March 30, 2006 letter to Kights

Dear Kathy,

I'm standing next to the bandage station at the clinic watching the day go by. Here is where the gore and all of villages nasty cuts and infections are treated. So far this morning, a baby with an infected butt from poorly administered vaccination was treated, An old women who is getting both eyes treated for cataracts, a man with a cut from a motorcyle accident, and currently a 3 year old girl is getting a bandage cleaning after she got her foot caught in a bicycle wheel while riding with her father. The 3 year old's predicament is being loudly announced as to her it must feel as if the skin is being torn off a new. The old bandage had been left on too long and is thoroughly embedded in the wound. Pulling it off has caused pain for everyone involved, her father holding her down, the nurse in training attempting the procedure, and just about everyone within in earshot. Thankfully it's finally over and the next injury can be treated.

Today isn't really busy and it's made even less so, by the presence of 6 nurse trainees who are here for the next month or so. They have more than doubled our work number and literally given random things to do to keep them from getting too bored. Since their arrival my use at the maternity is more a nuisance, so all my mornings are free to do as I please. My job at the maternity was more clerical than anything, but the trainees are more than qualified to do everything I do, but better, considering the speak the local language.

The doubling of my free time is nice. It's giving me more time to write and sketch. I prefer to be more busy, but now that June is only 2 months away, the trip to the states doesn't seem too far away.

How are you guys? Kenneth? growing like a weed? How's Sarah dealing with the fact she's not the center of your world anymore? How are you? You feeling okay? How's Don's back? Hopefully better. Have you retuned to work yet? Hopefully everything's going well with that also.

I got your letter, it was from before the birth, so I'm sure plenty of things have changed since then. So if you have free time and need to bitch, just write to me all your problems and you'll feel better for it. I write to people all the time from here with my problems, doesn't seem to bother them, so I keep bitching away:) I also can't tell anyone your problems so I'm good for that too. Anyway, that's my not so subtle hint that I hope you keep in touch, but other than that, take care of yourself. I would think your pretty stressed right now so you need to remember to do that. Anyhoo, I'll let you go and hopefully see you in June.

Love Laura