#21 - The Last Post
The time has come to put the blog writing on pause for a week. This morning after packing, visiting Peter the crab guy, and Ron the AQIS officer to quarantine pass a couple gifts for the family , I climbed on board the Westwing island hopper and hopscotched from Saibai to Horn island. I swear the plane was smaller than the one that brought me, but I'm here at the Gateway resort on Horn Island, and feel a sense of relief that the planes get bigger from here on to Brisbane.
Some special people on Saibai deserve a special mention. The nurses Teresa and Tyson AKA Bison. You made me realize that I still have that passion for clinical practice, you helped me shake my Emergency nurse hat, and wear the noble crown of public and primary health. I had a blast with your patience and patients.
To the staff of the clinic, Mildred, Baiku, Cecelia, Audrey, Elva and of course Nellie, all who taught me about your culture, language, and ways. I have been blessed and made so much richer for the effort you made to help me feel welcome in your community.
Tim and Dan and Peter, your company on Friday nights gave me opportunity to party and take light relief... I wish I was there for longer to go fishing and flying with you.
The underpaid , overworked, but relentlessly dedicated teachers at the local school, Cass, Bill, Vanessa, and Sarah. You made me feel like part of the school community and forging friendships with you was so special. Friday night dinners will never be the same.
Father Ron (my brother) our conversations, and your Sunday messages will remain a highlight of my journey. One that taught me more about my relationship with people and my faith and my love of nursing, serving people and bridging the gap than any other thing I have done. you a a mighty man.
Finally little Paul. One day you will read this blog when you are old enough or when someone with a computer prints it off for you. When I visited your grand mother this morning, you hobbled out to see me and said I was your best friend in the world. Mate you made my day. You are a brave champion and I look forward to miss Teresa letting me know how you are going. Stay brave good man .
Saibai- yaawaw.
I'd love to say I'll be back some day... But that is up to Him.
YaaWa
Timmo goes Over the Top. ... the title refers to the fact that The Torres Strait Islands are off the northern most tip of Cape York Queensland Australia. ... In May-August 2011. Rob Timmings took a clinical sabbatical away from his Teaching and desk job, to get his hands dirty again working as a Remote Area Nurse (RAN) in 3 remote Islands in the Torres Strait . Saibai, Darnley, and Yam Islands. This Blog is the journal of that experience.
Friday, 27 May 2011
#20- the Final Count down!
#20- The final count down
As a kid I'd count down to something I'm looking forward to in sleeps. Did you do that? 5 sleeps to Christmas, 2 sleeps till school holidays!! Well old habits die hard, and my wife and I have been counting down the sleeps for when I come home. For me that journey starts tomorrow as I board a Mosquito sized plane and commence my travels south.
I am so looking forward to coming home, but leaving here is bitter sweet. I've fallen in love with nursing again. And whilst I am less than half the man here than I am when I am with my bride and kids, I really think I will miss this place.
Last night at 2 am the distressed girl friend of a drunken assault victim awoke my slumber. Her man had been knocked cold and was bleeding from a large laceration. To be able to tend to him at a time when he had been beaten and humiliated in front of his Kin, was not an inconvenience (as it may have been in my jaded past) but this was an opportunity, to love fellow man. I stitched him the best I could, I tended his wounds and I eased his pain, and though I didn't finish with him til 6am despite a start shift time of 8, the experience was a privilege.
This afternoon, two of the school teachers marched the year 2/3 class up to the clinic. They were armed with a selection of thank you drawings and letters, and in the middle if a talk I was giving staff on the management of the unconscious patient, 12 six to eight year olds tackled me with affection. I was so touched to be honoured by them.
Wow. Made my day.
Tonight I'm making lobster with lime and Chilli, and a sweet potato/yam curry to share at our regular nurses/teachers dinner. I have loved my time here bit in 2 more sleeps, I'm with my people, and it will be a homecoming that I am so so looking forward to!
As a kid I'd count down to something I'm looking forward to in sleeps. Did you do that? 5 sleeps to Christmas, 2 sleeps till school holidays!! Well old habits die hard, and my wife and I have been counting down the sleeps for when I come home. For me that journey starts tomorrow as I board a Mosquito sized plane and commence my travels south.
