the everyday...

Thursday night, August 14
Tomorrow is Adam’s birthday and his first day of school! Oh, I pray it is wonderful!
Went to the Chikonzo’s regular church on Sunday…there were less people and a smaller building since it wasn’t the ‘conference’ week. I didn’t know this during the service, but later discovered that each Sunday a different group from the church body leads the service. Last week it was the youth. When we returned home following the service, I told Florence I didn’t know she was so involved, but then she explained to me… Dr. Chikonzo also leads the Sunday School time…we talked about (well, he and a little bit of they, not so much me) the Second Coming of Christ and the promises that we as believers have. A couple from the church road home with us and stayed for lunch. After lunch, I did the dishes (as usual) and then did some reading.
On Monday we left at 3 am for Masvingo. (It was supposed to be 2, but we are on Shona time…actually, I think most places other than the US operate like this…) Mr. Mtisi (the administrator), Dr. Chikonzo, Prof. Greg, Beauty (Dr. Chikonzo and Florence’s cousin), and I all ventured out for Masvingo, the Great Zimbabwe, and Harare. We essentially made a big loop through Zim, going down through Gweru to stop by the Maponga’s (where we also enjoyed a wonderful breakfast), and then on to Masvingo, where we meet Dr. Chikonzo and Florence’s cousin Rebecca. It was wonderful to be in her home, she was so full of joy and tons of laughter! Three kids stay with her, but I think only one is her biological daughter; they were all very helpful and a joy to be with as well. Someone told Rebecca that I had eaten termites in Zambia, and so she told me she would have a special treat for my dinner…
After tea at Rebecca’s we went on to the Great Zimbabwe for a long, but gratifying hike up to the ruins. On the way up, the views of the countryside and the other structures were breathtaking! We could see Lake Kyle (formed by a dam built in the 60’s), mountains, villages, and the Great Enclosure, along with other structures. I think my favorite part was a small alcove, barely a cave, where the king is said to have consulted with his spiritual advisors and, also, where he may have called down to the other areas with requests (it is situated perfectly for echoes to travel down to the other structures.
Then we went off-roading in Dr. Chikonzo’s 1992 Sentry. I couldn’t stop laughing, because he kept saying we were almost there, and I thought we were headed back to Rebecca’s house…when in fact we were heading to the village where his family lives! At one point the grass was very tall, nearly taller than the car, and suddenly there was a car blocking the path…a little sketchy feeling, but I was in a car mostly full of people who knew what was going on. Dr. Chikonzo got out to check the ground to see if we could pull off the road to get around…I said I hope there’s no shumba there! (In Shona, shumba means lion…I throw in a word or two whenever I have one that almost fits the situation )
The village Dr. Chikonzo is from is what I imagine when I imagine rural Africa…a few huts within a gate…there were a couple more modern houses too though. It was a wonderful experience to walk into one of the dark, smoky huts as they were cooking sadza and to sit on the floor with the family. I also met a two week old baby, when we returned to Sanyati, I was able to inform Florence of his birth, though I couldn’t identify his parents (Dr. Chikonzo took care of that for me). Before long we headed back to cousin Rebecca’s house, she (well mostly her kids, under her instruction) had a wonderful feast prepared for us! There was sadza, rice, and noodles, chicken, green vegetables, beans, and even gelatin with bananas for dessert! Oh yeah, and I had my first caterpillar! Not really very pleasant, but I’m glad that I tried it. (If I was served them for dinner, I would graciously accept, but I would hope there would at least be some sadza to mix it with ) Later we had tea as well…there was even electricity the whole time we were there!
We got up early the next morning to head off to Harare to drop cousin Beauty at the airport and Prof. Greg at the airport…a long and rather bumpy ride…nothing much to tell. We did see a giraffe after leaving Harare, it was enclosed in a fence with cattle though  so not too natural…
I started following Dr. Chikonzo at work some…a bit easier to understand his English than that of Mr. Charambamwe. Started by going on the round with him; this was more like a parade on Wednesday, because there were two missionaries there from Bulawayo, Dr. Chikonzo, Dr. Byler, and me. It was a good experience though, and I learned a lot from listening to the wife’s questions, that I would not have even known to ask. (She is a nurse midwife.) This was my first time seeing much of the ward happenings. I saw a four year old little girl camped out under big metal wires to keep her blankets from being directly on her burn wounds (today I saw them debrided…). Saw some particularly interesting things on Friday…including a lumbar puncture and chest tubes…the different words and equipment still throw me for a loop sometimes… Talked with Mr. Mtisi the administrator a great deal on Friday to learn a lot about the inner workings of the hospital and the delicate interaction among people and groups.
