No, I haven’t fallen of the face of the earth. It’s just that the heavens have dumped the contents of several oceans onto us in the last week. There was a cyclone (tropical storm) of the coast of Mozambique. And so, we have had just about every permutation of rain in the last week and a half: thunderstorms with wind, thunder and lightning, then steady downpours, then drizzle, then mist, then storm again. Currently, we have Seattle weather: misty rain, overcast, and chilly. Its strange to see the locals in heavy sweaters, hats and jackets. Even before this cool weather, I noticed the mothers will bundle up their infants in knitted bonnets and sweaters anytime the sun goes behind the clouds. So now that it is actually cold (62 F), they are layered to the hilt.
I have also had a mystery tropical illness, complete with headache, severe myalgias (muscle aches), GI complaints, back pain, dizziness, a sore on my leg and a strange swelling on my thigh. The differential (of a certain over imaginative medical student) at various stages of my decline included meningitis (stiff neck and back), TB (several patients did cough right into my face), malaria (there were mosquitos in kariba and I did skip one day of anti malarials), tetanus (scratched my arm on a wire on our fence the other day), schistosomiasis (waded over the dam on a walk a few weeks ago, got my feet wet with infested water), deep venous thrombosis (just for kicks, maybe I have a clot from sitting in the car for hours on the way back from kariba), guinea worm (big sore on my leg), cutaneous leishmaniasis (big sore on my leg), and spider bite (big sore on my leg). On Monday, I officially saw ‘the doctor’ who gave me a packet of little pink pills (antibiotics) and now I am feeling fine. Hum. You figure it out.
I have also been busy in the afternoons working with some of the nurse aids from the hospital who are studying English. They are hoping to re-take the ‘O’ level English exam, which they need to pass in order to pursue any kind of higher education. Many of the students have been out of school for several years, are working and have families. I offered to help one staff member in the afternoons, and within a week there have been eleven others who have come. They are extremely enthusiastic.
Besides the rain, the illness, and my English students, things seem to be routine.
Oh, and Margie and her ambuya were back today for a checkup and refill of her medicine. She is doing extremely well. . . she wanted to take a ‘card’ (photo) today. Victor, the nurse aid hasn’t quite figured out how to keep the camera still.
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