Community Barbeque

We have been settling in at Galmi for a few weeks and, unfortunately, most of that time one or more of us has been sick. I guess that comes with the territory. Tab had a full week of work last week and I did a day or so, but, unfortunately, we keep getting interrupted by our kids vomiting on stuff. We have been taking prophylactic anti-malaria medicine for several weeks now but that did not stop one of our kids from getting malaria. We also had some sort of food contamination issue the other day. I was lucky enough not to eat any of the offending food and, therefore, I got to be the one that ran around with buckets and rags cleaning up while everyone else was sick. Thankfully, everyone seems to be on the mend and we should be back to our regularly scheduled programs soon. 

One of the more interesting activities we have participated in lately is a community barbeque. One of our friends has a herd of sheep and one of the lambs got the bloat. There is no vet here and they tried several things, but nothing worked to cure the problem. It was clear the animal was going to die, and the only real option was to euthanize it. 

Typically, the customs here do not allow for eating animals that are dying. In fact, there are quite a few things one must do before butchering an animal for it to be acceptable to eat. There are some good reasons not to eat an animal that is sick especially if you don't know why it is dying. However, in this case, it was just an animal eating the wrong thing or too much of it. I don't think that poses a danger to our health. So, our friend set up a butcher to come cut it up and take it to a man who would cook it. It was all a very interesting process. 

One of the more interesting processes is the cooking part. Back home, there is barbeque culture where people use charcoal or propane or smokers to cook and finish meat. Often people have very strong opinions of what is the best way to cook a hamburger or steak or brisket on a barbeque or a smoker or what-have-you.  

Here, there is also a serious meat cooking culture. They set up a fire very spread out on the ground and put sticks and rods through the carcass making it flat. sometimes they have a grate or grill to lay it on.  They spend hours and hours roasting it next to the fire adding spices and oil quite frequently. Then, when it is done, they wrap it in a paper bag and deliver it to the feast. It doesn't always look great, but I can assure you that it has the tenderness and flavors that everyone can love. 

After the meat was delivered, my friend took the meat off of the bones and onto a serving tray, and since there was so much meat that is best served hot, everyone here was invited to come and bring a side dish. It reminded me of a 4th of July barbeque, with kids running everywhere with food and sugary drinks. It was one of the better meals I have ever had in Niger, not just because of the meat, but also because of the community that was a part of it. 

Our January Travels

If any of you are still out there...we are here too! Its been a bit of a whirlwind...we've been like snails with our "house" on our back moving from place to place. Foxes have holes, birds have nests, we have our car (and generous friends and family that have provided homes for us).

A few of the highlights from January:

Visiting our friend Caiti in Boston- before they got all the snow! :)

Ice Skating 

Touring the TAZA Chocolate Factory

Ether Dome

The Ether Dome was on the top of my list of things to see in Boston. One of my attendings in residency would mention this place frequently- its where the first public demonstration of general anesthesia occurred.  Operating is so much better with good anesthesia!

Galmi reunion...complete with a game of Settlers.

We also enjoyed visiting with good friends from college and medical school...and meeting some new members of the their families!

Have we really known each other for almost 15 years?!

 

So fun catching up in person!

And Luke fulfilled on of his New Years Resolutions from January...."Buy a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts and see how many I can eat."   

We helped him...but they didn't last more than a day or two.

We've come very close to completing our "fun" list of things to do while back in America. Now, if only we could figure out some more things on the "important" list. Like, where are we going to live?

goodbye

Leaving. I knew it would be a sad day. I had no idea it would be this sad. The last two years were the most challenging, difficult, and intense years of my life. To leave the ones who were there through all the hard, exciting, and heart-breaking experiences...words cannot describe the loss we feel.

Our month of goodbyes in pictures. We said goodbye to those who we became good friends during our first few months of language learning.  We give these folks credit for keeping us alive when we first arrived.

We said goodbye to the operating room and surgical nursing staff at a lovely farewell dinner.

We said goodbye to M, who is a lovely friend and helped keep us fed by cooking beans and rice, tortillas, and bread for us.

We enjoyed an early Thanksgiving dinner with the entire compound.

we said goodbye in church (Luke spoke in Hausa...which was kindly translated into "better" Hausa that everyone could understand). :)

we (thankfully) said goodbye to Luke's beard :)

The schoolkids had a farewell party for us and gave us lovely custom tie-dyed pillowcases

we will miss you Buddy :(

Finally, a bunch of people (including most of the operating room staff) came to the airstrip to say final goodbyes. Many tears were shed.

As you can see, there were so many goodbyes to so many people we have come to know and love.
And, this isn't everyone. There were many more good byes with many more people, but you get the idea.  It has been one of the saddest months of our lives. But we are also excited to get home and see our families and see our friends that have been praying for us and supporting us these two long years and to tell them of the great adventures that we have had. Mixed emotions, Argh!!!!

we'll miss you, too, Martin

Welcome Fall!

We are getting into the spirit of fall around here. Leaves are falling off trees, the fall sniffles are going around, and we are down to a crisp high of 100F.  So, in honor of fall, we put on some sunscreen and braved the heat of the Wednesday market in search of pumpkins.

