another day on the ward...

i can't believe that this week is already nearly over. it has gone so quickly, but at the same time, the days have been so long. i've spent the most part of the week sorting out everything for my study.

monday started off with a bang. i spent the morning structuring the questions and doing research online. then suddenly i heard that there were two women waiting to be screened who had been here before. i dashed off to talk with them, and i had my first two interviews done.

tuesday was also spent in research and helping helen with the vocational training. mostly helping the girls who have had some education to read and write a bit more. then two more previous patients were there, and i had four women in the study.

yesterday, i spent the most part of the day helping with the vocational training. we were doing embroidery, little fish and flower designs on some plain cotton fabric. the girls loved it. it was also gladi-gladi day, and it was a small, intimate group of five as opposed to the eleven or so last week. it was really special, and i got some really good photos - but i haven't been able to get them online yet. still working on that...

and today. what did i do today? in the morning, i sat for a while in the ward and chatted with several of the patients. one girl asked about my hair - she couldn't sort out how i had gotten my hair this way. she puts special creams on it, one of the staff told her. ahhh..., the patient replied. every day i feel more at home in the wards. the patients stay here for an average of one month - what with waiting for surgery and the post-op care, the women stay long enough to build a relationship, which is really wonderful.

then i spent the other bit of the morning cataloguing OR meds and reading with two of our more literate patients. After reading a page, i had to explain to them in broken Krio (or really, really bad english) what they had just read. it was pretty hilarious, i must say. :)

then it was time for chop - pumpkin. i asked if they had pumpkin all the time, because we only have at home in the fall, and the cook said just in the rainy season. it's actually a really good way to eat pumpkin. i'll have to see if i can sort out the recipe from one of the cooks so that i can make it back at school. it's funny, when i say 'school' here, everyone thinks secondary school, so i have to extra sure to say 'university.' :)

my apologies that this isn't more thrilling. it was just another day on the ward...