Africa by bathtub

November 23, 2007

Well, we are approaching the end of our time here in Lesotho. It’s hard to believe we made it to India for a month (!!!!!!), and have been living in Katse village for 10 weeks already. It has been a truly amazing trip and we have been so blessed with timing and opportunities and experiences. I think we will both come away from here with a greater understanding of what it is that we want out of our careers and what we can offer to others. Although there are plenty of things I will miss, like the grueling hike up the hill (with 5 year olds chatting and skipping up behind me like its no big deal as I am panting for my life – despite weeks of training), Sefora’s hilarious sharp and annunciated comments that take me by surprise every time, hanging out with Sam all day every day, Friday afternoon Amerula doubles, hour and a half lunches (yeah, I’m really going to miss those), Thursday night ER and Brothers and Sisters, and 2 baths (at least) a day….despite all these routines and pastimes I have grown fond of, I am so looking forward to coming home. I don’t think it could be better timing: work for a week (I miss Maka so much!) and then home to 100 Mile to see my family for Christmas. Life doesn’t get much better than that, does it? I know I’m ready because I’ve started, for a long while now, really, having those dreams and thoughts and yearnings to talk to you all….the kind you get when you are unable to communicate with the people you love, when you have a lot of time to sit and think and realize what it is that is truly important, where you evaluate your current and former life and behaviour and wonder why your said priorities are not your practiced priorities. I love that about traveling away from your comforts for a while. What I’ve spent significant time doing lately (in between reading all the girlie, “modern woman” novels I can get my hands on, and driving Sam crazy), is daydreaming about all the things I want to do when I get home…..shall I share some of those ideas with you? Perhaps it will inspire you, perhaps you will just laugh at me, but it will definitely allow you to smugly remind me of this list when I start to slip back into the fast-pace-accomplish-not-a-lot-of-what-I-want-to former life of mine. OK, here we go: Dad, I want you to teach me to smoke salmon ….Sara, I want to spend some time surfing with you, and just hanging out on the island….Mom, I was thinking I’d like to get out Grandma’s sewing machine and really give it a go, maybe even try my hand at quilting….…..Raj and Steff, I hope you’re still up for that half-marathon clinic when I get back…Bec, I look forward to weekly phone calls! I want to can salsa and peaches, and get back into karate. I want to go on a wine tour in Abbotsford - Laura, I want to drink red wine and get tiddly and do our cards…..I want to visit all my friends in Vanderhoof and Prince George…..I want to take an art class…Curtis, I want to go out for Chinese and a Cougar’s game this winter….maybe Gino and Danni could join us…..Jen and Chris, I want to get an old pair of speed skates and whip around the oval with Avery on my shoulders (LOL!!! JK about that part…)…I want to plant my own peppermint for fresh tea everyday…I want to go to the beach and walk around on the rocks and trails and sit out in the sun and read and drink hot tea….I want to go kayaking with you sometime Sherry!…I want to get a library card and read as much non-nursing stuff as I can (although Nancy Simms always used to say that all books are relevant to nursing cause you get a perspective on other people’s lives)…I want to bottle my own shiraz again with you Dolan and ride up to the picnic table with you and Ryan…..I want to go on road-trips on the weekends to visit you all….I want to learn to make my own tomato-basil soup…..How am I going to achieve all this you ask - AND still work? Well, that is what I have been doing here: prioritizing. My returning resolution: live my priorities. OKaaaayyyyyy….so with that final statement, thanks for listening to my big list (I’ve found it fun to share with you)…..I’m gonna wrap it up now… on that, somewhat sudden, note. Hope this letter finds you all in fine spirits and health, I love you and can’t wait to see you all, hope you’re now dreaming of all the things you’re going to accomplish this new year… XO, Devi

It is our first weekend back in Katse. Things at the clinic are going well. We are so proud of the nurses. They did an excellent job while we were gone, and it feels so great to see how their confidence and knowledge have grown. There have been some major staffing changes though, which has proven to be a bit frustrating. The first one is downright funny. Our matron delivered a baby boy in her hometown a few days ago, so obviously she is not at work. Now, when we left for India one month ago….we had NO IDEA she was pregnant (let alone 8 months pregnant!!!) Someone told us that the matron of Katse had delivered a baby and we thought they were mistaken. WE COULD NOT TELL!!!! She’s a bigger lady as it is, and just didn’t have the shape of someone “with child”. We were feeling super foolish, but after talking to some physicians, they had no idea either, and they had seen her only days before she delivered. Two of the remaining nurses are retiring at the end of the year, leaving us with just one superstar to focus our education efforts on. She’s doing a super job though, so I’m sure Katse will be ok.

There’s this youth program in Katse that has been funded by Prince Harry. Today, the Prince of Lesotho and Prince Harry helicoptered in to Katse village. We almost missed it because we got so into this Animal Kingdom show about Big Cats. (We were all concerned if Simba was going to lose his pride to 2 other lions.) We made it though, and by virtue of not looking Basotho (and the only people to be severely underdressed), were asked by all his “people” who we were and how we fit into things. So we got introduced to Harry and Lesotho’s prince (and I can’t tell you his name because it was complicated and my ears just don’t hear those sounds properly,). Sam’s hours of geeking out on the stats really paid off because he was able to spout them out to all these royal people. The camera was all up in his face too. SO KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED FOR SAM ON TV WITH PRINCE HARRY (and me in the background nodding my head in agreement). It was pretty cool. Then we headed off for a hike in GREEN Katse hills. What can I say? Just another day in Lesotho.

Devi

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