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Monday June 7th

Arrived safely in Rumbek after heavy rain in NB and throughout the flight; it was an 18-seater with two propellers and still has signs inside which read “do not smoke while oxygen is in use”. A bit unfair as they did announce that it was a non-smoking flight.

We had one stop at Lokichoggio (just inside Kenya) where I was presented with 5kgs of medications for the hospital which had come through by road that far; because of the rains, progress by road had been slow, so at least this way they got to where they were needed a little faster. By now my extra luggage was about 14kgs. I forgot to say a sister in NB give me 2kg of pork sausages to give to the sisters here at Mapuordit, and all the mail (no post in Sudan so always a pile waiting in NB). What with the drugs, talk about the bag lady!!

The landing was fine, the dirt runway was clear of cows, so without too many bumps.
Pauline’s smiling face was there to meet me. After frantic shopping in the market, we went up to the Rumbek hospital to see the students we had taught last year. They were just starting their second year in Rumbek.

They greeted us both as long lost friends, and wanted us both to come to Rumbek and teach them there. The student who had a baby just after I left was there with a healthy baby boy. Her mum sits under the tree with him all day while she is in classes. No Emma, Rachel will not do that for you.....

The road was not too bad, will send some pics, not too many road blocks or soldiers with guns.

The 4x4 was packed high inside and out. Full petrol cans, a water barrel, 3 large boxes of goods for the malaria/leprosy programs, plus my bags and shopping.
Apparently, the food supplies from Kenya for the volunteers' compound I am staying in have not yet come: they should have arrived in April, so supplies are low, very few tinned goods, so it will be more rice, lentils and beans.

But we will still be eating better than the people outside the compound.

I am sharing a small house this time with Dr P----, so quite spoilt. She has given up her room and has a bed in the sitting room which is very kind of her. She heads off home to Italy for a month on Friday.

Let me explain the set up. It has a front and back door. A small bed room with a bed and a large cupboard. A little sitting room with bed and table and - guess what - a small fridge. I can’t believe it, I will be able to have a cold beer and drink cold water: blooming luxury!!

There is then a store room which has all the solar system things in, batteries, pumps and all the food storage area for all the volunteers in the compound. We are 5 at the moment, but by the end of the month down to three I think. Best of all, if I go out of the back door there are two tin huts. A shower and a flush toilet. Looks good but just a few problems, although I am sure I will get used to it. The shower is a trickle so if I want to wash my hair, better to go to the one I was using last year, which works really well - as long as someone else has not turned a tap on!

Now the toilet - it is 100% better, but there is no seat and it does not seem to flush. So, I am informed, if we catch the drips over night from the shower then we can use that water to pour down the toilet after use. Nothing is a problem here!

Perhaps I will take a photo, then Ian might be able to do some running repairs when he comes over. I think it only needs a new ball and washers. You can see we badly need a plumber and parts to teach the Sudanese a bit about plumbing, all new to them as they have not had it before.

As soon as Pauline and I got back we went up to the hospital to get the drugs into the pharmacy and some into the kerosene fridge. Of course, we met some of the nurses from last year - all very happy to see me again, but all asked after Ian and could not understand how he had given me permission to come again on my own.....

I was invited to dinner at the sisters' compound where a very noisy cockerel had been slaughtered. He made a delicious soup, followed by a very nice casserole and even a birthday cake for me, well, not quite, but they improvised and made nice pear custard - just so good. It was lovely to see everyone again and they all made me feel very welcome.

Dr P---- and I went back up to the hospital around 9pm as there was a couple of new admissions, so I thought I'd better see what is happening and get used to the place again.

We first went to the children’s ward to see a little girl who had been checked out earlier with a diagnosis of malaria with an Hb of 30!!! (should be around 100-130). One of the other volunteer Dr’s was just being bled to give her a transfusion. She is still alive this AM, but very very weak.

Another child earlier in the day had died with the same condition but her HB was 40. The mother had donated blood, but as they were getting the cannula in, she died. So it is going to be a bad year again, I think the ward is full.

We were heading off out of the gate with Dr P---- when in came a little boy, screaming this time - it was a scorpion bite on his toe. Poor little thing he would not let me near him to bathe it as it was bleeding too. Often children are frightened of white skinned people as they have never seen them before. After some pain relief, he settled and was sent home. By now it was around 11 pm.

I slept well despite an amazing thunderstorm and just so much rain.