1/3 already gone!

I can't believe I've already been here a month! It has flown by, and I'm already sad that I only have two months left!

We had two celebrations this week. One is called Santa Lucia and its a Scandinavian tradition. The group walked around in white and sang these really beautiful dirge like songs. It was so beautiful! The other was Carols by candlelight, this is an Australian tradition and I even learned the Australian version of Jingle Bells! My favorite part of the night was singing Silent night in every language aboard the ship.  I think there were 11 total? I actually got a little choked up, thinking about all the different cultures/people coming together to love these Cameroonians! I love learning about all of the other countries traditions and sharing about some of the NM traditions. I really miss luminarias and Bizcochos right now! It's the first time I've felt homesick since I've been here...I'm sure I can find bizcocho ingredients here somewhere!

Santa Lucia

Carols by candlelight on the dock

I LOVE the bells!

I didn't take many photos this week but I had so many great experiences. I got my bow photos done, which I was really excited about but they didn't turn out so great. Oh well, maybe some friends and I can go out and take pics another day!

I should've worn sunnies, it was so bright... and its a bad combo of scrub top/wrinkly clothes/squiting/awkward arms. I'll try again. 

On Tuesday I was stretching a patient's neck while I sat on a small metal stool with a very thin layer of upholstery on top.  The upholstery is the same color as the metal so one might assume that it’s all metal...but it’s not. When I stood up my pants were soaked, and I’ll admit I sweat a ton here but this was a little excessive. So I turned to the patient in in the  next bed that speaks pidgin English and asked if the stool was wet. And he said “yes, that’s the one they take in the shower to sit on” 😑 So, I just sat on a used shower chair and soaked up allllll the dirty shower water into my pants. Awesome! SO grateful for the people who wash our scrubs!

The physician on board drained the fluid off of a patients knee, and I got to help! He used a diagnostic ultrasound and gave me a tour of the knee/quadriceps via ultrasound. It was pretty cool, the guy had close to 90 ml of fluid on his knee. Then he injected it with a steroid and numbing agent!

I also had my first splint making trial! There's a little boy here that had both hands repaired from burns and he has K wires in all of his fingers. K wires are used to stabilize the joint and keep it in a functional position while the skin is healing. With both hands repaired at the same time he has been relying on his older sister to feed him. I saw her feeding him and stuffed a fork into his IV board using some Coban, as a temporary solution, then made him a real fork cuff the next day. It probably looks archaic to a real hand therapist but I was pretty proud of myself :)

My temporary fix for Roy to feed himself. 

My first adaptive eating device :)

I've been working with a patient named Ousman who has pretty bad burn contractures and pretty intense surgical repair. Both of his legs were used as graft sites for the abdomen. Needless to say he has been pretty miserable for two weeks. This week we started standing him up, it was so sad and he started getting afraid of just my face! I would walk up for PT and he would start to cry before we started! I felt awful! Well, on Tuesday I got him a walker and through many tears he walked about 20 feet, the ward went crazy!!! Nurses, chaplains, patients, and other caregivers were all clapping and shouting BRAVO!! He even began to smile toward the end, he and his dad were so happy!
The next day, much to my dismay, he was so excited when I walked up and said "marche?!" He threw his covers back and reached up like "Get me out of this bed, ASAP!" He walked all the way to the inpatient treatment room for his wound care session, and I had to choke back tears the entire time! He has had some ups and downs but he is moving so well! He even graduated to a walker with wheels! And the best part... no more tears! I need to get a picture with him!

On Thursday we went to the Ponsetti celebration. It was a graduation ceremony for all the kiddos who have had their club feet fixed over the last few months! It was so fun, we heard testimonies from parents whose children's feet had been fixed, sang, and danced. At the end of the celebration one of the local news reporters who had been filming the ceremony came over to me and said "You shake yourself well." I replied with "What?" Not because I didn't hear him, but I was so perplexed that he said that at midday at the Mercy Ships' Hope Center, not past midnight at a dance club. Well he kept trying to explain what he meant because I had said "what?" He kept saying "You can dance so good"
Ok, sir...I get it. Thank you and Au Revoir. Should I be concerned that there is footage of me dancing somewhere?

After the Hope Center we went to Maison H and got Ice-cream and we all said our Thankful Thursday, I said I was thankful for patients who don't complain. Every day we do rounds when they serve breakfast, and everyday they serve two pieces of white bread with butter, a boiled egg, and a piece of fruit- with either tea or milk to drink. And some of the patients have been here longer than me!! I am continually astonished that none of them complain! They take their breakfast, say thank you, and eat. I am constantly amazed by our patients and how content they are. What an example they are!

 The thankful Thursday turned into goodbyes to Ida and Mama Robyn. Two PT's that are going home this weekend! We will miss them so much!

Rehab team

Someone else has got a good selfie arm!

Ida, Robyn, and I, I hate goodbyes!

Friday we had a proper discharge dance party for Robyn and Ida and it was a blast!

The rehab tradition is to dance when a patient leaves, and the Therapists get the same send off!

This weekend I went fabric shopping and I bough WAY too much fabric but I loved it all and it was SO cheap! Now, to just make room for it in my suitcase! I took most my pictures this week while out at the markets. It's so dang crowded here!

They put EVERYTHING on motorcycles! This tree cracked me up!

Christmas tree shopping Douala Style :)

I got back to the car before everyone else because they couldn't cross the street! I was so happy to see them, we were only separated a few minutes but the central market is so hectic I thought I was lost for life!

Ewa and I  became friends on the chimp outing last week. We were so sweaty and happy with our fabric purchases!

Ewa took the remaining pics of the market while we were there! I love  this one 

I'll master this someday!

So many things to look at! Its hard to shop there because they want to box you in their stall and I don't  like being closed in! Just let me look in peace!

24 yards for $38! 7 different prints! I plan to bring some home but I also want a local Tailor to make me some things!

Another wonderful week has come and gone so quickly and I continue to make new friends. It was hard saying good bye to Ida and Robyn, but we will get replacements in January! My coworkers Tracey and Chelsea leave my same weekend and we are the next to leave! So no more rehab goodbyes for now!