3 adults, 3 kids, 2 dogs and a chicken (mon/tue)



Here is all of us chasing after the chicken

Hi, so sorry it has been a few days since I have written, I have been doing so well on updating everyday. Becka just left Tuesday morning and she had the laptop we were all using, so for the last few days we had no computer. So, now I am going to try and fill you guys in on what’s been happening these last few days. Right outside my house at this moment is a group of army guys chanting and marching, with the walls being so thin it feels like they are in our living room, thankfully they are not. Remember, the other day how there was cheering at all hours of the night; here we came to find out that it was because of a football (soccer) game with Zambia against Zimbabwe for the championship game, Zambia ending up winning and it was like everyone won a million dollars. So anyways it is now just Harry and I at the house, it feels so empty, and we miss her already.

plucking the chicken

I am going to back up a few days, the last day was Sunday and Harry, Becka and I have just been given a chicken, which is a high honour and I was happy knowing we were probably going to have chicken the next day, and I was right! Monday morning we went to the Beer’s house and the kids were all ready to help us cut off the chickens head (I have some great pictures, so beware if you don’t want to see don’t scroll to the bottom.) We took the chicken out of the closet outside to find his legs we not tied together anymore, so the chicken just flies out. Let me tell you, I screamed pretty loud, but it was very comical trying to then chase after the chicken. Lets see, there was 2 dogs, 3 kids and then me and Harry running after this chicken, while Becka was videoing it, it was absolutely hilarious. After about 5 minutes we caught the chicken, and David the oldest boy got his axe and found a tree to put the chickens head on. After about 2 hits the head fell off and the chicken was just moving around. The kids were loving it, and of course they knew exactly what to do next- we had to de-feather it of course, and how do you do that, well put it in hot water, so that’s what we did. After we plucked out all the feathers it was ready for cooking, we gave it to a more professional to do the rest, so it would be ready for lunch, and it was!

                                                            chicken with the head cut off
 

We went back to the hospital after tea and that’s when other Canada Rebecca told be to come and help with another birth. I went and gloved up and the labour was well on its way, if you don’t come quickly you can miss the birth (these ladies pop their kids out fast.) That was not the case today, this lady was having a hard time and that is never a good ending with complicated births here. The lady is pushing and pushing and the baby would not come out, the nurses we even doing fetal pressure (that is when the nurse gets on top of the mother and pushes on the moms stomach to try and help the baby come out.), ya I was quite surprised at that site too (no, there wont be any pictures of that, so everyone can relax.) After about 30 min and the baby was not out, the doctor had to come and do some serious cutting-and of course with nothing but local lidocaine, but that wears off quick. After that did not work he had to perform an episiotomy, I was just cringing for this poor 18 year old. The girl was so young and just getting torn up, so after another 30 min and with some more cutting and fetal pressure the baby came out! No scream or cry came from this little boy, but he had a good heart beat. We are all trying to stimulate the baby to get him to breath but no such luck. He was brought over to the warmer and the doctor had to start bagging the boy, seeing how small the bag was just broke my heart. 30 min pass again and still nothing, doctor had to intibate, as he is asking for drugs to inject into the poor little boy; the nursing one by one had to tell him we did not have anything. They are frantically trying to put an IV in the boy (you know how hard it is to put an IV in a kid that’s 30 mins old) well, that didn’t work. The doctor had to inject some dextrose into his umbilical cord to see if the sugar would help at all (we didn’t have calcium gluconate, epi, or anything that would jump start his breathing-so sad.) Surely after intibating the boy that he would be put on a ventilator, we did not have that either, so we are all switching off bagging the little boy, checking the lungs to make sure it was going into both lungs evenly. Still, the baby had a good heart beat we could not figure out why he wasn’t breathing. So then finally a relative came and we taught the family member how to do it, she was so scared and sad, she didn’t want to mess up. When a life is in your hands you just suck it up and do what you have to do to save them. The doctor then stitched up the girl and she is just whimpering in pain, I couldn’t even watch, not because of the blood but because I very well knew she could feel every last tug, pull and stitch. I just went over to the baby and watched him and listened to his lungs. Hours later, we left and let the mom recover and the relative breath for the baby. Would come to check up on the boy to find the lady bagging crying, I tried to comfort her, but what can you say (and I cant speak Lunda or Luvale anyways, so there was literally nothing I could say, I just rubbed her back.) Our shift was over shortly after and the baby was still alive, but we later found out that the boys heart stopped beating around 4, I was very glad I wasn’t there to see that. First baby die while I was there, so sad, at least the boy will go right to heaven with Jesus.

how do you smile when your bagging a baby?