Friday: First lesson with Kudzai in Biology, Dinner with Bylers: Roast Beef/Gravy, Rice
Sat: reading biology to be better prepped for next lessons, reading Eliot’s A Chance to Die…
Sun: Back to Arda (Sanyati Town as opposed to Sanyati Mission where the hospital is) for church, walked to friends house afterwards for prayer, pawpaw, and beans
Mon: Devotions, Followed Dr. Chikonzo in rounds, OPD, then Dr. Byler to learn about debridement…in a four year old little girl…hurt me to watch…so much to learn!, on to the executive lunch meeting, then continued to follow Dr. Byler in OPD…some interesting stuff…maybe I’ll follow in the morning to see the removal of a Bartholin cyst in a pregnant woman. Off to do Bio with Kudzai…more interesting…I even had a little lab activity for him. Also had dinner with the Mtisi’s…rice, ham (?), ‘salad’ (more like slaw…), also had pawpaw (a fruit…insides seems rather like a cantaloupe, soft and orange, but the outside is green/yellow and leathery/rubbery…I know that doesn’t make much since…sorry.) The whole crew of the Mtisi children walked me home because it was dark…all three boys and their daughter, who is the oldest (20).
Tues: Devos, then tried to follow Dr. Byler to take care of that Bartholin cyst, but the proper minor surgery pack was not ready (quite a task to coordinate sterile kits when electricity is so unpredictable and supplies are in such short supply!). Then Dr. Byler was going to work on inventory in the pharmacy, so I followed Dr. Chikonzo in OPD again. Nothing to exciting…felt a hiatal hernia, saw some umbilical hernias, the usual opportunistic infection cases.
Wed: Devos, followed Dr. Byler to the D&C room to marsupialize that cyst. It was huge; I didn’t realize how big it was until she was on the table. When he cut it, there was quite a splatter of blood! (Fortunately I was behind him, so it didn’t get on me…) Then he sutured open the duct that had been blocked…so know I think I know exactly what is meant by marsupialize. He went to change after that, and I went to Mr. Mtisi’s office to see about sending e-mail. Got a couple in the outbox…so whenever the network and ZESA (Zimbabwe Electrical Supply Authority) are both working, they will go out. Then helped Dr. Gwatikunda try to put some music on his phone after loading it onto Mr. Mtisi’s computer, but lost out with ZESA… Home for tea (today was instant coffee and bread with margarine). Back to the OPD following Dr. Chikonzo, ended up following him to minor surgery to see a partial finger amputation and the suturing afterwards. He had to use a bone wrench to get some of the bone out of the way so there was enough skin left to cover the wound… (Both times today during their suturing, I was reminded of my struggles with suturing the rats in mammalian…) No more patients in OPD after that, so home for lunch now. After a rather long lunch, returned to the hospital for the Head of Department meeting. Ummm….what can I say? You would expect any meeting of this sort to have some struggles, since everyone has their own priorities (i.e. their department), but in the midst of seriously reduced access to resources answers become much harder to agree upon. That meeting lasted until the end of the day, a few things were resolved but none with much clarity. (You hear “We have to do this…” and “We have to do this…” but, in reality, you can’t do both right now even though they are both very legitimate priorities…the cycle is endless it seems.) Then I went to the Mtisi home for another Biology lesson. We reviewed the first three intro chapters of the book via oral quizzing…scientific method, biogenesis v. abiogenesis, natural selection (very basic explanation), and classification of organisms. After that moved onto a little human biology; I thought that would be easier for teacher and student since we are both more interested in that. So we talked about 4 tissue types and 10 organ systems, by then it was starting to get dark so we decided to conclude for the day. Mai B (mother of Blessed/Mrs. Chikonzo/Josephine) was outside cooking by the fire when I arrived home. Once again, we had sadza, greens (not sure exactly what kind), and tomato sauce (finely chopped tomatoes simmered to softness with some minestrone soup mix added for flavor/a little thickness) with some beef. This is the most common meal at the Chikonzo home, and I have come to enjoy it the most, although it is the most common. We also had tea after dinner last night.
