First Ride on Motocab (Motocycle Taxi)

Umm, yeah, traffic isnt the safest thing around here... no more complaining of DC traffic!!!

Update on Africa photos

joshomania's photostream on Flickr.

Another Day in Paradise (w/ Sarcasm)

After living here for two and half weeks, I am sort of starting to get adapted to things around here.  Despite the malicious humidity and temperature, I tend to focus more on the events around me.  I had another great week of working experience, despite of being dehydrated almost every day, it can’t compare to the pain and sufferings that many of the people experience here in Sierra Leone. 

It amazes me that many of the problems could be easily prevented, with minimal funding; yet, a lot of people can’t even afford the minimal. 

In spite of the people not having the basic needs to make it through the day, I notice something different in all of the people I meet or run into, when comparing to the more upper class society.  Many of the natives tend to always have hope for what is to come, and they hold onto that hope to help them make it through the day.  The people of Leone are always trying to look forward.  They sing all of the time, while I am working on patients, on the street, and during lunch break.  Another thing I observed is that the natives to tend to put more emphasis on family and on each other.  Instead of television, the people entertain and spend a great deal of time with each other.  They are also very thankful for every day they get to live.  They realize everyday is a gift and that we don’t deserve anything, despite if we worked for it or think we "deserve" it.

A reality television show, "Destination Unknown" from the Netherlands came and did some filming in our dental clinic.  Let’s just say that reality TV is not reality.  Staging everything, supposedly they have two people on the show brought into an unknown destination; they come and experience a day of work with the Mercy Ship program.  So I am on TV (in the Netherlands that is) with the contestants in the dental clinic.


On a Sunday afternoon, a group of us from the Mercy Ship went to visit the Hope Center.  The Hope Center is the building where all of the patients stay after having surgery on the ship.  The patients reside there until they are completely healed from surgery.  Walking into the building, you can see the children faces light up, and immediately surround us.  Especially the kids, they become too attached not wanting to let go.  I gave one of the kids my camera and they starting to take pictures of each other.  They would scream and laugh after seeing their picture show up on the back of the camera.  It doesn’t take much to entertain them; they are easily amused by the simplest things that we take for granted every day in America.

First Week Experience

Every day is a new experience, absorbing it as much as I can.  After completing my first week of dental care, I have given over 100 injections (doing every type of injections-palatal, PSA, MSA, ASA, IAN, incisive papillae, buccal, lingual, infiltrations-although I still have not done the Gow-Gate injection, a very painful and risky injection), done several extractions, restrained patients during invasive surgeries, many gross debridement and adult prophylaxis, and taught oral hygiene.   It has been a rewarding experience, to tune my skills and become more proficient in my profession.  But more importantly, I am able to show love and compassion to the patients regardless what status I hold.  It is so satisfying when I can solely focus on  the people, not money, schedules, errands, shopping, and possessions.   I continue to show Christ’s love regardless if the patient is a Muslim or sorcerer.

We continue to show people love by not just our lips but also our actions.  We had a very rare case the other day, a patient w/ Ludwig’s angina (you can google it) and being able to save this person’s life will be a testimony of what we do and the love we have shown to him.  I believe in prayer, but I also believe in doing something about it.  I feel like too many times, people will just pray about it and not make an effort in providing a way or care for someone needs.  Faith without works is dead.  Prayer + action= getting something done. 

I have been on the streets and middle of towns, and it amazes me how everyone sits around the open sewages ditches and food is being served right next to them.  The streets are very crowded (I make sure I hold onto my belongings, theft can easily be performed on the streets) and automobiles drive inches from your body.  People are always shoving and pushing, knowing they are not trying to be rude, but it is the culture norm.  Being light-skinned (aka, white) everyone on the street is always presenting their goods to me, in hoping I buy something.   I was even proposed to several times, by desperate mothers in hope to give their daughters better lives.  Having the urge to try something local, a woman approached me with something that appeared to be a type of meat on a stick.  Wanting to give it a try, I handed the woman 1000 Leones (about 20 cents, side note- when I arrived to Sierra Leone, and transferred $100 US dollars, I received about $450,000 Leones, talk about having a fat wallet).  After closer observation, it turned out to be chicken feet.  Great.  I attempt to eat it (see pictures), it had nice a spicy flavor to it, but the fat and bone didn’t appeal to me.  I just had a toe (whatever you want to call it) and gave the rest to the dogs on the street.   Rest assure, I have eaten several things on the street and have not gotten sick since I been here.

Interestingly, walking back from a market area, I passed a gated church.  A service has just ended, and everyone is walking out.  It is interesting to see that everyone is very well dressed w/ elaborate clothing and making an effort in avoiding eye contact with the people on the street.  The church goers talk among themselves while they wait for their transportations.  It appeared they had a nice service.  I don’t think this is what Jesus had in mind.

Africa- Mercy Ship

Africa- Mercy Ship, a set on Flickr.

Extracting teeth, no big deal

Finally!!!

After a very long airplane ride, finally arrived in Freetown, Sierra Leone.  I was very excited to see the Mercy Ship personnel that was going to get me to the ship.  After walking through a crowd of people at the gate of the airport, I took a bus down to the bay and jumped on a dinky little boat.  With no lights, we drove about 45 minutes across the bay (apparently the driver was using the moonlight to get across the bay) and arrived to the ship.  I finally felt like I could breathe for the first time since the last 3 days.  The staff on the ship was very friendly and even baked me cookies when I arrived. 

As for the temperature, it is going to take some time to getting use to....

London!!!

Just arrived in London for my transfer flight to Sierra Leone, have a 19 hours layover wait.  Very tired from preparation and flight.  So far, everything is going smoothly except for everything being so expensive in England (current currency rate, 1dollar is worth 60 cents here), since William and Kate are getting married this weekend, everyone is in town!  Hitting the sack, and will be in Africa tomorrow.