Leaving Kibogora

The last days at Kibogora were a game of emotional twister--we were simultaneously wrapping up clinical cases (Dr. Albertson was still operating the night before we left), mourning relationships that would either end or become distant due to time and distance, dreading another 30 hours of travel, and longing for home with its emotional and physical comforts--seeing our friends and family, back to our familiar work and school environments, a bed with back support, AND            

                                                                        
                                                                      The Obsession of Certain Members
                                                                    


Things we will miss (not a complete list):

Our group--Carl and Franciie, Duane, Leanna, JC, Britni, Liz, Shannon, Melissa, Bryan (aka Duane), Luke, Cody, William, Brannon, Becky, Caroline (aka Carolina, Carolin), Micki and me--the meals together, Bible study led by Duane, Carl, and Becky at the Black House, lots of laughter and a few tears, sharing of frustrations, losses and victories;

                                                Gathering at the Black House

Games of Catch Phrase (spectator here), less than dignified dancing to Lion King (spectator again), watching nine people who had shared four difficult years work and play together; church at Kibogora Free Methodist with a 1000 of our closest friends,

                                                 Kibogora Free Methodist Church


JC Bataneni, our Congolese surgeon and friend, who is back at Nebobonga in the Congo, and Leanna, who is headed back to the northwest U.S. to continue training for her July marathon--she ran every day, using her GPS watch to measure distance.

                                                             JC and Leanna


 a day in Amsterdam;

                                            The Ladies at Grand Centraal in Amsterdam


Rounds on Destin and "Buddha Belly":

                                                                   Buddha Belly and Mom


sitting in the "internet breezeway" after rounds while being stalked by a local psych patient;

                                              Britni, Liz, and Caroline in The Internet Breezeway (with "friend")



early mornings looking out over Lake Kivu,

                                                      The View from Our Compound
                                                         
the walk to Kumbya Retreat,

                                                         The Road to Kumbya Retreat

The View from Kumbya

                                                       Micki at Kumbya Retreat

time at Good News Guest House in Kigali

                                                 Good News International Guest House

                             Back yard of Good News Guest House overlooking Kigali



Our night at Kinigi Guest House at Volcanoes National Park, gorillas trek stories, bus rides complete with "one lane chicken" provided by our driver** (see ** below)

The Congolese, Rwandan, and European staff members that befriended us and helped us feel welcome upon our arrival, and with whom we worked side by side for three weeks; especially Edi, our German friend who helped us "learn the ropes" even if "the sky was falling"; Jeanne Paul, the head nurse who always seemed to be able to get someone shipped to Kigali or Butare when they REALLY needed to go; Dr. Ngoy, our Congolese "pediatrician" with whom we shared three weeks of patient care and good humor, and Madeline, the Head Nurse on Peds, who "did not have good Eeeenglish" but always knew what we needed and provided it.

                                            Dr. Ngoy with Britni Bradshaw and Liz Donahue

                                          On the Pediatric Deck with Madeline, the Head Nurse

The patience of our patients--their most demanding moments were when they asked to go home; they were cooperative, accepting, and appreciative.

The beauty of our surroundings--every part of Rwanda we saw could have been made into a postcard for a tropical paradise (except for the road construction).  Lake Kivu and its environs were gorgeous--its too bad schisto kept us from being able to enjoy the Lake fully.

The national attitude toward a clean environment--Rwanda has a national clean up day ONCE A MONTH where markets are closed and everyone is expected to help make their surroundings more beautiful.  Litter was virtually absent--I saw one plastic bottle loose on the road and a couple of slips of paper in several hundred miles of driving.

Home made soccer balls:  children will find a way to play ball, and ball in Rwanda is football (soccer).  They tightly wrap dozens of plastic bags together and bind them with twine to create a functional, though slightly less than spherical, soccer ball.  Some of the guys on our team swapped them a real soccer ball for one of the local creations--wonder which one will last the longest?

Little kids with plastic water jugs perched on their heads--children in Rwanda are brought into the family work force early, helping to cart the daily water needs from source to home in dingy yellow jugs that they balance on their heads hands free.  The work ethic here is a necessity of survival.

Missionary midnight:  9 p.m.  The older ones of us were asleep by 9 each night or shortly thereafter.  We learned from the U.S. missionaries in Kigali that 9 p. was "missionary midnight".

Things we probably won't miss:

9 hour plane rides (x2) and (x2)

8 hour bus rides with a driver whose first two names must have been Kinyarwandan for Richard Petty.**

90 degree neonatology units

mosquitoes and the risk of malaria

patients for whom we had no answers

attack rats in our houses

houseflies and horseflies in the OR and L and D

tuna soup

power outages with a 15 minute generator delay

apathy and fatalism

stories of grenade attacks

reminders of the genocide

"Mazunga!! Give me some money!"

no portable xrays for babies

no ventilators for babies or adults


Both lists could go on.

God gives each of us unique opportunities in life.  We either avail ourselves of them or they pass us by.  They do not generally come again.  For that reason, I regret that I waited until age 62 to join a mission group.  At the same time, I am so grateful that circumstances brought us all together and gave each of us the opportunity to go to Kibogora.  Each of us might go again, but not on this trip with this group of individuals.  Part of the recovery from travel is jet lag, part is missing the group and adjusting to "normal" life back home.  I'm glad the most important member of the group for me (Micki) came home with me!!

                                                                             Micki
                                            On the Path from Compound to Hospital Kibogora