Thursday: Devotions, then followed Dr. Chikonzo to do a lumbar puncture that he wanted to do on Wednesday, but without power that would have been pointless. I carried the CSF down to the lab so I could see what meningitis looks like. Dr. Chikonzo was pretty sure it was meningitis because of the high pressure the CSF was under, but I only saw a few of the organisms in the lab. (That was my first trip to the lab, interesting to see how they operate and distressing to see all that they don’t have…) Then I followed Dr. Chikonzo and Dr. Gwatikunda doing the round through the wards, also saw the little girl with burns that I watched Dr. Byler debride…still not a happy camper, but they do look like they are healing well. There’s also a young man with a femur fracture…traction is interesting…literally weights hanging off the end of the bed. (He will be here several more weeks…) Returned home for tea…Dr. Chikonzo went to town, Mai B went to church, and Florence was at a study session, so I fixed my own tea and bread for the first time by myself. (It was a bit strange being here alone because normally there is always someone here…) Then I went back to the hospital…wasn’t sure what to do so I went to the pharmacy where I am always useful! They are out of dispensing envelopes so there is always paper to be folded and stapled into envelopes and pills to be counted. I also talked with the matron about going to maternity ‘full-time’ next week. They also have an Ante-Natal Clinic behind the maternity ward so I can learn about that too. He said the Sister in Charge will be back on days next week so I should start on Monday; her name is Sister Gora. {I’m trying to keep up with the days so when I do have access to my blog I can share lots of life in Zimbabwe with you…I feel pretty silly right now though, just typing this on my computer!}
Friday: Followed the Drs. Chikonzo and Gwatikunda again…Gwatikunda did an I&D (incision and drainage on a diabetic lady’s foot…quite disturbing, pretty sure she’s going to lose at least part of her foot. He did it in minor surgery, so he didn’t go too deep…he also wanted to talk with Dr. Byler about sending her to a specialist…but even if she could get to Harare, we don’t know that they have adequate supplies for her either. (I’m hoping to follow Dr. Byler in the OR on Wednesday for him to explore it further; he said he may go ahead and amputate part of her foot then or wait for Dr. Randall to come later in September…just depends on what is there. Dr. Randall was a medical missionary here for about 30 years; he will be here for 2 weeks in September doing lots of surgeries.)
Saturday: Dr. & Mrs. Chikonzo went to Arda (Sanyati Town) after tea and they were gone for most of the day. Florence was gone to a study session until about 1:30. During the morning I did lots of laundry…which is very time consuming, especially for someone inexperienced at hand-washing! I wasn’t sure when Dr. & Mrs. Chikonzo would return…or Florence for that matter, so a little after 1 I ate a pawpaw. Soon Florence came back and was very apologetic, but I was really fine… She cooked and after she was done she asked whose bike was outside. (Mr. Job (church elder) had gone with Dr. & Mrs. Chikonzo to Arda and left his bike in the yard.) This meant she had to have another serving for him…I didn’t think to tell her that while she was cooking, because I was quite sure they wouldn’t return until late at night, but she said she had to have a plate for each of them anyway. So she told me she would just have tea, instead of sadza. I suggested we just give everyone a slightly smaller portion and it would be alright, but no, no, no… While she was outside heating her water for tea, I took the liberty of dividing my portion in two and fixing her a plate. She still tried to refuse it for a while, but I realize in Shona culture you always provide for others first and don’t worry too much about yourself…but how could I eat a full plate of food while she had tea and bread? So we split my portion and each of us had some tea and bread. Later that night I decided to give Florence one of the dresses I brought…she has become my best friend here and I wanted her to have the one with pretty blue flowers on it that I wished desperately that I could wear… She was ecstatic and I was so glad that I gave her that one! I also showed her the one that I planned to give to Mai B…and she told me I needed to give it to her soon, so Mai B wouldn’t think that I thought Florence had done more for me than Mai B…and I knew she was right. Dr. & Mrs. Chikonzo didn’t return until late on Saturday night, and I was already asleep.
