Bryan was late coming home from work because he was trying to find flowers for Valentines day. There are none......he did find plastic roses but figured they would not get the smile he wanted to see.....then he found a little box with a styrofoam heart that said "Love" and a demitasse cup with hearts on it. The problem was that several times during the day the power went off and the final time the phones and internet didn't come back on.....I couldn't call him nor could he call me....and he didn't get home until nearly 8pm. Usually he is home by 6-6:30.....so I had gone ahead an eaten...thinking he might have needed to meet with staff or something. Here he had been out bringing me a gift. He is so very sweet and thoughtful.
Bryan did meet with the gentleman that manages the community outreach program. He met yesterday and they discussed the needs. Now this gentleman is on his time off but the woman I will work directly with will be back next Monday and she is overseeing only the medical portion of the community outreach, I believe. Seems that the local government wants assistance with immunizations, malaria prevention, and to treat intestinal issues that cause many severe health problems. Bryan told him that I have worked in those type of areas previously. That is what I had done from 1971-1975 in VietNam. First I worked at a children's hospital where I held clinics at the hospital grounds with other nurses and could go to the main hospital to obtain advice from the doctor on cases that I was confused with. Then I began holding clinics with one Vietnamese nurse out in refugee clinics and sent patients that needed further treatment back to the hospital. This lasted 1971-1973. At the end of 1973 until I was evacuated in 1975, I worked at a leprosy hospital outside the town of Pleiku where there was no doctor available and no car most days to get the patients to a hospital in town until after 4pm....It is interesting that it seems the time at the children's hospital was a preparation for the time in Pleiku. I am confident that I am able to meet the needs here if given a chance. I also believe that meeting these needs first allows to develop credibility with the local staff and community to then progress to the hospice project in the future. It is difficult to continue to wait for people to be in the office to get things started, but it will be worth the wait in the end. Just baby steps to the goal.....
Last night we had such a huge thunderstorm that we have lots of standing water in the back yard....so now we are part of the mosquito problem and even though he soil here is sandy, it is still standing on the top of the ground so you know how hard it rained.
I finally gave in and added a little of the remaining dry cat food into Ms Kitty's fish and rice and she ate...I believe she is more content and nicer today....she can be a wild thing....
Today we received one more bag.....it had shoes, cooking utensils, bags for the market that my friends at Hospice of the East Bay gave me as a farewell gift, and other household things. Still awaiting the clothing for me and the rest of the food items and TV. It is just like Christmas when we get a bag one at a time.....where if they had all come at once, it would have been a burden to put everything away....this way it is a treat!
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