St. Patrick's Day

My Saint Patrick’s Day began with me slipping on my shoes and feeling something stuck inside one of the toes. When I removed my shoe and shook it, out popped a brown, speckled frog. This wasn’t the first frog I’ve had in the house, and it probably won’t be the last. They usually hang out in the bathroom. They’re easier to catch than lizards. The only lizard I’ve ever caught was a dead lizard. I usually grab a bowl or bucket and scoop them up then toss them out. This time I just swept the intruder out the door. I made sure to lock up my house tight (Sister Peace told me there have been thieves around the area), greeted the children waiting for their bus to take them to school, and sat with Sister Peace on the cement roundabout curb to wait for Sandy to pick us up and drive us to the hospital. Dogs and goats usually loiter around the courtyard with us. Sister Peace always throws a rock at them to get them to leave us alone. I don’t have the heart to do it to the dogs, but the goats? Sure. Goats are freaky looking. Have you ever seen a goat’s eyes? Demonic.

When we got to the hospital, we joined the doctors and other nurses rounding on the patients.  For those of you unfamiliar with the hospital environment, this just means the doctor checks on the patients, then tells the nurses what he wants done that day for the patients. Later I had an appointment with Bishop Bob, so a driver took me to the Parsonage Headquarters. Monsignor John and the Vicar General Dominic were there. I greeted them by saying “Kushe! Ow da bodi?” They were very pleased to see that I was learning some Krio, and I was able to thank them for sending people to make repairs to the I live in house. Bishop Bob made sure I was doing okay. He is a very thoughtful man.

Afterwards, the head of the Holy Spirit Hospital finances department, Ashaiatu, helped me set up a bank account. Soon I’ll be able to transfer money over here so I can buy more food and electricity. I didn’t expect it to happen so fast. Honestly, I just mentioned it to her today then the next thing I know, her and the head of Human Resources, Mohammed, set up a meeting with the bank manager within 10 minutes. I was so impressed. Luckily, I had all the necessary documents with me at the time.

Afterwards, I had lunch at the canteen. I ordered fried chicken, white rice, and cucumbers. I always greet the owner in Krio and ask how her family is doing. The TV usually has a show playing. I enjoy many of them. You’ve heard of soap operas. Maybe you’ve heard of K dramas. Here, they watch Nigerian dramas. Usually, amnesia or love triangles are involved in the plot. When I finished my meal, I made my way back to the nurse ward. I always greet everyone I pass with a “Good Morning” or “Good Afternoon”. There’s one man named Mohammed (it’s a common name here) who cleans the hallways who loves to give me high fives, or a fist bump, or most commonly, a double fist bump. Another man named Joseph opens and closes the hospital gates for cars and bikes entering the hospital property. I always wave to him whenever we drive through the gate, and he always smiles and waves back. He also attends Holy Spirit Church. When I first met him, he told me, “You are my sister in Christ.” I told him, “You are my brother in Christ.” So now we are friends. Today, he waved me over to his post and told me it made him so happy to see me in the choir yesterday. It made him and other members happy to see me clapping and singing and dancing in the “African Way”, as he put it, and he thanked me for participating in the choir. I thanked him for telling me that because I felt so awkward being up there. But he said, “No it was good. It was very good to see you there. Thank you.” So, I’m a choir member from now on.

When I got back to the nurse ward, one of the nurses took me to a patient who was getting a blood transfusion so I could learn how they do it here. It’s pretty much the same as they do in the States, there’s just no computer and there’s no pump. You write everything down and calculate the rate by timing how many drops per minute. You take base vital signs, then monitor the patient for 15 minutes, check vital signs again, then check vital signs again…you get the idea. It was busy today; they had two blood transfusions going on. Even back in the States, if you have two blood transfusions happening, that’s a busy day!

Sandy drove me and Sister Peace home at the end of the shift. The street was absolute chaos today (I mean, more chaotic than its usual chaos) because there was a parade of university students having a funeral for a fellow student. There were people playing trumpets and trombones and clarinets and drums. There were people waving their handkerchiefs in the air and yelling. And in the middle of it all they carried a white and gold coffin. I sincerely hope the student’s body was not in the coffin at the time. Cars and motorbikes kept trying to get through the crowd and their honking just added to the cacophony of music and wailing.

When I arrived back home, I quickly changed, and Auntie P came to start cooking my dinner for today and tomorrow. I’ve been writing this blog as she works. It smells delicious. She tells me her son James has a headache today and had to stay home from school. I hope he feels better soon. Tonight, while I eat dinner, I plan to watch Waking Ned Devine. I recommend it to anyone looking for a movie that takes place in Ireland and loves having a good laugh. Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!