Muraho from Rwanda! This is Sarah Kelley updating. I have not had a chance to read what Bragg wrote, so hopefully I won't repeat what she said. For those of you who don't know, Sarah Bragg and I have been roommates for 4 years in Mobile, both have red hair, and are going into Med/Peds and Peds, respectively. We are both working in the NICU with Dr. Whitehurst up here. All in all, we have a lot of the same stories.

Today wraps up three days in the hospital. It's amazing the perspective us team members have gained in such a short period of time. The conditions with which the families and patients cope while here are truly mind-boggling. For instance, in the US, patients' family members often complain because someone doesn't like the lunch provided by the hospital. Here, family members must cook and provide food for the patients themselves. This can be a real problem if a family member is not able to stay 24/7 and is only able to visit once a day. Can you imagine breast-feeding twins on one meal a day, or recovering from major abdominal surgery with so little nutrition? We've already seen these scenarios first-hand.

In addition, family members are forced to sleep in the bed with the patients, or even worse, on the ground. They must also do the patient's laundry. (Side note: this makes for some very "distinct" smells with cloth diapers in the NICU.) I say all this not to be negative or sad, but to admire the resiliency of the patients and their families staying at Kibagora Hospital. We don't know how good we have it back at ole USAMC/ USACW.

And finally, patients can't leave until they pay in full. Wow. Nothing more I need to say about that.

On a lighter note, this place is straight out of a movie - absolutely serene. (See picture below. Sorry if it's grainy.) It is so lush and tropical, so green, and the views are breath-taking. Out schedules are a little less strenuous than at home (maybe not true for the 4th years), and it is so refreshing to have such wonderful conversations with one another and make new friendships. To me, that is one of the most rewarding and memorable aspects of a trip like this. If you are ever worried because you haven't heard from your loved one, take that as a sign that we are enjoying our free time too much to take an internet break. It's nice to unplug sometimes.

And now, some last minute observations. I'm trying to be somewhat concise because I could write 10+ pages. I always used to get in trouble because I was too superfluous in high school.
-Every Rwandan hospital must have a cow on facility to provide milk for the nutrition program, which is only available to some kids. One time the cow got loose and kicked a toddler but he was ok.
-Goose gives great massages, just ask William Black.
-Grass is cut by men swinging machete-like instruments hacking at the ground. It's wild and makes my back hurt just looking at it.
-Here is a picture of me doing a lumbar puncture on a newborn, because my boyfriend doesn't believe that I've ever done one. I was not successful. Dr. Whitehurst got crystal-clear CSF on his first try, using his non-dominant hand. Boss.