I am so looking forward to coming home, but leaving here is bitter sweet. I've fallen in love with nursing again. And whilst I am less than half the man here than I am when I am with my bride and kids, I really think I will miss this place.
Last night at 2 am the distressed girl friend of a drunken assault victim awoke my slumber. Her man had been knocked cold and was bleeding from a large laceration. To be able to tend to him at a time when he had been beaten and humiliated in front of his Kin, was not an inconvenience (as it may have been in my jaded past) but this was an opportunity, to love fellow man. I stitched him the best I could, I tended his wounds and I eased his pain, and though I didn't finish with him til 6am despite a start shift time of 8, the experience was a privilege.
This afternoon, two of the school teachers marched the year 2/3 class up to the clinic. They were armed with a selection of thank you drawings and letters, and in the middle if a talk I was giving staff on the management of the unconscious patient, 12 six to eight year olds tackled me with affection. I was so touched to be honoured by them.
Wow. Made my day.
Tonight I'm making lobster with lime and Chilli, and a sweet potato/yam curry to share at our regular nurses/teachers dinner. I have loved my time here bit in 2 more sleeps, I'm with my people, and it will be a homecoming that I am so so looking forward to!
Thursday, 26 May 2011
#19- The Markets, malaria, and magic moments
#19- The Markets
Another massive day starts with an early call to a woman with a new case of Malaria. We have these little test kits in the clinic. A drop of blood is placed on a reagent strip, a developing solution is dripped onto the kit and in 15-20 mins you have a result. Much like a pregnancy test you'd buy at a pharmacy, quick, accurate and tests for all 4 strains of malaria.
Well bingo. My first solo positive. It felt so good to be able to share with this girl why she felt so crook for 4 days!!!
It us relatively easy to treat. Surprisingly easy actually. Four tablets every 12 hours for three days following a protocol. I'll check on her in the morning, but she will have a couple of days of feeling sick to wade through yet.
The markets came to town today. PNG villagers bring over boatloads of people and hand made goods for sale and trade. I bought a wonderful carving that epitomizes some of the culture here. Women make weaves pampas baskets and mats, mud crabs are sold for a song. Huge barramundi, mud clams, masks, spears and a host of other items are traded with tourists and locals.
Tourists??? You heard right... By tourist, I mean me. Telstra workers, nurses, teachers, tradesmen, and pilots. All short term stayers to the island are tourists. In fact it is a bit of tongue in cheek really. There is NO tourism on this island. You won't see bus loads of Asian or European photo takers here. Saibai has a raw, unspoiled charisma about it, and the fact that there is only one food shop, one clothing store and no maccas makes it unique. Islanders go about their business caring for their island, without having to be anyone to anyone. There is a sense that I should ask permission to pull out my camera, and I do.
This afternoon a very sick PNG 5 year old was carried in by his dad. I was really worried!! This kid was so hot (T=40.7) and dry that he hadn't peed (pispis) for 24 hours. I weighed this kid at only 18kg and he was white as a ghost. A quick pass of my stethoscope revealed no air in his right lung. This boy had one of the worst cases of pneumonia I've seen. After whacking in an IV and starting him on fluids, I rang the doctor on Thursday Island. Some Iv antibiotics, given and in just 2 hours, this kid had bounced back from the brink... I swear he was gonna code.
That's it with children, they crash so fast, but add water and it never ceases to amaze me how quick they pack up. I wandered down to the water front where boat loads of PNG nationals are staging their nightly exodus, and there is my boy, laughing, singing and running with other kids from his village....awe struck.
I love this game!!!
Another massive day starts with an early call to a woman with a new case of Malaria. We have these little test kits in the clinic. A drop of blood is placed on a reagent strip, a developing solution is dripped onto the kit and in 15-20 mins you have a result. Much like a pregnancy test you'd buy at a pharmacy, quick, accurate and tests for all 4 strains of malaria.
Well bingo. My first solo positive. It felt so good to be able to share with this girl why she felt so crook for 4 days!!!
It us relatively easy to treat. Surprisingly easy actually. Four tablets every 12 hours for three days following a protocol. I'll check on her in the morning, but she will have a couple of days of feeling sick to wade through yet.
