I am not doing very well at keeping something posted. The busy Sunday ---- that was a couple of weeks ago. The usual morning activities went fine although I hadn’t had the time to eat that morning.
We headed to our first meeting which started at about 7:45 am and then when that was done we headed off to pelima which about 40km from there. We picked up Uli who wanted to go with us that week so we took the truck. On the way since we took the truck, I took the opportunity to get charcoal on the way. It is cheaper than in town but not cheap enough to go out there to only get charcoal. The meeting was sparse because there was a ceremony going on and most of the village was drunk or partially drunk. So we only had a core group. When we got done there we went to Joelle’s house to eat. he is my translater. Uli and I bought some yummy Tofu chunks that had been cooked in a tomato/red pepper/ oil sauce. They make very good tofu here … not like what you can get in the states. Much better. Uli and I ate and Manny said he didn’t feel well. Joelle got his stuff together and we left. He was coming into town with us so he could take the national test. So we headed off and got back to town and dropped off the charcoal at my kid’s house. Manny was not feeling well … he was standing there bent over.. I figured it was malaria. Having had it many times, I know how it goes. By the time we got home it wasn’t too late. Bony was there and Eric was cleaning the other house because he thought he might move in there. The kid that bony had brought to take the national tests was also there helping Eric. So I got the 2 guys settled and then I picked up cleaning where Eric had left off. When I got done there I started to make pâté. Which is dough with some tomatoes, onions and sardines (very little) mixed together and stuffed in a bunch of dough which is then fried until done. At the same time I was making those I started heating water outside on my charcoal stove. I needed to make Pate …. Corn cereal. While doing that Eric called to ask me if I have some fever reducer. That Manny was Hot and such. I told him I did and he came over. And I was going to give him paracetimal which works the same but then he remembered he had some. So he went home. When the Pâté was done, I started on the sauce when that was almost done my water started to boil on the charcoal. I went outside and poured in corn flour which I had mixed with some water so it wouldn’t have lumps. It got poured in and I stirred it until it thickened. I put on the lid and let it simmer. I came back in and finished the sauce and Patient came. He was very worried about his father to the point of tears. He thought he would die. So I calmed him down and prayed with him and then told him I would come when I finished my pate.. corn cereal. I had to finish it and feed my strangers. The two guys who were staying on the other side for the national tests the next week. When he had calmed down he went home on the bike. I still hadn’t eaten except a couple of bites at pelima. I got the food to the guys and told them I had to go and see a couple of sick people. I grabbed some sugar and salt to make oral rehydration solution and then I went to the pharmacy to get some med for papa Nestor and Manny. I got malaria med for Manny and something to stop the diarrhea for papa Nestor. I headed to Manny’s house and sure enough he was Hot and so got him the malaria med. When I saw he was ok I headed to papa Nestor’s house and sure enough he was laying there completely floppy. So I made up some ORS with the salt and sugar and went in and woke him up and made him drink. First he had to spit out the first mouth full (he wasn’t prepared to salty, sweet water) and then drank the rest. I also gave him some Imodium to stop the diarrhea. (The diarrhea was caused by I thought, Malaria.. not by any intestinal problems. ). He then lay back down and went back to sleep. I covered him up against the mosquitoes. We went back out and chatted and finally at 9 I told Augustin to go to bed because he had his national exams the next day. A half an hour later I went back in and woke papa up again and gave him some more drink.. and he went and peed. Finally he started to sweat and I knew that the water had made it into his system and not just pouring through him. So I gave instructions to the kids to try and give him more that night before they went to bed and then again sometime during the night if they could wake up, and then I went home. I had told my kids at my house that I didn’t know when I would be home but that those that don’t sleep at my house to go home at 9pm and the other 2 to go to bed and lock the door.
I got home and everyone was sleeping.. I drank some water and went to bed. The next morning the kids went off to school and I went to get Papa to see how he was doing and to take him to get a blood test. And when I was at the hospital which is really close to where Manny and Eric’s house was, I called Manny that he could come. So he walked. I went in to see the Laboratory guy and asked if I could get some blood tests for malaria and he said no problem. So I got papa Nestor in there and got his blood drawn and then Manny arrived and they got his done too. Since there were a crowd of people trying to pay at that moment the lab guy said I could pay when I came back. That is because he knows me. So I took papa back to his house and he went to sleep. Manny went home and tried to pack some. They were supposed to move that day. Eric had found another house for them since where they were living had several waterfalls every time it rained. The roof leaked horridly. When I got done dropping off papa Nestor I went with Eric to see the new house and got the contract written up and got the advance pd. And the guy got the lights all working. We also scrubbed the floor. And while that dried we went home. Manny was heating up again. I walked up to the pharmacy and got him more Para to take down the fever and then went to the market. So in the afternoon when they got done packing I went with the truck and we made 2 loads and got all the stuff moved. Manny watched not having the energy to do any more. While I was still at their house the time came that I needed to go and get the results at the hospital. I left and got the results. Papa had malaria and Manny also did even though it showed negative. It was because he had already started treatment and the parasites which were in his blood had been killed off but it was still in his system. So I headed back to the pharmacy and got malaria med for papa and took it to him. By the next day he was well enough to go back to work. I got back home and my visitors got back from their tests. I got some food for them.
And those are 2 long days.