We found one "pumpkin patch" in the market

we picked three of the most pumpkiny-looking squashes and bartered him down to a price of $2.50 each

We didn't want to carry the pumpkins all over the market and back home through the 105F heat, so we paid this guy to motorcycle them back to the compound

This weekend it was time for a pumpkin painting party!!!

Before

During. We convinced are most artistic friend, E, to come over and help paint since Luke has the fall sniffles/sore throat and wasn't up to it.

Grumpy cat with bloody fangs... Happy Halloween

the backside

Dreaming of the Cold

We ended the day with delicious tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches while trying to pretend it wasn't still 93 degrees inside at 7pm. Welcome Fall!

a few pics from our weekend away

one of my favorite things we saw in the "big city" store

picnic lunch

the yellow tea submarine

To all the peeps!

We are approaching the quarter pole of our African journey. Our break in Europe for a couple weeks gave us the chance to step back and think about all that we have accomplished over the past year and a half. Tab did so many surgical procedures she practically completed a second residency. I learned so much about computer networks and bio-medical equipment that I feel like I could actually be of value to a medical center somewhere.

We also started to realize that our time here is winding down. I decided to make a list of goals that I want to complete before I leave. I know this sounds like a procrastinator panicking but, this was something that I couldn't do before.  It took over a year to begin to understand where we are and where we would like to see this place go. With a lot of work and little luck we might get an electronic medical records system up and running here before I leave. It will be huge task but also a huge step forward for this hospital. Tab is just hoping to make it through the next several months of every other night call. We'll see how it goes and keep you informed.

And finally, I would like to give a HUGE shout out to all the people that have sent us care packages over the past year and a half. The little tastes and sights of America have been an incredible encouragement and fun respite from the realities of being so far from home. But now, since our time in Africa is coming to an end (for now) we must ask that you cease and desist. Or, if you are going to send them, send them now! :) Well, you don't have to, we just might not be here to enjoy it. But there will probably be people here that would enjoy it for us...

This picture pretty much says it all. I couldn't eat all of these. But wait...I almost have!  I still have some. Fourth of July peeps woot woot.

bush meat

A few weeks ago I noticed our promising tomato plants were being eaten by something. I talked to our gardener and he said "Gafiya!  The gafiyoyi did it!"  Then he showed me where the gafiyoyi came from (two holes in the shed nearby).

What is a gafiya? It is a large possum-like rat that lives in the desert here and is considered to be good for eating. Gafiyoyi is the plural noun.

Later that night I heard some rustling near our compost pit and I thought it was a family of hedgehogs. I grabbed my camera and went to get some pictures of them for our family back home. Instead, I discovered two large gafiyoyi eating my compost. I took some pictures and called my wife out to see them.

Gafiya are grey and kinda cute in a large hamster sort of way. The second one is out of focus in the back.

The next day I told my friend the guard, S,  that we had a gafiyoyi problem. I showed him my tomatoes and I could see the wheels turning in his head. He noticed that they were living in a nearby shed so he blocked the holes that animals were coming and going from in an effort to trap them inside. The next night when he was on guard duty I noticed him outside my house looking for something. He had spotted one of the gafiyoyi (they are nocturnal so night time is the time to hunt for them). He had found a new hole they had been using to get in and out of the shed.

We talked about catching them. He told me he had an idea that he would bring tomorrow night. The next night, right as it was getting dark, I saw him walking towards my garden with  a large metal trap in his hand. He set it up in front of the shed and he removed some stones so that the gafiyoyi would have to get in and out through that one hole. About an hour later I was sitting in my house when I heard clanging and rattling. I went out to the garden and there was a gafiya stuck in the trap! I notified S and he freed it from the trap and carried it to the guard station where he used a knife to finish it off.

Here is the trap, you can barely see it. but the rocks form a tunnel so that the gafiya would have to walk over the trap to get out of the shed.

That wasn't the end of the evening! When we got to the guard station I was startled by a massive flapping and scraping sound. To my surprise it was a tattabara (pigeon) in the windows. Yes, he had caught a pigeon and as an impromptu cage he put it in the window between the glass and the screen. I was surprised and a little startled. So, S was doing pretty good that night. He had already caught two protein sources in one evening.

But we weren't done! While he was hanging one gafiya in a tree to keep the dogs from getting it, he spotted a second one off in the distance. This time he ran towards it chasing it towards a building. I followed and so did a second guard H that was sitting near the guard station. When the gafiya reached the wall it had no where to go but left and right along the wall. The three of us chased it back and forth along the wall. The two guards had their sticks. I just had my intimidating demeanor. After about ten seconds of it running back and forth along the wall trying to hit it, it disappeared. At first we thought it had run around the corner and we just didn't see it. So, we all walked that way to the side of the building. While we were rounding the building a pigeon randomly flew right at S. He batted it out of the air and to the ground like a tennis player at the net. He went over and picked it up and carried it off to his makeshift cage. 

Pigeon Prison?

Here you can see the wall that we chased the gafiya towards, the potted plants make for increased level of difficulty. It was like whack-a-mole but with potted plants in the way.

