VODAPHONE MODEMS

VODAPHONE  MODEMS

I bro^ght my laptop comp^ter so that I co^ld talk to my very sweet wife who was self sacrificing eno^gh to grant me three months leave to do what the Lord  p^t on my heart to do here in Ngarenoirobi Please exc^se my keyboard I can not type a period or a letter pronounced yo^ or ewe bec^ase I was s^tpid eno^gh to try to clean Ngarenoiroibi ever present d^st off my keyboard with toothpaste I fiig^red if it can whitten teeth it can whiten my keyboard Common sense was sacrificed to logic Any way I wanted to be smart and talk to My Q^erida on Skype All I needed was the internet Little did I know what was in store for me To get the internet in Tanzania yo^ have to drive 1/12 ho^rs to Moshi Town and b^y a thing like a Flash drive that is called a modem I p^rchsed one sold by Vodacom Yo^ p^t the modem in the ^sb port of yo^r laptop and it is s^ppose to find the signal and connect yo^ to the internet The tower for the thing is abo^t two football fields from the ho^se It only works some days and every time yo^ try to get on line it tell yo^ yo^ are not connected I try to talk to Norma and even tho^gh connected it says yo are off line or yo^ modem is not responding We talk sometimes a few seconds and it c^ts o^t It is the poorest exc^se for technology I have ever ^sed I think the owners of this company are outright robbers taking the peoples money and delivering s^ch a scandol^s  ab^se of h^mane respect If I were to live here longer I wo^ld organize a law s^it against these robbers of the p^blic I have spent ho^rs wresling with the thing trying to downlod a simple application for someone I wish I cold talk to an exective of s^ch an o^trage of a larceny b^t I do^bt they have a conscience It told me it wo^ld take two and one half hors to download one application PEOPLE OF TANZANIA RISE ^P 

A LITTLE BOY

      The other day a mother came to the hospital with some other people and was carrying a four year old boy who looked asleep I was concerned and followed her into the area where the sisters discuss with the patient
After some discussion Sr Daria was asking the mother to sit the child up so that she could give some crushed pills and water The mother
shook the boy squeezed his face and shook him to try to wake him up It became obvious he was unconscious I became alarmed and noticed that his breathing was very rapid and shallow in a very short time the sisters carried him off to the ward I learned later that they had taken him to
a government hospital reporting that he had had some seizures and was given some very minimal meds and sent home where he got worse The
sisters accurately diagnosed malaria which was confirmed by lab tests
the next day they gave him anti seizure meds. and other anti malarial
weapons later in the day I went by the ward to check on him and found that he was still unconcious I feared for his life and gave the mother a pat on the shoulder to show my support for her We all agreed the case needed prayers and later that night after supper I mentioned to Fr Priscus about the case and how sad it was to see that young mother holding that 4 year old son, to big for her lap, and trying to wake him ^p He asked if they were Catholic so that he co^ld anoint him He told me very often anointing would turn people around quickly Sr Daria called back and said the family was Muslim We all prayed and the next day he woke up I stopped in to see him on the way to the ultrasound room and Sr Daria went with me and told the mother that we had all prayed
for him He was still sleeping after being up for a while but I smiled
at the Mom and went to work Two days later she came with Sister to my room and said to tell me she did not want to leave before thanking me for my prayers for her son I felt privledged to be with those who had helped a young Muslim mother who witnessed some caring Christians and the power of Jesus

ANTHRAX

Two days ago sister asked me to check antibiotic recommendations for anthrax She had seen the patient two weeks ago and had sent him to the government hospital so that he could be quarantined and reported to the authorities in his geographic area so that his family would be checked and his livestock checked. Because of the very famous case in the U.S. about the laboratory technologist who decided he wanted to wipe out the staff of a newspaper rag” in Boca Raton by sending a letter with anthrax spores in it which affected 63 people at the paper I was very concerned and interested. I had visiting me an animal research person who was very concerned about the mention of anthrax. Sister assured him later that she had handled the case properly. He told me they diagnose the animals by their rigid hair and bleeding from any body orifices. He told me that they will bury the animal and the area is restricted for forty years which is the life of the spores. They would go to check all his animals.At the original visit the man had bleeding ulceration area on his face which made an easy diagnosis. I was grateful I did not deal with the person because the incidence of infection is very high for oral and lung because of the spores. However if treated with Cipro and doxicycline the course of improvement is usually successful.

Tuesday I went to KCMC. Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Christian Medical Center to accompany Fr Thaddeus for a chest x-ray and CAT scan of the head that his doctor had ordered. We planned on leaving at 5:30 to get there early and get a first place in the line for insurance approval. We left at 5:50 that is 5:30 African time and early African time at that. We got there at 7:30 and Father read a sign that read they open at 8 am.

We were in the first of 40 seats. We saw people coming to open the place. Fr tried to approach them. They said his name would be called. 8:40 they opened for business. About 9:20. We went to get a chest x-ray that was ordered just one view.

