Africa Won

Yesterday was one of those days when all I can say is "Africa won."  I was asked to take some children to the hospital for a check up with the doctor.  The plan was to leave at 8am, so we could get in the line right away and not sit there all day.  Well since "This is Africa" (TIA), it didn't go that way.  By the time we left BG it was around 9 and then we had to drop off a few staff members at different locations.  By the time we got to the hospital it was close to 10am and the line was extremely long.  The BG nurse told myself, and 2 other volunteers to take our children and wait in the waiting room, while she stood in the line.  We knew it was going to be a long time.  My roommate Paige and I, along with a local volunteer, tried our best to entertain a 10 month old and two 2 year olds in a very tiny space.  We had coloring books, crayons, snacks, and our ability to make them laugh.  We were able to have 2 of the children's test done, but then we were told the doctor had left the hospital for a meeting and they were not sure when she would return.  Since we were running out of food and diapers, we decided to leave.  So we were at the hospital from 10 to 2 and hadn't even seen the doctor yet.  We had one other child at a clinic up the road, so we carried the children up there and waited for them to be done and for the driver to come and pick us up.  By the time we got home it was 3pm.  Since it rained on Sunday I didn't get a chance to do my laundry.  The sun was out, so I knew it would dry in no time.  I quickly put the load in the wash machine and about 2 minutes later the clouds came.  It didn't rain, but I knew it was going to take a long time for them to dry on the line.  It was just one of those days when Africa won.  Nothing horribly wrong happened, but my patience with this culture was tested.

Today we went back to the hospital and saw the doctor right away.  We sat at the pharmacy for a little bit to get the medicine and then went to visit the one child we have still in the hospital.  While visiting her, the nurse and I went to go pick up the death certificate of one of our kids that passed away.  Of course the date on the certificate was wrong, so we had to wait and have them change that.  Finally we were on our way home after a day and a half of running around. 

I am learning not to get frustrated in moments when I feel tied down to the culture here.  I am learning to let go of the way I know things should go and be patient while in the situation.  Dealing with the medical system here, makes me very grateful for the way things are done in the US.  For example, when a loved one dies, you need to take the body from the hospital or doctor's office and transfer it to the morgue.  It was hard having to do that with a child, I can't imagine how people do it with adults.

So yesterday was a day, in which I say "Africa won."  I know things could have been done a lot more efficiently, but it didn't happen.  I didn't let it get me frustrated, but just dealt with it.  At the end of the day, my roommate Paige and I decided to try and experience a little bit of home because of the stress of the day and enjoyed a dinner at KFC.  Don't laugh, it is these little things that make you not loose your mind.