Susie Homemaker

As many of you know, I am not exactly fond of cooking or most any kitchen related skill. The first full day I arrived in PNG, I was brought to Mount Hagan to do my grocery shopping for the month--yes, month! I would imagine that would be a challenge for some experienced homemakers, but for someone who does not consider herself good at this, this was a tall challenge. In the US, I would likely struggle with this task, but add to it a developing country, and yes it felt daunting to me. However, after few prayers, I thoroughly scoured of our kitchen, and found a trove of cookbooks, I was able to make myself a list. Of course, the fantastic help of Judy and Becky, who have 8 years experience cooking in PNG, was also a big help.

Well, that was really only the beginning of the challenge. At least in the US, I can buy box items or stove top cookers. Here, not so much. Cooking from scratch is the norm. I've had lots of help, being that my next door neighbor (Elaine, her husband is a surgeon) the first two weeks, I think fed me 3-4 times. Last week, I lived with Leslie and Kevin (he is a surgeon, replacing Elaine's husband, as they had been here the past 3 months), and Leslie might as well be crowned the PNG Martha Stewart.

I have ventured out on my own too, and surprisingly I have come up with some pretty tasty treats. I have made hand squeezed lemonade, and, in fact, even upgraded to strawberry lemonade. I did make my own bread (ok, yes I did have a bread maker, but it's the first time I've ever used one). I used up old bananas in yummy banana bread. I made a tuna casserole, in fact even hosted some girls to dinner. Tonight I made a very tasty curry chicken with broccoli and cauliflower over rice (yes, Margaux I managed to cook rice by myself).

I have found myself cutting up pawpaw (papaya) and pineapples. I did have some sugarfruit, which was described to me accurately as resembling snot, but tasting yummy. For breakfast, I have homemade yogurt (Judy had the entire setup needed, so I can't say I made the yogurt) and muesli. As soon as Reni returns from a conference, I have promised her homemade pancakes.

Of course, we don't have a dishwasher, so then I get to wash the dishes too. And there is no dryer for my clothes, so I also hang everything out to dry. Elaine also got me started on enjoying fresh arrangements of flowers on my table. Surprisingly, I am finding alot of joy in doing it all.

(despite the fact the photo is facing the correct way on my computer, blogspot is not cooperating)

Patients

Everyday I round of half of the B ward, which is the medicine ward. I have 15 patients. I round on them in the morning, and whenever I finish I head to the OPD (outpatient department) for the rest of the day (breaking for lunch). Every day is a new adventure with more to learn daily and I am treating a wide variety of illness. And although I lack confidence, I am learning alot of ultrasound skills.

Anna had to be sent to Hagan Hospital (we actually have our own ambulance). She has been with me for a week with abdominal pain. We saw free fluid in her pelvis, and I was treating for PID. Frankly, she never looked very sick, and daily her abdominal pain was rather nonspecific. However a few cultural miscommunications, I finally got a positive urine pregnancy test. Repeating the ultrasound, I found a mass outside of the uterus, which was consist with an ectopic pregnancy. Unfortunately, our only surgeon was ill today, so to get the surgery she needed I had to transfer her.

Monica is another patient who has been with me for about a week. She is elderly, with a very large spleen, and quite cachetic (in fact, as a measure of that, I have personally picked her up to transfer her). Her left lung continually fills up with fluid, which I have had to drain out. The working differential is TB or cancer. We pray together daily (she's pictured on the right with the yellow shirt). Her prognosis is poor, and likely we will not come up with a specific cause of her sickness, but we are treating what we know how to treat here.

I forgot my next patient's name, but she's pictured on the left. She has myasthenia gravis, a disease where your muscles fatigue extremely easily (including your respiratory muscles). I was shocked last week, when her scale book said myasthenia gravis, and even more shocked when I found appropriate medicines to put her on. In the US, we would have consulted neurology, here I am the neurologist. She came back today, and I am attempting to titrate her steroids and neostigmine (we don't have mestidon, and even most of the docs were shocked when I found neostigmine in the pharmacy).

Thousands of miles away, yet so close to home...

I was going about my business Friday afternoon, when my next patient walks in with a UNE sweatshirt (my undergrad and medical school)! I am pretty sure, even after a mini-geography lesson he has no idea where Maine is on a map, but it sure tickled me pink to see his sweatshirt.