The markets came to town today. PNG villagers bring over boatloads of people and hand made goods for sale and trade. I bought a wonderful carving that epitomizes some of the culture here. Women make weaves pampas baskets and mats, mud crabs are sold for a song. Huge barramundi, mud clams, masks, spears and a host of other items are traded with tourists and locals.
Tourists??? You heard right... By tourist, I mean me. Telstra workers, nurses, teachers, tradesmen, and pilots. All short term stayers to the island are tourists. In fact it is a bit of tongue in cheek really. There is NO tourism on this island. You won't see bus loads of Asian or European photo takers here. Saibai has a raw, unspoiled charisma about it, and the fact that there is only one food shop, one clothing store and no maccas makes it unique. Islanders go about their business caring for their island, without having to be anyone to anyone. There is a sense that I should ask permission to pull out my camera, and I do.
This afternoon a very sick PNG 5 year old was carried in by his dad. I was really worried!! This kid was so hot (T=40.7) and dry that he hadn't peed (pispis) for 24 hours. I weighed this kid at only 18kg and he was white as a ghost. A quick pass of my stethoscope revealed no air in his right lung. This boy had one of the worst cases of pneumonia I've seen. After whacking in an IV and starting him on fluids, I rang the doctor on Thursday Island. Some Iv antibiotics, given and in just 2 hours, this kid had bounced back from the brink... I swear he was gonna code.
That's it with children, they crash so fast, but add water and it never ceases to amaze me how quick they pack up. I wandered down to the water front where boat loads of PNG nationals are staging their nightly exodus, and there is my boy, laughing, singing and running with other kids from his village....awe struck.
I love this game!!!
Wednesday, 25 May 2011
#18 - Queensland to win!!! My prediction
#18- Queenslander!!
Great day today. One of the things that is synonymous with this RAN work is preventative health. So armed with a kit full of goodies I was parked at the local school today looking in ears, throats, and at any sores or wounds. Those kids that needed more comprehensive assessment had letters to their folks written and an invitation to visit the clinic at their convenience. Just one of the strategies that is used to keep our future Queensland State of origin team healthy.
On that point. Fun and games as flags of both colours were flown on houses, cars and bikes. Kids were painted in blues and maroons coloured zinc cream, and the electric atmosphere of this whole village was exciting to say the least. Ribbing and practical jokes were abound as the banter came thick and fast between blue and maroon supporters. Tonight all hands will be on deck armed with suture kits and IV fluids... Just in case. With the barge arriving and bringing alcohol for the canteen, there us a little anxiety afoot.
Still.... Go the Maroons!!!!!
An interesting afternoon pulling an inch long stick out if a blokes thumb. Splinter occurred more than 2 weeks ago, and the wound was protesting fiercely. Ring block, fluclox and he should do well. Nasty!!!
Well that is about it for today. We are settling down to a feed of rock lobster sautéed in beer tonight, as the count down to the game is underway!
Queenslander!!!!
Great day today. One of the things that is synonymous with this RAN work is preventative health. So armed with a kit full of goodies I was parked at the local school today looking in ears, throats, and at any sores or wounds. Those kids that needed more comprehensive assessment had letters to their folks written and an invitation to visit the clinic at their convenience. Just one of the strategies that is used to keep our future Queensland State of origin team healthy.
On that point. Fun and games as flags of both colours were flown on houses, cars and bikes. Kids were painted in blues and maroons coloured zinc cream, and the electric atmosphere of this whole village was exciting to say the least. Ribbing and practical jokes were abound as the banter came thick and fast between blue and maroon supporters. Tonight all hands will be on deck armed with suture kits and IV fluids... Just in case. With the barge arriving and bringing alcohol for the canteen, there us a little anxiety afoot.
Still.... Go the Maroons!!!!!
An interesting afternoon pulling an inch long stick out if a blokes thumb. Splinter occurred more than 2 weeks ago, and the wound was protesting fiercely. Ring block, fluclox and he should do well. Nasty!!!
Well that is about it for today. We are settling down to a feed of rock lobster sautéed in beer tonight, as the count down to the game is underway!
Queenslander!!!!
Tuesday, 24 May 2011
#17 - Worms 'n' All.