H and I continued to look for the missing gafiya. I became convinced that the gafiya had hidden in the plants out front of the building. Sure enough, upon further inspection a few of the pots had holes in the back sides of them. When S returned, I told them I would lift up the pot and they could smack anything that runs out.

I lifted the first pot, nothing. The second pot, nothing. The third and final pot. Gafiya! They swung their staffs, and missed and missed and missed. The gafiya ran back and forth, then tried to escape away from the wall but it soon discovered that was a terrible option because there were no pots to hide behind.  It wised up and went back to the wall. After about a minute it started to get tired. Finally it tried to hide in the pot again. But This time, they got him. Triumphantly they carried it back to the guard station.

The two guards are neighbors and between them they have ten kids and two wives. So, they split the bonanza of meat about 14 ways. They are also friends of mine and I've been to their home a few times. I can imagine their wives were excited to get such fine ingredients for their breakfast. Protein is something that lacks greatly in most people diets here. Considering that a kilogram of meat costs about a day's wages, you can see why meat is such a treat. I suspect they got about a kilogram of meat from two gafiyoyi and two pigeons

My friend with his gafiyoyi. He was the master of killing snakes, Now he is the master of killing gafiyoyi. We had so much fun.

There are plenty more gafiyoyi where those came from. That night we saw several more that we were not able to catch. And the pigeons are a plentiful too. One night I counted 60 on my roof. There were at least 30 more on my neighbor's roof. And if you did a census on the whole compound, I bet you would count several hundred. They are one of the more annoying birds I have ever encountered, always cooing and scratching on the roof and dive-bombing you without warning. Anyway, we had some of the most fun I've had since moving to Africa. We'll do it again some night. Only next time I am going to get some breakfast.

Yippee!

I was missing America quite a bit today. I knew we had a couple of packages on the way and was hoping one would come soon. After a long week of operating, call, and Hausa class, I walked into the house and saw this on the table:

America in a box!!!

So many wonderful things including American candy and various amazing goodies from Target and Trader Joe's!!! 

Feeling blessed. :)

Happy Fry-Day

During our first few months in Africa, our friend M taught us how to fry. Since then, we have been making delicious tortilla chips and french fries on a semi-regular basis. Now that M has been back visiting for a few weeks, he has stepped it up a notch with what I'll call Frying 102- Batter!

Pre-fry: Batter and par-boiled french-fry potatoes, sliced potatoes, and some pumpkin

relatively healthy-looking, right?

We were introduced to the wonderful world of Potato Cakes- deep fried, battered potato slices that are, apparently, quite popular at fish and chip places in Australia. Now we have one more good reason to visit Australia some day.

We were feeling a bit unhealthy, so we fried up some green beans, too (bottom right). They weren't quite as good as the Virginia Mason cafeteria's fried green beans, needed a little more flavor in the batter. Or perhaps I had just eaten too much fried food at that point to appreciate them!

Happy Fry-Day!

a little goes a long way

In surgical residency, I didn't spend much time in the kitchen for various reasons: I ate at least 2/3 of my meals at the hospital, where I was given free food from the cafeteria. We lived in downtown Seattle surrounded by restaurants (although we didn't eat out much) and grocery stores. I was too tired when I got home from work to cook...and I had too much hospital-related work to do at home. Bottom line: cooking just wasn't worth the time and energy when already-made, affordable food was so easily accessible. Here in Africa there is no free hospital food. No restaurants. No real grocery stores (although we do have a small store that is open 2 hours a week and sells some handy things like flour, canned vegetables, ketchup, ramen, and nutella). If I want yogurt, I have to make it. Ground beef? Grind it. Cinnamon rolls? the only option is to bake them. You get the idea.

When I can summon the energy, cooking and baking has become one of my most frequent forms of "entertainment" around here. Its challenging. Its interesting.  The end results are highly appreciated by my husband (and me).  :)

Thankfully,  wonderful people find ways to send us hard-to-find supplies to supplement our cooking...like liquid smoke, canned salmon, vanilla flavoring, spices, marinades, mustard powder... having just a teaspoon of vanilla flavoring or some cream of tartar can make all the difference! :)

Cheese is expensive and has to come from the capital city... either by plane or a 6 hour drive. I knew I loved cheese...I just didn't know how much until it became a luxury food item!

Crock-pot enchiladas (with taco seasoning from the USA)

Abdou's spicy chicken and mac&cheese (made with mustard powder, cheese powder, and a bit of real cheese)

We do have a few convenient food options. We order samosas delivered to our door every Thursday and cooked chickens on Saturdays.  Also, a sweet lady, M, spends a few hours cooking for us on Thursdays. She usually makes tortillas and sometimes bread or beans & rice.  The rest is up to us. We are figuring it out. We are learning to enjoy more of the food we can get around here...like roasted peanuts, coconut bread, and spicy chicken. I am learning to use homemade yogurt  "cheese." And we are trying new recipes.

MMMmm...smoked salmon/cream cheese omelet...kind of like he used to order at our favorite Saturday morning breakfast place in Seattle.