Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Um, not quite what I was going for, but ok….


Ask a question in Africa, and you just might get a VERY interesting answer!

While trying to get the group to understand the concept of ‘symptoms,’ I asked them to tell me the difference between goats and sheep… something they are very familiar with.

Now, goats and sheep in these here parts look REALLY similar.  If you don’t know what to look for, you would think they were all goat….but...do they start with their how goats have short ears and sheep have long ears so that the sheep’s tail hangs down and is long and that the goat’s tail is short and stands up…or maybe something about their temperaments… how goats will always come back but sheep get lost and you have to go find them? (yeah, sorry… I know that sentence was a little run on-y)

Nope.  They don’t.

THIS is the way to tell the difference: 

‘You take the animal and kill it by cutting the throat and then you skin it… the goat’s skin is really good for making containers for water and the sheep skin, well that is for making tents, really good for making tents.’

Um…. Ok....not exactly what I was looking for but we'll work with it.

I managed to keep from turning green around the gills as the Imam was excitedly sharing the process with me and got him to elaborate on the differences.   Once we got the differences down, we talked about their similarities… both have hair, 4 legs, 2 ears, etc…

THEN I asked them to tell me the similarities between the 2 diseases we were talking about and if they were so similar, how can you tell them apart.

And the Imam yells ‘AH!  I know what she is doing… she’s REALLY smart… I know what she’s trying to tell us!’ and proceeds to excitedly explain it to the rest of the group.

I can’t take any credit for the idea - it really was one of those God things…. but, I just want to point out that just like Mary at the tomb... He did use a WOMAN to do it!  (lol – sorry, couldn’t resist)

Saturday, July 7, 2012

It Begins!


On Monday, we start our health education course…
  • The one that while neighbors from the bush, will include 2 distinct and different people groups with differing customs.
  • The one that half the group are educated and have some medical knowledge (one is a nurse) and the other half that are not educated, but I have been assured that they are ‘very smart.’
  • The one that will require 2 translators to pass on what I say in English… one for half the group that speaks French and one for the other group that only speaks their local dialect... but then can only read and write in Arabic (or at least we hope!!!).  Can you see a wonderful game of Telephone starting????!!!!
  • The one that only includes ONE female.
  • The one where women have to cover their heads, legs, ankles, and arms – in 95 degree weather with 45% humidity!
  • The one where men and women traditionally sit on opposite sides of the room, don’t eat together and can be COMPLETELY separated for celebrations!
  • The one where men aren’t usually taught by women.
  • The one where men are VERY engaged when other men are talking but appear to be very disengaged when I speak…can you see a pattern here?
But it also the same one that…
  • The village sent their workshop attendee off with a community gathering of celebration - they are THAT excited about it!!!
  • The participants are extending grace to this woman because they are hungry for knowledge on how to help their people.
  • One participant, when approached by a world renowned group of bullies nicely told them to go take a hike… and they did… with no violence!
  • The leaders are WAY more concerned about serving their people than being served.
  • The leaders are WAY more concerned about sharing important information instead of gaining status for being the only one in the village with that knowledge.
  • These same leaders, while greatly appreciating help from the ‘outside’, are also committed to doing what THEY can, constantly searching for and implementing things that are appropriate and sustainable.
  • Is a mix of Followers and Truth seekers… all are hungry for this knowledge too!
It is going to be a crazy, interesting, enlightening, and wonderful week!

Sr. B