The important things in life...

It's great to be back in Burundi!

It was a little shocking returning to the U.S. then returning to Burundi so quickly. I've realized throughout this experience that I am extremely fortunate to have such incredible people in my life. I felt happy in the U.S. and in Burundi basically no matter what I was doing and I have come to understand that it is because of the wonderful people! Thank you.

Not long after I got home a plan was made to visit Hillarie's (one of the nurses) family and do a home visit for Clovis (the 4y/o boy who got burned in February). We HIKED! Crossing streams, walking on mountain ridges, trekking up and down steep mountains to the point where I was having trouble breathing from the altitude and steepness. It was eye opening!

Our patients walk for hours in these conditions everyday and to the clinic when they are sick usually with a baby on their back and food, wood, or water on their head. It was a good opportunity to better understand their lives.

Burundi is breathtaking! Filled with lush green mountains, quaint houses, and diverse plant life. We first visited Clovis' house. I love that we are able to provide continuity of care. We met him when we came to the clinic in crisis mode after a traumatic burn, progressed with him through wound care, pain, and healing, and now follow up at his home with vitamin E oil, hugs, and a book to share. There's something truly unique and gratifying about visiting people at their homes. I did home visits back in Baltimore but this is different...in many ways!

We met Clovis' cousins Fabrice & Frederique, his Aunt, and were reunited with his feisty grandmother Liberate. We bought some Ubuswage (the staple food of Burundi, a doughy ball of boiled cassava root). The generosity of this family filled me with warm tingles as they gave us extra ubuswage for free and then chased up the mountain with a ton of small cucumber-like vegetables to show their gratitude. People who have so little giving so much, an experience we can all learn from.



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We left Clovis' and took a pit stop at Hillarie's Aunt's house. We were greeted by about 10 friends who were relaxing and drinking Urwarwa ( a homemade beer made from bananas). The culture of sharing continued as we all shared one bowl of this fermented-white wine tasting drink.

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Hillarie's Aunt has a smile that emits positive energy to everyone around. It was a good reminder to slow down and spend quality time with family & friends. It is easy for us to always be busy doing things, running from task to task instead of just being together.

We arrived at Hillarie's house and met her family. They prepared a delicious lunch for us of beans, corn, and bananas. As we shared the meal from the communal plate Peter reminded us that "the dish joins us."
Sharing, laughing, and being together are among the most fulfilling activities.

The descent down the mountain was steep so as we hiked buke buke (little by little) we were able to relax, take in the fresh air, and get to know each other better. Hillarie and I spent most of the walk together which was nice. We talked about children, family, our futures and after explaining that I want to adopt children she exclaimed, "What you mean you don't want make babies?!?" The joke still lives on...
As you walk through Burundi everyone you meet stops for a greeting. Not just a "hi" but actually stops, shakes everyone else's hand and gives an Amahoro (peace) or a Mwiriwe (good afternoon). Most of the time the Burundians know each other so the conversation takes off. I explained to Hillarie that in the U.S. most people think they are so busy that they just walk past each other and rarely say hello. She was appalled, "No Hello! Oh My Jesus!"

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Later that week Helen, Will, Peter, & I did some home visits in the town of Kirungu about a 1hour walk each way through the mountains and across the rivers. This was an incredibly fulfilling experience as we were able to talk with families (specifically women) about many issues. Will spoke of farming and growing new foods, Helen spoke of parasites, malaria, and her sewing ideas, I tackled family planning. We brought a unique blend of public health knowledge to these people while doing some PR for the clinic. I take for granted that at home I come from a matriarchal family (sorry but it's true boys) and all of my female friends are strong women. Here in Burundi strong, confident women are a rarity and stand out.

When you find one it's important to empower her to be a leader!

This women Sherine is one such woman. If she accepts the challenge I would love her to become one of the main instructors for a family planning project which I am working on here...more on that later.

We met another great family with these adorable kids and very attentive father, Kramer. I love Home Visits!

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These are 2 of the most adorable children I've met (i know I keep saying that).

Marie & Danny with their mom Daphrose. Marie was admitted with a strange condition in which her abdomen is filled with air. No pain and she's pooping so it's quite the mystery, another challenge of working in rural settings...

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This weekend brought a trip to Bujumbura where many exciting adventures happened!

One of the main highlights was this picture. What do you see that is out of the ordinary? If you can't tell, that's ice cream- yes we found some! BUT the best part is not the ice cream but the fact that Elvis told us that if you eat ice cream in public in Burundi it means you're gay! So of course...we had to do it and embarrass the shit out of him!

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This is a snapshot, a small section of Rumonge- the city between Kigutu (where I live) and Bujumbura (the capital city). This is a bustling market with food, clothing, and other odds and ends. Most of the market is open air with a few shops along the side of the road.

Ok Now. For any of you who doubted my manliness take a look at this:


Ya, that's goat that I'm skinning. We have too many goats on our farm because of Asmann (our resident Billygoat and female fertilizer extraordinaire) and Will the farmer decided it was good idea to eat one. I was supposed to do the killing but as soon as I had the knife in my hand and touched it to her throat I just couldn't do it. Maybe next time...

This is a picture of "the boys" deciding which goat is best...we chose Sweetie. It was good experience and reminder that meat is life. We need to respect, treasure, and be grateful for what we have. Here, meat is a HUGE deal, eaten only on very rare, special occasions. It was eye opening explaining drive-thrus, TV dinners, and microwaves to Hillarie...try it. Explain these things to someone who has no idea what they are. It makes us sound ridiculous.

At the clinic we have been seeing A LOT of malaria, several patients with severe neurological complications. It's scary and challenging. On top of this, overflowing wards, and growing numbers of outpatients we meet a woman with a problem which we can't really do anything about except keep it clean and try our best to eliminate infection.



The Americans here are elated after hearing about the Healthcare Bill! FINALLY! The Burundians are happy & shocked that America, the richest country in the world didn't provide it's citizens with healthcare. After much perseverance we can finally shout from the rooftops "Yes We Did!" (and if you fall off the roof while yelling don't worry, you'll be covered!)


Whew...that was a long one. I hope everyone reading this is happy and can take at least something away from the inspirational lives of these incredible people.

Try to slow down and remember that the most important thing in life is giving and receiving love.

breathe...
*Brad

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