J & S

Hi Friends,

Taking care not to disappoint, “crazy Kitwe,” as I’ve come to affectionately call it, welcomed my husband with a barrage of classic chaos. From “third-world” travel to rain-induced power loss, medical tragedy (in the form of two more maternal mortalities this past week) to heartwarming displays of gratitude, Stig’s first week was a baptism by fire. I’ve invited him to co-author this week’s blog, so in his own words here are a few details.

“Most of my days for the past week have involved “shadowing” Jess and following her work routine from day to day. On Monday I visited all the wards and met all of the nurses and midwives Jess works with. Not surprisingly she told everyone I was coming, so I was met with very warm handshakes and even hugs. During these visits I had a chance to see each ward and learn how the hospital is run and put together. Having some medical experience in the U.S., this was an eye opening perspective to say the least. I can see why so many things have been difficult and frustrating for Jess and her work in the study.”

That last bit seems to be Stig’s kind way of saying our hospital is rather a mess, which was starkly exhibited this week by the entirely preventable death of patient admitted after 24 hours of at-home bleeding from an incomplete abortion. It was thoroughly depressing when Stig and I arrived on the GYN ward Monday afternoon to learn of the story of the poor woman who spent nine ours at the hospital without a single recorded blood pressure measurement, or pulse reading. Furthermore her hypovolemic shock was not treated with a blood transfusion, a manual vacuum aspiration (a procedure frequently performed to remove retained products in the case of miscarriage/abortion), or really any other treatment to speak of. She collapsed in her hospital bed, which provided not even enough support for effective resuscitation, and she died soon after. Admittedly this was one of the hospital’s truly low points. Nonetheless, and marked by that distinct interplay of contrasts I have witnessed throughout this journey, it was only one side of the Zambian coin. Stig and I also witnessed great hospitality this past week and deeply genuine appreciation from a culture of people who do care.

One of the things that I have been most excited about for this trip is the fact that I brought about 20 recyclable Whole Foods bags, each of which read “Peace on Earth,” to distribute to the people who have loved and welcomed Jess. The bags included donated items from a variety of people and companies in the States. They were filled with perfume samples, Starbucks Via coffee packets, hand sanitizer, tea bags, chapstick, dish detergent, peanut M&M’s, Famous Amos cookies, Bvlgari soap rounds and more. There were even 15 white baseball caps from Blue Shield, which just so happened to perfectly match with the starched and pleated white nursing uniforms. As we handed out bag after bag everyone was extremely excited and thankful. One nurse even called Jess the evening after she received her gift and was so overcome with excitement and gratitude that she said she had both cried and jumped up-and-down as she went through her bag. Another male midwife said that Zambian’s don’t give each other gifts very often, and he had not received anything in a long time. That being said, he was extremely appreciative of this offering.

Stig is so right. Not since the Zambian championship at the African Cup of Nations have I seen such delight. One of my favorite clinic coordinators texted me a few hours after we gave her a bag; she wrote, “Jesse, I want to thank you so much for the gifts given. I am really humbled.”

Among the more dramatic reactions to our gifts, Auntie Sue, Uncle Eddie, Auntie Kay and Hope jumped and shrieked with joy. Auntie Kay even went into a fit of repeating, “God bless you” and “Praise Jesus!” Furthermore their thanks extended beyond this celebration. My extended Zambian family reciprocated those small presents with unanticipated generosity. As Stig tells it…

Just a few minutes after we gave their gift bags Uncle Eddie and Auntie Sue said they were going to throw us a braai (BBQ). So on Wednesday night Jess and I turned chicken and sausage over a well-flavored grill and indulged in an embarrassingly elaborate buffet of everything from homemade samosas and egg rolls to fresh mango, potato salad and even a bowl of toasted caterpillars (well, Jess and I didn’t actually sample that Zambian “treat”). During that meal and at various other times, Uncle Eddie fondly referred to Jess and to me as his “children,” and said that we are always welcome to come and visit our Zambian “parents.” They even surprised us both with our very own traditional Zambian costumes, which they had hand-tailored in chitenge material. I was completely blown away by not only their generosity and thoughtfulness, but also by the fact that without any measurements they were nearly spot-on with both our sizes.

Needless to say, it wasn’t a dull week. A few other experiences included:

·      Two power-outages, one of which occurred just before we were to grill our cheese sandwiches.

·      Gelato in Ndola.

·      Travel by all possible means of transport from disoriented taxi to dilapidated minibus to ever bouncing “tour bus,” (into the window of which one very unfortunate bird met its shocking end). Stig was particularly taken aback by the number of “reclaimed” vehicles from his home country, which he duly noted…

I have been completely surprised by the number of cars that are obviously transplanted from Japan. They still have telltale stickers and other features that are found on cars only there. It is something I was not expecting and feels a little surreal to see so many Japanese products in Africa.

Now and at last we’ve reached the calm at the storm’s end. I’ll let Stig conclude.

I am glad to report we finally made it to Livingstone, and I am looking forward to spending some restful time in the home of Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. There will be many things to keep us occupied including hiking, swimming, safari and exploration, but I think we are mainly excited to spend some down time together. Jess has worked pretty much non-stop since she got here, so this will be a great holiday. And fret not, because I am sure in another week’s time there will be plenty more stories to tell.

Sending our love,

Jess & Stig