no pictures, please.

I haven't taken any pictures lately. Largely due to the fact that I've been on the ward and we are not allowed to take photos there. The thought behind that is many of these patients have been stared at and have been made to stand out for many years. Now that they are healing physically we want to help them heal emotionally too. Taking pictures of them may not be in that best interest. It is encouraged to develop a relationship with the patient over just taking a picture of them.
The same was true at the orphanage that I visited. This one was just a mile or two away from the dock so we were able to walk. Walking is like driving here, you pray either way to arrive safely to you destination without getting hit. There's a main two lane paved road that we needed to cross. Although it's two lanes, the drivers don't seem to heed that rule and so there's often 3 to 4 cars barreling down the road all next to each other. So after someone bravely holds a hand up and steps out into the road we all race to the other side before the traffic moves forward again.
The children at this orphanage were delightful. We began by singing some songs, these children sang loud and clear! Once we finished with one song some little kid would begin to sing another. We then moved on to a small lesson on how we are different but the same and then we went outside to play. The bubbles I brought along were a great hit. Thank God for bubbles;) The volunteers at this orphanage used to be crew members on Mercy Ships. They are now working on construction on a bigger plot of land to bring these children to. Very cool to see God at work:)
And so my weekend of work started after that. We've just discharged a hand full of patients earlier today. Most of them young children with cleft pallet or lip repairs. So like I told you, the wards are just big rooms with the patients only a foot or so away from each other. And when you have pediatric patients, their mom or caregiver is with them too. If the kid is small enough, the mom sleeps in bed with them. But if the kid is older we put the beds on 6inch lifts and slide a mattress underneath for the mom to sleep on. So we're just one big happy family!
I hope to go to the market soon. I'm on the hunt for someone who has gone and knows how to barter for a taxi. We'll see what happens...

~Jodi