He came to see me after a motor vehicle accident, and he had fractured his clavicle twice.

Little Switzerland--Kugark

Reni and Tabae

As I have previously mentioned, my roommate, Reni, is Swiss. She actually is an missionary from EBC (a church we don't have in the US) stationed at Kugark. She arrived early summer, and will stay for 3 years. Her main job will be teaching/overseeing a girl's school on her station. However, as she is a trained nurse, she will also be fielding calls from other EBC missionaries regarding medical care, as the midwife who is currently here, is retiring. Because of that, her mission sent her here for 2 months to learn about the PNG health care system. She invited me to spend a night on her station in Kugark, where I was able to go Friday night.

Many of the missionaries here encouraged me to go, as they refer to Kugark (and actually all the EBC mission stations) as Little Switzerland, as they are very well kept, with beautiful gardens, and just have a sense you have been transported to a little slice of Switzerland, particularly as you have beautiful views of the mountains. And it is really only a 10-15 minute drive from the station.

Reni lives with Tabae, a schoolteacher, in a 2 bedroom flat. Tabae actually was born in PNG and stayed till she was 8 as her parents were missionaries. Now at 18, she has returned for the year to help teach the missionary children. Both of them are so warm in spirit and kind hearted. I felt so at home.

We spent out time touring the grounds, particularly the school. It is difficult for girls to get education here. At many EBC stations, they run schools for girls. If they complete the local program, they have the opportunity to come to Kugark for 1 year. It is a very simple school, where they learn about agriculture, some business (they learn how to sew and make bark tapas with scripture on them--which they sell), cook, and basic health. On the station, the girls tend to very large gardens (they grow almost all the food they eat), sheep (sipsips), chickens, and pigs.

We ate beautiful meals, including a wonderful picnic with rice and pan fried fruit with curry sauce. Of course, you can't go to Switzerland without having cheese and chocolate (I did get myself into a bit of trouble, as I could not taste the difference between German and Swiss chocolate).

Oh, I should also mention, a family on station has alot of cockatoo (?) birds. Then there is this other bird, which the town keeps, and I forgot the name, but it is about the size of an ostrich, but with beautiful colors over it's neck. Whatever that bird is, it hated me! It will perhaps be used as a bride price some day.

There are not too many places to go off station here, and it can be a bit of a technical dilemma. I was very fortunate to get this opportunity. And it was a heavenly retreat! Things move differently here than in the US, and it is a welcomed slower pace.

Harvest Day Party

Last night we had a Harvest Day Party with all the missionaries on station. We dressed up (there was a bush Smurf, Bride late for her wedding, a Pumpkin, Princess, Cowboy, Clown, awesome 80's chick (complete with handmade leg warmers), pirate, skier who had an accident (complete with her own casts) and I was the American flag). We ate hobo meals and PNG hot dogs. We even had a pumpkin that was carved. Games too: including bobbing for lemons, water balloon toss, lick the ice cube. It was a relaxing and enjoyable time for all!

Creepy Crawlers

In honor of the time of the year, some of my uninvited house guests decided it was their turn to be on the blog. At home, people decorate their lawns with things like cheesy blowup spiders. Well my PNG house guests, are the more lively version!

Now before you get all grossed out, frankly PNG has many less bugs than other places I've traveled to. The cockroaches make an appearance 2-3 times a day. The one pictured was taken in my bathroom. I have learned to open my bathroom draw and ALWAYS look before you reach.

Then Mr. Spider, he's running across my living room floor.

BIG Spider, well thankfully she's not been spotted at my house. She actually has been peacefully sitting outside a friend's house. I affectionately have named her Charlotte. The locals told my friend she's poisonous, but I don't know how or why. When asked, the locals just said, "Em kaikai yu." (it eats you)

Finally, the fly. He's enormous, in fact, can make the screen door creak, when he hits into it. (He is not pictured, as the internet connect is not cooperating)

Flowers

PNG is home to what I believe is one of the largest array of orchids than any other country in the world. The climate is just superb to enjoy flowers, and let me tell you, you don't even have to leave the station to enjoy the flowers.

When I first arrive, Elaine had made a little arrangement of flowers in a vase for me. I then noticed she did it at her house, and then would bring them to others. Well she got me started, now I am starting to think the table is not complete without a few flowers on it.