Birthday for Eric

October 8, 2009

This morning we had a patient come from A & E (Accident and Emergency) who had got in a boda accident. Again, it had been raining, so the roads were slick which is actually why I opted for walking to work. The patient had been on the boda and had knocked into a car and had caught his ankle up in everything somehow. Luckily the car was not traveling too fast, or else he might have been in a much different situation. His ankle was bandaged, but bleeding pretty badly anyway. He was in a lot of pain and we did his films as quickly as possible. However, because of our processing, we sent him back while the films got developed. Again, another patient who would have greatly benefited with a more stream lined system and an automatic processor.

While speaking with Hillary and Morris, it became apparent that Hillary would be needing some holiday time, which would extend through the 23rd of October. I asked him about it and then asked if it would help if I stayed a week longer. He said yes, as it would allow Morris less stress, not having to make sure the unit was covered. I went and asked Morris what he thought. He said it would be great and was very glad. And though it was a simple thing for me to do, just realizing that I was making a contribution to the department was huge for me and helped me achieve a sense of belonging, something I have been missing since I got to Uganda. I had sort of experienced the belonging last night when the crew of us friends went out for dinner and then seeing it at work also was such a blessing. 

I was talking with Atim near the doorway as we watched some things going on outside. She lifted her chin towards the maternity ward entrance and stated “Somebody died.” As I looked up, I realized that she was correct. Coming down the ramp was a trolley (stretcher) with a big blanket draped over the mass underneath. All of the attendants had gloves on and were wheeling the trolley towards a  pickup truck. I watched for a little while before I decided to step back inside. I didn’t want to disrespectfully stare, and so I decided it’d be best to not watch. Its just such a raw thing here. Though I haven't seen it as much as I assumed I would, its pretty much all around me. It seems so strange, so surreal. And it also makes me wonder what could be done to save that life? Would better facilities or equipment have kept that patient alive? Was it preventable? 

I left a little early today, as I needed some time to think and process. Plus, I had decided to go to Kampala with the girls so I needed to get things together.  When I got home, though, the girls told me that it was Eric’s birthday so they were going to make him dinner. Eric is from Gulu and drives a boda around town. He has become friends with the 31bits girls, as he is always fair, reliable and safe. Something that not all boda boda drivers can boast of. I showered quickly and then helped to prepare dinner. We made a curry stir fry sort of thing, chalked full of eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, carrots and onions. We had avocado also, to put on top. A little different than how I’d normally make stir fry, but absolutely delicious! We put it over rice and it was legit! Plus it was sweet to share that meal with such good friends. Eric loved it and we talked with him a lot. After dinner it was time for Cafe Larem ice cream. Eric had never tasted ice cream before, so we took and treated him to it. He said it was nice. He turned 24 years old today and had never had tasted it. Glad I could witness the first bites!