February 21st - Mother Language Day

Feb 21st is a national holiday called Mother Language Day. In 1952 when Pakistan wanted to make Urdu their official language some people protested and were killed, thus also called 'Language Martyrs Day'. Bengali language is highly esteemed here and these people are recognized each year for dying for their language. This started the Bangladesh independence movement that came to be in 1971 (formerly known as East Pakistan).

Since it was a day off at the college, I was able to attend a celebration at the high school. This included all the kids ~ 750 from the primary and secondary schools run by AOB (Association of Baptists, known as ABWE in Canada).

Organizing 750 kids

The kids paraded barefoot (sign of respect) around the Bazaar (town), and mainroad, around the schoolgrounds of primary school back to the highschool. Traffic was stopped for this.

Staff members from the hospital remembering - notice the flag at half mass. The flag is green with a red dot in the middle to signify the bloodshed of these individuals.

Kids parading back to the highschool.

All the kids picked flowers laying them at this memorial at the hospital.

National anthem

Kids with the alphabet and flags painted on their faces.

Primary school on the compound - Grades 1-5

The first day after I arrived I got a tour around the compound and these little Grade 1 students sang a song for me...so cute!

MK - Missionary kids school on the compound for the families here.

Memorial Christian Hospital

Here are some pics of the hospital. This is the entrance to the compound with the hospital pictured on the left. The hospital has 2 OR theaters, 2 delivery rooms, male ward, female ward, postpartum ward, labor ward, outpatient department, lab, xray, pharmacy, physio, limb making area, etc. To the right is a link to the hospitals website.

This is the waiting room from the outpatient department

Bookstore across from the hospital for people waiting for treatment/test results/family.

Pots for boiling laundry...no joke!

Laundry area

Launderers...amazing the hard work they do!














There is one machine for scrubs and a few other things.














Laundry sheets hanging to dry














Ironing...














Workers at the 'mess', coffee area for the workers.














Grounding up spices




























Hearthouse -employment for disabled or abandoned women. They make amazing crafts, purses, clothing, etc. which is sold throughout the country.










































Workshop...many men employed here, fixing anything. Cars to medical equipment to household items.

Bangladesh??

Less then a year ago I was looking on the map where Bangladesh is and now what do you know…here I am sitting on the concrete floor of my bedroom in Bangladesh. I love that. Really great to be here! So much has happened since a week ago when I arrived, I’m trying to think of how to best articulate it but here goes:

Where? Malumghat District, Bangladesh
What? Here to work as a clinical instructor in the new nursing program started at the hospital here.
When? Now until….only God knows, depending on my visa situation (3-6 months).
Why? If you’re interested email me: wiebejolene@gmail.com I would be happy to send you updates beyond the physical aspect to the heart of things happening here.

Since I left home, until I arrived at my new home here = 48hrs. Jet lagged…yep! Travelling here...can fly either direction around the world, basically the same. Longest flight ever from Vancouver to Guangzhou China (yep, never heard of it till I flew through it). 13.5 hrs.

Here is my new home:

It's kinda hotel style, right now there's 4 other women living in the same house.

This is my view out of my house. The 'cal', basically an inlet of the Bay of Bengal. Rice fields for miles.

Our sitting area
My space...and a few cochroaches
'Living room'
Kitchen...haven't eaten here once yet. I head over to Susan and Ruthie our neighbors to eat. They have amazing cooks with amazing food!

I arrived here last Wed afternoon, Thurs had orientation to the compound, met with few different people as well as the nursing students for a picnic, and a hospital tour. Friday (is our Sundays), church in the village across the street in the morning, and expat church here in the evening. Saturday myself and 4 other girls/women from the compound went out Cox’s Bazaar for the day – lunch, and some shopping. Shopping once again proved to be a unique experience...I think shopping is universally fun, no matter where you are. Haven't forgotten how to bargain yet.