Sunday: Gave Mrs. Chikonzo the red/black dress with beads on the back…not as perfect as Florence’s, but she was quite happy with it, also gave her a tie to pass on to Dr. Chikonzo (I was worried, because I’ve never seen him wear a tie, but she said he did sometimes.) Went to ‘small’ church, returned home for beans and rice, prepared some biology lessons for Kudzai, met Florence’s fiancé. I was quite upset with Florence, because when I told Mai B that Brother Calling and someone else had visited she asked if Florence told me that Calling is her fiancé…of course not! I had actually met him before, but only very briefly, and no one told me then either! So later I had to ask Florence all of these ‘engagement’ kinds of questions…both for personal and cultural knowledge and understanding  Calling used to work at the hospital, but he is now preparing to be a pastor; I think he will graduate next year.
Monday: Followed Dr. Byler on rounds, went to tea, talked to Mr. Mtisi (adm), and went to maternity. I worked in the ANC (Antenatal Clinic) for awhile taking BPs and weights and recording their exam results in a big logbook. After the ANC cleared, I went back to the maternity ward and talked with the nurses. Around 3:15 they said a lady would give birth soon! So I donned my gloves and apron (literally a plastic apron you would expect a butcher to wear…). I assisted Nurse Nhdlovu in my first daylight delivery…this time I could actually see what was going on! We delivered a healthy musikana (girl) at 15:38! While Nurse Nhdlovu started cleaning up, I handed our musikana to her mother and pushed them to the post delivery ward in a wheelchair. I helped them pick a bed and get settled in…maybe I can take a picture with them tomorrow morning if they are still there… Then I went to the washroom where Nurse Nhdlovu was busy cleaning up our mess; I watched him because I had already removed my gloves (which was rather convenient for me…)
Tuesday: I hope to follow Dr. Byler to do a epigastric hernia procedure this morning, then I have a project to work on with the administrator. He wants me to help him with a proposal for the Italian Baptists, so I think I’m going to go around the hospital taking pictures and documenting some pressing needs that they may help provide for in the near future. If I have any more time, then I will go back to maternity for the rest of the day.
I followed Dr. Byler doing rounds on the men’s and children’s wards, then to do an ultrasound on a lady with serious ascites and a very unusual, large, movable abdominal mass. He decided it was most likely attached to her liver. (Dr. Randall may evaluate when he comes with his Sanyati surgical expertise.) Then he circumcised a 16 year old, who evidently had a previous partial circumcision. He had significant scar tissue, but Dr. Byler was still able to remove most of the foreskin. Before we began, one of the nurses asked me to pray; I wasn’t really ready for that…I’ve never been in surgery and never prayed in the theatre…but I’m sure the Holy Spirit did some interceding, despite the lack of eloquence. (Tea break…) Then the epigastric hernia came, and one of the nurses asked if I needed a gown. (I had put on the hospital scrubs, but did not scrub in for the circumcision. I hesitated this time, but when Dr. Byler said this would be a good first one to scrub in on I felt like he really didn’t mind and maybe even wanted me to…I was also worried about wasting one of the few sterilized gowns and pairs of surgical gloves…but his approval soothed those concerns.) As Dr. Byler was scrubbing for the circumcision he talked me through his scrubbing, pointing out technique and things that I wouldn’t have noticed if he had not made note of them. So, I was prepped a little before scrubbing for the first time, and then as the nurse assisted him with his sterile gown and gloves I watched attentively. So after we were in the theatre, Dr. Byler and the nurses continued to coach me as I donned my sterile gown and gloves. Dr. Byler instructed me to stand across from him, on the opposite side of the patient, which I eagerly did. The nurse was just on the other side of me, toward the patient’s feet. He cut down her linea alba, which reminded me of the rats  He explained that even though that wasn’t exactly where we wanted to be, it would be the best place to cut and then we could go over a little once we were inside, if need be. He thought the hernia was in the fascia, but even before he finished cutting realized that it didn’t seem to be there (he could feel better after the skin was cut, since it was not stretched out so much…) Then he decided to continue cutting through the fascia to see if he could figure out what was really going on; he decided she had very swollen aortic lymph nodes. He let me put my fingers in and feel them…like small, hard grapes. He also let me assist with the suturing by holding the sutures tight as he continued down the cut; I also cut the sutures at the appropriate times. So that was my first real human surgery experience! Then there was just one more for the day…a D&C. For that there is a special D&C room, and less hubbub getting ready since you don’t have to scrub in and it is mostly already set-up. Dr. Byler told me this lady delivered the night before, and that she delivered her placenta, but he felt some pieces of tissue the night before after delivery. He explained that she would probably be alright without the D&C, but once she was back in her distant village, she would be much less likely to return for something that may seem like a small problem (or even when it seems to become a larger problem). Then I changed back to my regular clothes and shoes (they literally have rubber boots for theatre use…).