#17 - Worms n all
Well Tuesday comes and is a day of reckoning for the intestinal parasites (worms) in the folks of the village. Armed with de-wormer and Albendazole I hit the circuit today and dosed everyone who has had an elevated eosinophil count in the last 2 months. I got those worms running scared. Mrs Enosa (one of our health workers) and I cruised the street (yes singular- only one road with houses) and dosed people, collected blood tests and generally got out into the community to do what has been termed "core business" primary health. It was surreal sitting on the beach taking blood tests, visiting homes and getting out into the fresh air armed with charts and a detective like yearning to track down all the "health check up" dodgers.
Tomorrow as promised I'm down at the primary school and screening kids for those sores. Compliance with antibiotics is a massive problem in aboriginal and Torres Strait communities. If you give a parent a course of antibiotics for bacterial infections, there are slim chances that they will finish the course, leading to resistant strains of the bugs that followup antibiotics won't kill. So the strategy is to seek the kids with infected sores early, and kit them hard with big doses of penicillin in the form of a nasty (and I mean nasty) IM injection in their bum. The parents win because , by their own admission, aren't "hassled" by having to remember to give medicine 4 times per day. We win because the needle is so big that it lasts for the a week - it is a virtual silver bullet! The kids, though the limp out with tears and vengeance in their eyes win because their wounds heal and they dont end up on kidney dialysis or renal transplant in their 20s. It is a big deal. Wounds and scratched insect bites turn into festering craters called Tropical ulcers, that resemble volcanoes. So tomorrow , I'm off to school to screen the 90 or so kids....I might ask about worm symptoms since I'm on a crusade.
The supply barge made it here this morning after the week long trip around the islands with our supplies, boxes and boxes of stuff, some if which we ordered, some we didn't. In the firm I am convinced it was "crockery coffee cups" we ordered 6. But the order form "number required" box was not items required...it was cartons of cups....whoops. 6 cartons of 24 cups arrived!!! We ordered 10 metres of oxygen tubing and got 10 cartons of 10m rolls!! Our new ambulance stretcher arrived also but they didn't take the old one. We just got a call saying that the old trolley is still sitting on the boat ramp. So we have one ambulance, and two trolleys, with no where to put the spare. It is a comedy if errors.
The sun sets on another Saibai day. The swell laps at the shore, the long boats of PNG nationals are drifting out with the tide, and tranquility settles on this island paradise. Rest well Saibai, because come this time tomorrow night and the atmosphere of State of Origin football with it's electricity will shatter your silence, and we your nurses will be armed with gloves, drips, and suture kits to patch up your people when it all goes pear shaped.
Well Tuesday comes and is a day of reckoning for the intestinal parasites (worms) in the folks of the village. Armed with de-wormer and Albendazole I hit the circuit today and dosed everyone who has had an elevated eosinophil count in the last 2 months. I got those worms running scared. Mrs Enosa (one of our health workers) and I cruised the street (yes singular- only one road with houses) and dosed people, collected blood tests and generally got out into the community to do what has been termed "core business" primary health. It was surreal sitting on the beach taking blood tests, visiting homes and getting out into the fresh air armed with charts and a detective like yearning to track down all the "health check up" dodgers.
Tomorrow as promised I'm down at the primary school and screening kids for those sores. Compliance with antibiotics is a massive problem in aboriginal and Torres Strait communities. If you give a parent a course of antibiotics for bacterial infections, there are slim chances that they will finish the course, leading to resistant strains of the bugs that followup antibiotics won't kill. So the strategy is to seek the kids with infected sores early, and kit them hard with big doses of penicillin in the form of a nasty (and I mean nasty) IM injection in their bum. The parents win because , by their own admission, aren't "hassled" by having to remember to give medicine 4 times per day. We win because the needle is so big that it lasts for the a week - it is a virtual silver bullet! The kids, though the limp out with tears and vengeance in their eyes win because their wounds heal and they dont end up on kidney dialysis or renal transplant in their 20s. It is a big deal. Wounds and scratched insect bites turn into festering craters called Tropical ulcers, that resemble volcanoes. So tomorrow , I'm off to school to screen the 90 or so kids....I might ask about worm symptoms since I'm on a crusade.
