My house is in the background:
A couple of months ago one of my favorite creche (preschool) children came to school with a totally burned chest. His older brother (maybe a year older) had ironed it. This was one of the moments that solidified the fact that I could never work in medicine. It was nauseating. when I saw it I just felt so awful for him--I got really dizzy and felt for a minute like I was going to pass out. this was a pretty embarrassing reaction, considering that he hadn't even gone to the clinic yet to have it looked at and was still present at school. He was just sitting on the ground looking sad and morose. this is so unlike him--he is the happiest kid anyone has ever seen and is always smiling. Always.
Anyways, the whole incident was a big mistake--his 4 year old brother was just trying to get the wrinkles out (South Africans are notorious for being obsessed with ironing). We got him to the clinic and then he moved into town with his uncle for a while to be nearby the hospital.
He is finally back, 3 months later, happy as ever. His chest is looking good, just a lot of scar tissue, which will hopefully lighten with time.
Situations like this forces reality to slap me across the face. South Africa is full of them. I am so lucky and i take soooooo much for granted. He is an orphan being raised by extended family after losing his mother to domestic violence. Despite these adversities he is still a happy-go-lucky little kid. This is in comparison to the American little boy that Heather and I witnessed at the Cradle of Humankind who spilled maybe 4 tbs. of water on his sock (in 100 degree weather) and then cried for about 25 minutes as a result.
If there was one kid i would be taking back to America with me, it would be him.
It gets difficult feeling like a spoiled brat all the time. It crushes your soul after awhile.
Random pictures from around my village:
My current office space optimizes south africa:
Creche children mobbing me upon my arrival:
My best friends @ creche:
<3
t.
1 comment:
This is your aged and non-digital Mom, talking: Your camera is wonderful! So sophisticated that it takes a clear close-up of the morning glory and clear picture of your house, far away, with such focus for each!
Continuing, about pictures: those children are so handsome and gorgeous. Are all children throughout the world this handsome and gorgeous? (how corny I sound). Re: your office -- it looks VERY sophisticated, with a fancy chair and desk to match the fancy computer (surrounded by mud walls).
I'm sorry the differences, between children who have everything and children who have little, hurt your soul -- I'm sorry for the pain it causes you, but I'm glad that you are a person who can notice and remark on these differences. And it's what you are there to be working on, so that in future generations, these differences will be slightly less. So that these children's children will have advantages that these children lack. You won't see the differences become less, but your work contributes to smoothing out these differences, in future, long-from-now years. If you weren't there, you wouldn't a) have a hurting soul from knowing about these problems and b) be doing anything to make these problems go away, some day.
Thanks for what you and all the Bhekuzulu staff do, every day.
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