I waited for Dr. Byler to finish talking to the administrator and then I went in. He had wanted me to help him with a proposal for the Italian Baptists before their contact comes in a couple weeks, so then I went around taking pictures of some problem areas and worked on documenting some of the needs.
Wednesday: Went to devotions, one of the men who works in the pharmacy gave his testimony…a little frustrated because I missed all the funny parts due to translation… Then went to Maternity Ward, helped one of the nurses with ‘damp dusting,’ in other words, wiping down with water and cloth. Then I talked with the administrator about this project that I’m helping him organize as a proposal for the Italian Baptists…stayed for tea at his house with his family. Then I went back to the maternity ward, nothing going on: played cards and talked with the nurses, also learned a few more words in Shona. I cooked my first sadza tonight! Mai B and Dr. Chikonzo are gone to Masvingo for a church conference so Florence and I are here alone for a few days, so she said it would be a good time for me to practice with very little pressure. It went pretty well…although my arm was quite tired by the end!
Thursday: Helped deliver a baby :)…otherwise pretty similar to the other days in maternity…
Friday: Back to maternity…learned to do 10 day and 6 week post-natal follow-ups… Not much else today. Also went to the Mtisi’s for the biology lesson with Kudzai; tonight I wrote out some things for him to study while I’m in Gweru. I also cooked the sadza again tonight…Florence didn’t monitor me quite so closely. It was a little grainy, but not too bad…
Saturday: Going to Gweru (maybe I can use real internet???) and finally post these blogs! There is a Baptist Congress there and then I will stay there with the Maponga’s for a week or two.
(I've been writing at least a few times a week and just copying the whole thing now...I'm in Gweru for a little while and all the encouraging words that I've read since getting Internet access are wonderful and very, very much appreciated! much love & many prayers....

i'm here :)

Friday night 10 pm, August 1, 2008
Wednesday was a very long day. After a five hour wait in D.C., I boarded the plane to Johannesburg. I was surprised my seat was so close to the front! In fact, I passed it and turned around because at first I did not believe it! The plane had a row of two on each side with a row of four in the middle. I was on the end of one of the middle rows, with no one beside me in the middle row. It seemed that everyone (at least all of the loud Americans on the plane) were headed out on hunting trips. I did quite a bit of reading in Elisabeth Elliot’s A Chance to Die, which is a biography about Amy Carmichael, a missionary in the 1800s. It was rather encouraging to read about her experience leaving home, because I could identify with it. It was also comforting because hers seemed much more difficult than mine; I am only here for five months! She probably took nearly that long to make it to Japan, which was her first stop. I also did quite a bit of praying and journaling along the way. I only watched one whole movie, which was about a prison guard on Robben Island and how his slowly evolving relationship with Nelson Mandela taught him a great deal. I was quite concerned when I disembarked in Joburg, because the line for international transfers was not moving when I first turned the corner. I was comforted after talking with the two ladies in front of me who were both headed to Harare on the same flight as me. Soon enough, the line moved and I made it to the gate in plenty of time. The other two ladies were also shortly behind me. Ms. Margaret was truly a dear; she was returning home from Brisbane, Australia where she visited her daughter and grandchildren. She showed me a drawing that one of them gave her before leaving. I know not to take candy from strangers…but I could not refuse when she offered to share her KitKat. Actually, I tried to refuse but the grandmother in her would not let me. In Joburg, a bus carries passengers out onto the tarmac to load the planes, so we boarded together and I carried her bag up the steps onto the plane for her.