The supply barge made it here this morning after the week long trip around the islands with our supplies, boxes and boxes of stuff, some if which we ordered, some we didn't. In the firm I am convinced it was "crockery coffee cups" we ordered 6. But the order form "number required" box was not items required...it was cartons of cups....whoops. 6 cartons of 24 cups arrived!!! We ordered 10 metres of oxygen tubing and got 10 cartons of 10m rolls!! Our new ambulance stretcher arrived also but they didn't take the old one. We just got a call saying that the old trolley is still sitting on the boat ramp. So we have one ambulance, and two trolleys, with no where to put the spare. It is a comedy if errors.
The sun sets on another Saibai day. The swell laps at the shore, the long boats of PNG nationals are drifting out with the tide, and tranquility settles on this island paradise. Rest well Saibai, because come this time tomorrow night and the atmosphere of State of Origin football with it's electricity will shatter your silence, and we your nurses will be armed with gloves, drips, and suture kits to patch up your people when it all goes pear shaped.
Monday, 23 May 2011
Post 16 - Yumi tok ya- lost in translation.
#16... Yumi tok ya- lost in translation.
Have you ever been somewhere an felt like the only one that understands what you are talking about? Well that has been an experience that I am living with on Saibai. For the islanders here, An old language or local ya (words) Is a language called Kawaw Kalaw Ya (KKY). It is predominately spoken by the older folks with a common replacement being a broken English or creole being preferred by the younger Saibai islanders.
That said, the language for day to communication, in my job here is English, however with such a strong accent, complex medical and medication instructions is difficult. The kids here all speak a version of KKY , creole and English, and often the communication with people employs all three languages all in the same sentence. Challenging is an understatement.
I love to speak to the health workers and give them the info, then sit back and listen to them weave my monolog into something meaningful to my patient. You can't help but wonder how much is lost in translation. It is kind of like Chinese whispers you played as a kid. The dynamic changes when PNG patients arrive - it's another language again. Then something strange starts taking place. You start to understand the lingo, then suddenly you find yourself speaking it. Not intentionally, but automatically. It's s bizarre thing.
Now I can say phrases in many languages, but to switch a language on and off, without even having to think about represents somewhat a triumph. The weird thing is I can't do it when thinking about it, and a person has to start talking to me in creole first, then I just get it.
Today, our receptionist was not well, so I spent the best part of the day filing and sorting out follow up appointments and pathology testing. Tomorrow I'll head out to the village, armed with an esky full of gear and seek those patients that need medications, and blood tests. This us one of the big differences here in the islands. Health care comes to them. I have an amazing photo of me sitting on the sea wall ( I'll discuss that one in a moment) with a PNG patient giving an Intravenous Antibiotic. The backdrop of the Western point of Saibai and the Arafura Sea in behind us. This community outreach is one of the things I love about this work. I'm not confined to a clinic or an emergency room, I get out and about. The smiles on the faces of those I pass makes it feel that I'm doing a good job.
Now the sea wall. The island is at best only 1 metre above sealevel. In windy days, or king tides the ocean encroaches onto the island and floods it. Some years ago the local council decided to build a sea wall that sits 2-3 feet higher than the island, and serves as a sam of sorts to stop inundation. The wall is in a state of disrepair and subsequently, water often homes in leading up to the full moon. This leaves a huge low lying hollow in the centre to become a swamp. Like the hole in a donut, this hollow is a fantastic breeding ground for anopheles Mosquitos which carry malaria. Two weeks before I arrived there was an outbreak of malaria among villagers and the whole swamp was fogged twice to kill mozzies. The net result is that there have been none while I've been on Saibai.
Well that is about it for this post. Light on detail I know, but it is not every day that the exciting stuff happens... Tomorrow is exciting the SeaSwift barge arrives. It will have supplies for the shop here, the school here, the clinic here, and most importantly the pub; which ran out of beer 3 days ago... Cliche I know, and I'm aware that the late Slim Dusty even sang about the Pub with no beer, but this is really happening... And it has been a tragedy of injustice!!!
All the town will be applauding the arrival of the SeaSwift, and I'll be waving the flags along side them! Bye fir now. Mipala tok yu later!
