Safe Arrival & Welcome

It’s Saturday, just a working week (5 days) since Helen & I arrived on this new start in our lives. How momentous? Each day has been full of emotion, new sights and sounds and people.

There are many reasons to thank God

In the house, that we share with six other singles from four nationalities we have been given a wonderful master bedroom. It has a balcony that overlooks a snap of African village life at a distance of 30 meters away. Privacy exists for only the few in urban Africa.

With the help of four members of staff we started language lessons on Wednesday and we practiced the sentences we learned around the shops just 100 yards from the hospital. The people are incredibly warm and friendly, and we made firm padi’s (friends) already with the family by the hospital gate. Staff around the hospital also help us with 'sabi Krio'

Dave had a gentle start to work. Because of a surgical trainee (from Alaska) being here for two weeks he haven’t been in theatre at all, which has given time to think, read the fistula text books, envision the work. On Thursday however there was a massive influx of patients, 16 to be ‘screened’ (examined and questioned to determine their diagnosis and treatment, which might include surgery), and then 10 more on Friday. My job will be to screen these on Monday, and then do two major operations on Tuesday.

Helen has had good discussions about the rehabilitation work. The vision, however is very limited and there is a lot of dreaming to be done. What can be achieved will depend on building relationships with some key people, especially Florence who is employed as a councillor for the patients. Yesterday I had lunch with the Orphanage Director, and made plans to go there on Mondays for the first six weeks.