting with them in Nairobi, and they have also been vague and noncommittal. So, I reached out to the director of Africa Cancer Foundation (Dorothy) and as luck would have it, she has a mobile clinic happening at the end of the week that I will be in Kenya. She is going to fly me to Kisumu, cover all expenses, and I will work her clinic and talk to her about potential future collaboration. I will have a few days in Nairobi, and Rachel has said that she will take my business cards to the conference, in case POCUS comes up in conversation. I will be staying at a hotel that is only a 10-minute walk to the hotel where the conference is taking place, so there is still an opportunity to connect with potential future clients. I am also not disappointed to spend a little more time to explore Nairobi.
Yesterday, Rachel and I drove into Gulu, specifically so I could go to the fabric shop that was closed last Sunday. The beautiful Kitenge, Batik and Ankara fabric is why I have started sewing again, after decades. For those of you who sew and quilt, your mind will be blown when I tell you that I came home with 48 yards of fabric for around $50! We also wandered through the sewing area of the main market where I scored a beautiful bomber style jacket, made with Ankana fabric, for around $16. It's hard not to support the Ugandan economy with deals like this! We went to our favorite Ethiopian restaurant for lunch, hit up a few more of our favorite shops, and went to an outdoor market for some groceries for the group kitchen.
We returned back home and I spent an hour or so, drooling over my purchases and searching for sewing patterns online. 😁 We enjoyed a nice dinner and a long chat with one of the midwives and a visiting midwife, who were taking a break before finishing their night shift in the birth center.
There is a pile of bricks and rocks near my hut and it's a favorite sunspot for the local lizards. The red-headed Agama lizards are everywhere, and the males are especially striking. The five lined skinks, tree Agamas and geckos are also very common, the geckos usually running along the top of my hut walls. I appreciate their commitment to keeping my hut insect free.
Comments
Post a Comment