Since the start of this week I’ve been able to spend some time in the different areas of the hospital – physio, OR – observed a few surgeries, male and female wards. I’ve also been spending some time going through the curriculum - finding out where the students are at. Healthcare can be a whole other world in a different country – some similarities from other countries but so many differences. I’ve been trying to learn the different policies/procedures, how the hospital is run (flow of things, charting, meds, roles/responsibilities/scope of nurses, different diseases, how different diseases/injuries are treated here differently from at home, etc). Also trying to learn a new culture...cultural tact, respect, etc. So many differences…not that I wasn’t expecting it but many things you don’t know till you live it. Meeting multiple new people…expatriot staff as well as local staff. I’m thinking these names are impossible. Next week I will be starting Bengal lessons…that kinda scares me. So much more to say, but that'll have to suffice for now. Hopefully this internet will let me post :).

Mercy Ships - Compassion in a World of Need

A great clip to end off blogging about Togo. What an amazing 6 months!

Week up to the north

Christina (RN from Arizona), Jean (translator) & I took a week vacation up to the north of Togo. So many random TIA (this is Africa) moments, so many good laughs and talks. Definitely a huge highlight of my memories of Togo!

The first day we travelled up to Dapaoung, an all day trip. We finally reached a hotel at 10pm only to find all the lights out and the manager already sleeping. There was just one room left for the 3 of us & at this hour we didn't really have other options. So Jean somehow got to sleep with the hotel manager on a mattress infront of the reception desk. How awesome isn't that :) Christina and I crawled under our 'single' mosquito net in our sunken bed for a great nights rest!

We went to the bar next door for some supper...and they had run out of beer and wine, yes the bar ran out of beer & wine - TIA :)

Watch all those crawly's on the shower floor Christina...oh wait, is the shower actually working? :)

The next day we took zemmies out into the country past many villages, up the mountains to see the cliffs where some locals lived during a war in the 1800's. So fun to ride the zemmies! Togo is beautiful!!!

What? Jean, how did you get to drive the zemmie taxi?

Gate to the cliffs.

Pretty amazing how they coped with living in cliffs - the big oven, etc.

Christina

Amazing view! So beautiful!!

I want my Momma!

Crazy driver Jean! And he's still letting you drive his zemmie?

That night was the 'Miss Togo challenge' in Dapaoung so we hung out watching the challenge and playing cards. At night all the ladies bring out their local brew on the streets. Jean bought some from this lady so we could try it. The bottle is an old Voltic water bottle. This little girl is the daughter of the woman we bought the beer from. So cute! We bought some adamae (kinda like a mashed potato starch) and sauce for supper, with our local beverage. The beer tasted like yeast with something sour in it...I had one sip and had no desire for more :) The next day we headed to Mango to see the ABWE hospital that is being built there. So exciting to see this project! The missionaries there are amazing! One missionary lady took us out on their gator to this lake where hippo's are...we only caught a glimpse of their backs :( These kids were chasing the gator down the road :) When we were getting back to the mission guesthouse I saw a yovo (white person) playing on the soccer field - it was Jens from the ship who had left a few days before! Sooo awesome to meet up with him again! Jeans, Jens, Christina, and I. Our first night in Mango we checked in to the only hotel in town, in the back of this bar there were 2 rooms - 4 CFA per night ($8 USD). The next morning we found out..as the manager was wanting us to check out early, that these rooms were actually rented out by the hour...hence the used condom wrappers outside our door. TIA!!!

Needless to say we were thankful to be able to spend the 2nd night in Mango at the mission guesthouse!

We spent the day carrying bricks at the new hospital, took a tour of the local hospital there,(saw some kids with malaria, snake bites, AIDS, etc.), played some basketball, and stopped by the local police station. Hilarious to find out that people give goats for bail - TIA.

The next day we spent a few hours waiting for a bus to take us to Kpalime. Here's a lady sleeping under the trucks - common here with all the truckers.

Yay, our bus arrived ;)

Don't forget the goat! As we were crammed in the back of the bus, I kinda was pretty surprised to feel something tickling my feet...turns out there were chickens under the seat. So with the goat on top and the chickens under the seat our music consisted of baaa and clucking. TIA.

Another bus/tro tro...crazy! So many rollovers from this. We headed to Kpalime where the next day we headed to the Sisters of Charity mission for our last time spent with them. Other Mercy Shippers met us there. We had a little farewell party - sad to say goodbye.