That took an hour of waiting. No such thing as appointments. We waited another 2&1/2 hours for a CAT scan of the head. In between the non contrast views and the contrast views the manager held an impromptu department meeting with the techs about how some tribe was aggravating the doctors. The medical center was however a very impressive campus with medical school. It even had a chapel where a large group of people were praying and singing at lunchtime. There were nice garden restaurants where we finally got lunch where three of us had a full dinner for 7 dollars with drinks.

   We stopped on the way home to by some sunflower cooking oil for the Nuns. I waited in the truck while Fr Thaddeus and Madingi , the driver, went to look for a good price. I was looking across the street where a large Public bus was stopped. I saw a man arguing vehemently with the driver of the bus. He was standing outside the bus at the driver’s window. At one point he punched the driver and the driver swung at him with a short round rope. The driver then closed the window. The mean went and stood in front of the bus  and picked up a rock. Some one hit his arm and knocked it out of his arm. He then ran across the street in front of our truck, picked up a stone at least one foot in diameter and as the driver was trying to make a fast getaway, threw the rock at a large window next to a passenger seat. The window fortunately caved in in a “V”shape and did not shatter. The Bus turn around and came back to the scene. A very large crowd gathered and the man disappeared. People we standing looking. The man as well as I can tell got away with no problem. A large group of young men gathered near the truck looking across the street . I became a little uneasy and was looking to see where Fr and Madengi were. I was glad when they finally came. I said a prayer to the Holy spirit to dispel the atomshere of violence.

I decided to do my best not to travel by bus or let my loved ones do so. I am not saying that Africa is any different than US in violence. It is everywhere. Police coverage is definitely better in US. The police did come some time later. I was very grateful for the care and protection that the priests provide for me a pilgrim and stranger in a foreign land.

COMM^NITY LIVING

FRIDAY  FEB 3 2012

  

YESTERDAY I convinced Sr Alina to go walking with me. Her time was very limited so we walked very fast since I have been limited the last few days to doing my unaccompanied walking up and down the road close to the house. We came upon a road she had never been on and she decided to aventure down it. I was so surprised. I said this is whwere the people live. It was a village out of a Hollywood story. There were neat little blocks of properties with very small houses and paths with gardens and fenced yards. She recognized some parishioners and stoped to chat.It was what America has lost. It is closeness with neighbors. Groups of children came out to see the Nzugu or white man. Some women greeted her and said they had been to a house where they met for prayer. They told her she should have been there to bring more spirit. I felt like I was truly in a community that surpassed a condo community in almost every respect except for the pool.

SHOPPING EXPERIENCES

Tuesday I went to KCMC. Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Christian Medical Center to accompany Fr Thaddeus for a chest x-ray and CAT scan of the head that his doctor had ordered. We planned on leaving at 5:30 to get there early and get a first place in the line for insurance approval. We left at 5:50 that is 5:30 African time and early African time at that. We got there at 7:30 and Father read a sign that read they open at 8 am.

We were in the first of 40 seats. We saw people coming to open the place. Fr tried to approach them. They said his name would be called. 8:40 they opened for business. About 9:20. We went to get a chest x-ray that was ordered just one view.

That took an hour of waiting. No such thing as appointments. We waited another 2&1/2 hours for a CAT scan of the head. In between the non contrast views and the contrast views the manager held an impromptu department meeting with the techs about how some tribe was aggravating the doctors. The medical center was however a very impressive campus with medical school. It even had a chapel where a large group of people were praying and singing at lunchtime. There were nice garden restaurants where we finally got lunch where three of us had a full dinner for 7 dollars with drinks.

   We stopped on the way home to by some sunflower cooking oil for the Nuns. I waited in the truck while Fr Thaddeus and Madingi , the driver, went to look for a good price. I was looking across the street where a large Public bus was stopped. I saw a man arguing vehemently with the driver of the bus. He was standing outside the bus at the driver’s window. At one point he punched the driver and the driver swung at him with a short round rope. The driver then closed the window. The mean went and stood in front of the bus  and picked up a rock. Some one hit his arm and knocked it out of his arm. He then ran across the street in front of our truck, picked up a stone at least one foot in diameter and as the driver was trying to make a fast getaway, threw the rock at a large window next to a passenger seat. The window fortunately caved in in a “V”shape and did not shatter. The Bus turn around and came back to the scene. A very large crowd gathered and the man disappeared. People we standing looking. The man as well as I can tell got away with no problem. A large group of young men gathered near the truck looking across the street . I became a little uneasy and was looking to see where Fr and Madengi were. I was glad when they finally came. I said a prayer to the Holy spirit to dispel the atomshere of violence.

I decided to do my best not to travel by bus or let my loved ones do so. I am not saying that Africa is any different than US in violence. It is everywhere. Police coverage is definitely better in US. The police did come some time later. I was very grateful for the care and protection that the priests provide for me a pilgrim and stranger in a foreign land.