Worlds Away. . .

The days, and now weeks, have flown since my departure from Bo.

It had been a long day travelling from Bo to Freetown. There was even a goat on the roadside who waved goodbye to us (truly!)…totally bizarre, but we all witnessed this phenomenon. The goat actually waved, not just digging at the dirt with its hoof! We had some beach time watching fishermen, wading and breathing in the sea air, which was very luxurious after being landlocked in Bo. Saying goodbye to Julia was hard as we have been through thick and thin and developed a lovely friendship with a dash of mother/daughter bits too. She gets the trooper-of-the-year award for being the WAFF volunteer who has been in country the longest. (By the time she departs, it will be about 9 months.)

Flying back to London with Selena and Jenny was fun, especially since we could share the frustrations of the interminable Lungi airport check-in process. In the end they were rewarded with biz class upgrades, but I remained in cattle class!

Jenny and I lingered with Selena before parting ways at Heathrow immigration and shared that we could already feel the experience slipping as we shifted gears…we had a good laugh about the bathroom faucets in the airport with the sign “WARNING: HOT WATER”.

Hugs goodbye to Selena (another lovely new friend) and then Jenny and I trundled officially through into the UK). Her devoted and vivacious sister, Lyndall, greeted us as we came through the sliding doors, which was an absolute treat. They are going to have a fortnight of sister time together in the UK. It was such fun to see their instant sister connection take over…two peas in a pod for sure. We gabbed for a few hours at the little coffee shop. Lyndall shouted me to a gigantic cuppa (more like a bowl) of café latte which propelled me through the rest of the day!

Then the last goodbye to Jenny at Paddington Station. I am so grateful for her friendship. We really had fun being the “oldies” working together these past two months. It is good to know that we can catch up with each other in Australia or who knows where else.

I arrived in Paris via the Eurostar train which is so fast and efficient…definitely propelled me into another world as I arrived into Gare de Nord at rush hour. By the time I had arrived at Philip and Monica’s glass studio in the Bastille (Ag 12), I was just absorbing all the changes. France feels so “civilised”. Philip greeted me with two dress rehearsal tickets to the opera at the Bastille Opera House for that night given to him by a friend. Off we went and we sat down with a minute to spare before the curtain rose (Luckily since it was dress rehearsal, it was “come as you are”). I would put money down that I was the only one in the audience who had been in Bo, Sierra Leone just 36 hours earlier. Talk about a 180 degree shift, totally surreal. Verdi’s La Belle Masque was an amazing spectacle and I loved it. I stayed wide awake for the whole performance and soaked in the reality of leaving Bo. (Thank you, Augustino)

Exploring the markets, eating the food, relishing the stained glass in Notre Dame, loving the spring flowers and having cousin time in Paris was very special. Philip and I had the adventure of finding the house in Reuill Malmaison, the Paris suburb, where our family lived for the year when I was six when my father was working at the Herald Tribune. Very fun.

I also spent a few days in Aix-en-Provence with old friends from years past, Dana and Liz, who provided a welcoming and cosy household. Liz and I share the same birthday (exact day and year) and the chocolate birthday cake for our 55^th celebration was the best EVER! Taking walks around their place was like being in a Cezanne painting. Fluffy clouds, blue sky, views of Mt. Saint Victoire and heaps of purple and yellow dwarf irises carpeting the ground were the norm. We spent one day hiking the Cassis calanques where the sea was a clear cobalt blue with Ed and Daria White. Simply sublime.

Now I am back in Maine immersed in this world. I am luxuriating in watching the Canada Geese returning to the cove to nest, noticing the soft greens emerge in the woods and renewing friendships with talks and frequent walks.

I try to focus on life in Bo. Hearing the laughter and camaraderie of the women from the ward as they return from the well with buckets of water on their heads; watching the neighbourhood children play happily with a stick and an old bike rim; smelling the fields as they get burnt off in preparation for planting; the taste of a sweet banana; the feeling of sweat trickling down my back all the time. It’s a world I have grown to love, despite witnessing suffering and experiencing frustrations and challenges.

I will continue to draw from my time there and the many friendships I have cultivated. I marvel at their love of live despite all the hardships. Increased patience, tolerance, compassion, flexibility, adaptability, appreciation for simplicity are some of the lessons which lie in the experience of being there. May I be fortunate enough to keep remembering these values as I get drawn back into this very different world.

Helen

DEPARTING BO. . .

There are packs of dogs howling outside in the predawn as I write. Combined with the early calls to prayer, it is quite dramatic.

Bags are packed and the lists are all crossed off. Selena, Jenny and I head off tonight for London. Julia will accompany us to Freetown and we will bid her adieu there (it's nice for me to know that I'll see her in Ojai at Thacher graduation time). It will be good to have a walk on the beach and get some ocean air into our lungs before going to the airport for the long hangout time.

Yesterday was a full and productive day of tying up loose ends. Top of the list was hiring Margaret as the nursing supervisor. We are excited and confident of her abilities to help move the program forward.

Knowing that there would be a river of tears from many of us if we had the usual farewell scene at the hospital comprised of patients, staff and well wishers this morning, we did the goodbyes as we went through the day yesterday. Much better. . .

It was a cosy last evening here at the house. I made a wicked good batch of brownies and we shared photos and perspectives on the highlights of the time here; happiest, saddest, funniest, most frustrating, most bizarre, most rewarding, most challenging etc....we will all have many stories to share.

Jenebah and smilin' baby Dr. Maggi

Two more sleeps…

It’s been another huge day with a wide spectrum of events and emotions. This morning we delivered one of the patients, J.A., who has been with us for 6 weeks, home to spend her last days. She had undergone fistula repair surgery in 2005 at another hospital and had been delivered to our ward by her family for assessment of her urinary issues thinking that she needed another repair. It became clear quite soon, that her issues were more medical rather than surgical. Her case was quite complex and seemed to be a bladder cancer resulting from the parasitic disease schistosomiasis.

Over the past few days she was weaker and expressed a desire to return home to her family and village, which is about two hours from Bo on very rough roads. Jenny and I made the preparations for her discharge, getting her all set and her take home pain medications in order. Joseph managed the dealings with her family and Ernest drove us very gingerly over the rutted roads to not exacerbate her pain.

J's home

Hospice care

Upon arrival at the village, we were greeted by a crowd of her family and friends who were shocked to see J. so ill, but Joseph was able to explain to them the situation and that J. had requested to come home. Getting her out of the vehicle, settled in and comfortable on the dirt floor of her house with a tarp, very thin pad and blanket was very poignant with a large gathering of onlookers. Hospice nursing in a remote village in Sierra Leone is still the same as anywhere else in the world; providing pain management, general comfort to the patient and emotional support for all. Jenny reinforced the administration of injections with a local health care worker and we made her as comfortable as we could by giving her sips of water from the bottle cap and keeping the flies away too. After we said our goodbyes and drove off we knew that we had done the right and best thing for the patient.

The afternoon’s activity was a more happy occasion, when Julia and I attended the elaborate engagement ceremony of Mr. Idriss, our landlord, and Fatmata, our head cook for the program here. It was quite the contrast of family gatherings from the village scene of the morning, but so interesting to observe the rituals of this Muslim ceremony. There were many introductions and speeches, as well as several “decoy” brides who were presented at the altar under veils. Fatmata was the fourth bride and when Mr. Idriss unveiled her, there were boisterous cheers and loud applause.

Engagement unveiling

Now I am in the midst of departure preparations and list making in preparation for my departure. Only two more sleeps here and tonight my mind will swirl with all the images of the day.