Wednesday, September 19
Good news! We are told that the boxes are on their way and will be at the hospital around noon. Ken and Tom explained that the passing of Meles Zenawi, the President of Ethiopia, complicated who the correct authorities would be for signing the required forms. Some other NGO’s have been less than forthright with their lists of contents they have brought into the country, hence the increased processing that needs to be done.
Earlier in the morning, I toured through the wards and found Lois Serwa, our Ward Coordinator, sharing a pleasant time new friends. This is her third Rotaplast Trip. Lois's skills as a teacher shine through with everything she does.
More good news! Yirgermal and Mesfin Meshu arrived with some patients from Bahir Dar. They started travelling last night at 8 pm and arrived in Addis Ababa at 6 am this morning. He came with 12 to 13 people, 4 are patients. Yes, he said, he is very tired. Many locals do not travel at night. The roads can be very hazardous, especially in the rainy season. Yirgermal is a 26 year old Rotaract member living in Bahir Dar. We first met him on our 2009 medical mission in his home town, where he was extremely helpful as a guide, interpreter, and just about everything else that needed to be done. He has registered over 30 potential patients from his town, to receive surgeries. He is currently doing follow up phone calls with other patient lists and preparing ads for the local radio and tv, to find even more patients
"Anberu was a very shy girl until I gave her a balloon that I blew up. Then she opened up and played catch with me and then with Sharon our Medical Records Officer. This is her first mission." – Sharon Romank
Jean Bird is especially happy whenever she meets a Rotaract member. They always seem to be an incredible resource, especially if your title is Assistant Mission Director!
The food that comes out of the spotless Cure Hospital kitchen is delicious. Some of our team, myself included, were waiting for our lunches when some plates of food were delivered to the table. We dug in, remarking that the enjera and bean sauce was very good. The problem? It was not our lunch! We were eating the staff lunch and our western style meal was on its way to us.
Seven patients were treated today.
We are currently in Ethiopia’s rainy season, which means that it usually rains hard for an hour or two late in the afternoon. Today was no different, except that today was harder than usual. On the bus ride back to the hotel, the rain had made small red rivers run down the roads, which entered and exited clogged storm drains. What a mess it made for the pedestrians.
