Dear Folks:
After a long drive on Friday after work in Butare-we reached the shores of Lake Kivu-one of Africa’s great lakes which is on the border with Congo. It is surrounded by hills, and volcanoes-some peaks are 2800 m or higher, one volcano erupting in Goma in 2002 with lava flows which go through the town. We arrived late at the Paradis Malahide, and woke up to a very loud baptismal ceremony involving many people being dunked into the lake accompanied by singing. Once the noise had settled down, breakfast on the beach, and then swimming and lounging around. The lake is also an exploding lake-with methane being actively collected from its depths-so bubbles come up between your toes, and there are some areas where swimmers have been overwhelmed by the gas and suffocated. On the bright side there are no crocodiles.
After a long drive on Friday after work in Butare-we reached the shores of Lake Kivu-one of Africa’s great lakes which is on the border with Congo. It is surrounded by hills, and volcanoes-some peaks are 2800 m or higher, one volcano erupting in Goma in 2002 with lava flows which go through the town. We arrived late at the Paradis Malahide, and woke up to a very loud baptismal ceremony involving many people being dunked into the lake accompanied by singing. Once the noise had settled down, breakfast on the beach, and then swimming and lounging around. The lake is also an exploding lake-with methane being actively collected from its depths-so bubbles come up between your toes, and there are some areas where swimmers have been overwhelmed by the gas and suffocated. On the bright side there are no crocodiles.
So folks I finally did it and took a moto-the roads were quiet and I paid the MOTO dude extra to go “doucement”. Doing a continuous Heimlich maneuver on the driver with one arm, and gripping to the back with my other I was only able to turn my head occasionally to observe the view, as we sped around turns, over bumps-all the while telling him that MOTO’s were “tres dangereux” and my mother would like to see me in once piece when I get home. Meanwhile Martin was speeding along beside me-taking th
is pic, and egging him on to go faster!.
So I forgot my bathing suit to come to Rwanda-and so the lady in the dugout-is in her black underwear-another embarrassment to Martin-but I was bound and determined to get that dug out going. I had to radio in to the German Coastguard-we’re sinking, we’re sinking-
Kwesi and I are in our last week-sometimes I completely lose it in terms of not being able to keep my mouth shut. I have been watching the surgeons gown and glove-after pushing their hands completely through the sleeves-they then pick up their gloves-sometimes wiping the front of their gowns with their bare hands-and then contaminate their gloves exteriorly as they fumble to get them on!. So suddenly I found my self saying-“I do not approve of the way you are putting on your gloves”-went and got a gown and did a full demo of how to self glove-with the surgeon and scrub nurse-Can you imagine me doing that back in Canada with a surgeon.
Its hard to believe it is the last week-Kwesi and I have been working on the exam-putting our thoughts together for our end of tour report and starting to work on individual evaluations for the residents.
Hope all is well with you and that you survived the hurricane-the weather here has been great.
All the best
Love Jennifer
PS Besides the poo paintings they may not let me into Canada because of my hair!
Kwesi and I are in our last week-sometimes I completely lose it in terms of not being able to keep my mouth shut. I have been watching the surgeons gown and glove-after pushing their hands completely through the sleeves-they then pick up their gloves-sometimes wiping the front of their gowns with their bare hands-and then contaminate their gloves exteriorly as they fumble to get them on!. So suddenly I found my self saying-“I do not approve of the way you are putting on your gloves”-went and got a gown and did a full demo of how to self glove-with the surgeon and scrub nurse-Can you imagine me doing that back in Canada with a surgeon.
Its hard to believe it is the last week-Kwesi and I have been working on the exam-putting our thoughts together for our end of tour report and starting to work on individual evaluations for the residents.
Hope all is well with you and that you survived the hurricane-the weather here has been great.
All the best
Love Jennifer
PS Besides the poo paintings they may not let me into Canada because of my hair!
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