Strange desires

Sep 12/ 2010 – Union Chogorodo

Tonight the sky is absolutely beautiful. For once the clouds have gone away and I can see the stars high up there somewhere in space. The moon is not full, but the light so powerful that it illuminates the sky enough for me to distinguish the silhouette of the tall coconut trees against it. I am sitting outside, contemplating it, with the frogs and night crickets as my soundtrack. What is on my mind, you ask me. Well, actually, all I can think about right now is… coconut water. I know, it is the silliest thing to think about now, but there’s nothing I can do! I have been thinking about it all day… ice cold coconut water as they sell it on the beaches in Brazil… humm.

So, one of our logisticians today, learning about my unexplained sudden desire for coconut water, kindly asked the locals for 4 coconuts and indeed they sent somebody up the tree and he successfully retrieved 4 coconuts. Then they proceeded to drink it, all 4 coconuts by themselves :( I am not sure where the communication line got lost there. All I know is that now, more than ever, I want coconut water. Oh well, I will survive. I am so tired anyways that I will fall asleep in no time and dream about coconuts and Brazilian beaches all night. It will be wonderful.

Today we saw 67 patients, which is a lot of people for one day of mobile clinic. I was between triage, lab and pharmacy. It was crazy the amount of work we have done to be able to cope with the amount of patients. We again saw many of the children malnourished, more malaria and other diseases.

At lunchtime I went to the river again. This time 2 little kids, I would guess about 5 years old, were playing with a machete about as tall as them. They were using it like a bat to pass a small object (that I could not distinguish) back and forward. I was looking around to see if some adult would intervene but the natives didn’t seem disturbed at all. I waited for a chopped finger or something, but the little guy really knew how to use his toy. No chopped fingers or toes, just me, once again, impressed with the skills of these children and their adaptability.

Anyways, I am so tired, enough talking for now… I’ll go dream about my coconuts