The plane to Harare had 3 seats on one side and 2 on the other. I was in the first row behind first class in the middle on the 3 seat side. The man beside me was an American citizen living in Belgium who was going to Harare on business. When I got through the Visa line, Ibrahim was standing on the other side of the luggage carousel with his bags. I looked around for mine and did not see them, but figured they would be out soon. So I told Ibrahim he did not have to wait for me, but then decided to make sure my ride was there before he left. He loaned me his phone, and my heart leaped when I spoke to Mr. Mtisi on the other side! I knew that I had made it this far and they were there waiting for me, and it would not be much longer. So Ibrahim left, and I saw Ms. Margaret again and told her I did not know where my bags were. She said if they weren’t out, they weren’t going to be coming out. So I walked over to the office to start filling out paperwork. I quickly got frustrated, because my codes didn’t fit the forms and I asked another goofy American, and he said he was just making it up too…so he wouldn’t be much help to me. Then I asked one of the porters, and he tried to help but said to wait in the line and the person in the office would help me. Then I decide to walk out one more time and look… and there are my bags! Stacked up on a cart, all three of them together, with one other bag on top. What sweet relief! So I make it through customs and talk my way out of paying duty on anything. (OK, well, I prayed the whole time waiting in the Visa line for God to clear the way and then I kept telling myself He had, and HE did! It was all very anticlimactic, although at one point I thought I was going to have to pay duty on some items. But, God wanted me and these supplies here…and here we are!)
When I walked out of customs and Greg stepped toward me, I was so relieved. I felt like now I didn’t have to worry about anything because they would take care of it. (I was pretty worried about visas and customs, because I just hate talking to officials, and I often am paranoid that I am doing something wrong and I am not.) Then I was rather overwhelmed because there were so many people there to greet me! Greg Casalenuovo (CN Nursing Prof), Mr. David Mtisi (the hospital administrator), Dr. Norman Chikonzo, Robert (the ambulance driver), the Mapongas (Mr. Maponga is the director of the Bapist Conference Center in Gweru, they also run an orphanage in a rural area), and Makieda (a nurse at Sanyati) was in the ambulance when we reached it. The road to Sanyati was long and bumpy, but the ride was not too bad. I saw a shooting star on the way. (A little God made me smile moment.) Arrived at the Chikonzo home, unloaded, and went to sleep!
Yesterday I woke up about 8, which was too late to make hospital devotions at 7:30. When we were ready, Dr. Chikonzo and I walked to the hospital. He showed me a few things, and then introduced me to Rev. Peter Japu, the hospital chaplain, who finished showing me around. The hospital is on one floor with several different halls/wards/buildings. The buildings are somewhat open and connected by walkways. There is an outpatient area near the front, and registration is just across from the chapel, which is also near the chaplain’s office. Behind his office is a general medical ward (I think it’s men’s). There is also an OB area, a surgery area, and a peds area. I saw the autoclave and the lab as well. The nursing school is only slightly separated from the rest of the hospital. After all this, Rev. Japu and I walked to Mr. Mtisi’s home and visited with Mr. Mtisi and Greg. Then we walked back to the hospital to find Dr. Chikonzo. By then it was time for tea! So Dr. Chikonzo and I went back to his home for tea with Josephine (his wife) and their baby Blessed. Josephine served each of us three biscuits and tea. Later we went back to the hospital and talked with Mr. Mtisi (admin.) and I also met Mr. Mtisi (the head nurse). We talked a little about what I can do and how long I will be around, and decided to talk more later.
Greg and I also needed to register with the local police so that they know who we are. We went into Sanyati town to do that, but we made a few stops in town so that our fuel would be worthwhile. We stopped at the bank and Kubatana Baptist Church. At the church, we meet Rev. and Mrs. Mugiriri and saw the preschool Greg said he helped with last year. Then we made our way to the station, but the person we needed to talk with was not there. We plan to return on Monday to do that.
