Work, Floods and Eggs

So...the flood was not forgotten

Because I had not been at the clinic the previous day, I had kept dry. There had been no need for the umbrellas, poncho and rain boots that my co-workers had been telling me to bring.

However, my thoughts spoke too soon. After leaving work, I headed by Kyra's house, where she and her friends were chatting on the front lawn. I did not anticipate the kitchen sink to be so approximate to the open window, where Kyra and her friends had plastic cups and containers waiting. Not long after I had approached the house, they were running back and forth like a fire drill, letting it rain. I quickly took hostage Anika and Kevin, who were walking by the house. It was not long before the showers were shared on us all, and Kyra and her friend's had all gotten a part of the “bathday blessing”, as well.

Earlier at work, there were only two of us and it was rather busy for a Saturday. A girl with Bipolar was having a manic episode, and had been in the clinic all night. She was going from one room to the next, asking for medicine, demanding injections, wanting hydration, forgetting one thing in the treatment room and another in admission. One minute she would be walking and the next minute she thought to be paralysed.

“Please go get my handkerchief! I am paralysed...I cannot move my leg.”

She got up, when she saw I kept moving, and followed me to the treatment room. As I turned around, she stopped immediately, falling back into a locked stance.

“A snake bit me!”

“Where is that?”

“Right here.” She pointed and I looked.

No mark

“They treated me, but the poison is still there. Please cut it, Doctor!”

I would not do that, but tried to calm her, reassuring her that she would not be poisoned.

Back to the Pharmacy. Dr. Job needed me to get some prescriptions. She followed right on tail.

“I need some medicine for my eye! It's inflamed.” She reached up to the shelf. Bad idea.

“Jane, put that back on the shelf. We will get you what you need.” I escorted her out, straight away and locked the doors.

We begin locking the rooms behind us, as we went in and out, sceptical of what could disappear from the rooms. Dr. Job had been on call all night, was working today, would be on call again that night and back to work in the morning. With only two doctors and one nearing baby's due date, there is not much rest for them.

On getting home, I opened a parcel that Kyra and her friend, Maureen, had prepared for the 19^th. They had littered the inside with assorted candies, a note from each of them, and “Nice” biscuits. Little did they know that those are our absolute favourite Ugandan sugar and coconut cookies, and we had just ran out a few days ago. Jess had disappeared for a few hours and came back with a vibrant assortment of wildflowers and leaves for Wild African Tea. More blessings, even the day after.

That night, we ran out of gas for the stove. Jess is our innovator, and it wasn't long before she was taking the lid off the kettle and boiling eggs on the inside, holding down the lever with a propped-up bowl, so it would not turn off once the water had boiled. The yolk was slightly runny in the end, but the whites turned out splendid, and paired with toast, dinner was complete. We would get by.

Jess with her eggs in the kettle