Pictures of with the hospital Matron Sr Xaveria and with the parish pastor Fr Cletus.

As we are preparing to leave, we were recalling the different foods we will miss.  Avocados (4 species, called pears here), okra (5 species), papaya (6 species), very sweet watermelon and melt in your mouth pineapple.

We've had fufu, coco yams, jama jama, fried plantain, and sweet bananas. 

We visited the local private middle/high school yesterday. We were serenaded by each class. This was a real treat as we've listened to their beautiful voices at mass everyday. 

These are the animals we walk past and live with. We've also seen a jackal but could not get a picture.

Whether is getting warmer and dust in air a little thicker. There are a few clouds each day. The rainy season is approaching, usually beginning mid March.

Walking the hospital compound we can hear multiple languages in just a few minutes. English, Pygeon English, Kom, French and sometimes other languages from the Fulani's or other ethnic groups. Our priest, nurses and many others move between 3 or 4 languages without any hesitation. It's amazing to hear.

Our day starts at 430 am to get ready for 6 am mass.  Michael assist most days and preaches on occasion.  The last few days we are working together in the outpatient clinic.  We see a wide variety of patients to include families.  Reneal is very good at taking doctors orders from Michael :), and Michael is enjoying that.  We go home for lunch and Michael returns to help in the compounding nurses clinic or on the ward until later afternoon and Reneal is spending time at the orphanage.

On Sunday we traveled with Fr Cletus to two of his several outstations/parish mission churches.  Michael assisted at the masses.  The women loved Reneal and gathered around her in a circle singing "greetings sister, welcome" in their native language.  On the way back we stopped at the Town marked and bought some fabric for an outfit Reneal hopes to have made by a local seamstress.

 5 yo girl carrying her sister to church

 

One of the larger parish outstation (mission parish) churches

View from steps of an outstation church

Reneal on our way to work

Michael with one of our little patients

The trip was long and we were wisely directed to take a couple days to recover.  We started with a tour of the facilities on Saturday then Sunday we attended both masses, 6 and 830 am, and were introduced to the Njinikom parish.  We began work on Monday shadowing the staff (Michael on the medical ward and out patient clinic and Reneal in the HIV/AIDS treatment clinic).  We both will be rotating through all the areas of the hospital and clinics.  We had an opportunity to visit the orphanage on Saturday and spent a little time visiting and playing with the younger children..  There are many opportunities for us to help and assist the staff that are here.  They provide a tremendous service to the surrounding communities.

We visited the local open air market (held every 8 days) where Reneal found another species of okra (they apparently have 5 varieties here) and attended the opening ceremony for the national youth week with children from the surrounding public and catholic schools.