Have you ever been somewhere an felt like the only one that understands what you are talking about? Well that has been an experience that I am living with on Saibai. For the islanders here, An old language or local ya (words) Is a language called Kawaw Kalaw Ya (KKY). It is predominately spoken by the older folks with a common replacement being a broken English or creole being preferred by the younger Saibai islanders.
That said, the language for day to communication, in my job here is English, however with such a strong accent, complex medical and medication instructions is difficult. The kids here all speak a version of KKY , creole and English, and often the communication with people employs all three languages all in the same sentence. Challenging is an understatement.
I love to speak to the health workers and give them the info, then sit back and listen to them weave my monolog into something meaningful to my patient. You can't help but wonder how much is lost in translation. It is kind of like Chinese whispers you played as a kid. The dynamic changes when PNG patients arrive - it's another language again. Then something strange starts taking place. You start to understand the lingo, then suddenly you find yourself speaking it. Not intentionally, but automatically. It's s bizarre thing.
Now I can say phrases in many languages, but to switch a language on and off, without even having to think about represents somewhat a triumph. The weird thing is I can't do it when thinking about it, and a person has to start talking to me in creole first, then I just get it.
Today, our receptionist was not well, so I spent the best part of the day filing and sorting out follow up appointments and pathology testing. Tomorrow I'll head out to the village, armed with an esky full of gear and seek those patients that need medications, and blood tests. This us one of the big differences here in the islands. Health care comes to them. I have an amazing photo of me sitting on the sea wall ( I'll discuss that one in a moment) with a PNG patient giving an Intravenous Antibiotic. The backdrop of the Western point of Saibai and the Arafura Sea in behind us. This community outreach is one of the things I love about this work. I'm not confined to a clinic or an emergency room, I get out and about. The smiles on the faces of those I pass makes it feel that I'm doing a good job.
Now the sea wall. The island is at best only 1 metre above sealevel. In windy days, or king tides the ocean encroaches onto the island and floods it. Some years ago the local council decided to build a sea wall that sits 2-3 feet higher than the island, and serves as a sam of sorts to stop inundation. The wall is in a state of disrepair and subsequently, water often homes in leading up to the full moon. This leaves a huge low lying hollow in the centre to become a swamp. Like the hole in a donut, this hollow is a fantastic breeding ground for anopheles Mosquitos which carry malaria. Two weeks before I arrived there was an outbreak of malaria among villagers and the whole swamp was fogged twice to kill mozzies. The net result is that there have been none while I've been on Saibai.
Well that is about it for this post. Light on detail I know, but it is not every day that the exciting stuff happens... Tomorrow is exciting the SeaSwift barge arrives. It will have supplies for the shop here, the school here, the clinic here, and most importantly the pub; which ran out of beer 3 days ago... Cliche I know, and I'm aware that the late Slim Dusty even sang about the Pub with no beer, but this is really happening... And it has been a tragedy of injustice!!!
All the town will be applauding the arrival of the SeaSwift, and I'll be waving the flags along side them! Bye fir now. Mipala tok yu later!
Sunday, 22 May 2011
#15 - Matthew and the Starfish
#15- If there isn't enough for all, it is best that my people have nothing!
Church this morning. And I find myself in a blur of colour and sound as the choir of island voices blended with the hypnotic beat of the island drums offered praises and glorification to God. Taking communion in someone else's church is a wonderful experience that unifies as all as His sons and daughters.
I've had a relaxing day watching chick-flicks and romantic comedies, but after seeing the multitude of ways that boy can win the girl, the last movie was an old Patrick Swayzee (? spelling) movie called City of Joy. It journals an American doctor who goes to the slums of Calcutta India. A corrupt godfather type figure opposed to the charity work of the medico utters these provocative words "if there isn't enough for all, it is best that my people have nothing." Aid money pours into PNG but seems not to filter down to the villages on the fringe. I was sitting on the shore here on Saibai last night looking towards the western point of our island with it's Telstra tower, TV aerials, lighting, the doofdoof music from houses dotted along the shore. Saibai by night is very pretty. Then I gazed over to the villages of Mabudawan and Sigabaduru on PNG. No electricity, no lights, no techno or hip hop. Just a faint glow of a fire on the beach there, and in the fresh breeze whispering through the coconut palms here, I could hear singing. I could hear laughter. They have nothing, yet everything that matters.