Today we went to Gweru, which is the third city of Zimbabwe, with the first two being Harare and Bulawayo. Of course, because of the fuel shortage our trip served multiple purposes. We made several stops along the way, dropping people off and running errands of our own. Leaving Sanyati, Robert drove with Mr. Mtisi and Dr. Chikonzo up front, while Professor Greg, myself, Makieda (who was also there to collect me from the airport), Lawrence (one of the plumbers working at one of the rural clinics; he reminds me of Morgan Freeman…does that mean he also reminds me of God?), and Miriam (another Sanyati resident) rode in the back of the ambulance. (The ambulance is a truck with a camper shell that has a pad in the back for a patient.) Makieda and Miriam helped with a little Shona along the way; we had fun laughing at me and making tiny bits of progress.
The trip was rather long, maybe three hours each way with many intermittent stops. I’m really not sure about the time though, it seems irrelevant, so I don’t pay it much mind. The road to Kadoma, the city closest to Sanyati is quite bumpy, but after that it is a bit smoother. I’m starting to get used to the bumpy roads and stops and starts passing potholes, cars, people, and animals. Today I think I even dozed off a few times during the ride!
There are several Baptist entities in Gweru, one of which is the Baptist Convention Center. We met Rev. Josiah there, toured the facility, and went out to lunch. This was an eye-opening experience, culminating in the waitress counting out each one of the many bills it required to pay for our meal. We also stopped by the Baptist Conference Center and Zororo Primary School.
On the ride back we also made several stops and picked up friends returning to Sanyati. This time the front of the truck was the same, the back still including Prof. Greg, Lawrence, me, and Tanasha (Mr. Mtisi’s nephew), Patricia and her husband and baby Ano. It was entertaining to have the baby in the back with us; I was rather disappointed when he went to sleep during the ride, although I’m sure his mother was not.
When we returned tonight, Dr. Chikonzo’s sister Florence was preparing dinner. (His wife Josephine was having her hair done, and she had baby Blessed with her.) We had sadza, beef, a tomato sauce/paste, and something akin to collards. I have enjoyed each meal that has been prepared for me, but there is so much sadza! I have to teach myself to finish it, or convince them to not give me as much!
I have learned there is typically electricity on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. So tonight there is power as I am typing this, hopefully within the next few days I can access the Internet to post these blogs.

Friday afternoon 5 pm, August 8, 2008
On Saturday the Chikonzo’s had a church meeting that lasted all day. So I spent the day at Dr. Gwatikunda’s (the other Zimbabwean doctor) home with his family. Dr. Gwatikunda and I talked before lunch, about Zimbabwe, healthcare, and being a doctor. When it was time for lunch, we sat at their table and I was given silverware! (This was rather surprising to me, because I haven’t been using silverware at the Chikonzo home…it has been my preference to live as they are living, which includes forming my sadza into a ball in my hand and then picking up some vegetables or meat to go with it.) After lunch Dr. Gwatikunda went to play football/soccer and I stayed at the house with his wife, son, and their maid. I found a Shona/English phrase book on their bookshelf with healthcare related questions to help with interviewing patients. I haven’t learned the first page yet, but I am working on it. I have mastered the greetings for each time of day, however. I had fun practicing my simple Shona with Tana, the Gwatikunda’s four year old son. I also talked with Mrs. Gwatikunda about her family and work. She is a nurse, but is taking a break for now. She wants to go back and get her Master’s in Public Health; I told her that I have considered that as well.
I was planning to attend church with Mr. Mtisi the administrator, his family, and Prof. Greg on Sunday, but when the Chikonzo’s returned home on Saturday evening, they said I should go with them on Sunday. They go to an A.F.M. church (Apostolic Faith Ministry, I think). I believe once a month all of the smaller congregations around the area come together for a bigger church meeting/conference. This lasts from Friday through Sunday, but the Chikonzo’s only went on Saturday and Sunday.
The Chikonzo’s have a small, four-door car that we drove to church. On the way we picked up a few extra people who had been walking to church. (I wasn’t sure where they were going to sit, but, somehow, it worked! When fuel and cars are so rare, they are used for all they are worth… ) There were many people standing around talking outside the church when we arrived. (At this point the Chikonzo’s didn’t know that I had been studying a little Shona, so I surprised Florence when I began greeting people after realizing how little English was being spoken.) Soon Florence was coaching me through more Shona words and phrases, and more and more children gathered around us.
