Watching the match
Saturday 8th October
Only 4 more days before Ian arrives so quite excited to see him, and the staff that were here last year keep asking about him so he will be greeted well when he arrives.
Comboni day today, a big celebration here in Mapuordit, as it was here in South Sudan that Daniel Comboni first set up a community back in 1800’s.
The build-up to this day has been going on for ages with lots of people going to committee meetings working out the logistics as to how many cows to slaughter for over 1000 people.
What competitions to have. So lots of football games going on, and the final is tonight, the hospital v school. A spelling bee is lined up with lots of children taking part and some are girls! They usually have a couple of short plays, and the theme this year, as you might expect, is ‘Peace’
The usual dancing and singing will go on long into the night.
The primary school bought 2 cows in the market a few weeks ago and have been fattening them up in the playground, no problem, but the senior school heard that they could get two cows a bit cheaper in the next village (price of a cow is anything from 1000-1300 pounds – around US$330-430.
So, off two teachers went to purchase two cows. Paid the money and brought them to the village, put them in their playground. Very soon two men came and said the cows were stolen, they were their cows and they had not sold them! The two teachers were arrested and put in to prison. It took a lot of talking before they were released. Eventually the two men who had sold the cows were caught but they had already spent most of the money. This was happening on Friday only 3 days before the big day. In the end, I think they were able to buy one cow and a few goats instead.
This is probably equivalent back home when you hear the story of people purchasing a car through the Manly Daily only to find out when they try to register it that it has been stolen!! Difference is you would not be thrown into prison (prison here in the village is a large shipping container, in which one prisoner suffocated last year).
I am sitting in my room and it is about 10pm and the party is still going, the cow horns and drums are still beating and the crowds sound very happy, good to hear. There is too much misery around so I am glad they are having a good day/night.
Here is a good news story. About 2 weeks ago a small boy was admitted with severe cerebral malaria. Temperature of 40C fitting, respiratory problems, unconscious. We all worked as a team to pull him through. The little foot pump was working overtime; it was a good test for my knees!
Our oxygen separator machine was on the highest reading we could get. Twice the mother started her wailing, in preparation for his death, but he survived. Three days later he was discharged on oral quinine. Unfortunately, the mother did not give the child the medication, so he arrived back in hospital in an even worse condition.
So it was all of the above and more. I did not want to go to the children’s ward on Sunday morning as I was sure he would not be with us. Then there was a knocking at the gate. It was our only other Dr (apart from the surgeon) shouting ‘Anne, Anne he is alive’! Now this was a miracle!! This was one week ago and he was discharged yesterday, this time after he had finished his course of treatment. What a lucky little boy.....
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