TYPICAL HOSPITAL PATIENTS

Today I spent the most of the morning with Sr Daria who was seeing patients and taking care of in patients one after another. Average time with patients was five to ten minutes. I thought it would be a good idea to list some of the patient problems.

Amoeba, pneumonia, paracytes, scabbies,malaria,asthma,chest pain, abdominal pain, typhoid, peptic ulcer,diahrrea X 4days possible malaria, stye in eye, pregnant women with swelling in face and limbs clubbing of fingers. Possible pre eclampsia I did an echo cardiogram to rule out congenital heart disease. I also checked the baby for confirmation of gestational age and any anomalies. I wanted to tell the mother she had a boy but Sr Daria said she may be hard toward the baby if she wanted a girl. Most of them were sent to the lab for confirmatory tests.

THE ASCENT

FR Joseph pulled up to a winding steep road off the main road. He got out to change the hubs to four wheel drive. I soon realized we were not on a road but just rutts that gave only a clue as to where we were going. The angle of ascent quickly got me thinking of geometry trying to come up with an angle to justify any injuries I could possible incur because I thought it a very real possibility. Mary Laguerre and Allison Lawton were in the rear seat. Their eyes told me they had the same realization. All holding on so hard no time to grab the rosary. This ascent did not end what we thought might be a driveway American style. We soon realized this was only the beginning of a  place of intense mountain and slope dwellers. We had plenty of time for intense prayer. After one of those eterni ties we came to what looked like an haven of level ground realatively speaking which turned out to be the house of Fr Josephs father. We soon were introduced to this man of great peace, the father of three priests. We saw his house built in 1946 of tree branches tightly weaved into a fairly tight barrier against the elements. We enjoyed  a wonderfull meal and went to sleep looking forward to the three kilometer descent down a mountain path to where the church is located for Sunday Mass. I was awaked in the middle of the night with shortness of breath due to some unknown allergy and the effects of a healing ear infection. I was pacing back and forth trying to breathe and say my rosary waiting for dawn before it finally dawned on me take my pseudofed to clear the nasal passages. I finally when back to sleep for two hours till morning. The 10,000 ft altitude had triggered a more acute reaction. I told Fr Joseph that I would feel more comfortable going back to town to Moshi. 

ARRIVAL EVENTS

January 15 2012

       I arrived after midnight of Jan. 6, my beloved grandmothers birthday. This was the very day I had planned after praying for guidance but when Fr Mark Mlay asked me to accompany Mary Laguerre who had already made her reservations I selected the same day she had made her reservations so that she would have companionship because of her young age and being her first trip. However delayed flights caused Allison Lawton and I to spend a day in Atlanta as guest of Delta Airlines to catch the same flight 24 hours later. We arrived in Kilimanjaro Airport late as well and didn’t get to Fr Joseph Israel’s house in Soweto section of Moshi town till after 1 am. The kind priest offered us food and we finally hit the sack 2:30 or so.

        The next day we toured the primary and secondary schools where Allison and Mary were going to teach and help out. I was impressed  some of the large dormitory rooms where bunk beds for 40 or so students would sleep. I appreciated the wonderful intense social life these students would enjoy under the guidance of The Nuns of Our Lady of Usumbara.

      We enjoyed the Warm welcome of The Nuns and  The Priests of Aposotolic Life Community of Priests in Santi Spiritu and being welcomed in to their Community life.

Allison and Mary were doing quick studies of the language and answering people in Swahili.

       On Sunday Fr Joseph Israel took the three of us on a trip to his parents house that none of us will ever forget I am sure.