BYOB

Now, before you report me to the powers that be, this does NOT stand for Bring your own Beer…. Lately I have been reflecting on the life we live here in Guinea. It is a crazy place, I have to say. And I am always amazed by the communal aspect of village living. Everything is shared. I guess, then, I should not be surprised when I am called on to give out of my supplies…..

When I go to baby deliveries, I now carry baby blankets (BYOB – Bring your own blanket). After the baby is born and washed, there rarely seems to be a clean cloth to wrap them in. I spent months being frustrated about this fact – it is NOT like a delivery sneaks up on you – typically there are many months to prepare and 8 -12 hours of labor to locate a clean cloth. But alas, it is a battle that I often lose, so instead of being frustrated, I just take my own.

At my own house, things are worse. I had a young boy arrive recently with a smashed foot. Sadly, he got injured out in the bush (a piece of wood fell on his foot, smashing the 2 smallest toes – completely exposing the bones) so he was forced to walk to town and then, because the injury looked so bad, everyone was afraid to wash it.

So they brought him many miles away to me. By the time he arrived, the mud/blood was ground in and caked on and dried. I tried and tried to scrub it clean, but to no avail. Finally I decided that I needed to soak it. I couldn’t find my normal soaking container so I took off my gloves, washed my hands, went inside, and started going through my Tupperware. I finally found one that would work. I was reluctant to sacrifice it, but what could I do. The whole time I was muttering under my breath – you know, doctors in America don’t have to give up their Tupperware (if you read my blog posting about containers, you will know that they are important to me).

That is not the only thing to go out of my house. I use my aluminum foil to wrap medicine and send home ointment for dressings. My vinegar is used to make a medicinal wash for women. My precious Karo syrup is used for cough syrup and constipation for babies. Vegetable oil is used to soften ear wax. When I run out of a particular medicine for the village, I usually dig into our family stash to fill the need. I have ripped up sheets to make splints and sacrificed pillows for transport of an accident victim.

When I have sick people who are not eating, I will give them oatmeal (this is NOT as much a sacrifice as I think that oatmeal as a cereal is disgusting – though it is NOT bad in monster cookies…..) and milk powder and sugar. For people with colds, I give them mint tea. Old socks are used to cover feet dressings and many times I have had to dig through my kid’s closets to get a shirt or pair of underwear or something for a patient. I also pass out Q-tips to apply medicine in the mouth.

Occasionally I feel crabby about this aspect of village life. But usually something happens to change my perspective. Someone will show up with a pan of rice, or peanuts, or a chicken to say thank you for helping them. They will bless me over and over and tell people how much we did for them. They come by to say thank you and somehow that makes it better. I think it really is more blessed to give than to receive.