Internet, Schminternet

So, getting homesick really bites. I felt it last week a little too much for my comfort. I'm not exactly sure what brought it on, but I think it might have had something to do with trying to keep up with the world around me (including all you folks back home whom I miss) by spending a little too much time on the Internet.

I'm still on the HBC portion of my rotation, where we visit patients in the mornings. This schedule tends to leave my afternoons free to check in at the HOC office to see if help can be used, which inevitably leads to checking my email and other familiar websites.

I feel really fortunate that I have access to instantly share my experiences, humilities and photos with people who may be interested. I think it is extremely important for all parties involved well-being. I also feel really fortunate to be able to use the Internet as a tool for research for improving the quality of life for those with whom I work. But as I discovered last week, it also allows for a direct link into the lives of those who know me the best, from a world that doesn't even know me by my given, American name.

At any rate, one long, music-filled bike ride down the Brikama Coastal Highway, talks with a few familiar voices from The States, and an evening under a cloudy sky hacking Mandinka with my sis and her kiddos later, I'm on my way out of the slump. I'm working on limiting my Internet use to a couple of times a week instead of several (it's more exciting when you have more than one email to read each time, anyway).

During the bike ride, a song came on my MP3 player with lyrics about being in a thankless job an it resonated with me. That's one place I know for sure where I am not. Even if it's not vocalized by anyone, it is felt- maybe through a young women's greeting handshake, an old man's toothless grin, and definitely in a child's embrace. There are days when I feel like everything is surprising and then there are days where nothing surprises me. But I guess that's just life in suburban Gambia!

In work-related news, I'm really enjoying the Home Based Care rotation. It is difficult at times to walk into a compound and know in the back of your mind that that one child probably won't gain enough strength back to live a very long life. I asked Sister what she thinks contributes to being that far gone so early in life. She mentioned the difficulty of getting to the clinic, stigmatization of going and getting tested, and often mis-diagnosis as a few reasons. The main causes of mortality in Gambia for children under the age of 5 are Malaria, diarrhea and TB. If they are eventually found positive for TB, it may be recommend to go for HIV testing. If they are found positive for HIV, they must finish their TB treatment before any type of ARVS are administered. On a more positive note, most of the patients we see in their homes are not that ill, or have improved through the help of the home visits and volunteers. It is amazing to watch the Sisters tend to these people. There is no hesitation what so ever to give someone a cloth bath or clip some toenails, when the primary purpose is a simple 10 minute med distribution visit. During some visits, I must have heard the words "abaraka", "jarama" or "jere-jeff" which all mean thank you, 20 times or more. But really, it's the patients who are helping themselves. They are the ones who've built up the strength, emotionally and physically, to get themselves or their loved ones to be seen by a licenced doctor (as opposed to a traditional herbalist healer like many see here). They are the ones who chose to register their family members in these programs the clinic offers. We, as health workers, are simply catalysts. Sure, the education we bring is important, but at the end of the day, it's the individual who decides what type of life they want to lead.

In other news- team Kaiaf re-unites! One of my training village mates, Chris and some other volunteers from up country had some business in the Kombo area, so he biked over the course of 3 days to Rachel and my neck of the woods. We've been hanging out together the past few days remembering the good 'ol (and not so good 'ol) times of not-so far back training. It definitely doesn't feel like a month's gone by already, though. Also, Miss Black USA is coming to the Kombo area on June 1st (specifically Senegambia Beach Hotel) and a group of us are trying to get tickets and go. Should we each make signs for our respective states? UH, you'd better believe it!

Thank you to everyone who supported Allatentu by buying a CD!!!! I hope you are really enjoying listening to it. The original order has completely been spoken for and all your donations have officially been contributed to the group. My mom has 5 more CDs that were recently sent to her if anyone else was contemplating getting one. Her email again is gillag@ticnet.com.

Finally, at the request from a few of you, here is a newly updated wish list.

Newly Updated Wish-List:

• Burts Bees Chapstick-regular, stick kind
• Jane or Marie Claire Magazines
• Pocket size Kleenex packages
• An English Dictionary
• A scientific calculator
• A cutting board
• Trail mix, salty snack foods like Triscuts, dried soup mixes, dried fruit, Extra brand gum, Cliff bars, any kind of candy
• Soccer ball needle
• DVDs of Greys Anatomy, The Office, new movies (these can be watched at our PC hostel and volunteers lap-tops during times like in-service training and out of site days)

I'm expecting some of you to start asking about travel arrangements to The Gambia soon...