We had a girl party with some of our neighbors and a couple of the Cedarville team the other night. Cookies were had by all, milk and juice were drunk and spilled and fingernails and toenails were cleaned and painted. We watched a movie too. Unfortunately no French subtitles this time. Everyone left with prettier fingernails, fuller stomachs and droopier eyelids. I'm sure we'll do it again soon.

Caterpillar Season

Avocado season may be coming to an end, but caterpillar season is in full swing. I'm not as excited about this type of produce, which can be bought anywhere in the market these days.

When I finish the hospital work, I often stop by my friends' house (they live on the hospital grounds) and hang out for a little while before we head back. Tonight when I got there Helena was starting to cook the main dish...and guess what they were having for dinner?

Yep. You guessed it. One day it's pig tongue and another day it's monkey and today it's big juicy caterpillars.

She says it's very good.

He says it's not.

Might get a third opinion. 

We sat around in the outdoor "kitchen" for a while talking and getting bitten by mosquitoes, and then I headed back to catch a ride home in the truck with the others. I'll have to wait for another day to eat caterpillars.

From the O.R. to the Office

The time of month for payroll is coming up again, and our accountant is on vacation/furlough now, so that leaves me in charge of doing it! Payroll for the hospital is way more complicated than at home, and everything’s in French and of course everyone wants to get paid the right amount, so I can’t make any mistakes, and I’ve got a deadline to meet and yeah… I’m kinda nervous. I’ve done it before with Melanie, who’s our missionary accountant/office manager, and she’s taught me basically what I need to know, but for the next three months I’ll be doing it on my own so this is a challenge. Working in the office is fun though, and my comrades, Dario, Isabelle and Clotilde, are taking on some of the extra stuff to help me out. (Melanie and Clotilde pictured below)

 

Just this morning I was in the O.R. with Boniface and the surgical team. I tend to get around here. One day I'm in Maternity, another day I'm typing in salaries on the computer and another day I'm washing dishes in the front yard. Some of the staff have been telling me, "Kate, you just do everything!" I guess a little bit of a lot of things. Today I started an I.V. for the first time and assisted Boniface in the hernia surgery. It was my first time scrubbing into a surgery and I was kind of nervous, but Boniface and Orxcance were very encouraging and I basically just handed/held instruments in place until the end when Orxcance taught me how to stitch up the incision. With the Cedarville team here I've been letting them do most of the things they might not get a chance to do before they leave, and since I'm staying longer it works out nicely. Before they came I wasn't confident in the language enough to even try most things, but now I think I could do a lot more.

Spoons

Today instead of having English class we played games. Charles, who comes to teach with us, was sick, so we decided not to do a regular class or review lessons. Instead, we taught everyone to play Spoons – except we played with pens. Easier and readily available. 

It was absolutely hilarious – and I think the most fun we’ve had in quite a while. Working at a hospital can wear on you over time, and the days are so long and you see so much sadness. We were more than happy to give the staff a break and do something different for a change and it was really great to see them enjoying it so much. 

The face of the winner:

They really got into it and were super excited to play. I think Spoons is more exciting with adults than with kids and they were really fast!

Sunday Afternoons

This past Sunday after church I had some of the "neighborhood" kids over for games and coloring. I went to the church across the street and afterwards about five of my little friends walked home with me, so we played Spoons, had a snack, and then sat around the table coloring. I think I'm going to make it a weekly tradition - Sunday afternoon games with the kids. It's for whoever wants to come so I'm expecting more next time. They had a great time and I did too (and I got some great pictures)!