Every day is much the same out here. Wake up early for devotions, breakfast, walk to the school, see 70-80 kids, walk back to Project Mercy, eat lunch, walk back to the school, see 70-80 more kids, walk back to PM, eat dinner, team meeting, hope to get on computer, maybe read a few pages, then fall into bed exhausted! I am learning the difference between mental exhaustion and physical exhaustion. I realize now that while my children may tire me out during the day, it is nothing like this! I am getting a taste of what Michael (and many of you, my friends!) does all day, and it's very enlightening:-)
Saturday and Sunday have been our only breaks in routine. Saturday, I helped Michael, Sarah (Jones), and 2 new friends/team members, Bill and Isabella (OB/GYN and L&D nurse) run a Basic Life Support in Obstetrics (BLSO) and Helping Babies Breathe course. What an AMAZING day, for many reasons! I loved getting to see Michael in teaching mode. He is so passionate about maternal and child health, and he is a gifted teacher (as are the other 3). In Ethiopia, 1 in 9 women die in childbirth. The average number of women have 6 children (that doesn't include miscarriages or stillbirths), so considering most women deliver at home, those statistics aren't very surprising. Most women are just attended by local women in the village with no formal birthing training. Hence the need for this course, which has never before been taught in Ethiopia. Letters were sent out to the 7 local zones around here (total population of about 70,000) to invite a few members from each community. We were expecting about 20, but as of 10:00 (2 hours after the course was supposed to start) we only had 5. Apparently this is how things happen in Africa:-) Gradually as the day went on, more and more men and women came to the class. By the end of the day, we had 34. I can't even explain how wonderful it was to watch these local birth assistants/nurses absorb this information. They were so intent throughout the whole day, particularly in the workshops, where the participants were able to practice what they had just learned. Ugh. My words are not adequate. The feeling of how important this information was to them, and how much impact it was going to have in their communities was palpable. Words just don't convey their desire to absorb this information and improve the lives of their women. One local assistant told a story of how, just the night before, she had watched a woman bleed to death in childbirth. This is going to save lives, and it was so amazing to be a part of.
Sunday began with a gorgeous hike through the countryside. I took the short hike, Michael took the long one, which I opted against since it required getting up at 5:30:-) Everything here is so gorgeous. Their homes are called tukals, round buildings with cone-shaped roofs, made out of mud and/or sticks. They are beautiful and look so exotic. They blend so well with the landscape/nature that it is easy to miss them. They are surrounded by such gorgeous vegetation. In some ways I feel like trying to westernize them would ruin them. There is such beauty in their simplicity. If only there was a way to greatly improve their medical care, poverty, and education without having to industrialize them. After the hike, we attended a local church. I couldn't understand the Amharic words/songs, but the spirit of Jesus was unmistakeable. Their passion is so inspiring. Especially considering this region of Ethiopia is 95% muslim, and it is an uneasy peace (and at times violent) between the 2 peoples. After church, we rested the rest of the day--how glorious! We read, napped, and explored the compound.
Today began groundhog day all over again, this time at a different school. The 2 schools are only maybe a mile apart, but this one is far poorer school with much sicker children. We had one little boy today of about 5 stand in line for an hour or so, with his 1 year old sister tied onto his back (no parents in sight). When he finally saw a doctor, he insisted the doctor tend to his sister's needs before his own. Just 1 of the 100 or so kids that I wish I could sneak home in my suitcase. I don't have time or space for all their stories, but each one is as touching and heartbreaking. As always, my words fail me.
I could write for days and not be able to express my thoughts or emotions. I am in love with this place and these people. In a way, I almost dread returning to the States and my pampered American life. How can I possibly live with such excess, tolerate mine and other's narrow-minded self-centeredness?? How do I balance these 2 worlds I inhabit? I pray my experiences here don't lose their raw emotional quality, but I fear they will. I guess I'll just have to keep coming back:-) In the meantime, I am counting down the days to seeing the boys again! Apparently they are all doing very well in our absence, what a blessing! Noah's football team won their first game in football playoffs. I pray they win next weekend, so I can see a game when we get back:-) Ahhh, my life is so blessed. To him who has been given much, much is expected. Paying it forward has never felt more wonderful. As we say here in Ethiopia, Dena-hunu. Exibir yir barkachu. Good night and God bless you.
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