 

After work, we went straight to Julies house for lunch, it was Monday that meant Shima, but there was our chicken all cooked in a sauce, with cabbage. I can proudly say I enjoyed shima, ate an entire lump (with my hands don’t forget) and the chicken was very delicious, yup I could never not eat meat, I love it so much (I am a Buck through and through!) Later that afternoon we had some visitors stop in from Chit, the place Becka would be going for part of her stay in Africa. I met another girl from Canada named Jennie, a boy from Scotland but going to med school in Ireland named David, a girl names Erica, and Tanis with her 2 adorable adopted little girls. Becka was going to travel back with them Tuesday morning. They weren’t our only visitors, we had a car full of Poidevins- there was Tiffany she was 22 in nursing school, Naomi, 17 already in college, and Joel who was 14. Then there was Murray and Grace the parents and they were dropping off Debbie-Ann who was going back home and was going on the mission plane in the morning. There was quite a crowd there it was nice meeting so many other Christians.

 

We were showing the around and chatting with them, then later after a delicious meal we all played Rook. It is a lot like Euker (sp?)  never knew how to play but they taught we and I learned very fast. I actually ended up winning at the end of the night (which was till almost midnight, and the reason why I didn’t update my blog Monday) I was pleasantly surprised by my win and was happy I finally knew how to play.
 

The next morning we all went to the air strip to see the plane come in and say good bye to some of the people. Harry and I ended up finding out that David and Jennie are wanting to go to Victoria Falls as well, so now we are in the process are all going for a few days in August. I then thought I could fly back to Chit with Jennie, because David and Harry will be going back home and I did not want to stay in my house by myself. Jennie was saying how in Chitokoloki is much more fast pace and Tanis likes to do a lot more with everyone, play volleyball and different games. Julie said it would be fine to stay there for a week and I could see the hospital there, and they have a lot more materials and drugs. Harry and I are really hoping to be able to go to Victoria Falls, which is one of the seventh wonders of the world, and I am all this way I have to see that (makes Niagara Falls look really small.) I know everyone would love to see pictures from that; you can go on a safari tour, bungee jump, white water raft, shops and swimming. I will definitely let you know how the plans are going with that, I am very excited and hope it all works out.

 

After the plane left, we all walked back and I managed to drop the key, now that’s no good, so I had to re trace my steps and try and find it-no such luck,(the airstrip watchman ended up dropping it off later that day, what an answer to prayers). I did end up finding some kids and they followed me all the way there and I was playing with then and letting them listen to my stethoscope and it was the cutest thing. I was teaching them English, I would say a word and they would repeat, at the end I had them all singing Jesus loves me! We then said good bye to Becka and the Chit car, all hugging and taking pictures, of course. Tonight Harry and I hope to face book them and try to get everything figured out. After Becka left, the Poidevin’s left an hour later with the 3 kids to take to their place for a few days, now it will be really quiet without them! We said our goodbyes and headed back to the hospital for a pretty quiet rest of the day.
 

Later that night, since we had no computer Harry and I had a girl’s night. We did face masks, pedicures (minus the nail polish), I plucked her eyebrows-if anyone’s knows me, that made me very happy, and Harry picked my back (ha-ha she likes to pick zits- just like a Hoffman-Sarah you would get along with her very well.) We were listening to music and dancing and singing, caught up on our chit-chat and got some good reading in. We accomplish a lot without those 3 hours of internet, now here I am trying to update my blog, because I am using this like my Journal also.
 

I looked at my email and had some emails from my family asking if I was alright since they haven’t herd from me in days, so sorry to frighten my family. If I end up going to Chit I will have WI-FI, now that would be great. Well, now that I have written a novel, I am sure your eyes are getting a bit tired from all my jibber (see what happens when a girl goes days without internet-she just goes on and on.) I will write one more today, maybe you should come back to read that one, but I don’t think that one will be that long. Wednesday and Thursday are not as eventful. I am off for this blog I will see you on the next one (well not really see you, you know what I mean!)

Just bouncing in a skirt

Is this not the cutest thing, Tanis's girls