One little girl told me her name was Kudzai, which means “Praise,” but later re-introduced herself to me as “Anna,” so I re-introduced myself as Kudzai, which brought much laughter to our little circle outside the church! When it was time to walk into the church, all of the children followed Florence and I….I felt pretty weird, but honored at the same time. We sat down on one bench, and then moved to another (I still don’t know why, maybe just so there weren’t 30 children trying to sit with us.)
The entire service was in Shona, which made it seem much longer than it was. They did sprinkle in a few words of English when they introduced me/I introduced myself. To begin with it was quite wonderful, listening/humming along during the praise and worship time and trying my best to listen attentively to preaching when I can’t understand anything. I did read the passages in my Bible and tried to gather some of what the preacher said from his gestures and the scripture I had read. After a couple of hours sitting on the wooden bench, I was quite sore, but did not complain when Florence asked if I was comfortable. Eventually, she found a cloth for me to sit on as a cushion, which was much appreciated….but, in reality, did not help very much. This made me very grateful for the times when we were up singing and praising the Lord! We also had communion, which consisted of raspberry flavored drink (rather like Kool-aid, they buy a liter or two of the concentrate and then mix it with water) and small bits of bread. This was a wonderful reminder of the common ground we as believers have the world over, and was a spiritual and physical comfort to me for that reason, and because of the familiarity of the little mini cups of juice being passed around. Soon after communion, the service ended, and we headed out to the car where more people than before crammed into the car…but this gave me another opportunity to practice my simple Shona greetings and to meet more children. We had rice on Sunday afternoon, which was a surprise to me, because I have become so accustomed to sadza. (I’ve even learned to finish it!)
On Monday morning, I headed off to ‘work’ at the hospital, not really knowing what I would be doing. They have devotions at 7:30 though, so I figured I would start there and then ask one of the Mr. Mtisis. Mmmm…the week is running together in my mind. I started off in OPD (Outpatient Department), with the nurse’s aides taking vitals as the patients came back. Then I followed Mr. Charambamwe, an older nurse who worked at Sanyati Baptist Hospital since before independence in 1980. He worked elsewhere for a stint since then, but knows the hospital and the people very well. After lunch, I followed Jameson, who is a younger nurse, but who has a specialty in psychiatry. We didn’t see any psych. patients, but we did see some other ones. I have also spent some time working in the pharmacy…making envelopes for pills by folding papers and stapling them to form ‘envelopes.’
One day after finishing with Mr. Charambamwe, I decided to go see what was happening in the maternity ward. There was one patient who was expected to deliver soon…two hours before I arrived she was dilated to 6 cm. (They do not check too frequently, because of the short supply of gloves.) The nurse there said it shouldn’t be too long, so I decided to wait around. Even after they broke her water, she was still taking a long time. This patient kept rolling over, and saying she would just wait for it to come. In the mean time, four other expectant mothers came in from the matumba (“the waiting place”) where they go during the last few weeks of pregnancy…Florence told me how long they stay there depends on how lazy they are… I’m sure if they expect any problems they also go sooner though. One of the new patients that came in began crowning very soon, so I switched patients (I was getting pretty hungry by this time and wanted to be back in time for dinner…) So I helped deliver my first baby…by candlelight in Sanyati. I helped clamp the cord, stimulate the baby, and check the afterbirth. I even got to hand the little one off to his mother after she moved to the post-delivery room!
Today is Saturday and I did my first load of laundry, in a bucket in the tub. Florence instructed me and helped me out…it took most of the morning! I asked her if she had ever had a washing machine, and she said, “No, but we can use our hands.” That just made me think of all the things we have/use and think that we need, but we really don’t…
Normally there is power on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but it went out about mid-day yesterday. It has returned in the past hour or so, so I am finishing up this entry now. I thought that when there was ‘network’ we could use the regular internet, but it turns out in Sanyati (to the best of my understanding) I will only be able to use a certain e-mail program that will run off the phone network. We are planning to go the Great Zimbabwe on Monday and drop Prof. Greg at the airport on Tuesday, so maybe while we are in a more urban area I can find real Internet to use…