The sense that the grass could be greener is one that plagues all of us that have seen it. But in the simple cool of the evening breeze here, I realized that happiness is not the things you have. I'm pretty sure that is is the influence that you have on people. It is the difference that you attempt to make rather than the success at making it.
In Matthew 25, verse 31 on, it talks to us about feeding the hungry, taking in a stranger, visiting the sick and persecuted. v40 Because you have done these things to the least of my brothers, you have done them to me.
City of joy, is all about that. It is what I am seeing here on Saibai daily. Not as intense, I'm not that grandiose, but service that exceeds simple nursing. And I love it.
A colleague said there are only three types of nurses that work in places like this. Mercenaries here for the money (and it can be huge), runaways- those nurses that are escaping something or someone; and missionaries- nurses who want to save the world.
Well after two weeks seeing what I've seen and experiencing what I've experienced, I'd like to suggest a fourth category. Nurses that just come for an experience that will offer some perspective... And that is me. I have just 5 more shifts here in this amazing place. I will leave thankful for what I have, and blessed for what I have achieved, and devastated for what I couldn't do. But far richer in spirit than the nurse that left Toowoomba just 13 days ago.
These blogs are for me to reflect. I tell my nursing students to journal, because penning your thoughts is cathartic and reading them back is altruistic. When I go from here to my next assignment, life will go on and the starfish will still be on that beach just 3 km away. But I'll know that I did what I did with right intentions, and that some will swim again.
Church this morning. And I find myself in a blur of colour and sound as the choir of island voices blended with the hypnotic beat of the island drums offered praises and glorification to God. Taking communion in someone else's church is a wonderful experience that unifies as all as His sons and daughters.
I've had a relaxing day watching chick-flicks and romantic comedies, but after seeing the multitude of ways that boy can win the girl, the last movie was an old Patrick Swayzee (? spelling) movie called City of Joy. It journals an American doctor who goes to the slums of Calcutta India. A corrupt godfather type figure opposed to the charity work of the medico utters these provocative words "if there isn't enough for all, it is best that my people have nothing." Aid money pours into PNG but seems not to filter down to the villages on the fringe. I was sitting on the shore here on Saibai last night looking towards the western point of our island with it's Telstra tower, TV aerials, lighting, the doofdoof music from houses dotted along the shore. Saibai by night is very pretty. Then I gazed over to the villages of Mabudawan and Sigabaduru on PNG. No electricity, no lights, no techno or hip hop. Just a faint glow of a fire on the beach there, and in the fresh breeze whispering through the coconut palms here, I could hear singing. I could hear laughter. They have nothing, yet everything that matters.
The sense that the grass could be greener is one that plagues all of us that have seen it. But in the simple cool of the evening breeze here, I realized that happiness is not the things you have. I'm pretty sure that is is the influence that you have on people. It is the difference that you attempt to make rather than the success at making it.
In Matthew 25, verse 31 on, it talks to us about feeding the hungry, taking in a stranger, visiting the sick and persecuted. v40 Because you have done these things to the least of my brothers, you have done them to me.
City of joy, is all about that. It is what I am seeing here on Saibai daily. Not as intense, I'm not that grandiose, but service that exceeds simple nursing. And I love it.
A colleague said there are only three types of nurses that work in places like this. Mercenaries here for the money (and it can be huge), runaways- those nurses that are escaping something or someone; and missionaries- nurses who want to save the world.
Well after two weeks seeing what I've seen and experiencing what I've experienced, I'd like to suggest a fourth category. Nurses that just come for an experience that will offer some perspective... And that is me. I have just 5 more shifts here in this amazing place. I will leave thankful for what I have, and blessed for what I have achieved, and devastated for what I couldn't do. But far richer in spirit than the nurse that left Toowoomba just 13 days ago.
These blogs are for me to reflect. I tell my nursing students to journal, because penning your thoughts is cathartic and reading them back is altruistic. When I go from here to my next assignment, life will go on and the starfish will still be on that beach just 3 km away. But I'll know that I did what I did with right intentions, and that some will swim again.
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