One of the positive benefits I gained personally during my time in Musoma in 2022 was exercising daily at least five out of seven days. This came about as Bishop George has two dogs which serve as night duty guards. They are large, strong German Shepherds, Simba the male and Tiger the female. Simba means lion anywhere you go in Africa.
So when I agreed to go “walking” the dogs it actually turned out they ran us. Using a steel link chain it was holding on for life as we both raced to keep up with the dogs, occasionally gaining control to get our breath. Our dog exercises were at 6am for 25 minutes on a set route through the government quarter here. Wandering through the markets one day, I happened on a chain link lead with a T handle. This made life a bit easier but soon the T bent as the dogs pulled and if holding on it was a case of letting go or risking injury. These dogs have never stepped back from attacking other dogs or chasing cats and jumping at people. They have no discipline or training.
I learned a thing or two while home housesitting (dog sitting really) for my two daughters in Adelaide and Sydney. With good leashes it was easy to control their dogs on walks and runs in the local areas and keep up my regime of about 20 minutes, heart rate to about 170 and achieving 8,500 steps daily.
So as I pondered my return I decided to purchase some dog leads to attempt greater control of the dogs. Petco at Annandale was an eye opener. What Bunnings is to the handyman, Petco is to animals. It was huge!
Our relationship with the dogs improved spectacularly from day one this year. Suddenly with leads with a comfortable grip we were in control, jogging at a leisurely pace fully in control of these canine warriors. Sadly complacency or was it overconfidence in a week resulted in an accident at the end of my first week here. Having spotted in the dark something, Simba lurched forward and was highly agitated for about 100 metres. Thinking he wanted to divert to the grass I loosened my grip to accommodate his call of nature.
Now the roads we run on are paved and there is a 60 cm deep gutter for the heavy rain. As I loosened my hold on Simba he pulled hard, caught me off balance, resulting in me falling shoulder and knee first into to table drain. No major damage apart from a bruised and grazed shoulder and knee and a slice to my left thumb. We continued our walk but blood gushed from my thumb and on return I washed it in water. A pair of undies cut up provided a temporary bandage till I got to the pharmacy and managed to dress it after pouring some iodine on it. By lunchtime blood was still seeping and so the bandage was changed but it kept bleeding so by 3.30pm I decided it was time to visit my friends at the Coptic Hospital.
While I have been there only twice it was like old friends as they greeted me. “Sit down Baba” the receptionist told me. No fee up front for regulars like me. Once on the books the $1.20 to see the doctor is waived. Eventually in to see Dr Peter who was on top of my malaria. Explaining how I acquired my contusuions and cut and using the word “dog” he seemed panicked and asked had I been bitten by a dog (think rabies). I assured him that this was the result of losing control of the dog (oh the irony of it all).
He carefully gloved up, and after removing my blood soaked bandage he carefully lifted the flap of skin and said it needs a (as in one so I understood, single) stitch. I have gone my whole life without ever needing a cut stitched and I knew this was not going to be pleasant. My hand was bandaged up again and off to the waiting room with the aged, young mothers and a woman who had a large wound on her leg.
I have learned that in Africa time is plentiful and so sat patiently as the waiting room emptied of the medical cases. I was summoned to a room where a friendly male nurse explained he was giving me a tetanus shot. Even though it is not due again till 2024 I willingly obliged. Back to the waiting area and eventually out came Dr Peter and off we went to another room where procedures are performed.
The smiling Mary directed me to a seat after placing a leather apron on me (this is also the X-ray room) to keep me from being soiled by blood or other things. The green surgical mat covered with small instruments, was on a table and I was directed to place my hand on it. Dr Peter came and gloved up again, retrieved some long handled tweezers to review the wound. It went from a stitch to it will need two stitches. I noted the absence of local anaesthetic and thought well I am getting pierced anyway and it’s going to hurt so I may as well toughen up, grit my teeth, hold onto the arm of the chair and endure what was to come. The smile on Nurse Mary’s face was unnerving as she kept saying “pole, pole,” which I am starting to appreciate means a lot of things in Swahili. On My Kilimanjaro in 2014 it meant slowly slowly. Here it was an expression of sorrow – sorry, sorry. Which is what Peter said in English as he carefully stitched my thumb back together with three stitches, as I grimaced in pain.
Once completed he authorised payment for some medication including an injectable pain killer. I told him no need as my thumb was not sore in comparison to the stitches going in. All up treatment includng meds was about $32.
Meanwhile ….. in other news
My first week and a bit has been otherwise good. I am still adjusting to sleep and waking at 3am but this is because I am usually asleep by 9pm but cannot seem to stay up later though that is my aim.
As my previous post mentioned I came with 5 laptop computers. I had given them to the IT guy Mwita to sort out the Windows and get it ready including ensuring Google Chrome was downloaded. Since going home he has assisted the diocese to install wifi. I couldn’t believe it! The capital cost was the main issue but once installed, it is a prepaid system which means staff no longer are needing to be paid an allowance for data on phones as they now have unlimited internet. And having tested it, it works. A router will improve speed in corners of the building but for now WOW!
I presented three laptops to three staff at the office. Melina Galiboma is the new Link Officer responsible for relating to international partners. Rev Revocatus Gombea is the head of Evangelism for the whole area. Rev Yona Masinde is Director of Christian Education. Computers came from Bowral Anglican and the other from members of my church at Keiraville and Anglican Aid my previous employer. Photos and a short video from each staff member receiving their “new” laptop, updating desktops over ten years old were sent to donors. Another four laptops are arriving with others in April. Thanks to all generous donors. The photos will tell how much this means here.
One of the things I have organised is a visit of eighteen Australians from 22 April for six days visiting the district from the Kenyan border to Mwanza at the base of Lake Victoria. I have engaged a local bus driver from Tarime to collect us all from Nairobi and drive us to a guesthouse in Mogabiri near Tarime. While a night in the Serengeti was first planned , time and cost were against this so a modified Serengeti tour is planned for a day. To this end lunch on Tuesday was with the bus owner and his kids (it’s school holidays here) to discuss the detail of the trip. He will be taking us from place to place over the six days. Reviewing the drive from Nairobi we actually pass the Great Rift Valley which I saw in Nairobi in 2009. Click the link to learn more but it essentaially covers 7,000kms from Lebanon to southern Africa.
With most staff away at board meetings at institutions some hours away on Wednesday I caught public transport to Bunda to visit the girls school and introduce myself to the new principal (and to look at the site for the next phase of building work). A useful trip as my time is limited due to commitments to a conference in Kigali from 14 April. The new principal was still in a state of disbelief as she had only been announced the week prior as the new head and was not expecting it.It was an appointment made by the diocese without her knowledge till the announcement. She appeared capable and as we toured the schol pointed out repairs required on buildings that were not well built.
The other major activity in week one was working with the graphic designer Mwita to get the forst newsletter of 2023 out which we did on Thursday just prior to Easter. What originally wasconceived as maybe a four page newsletter has grown much larger due to the number f activities happening. If you want to view it click on the Newsletter here
I am typing on Easter Monday night. It is a short week and I will write about Easter in my next post. My finger is slowly mending and some of the stitches are falling away as can be seen below.
AfricaEddie 