Unexpected Visitor.

It is wonderful to have an un-expected visitor stop by just to say hello. They don't want anything, they don't need anything, they don't expect anything...... they just want you to know they are thinking about you and appreciate you. That is the kind of little blessing that changes a persons day from bad to good... and that is exactly what Noel did to my day today. 

Noel was the 2nd broken jaw patient that we fixed this outreach. I think the number on his chart reads DBED #5 we are now on DBED# 4200. I remember him the day I spotted him in the line up on that first Thursday. He did not look so good. Today almost 5 months later he is stopping by the clinic just to say HELLO to me. His English vocabulary is not the largest in fact I think he only knows Hello, I am good, thank you, and Jessica. Which makes since why every time he sees me he sounds like a broken record saying Jessica...... however it is one broken record that I enjoy. Above is a post-op picture of Noel with his daughter. When we discharged him about a month ago I was sad when I said good-bye thinking I would never see him again.... little did I know he would stop by un-expected and say hello.   

Boy or Girl???

Question: Is this baby a boy or a girl? 

I was holding the above baby at the clinic admiring the cute little flowered undershirt she had on... when it hit me you just never know the sex of these babies. Baby Gap, Children's Place, Babies RuS are non existent here. Your baby wears what ever can be found at the market that has been imported from a western world. 

 

So I asked one of my translators if this baby was a boy or a girl. Just for clarification. The translator turned the babies head and looked at the ear of the child. He quickly responded that is a boy. I said no it can't be. Look at how she is dressed it is clearly a girl. I then asked another translator is this a boy or a girl. She did the same thing, she looked at the child's ear and said it is a boy. I responded by saying how can you tell the sex of a baby by looking at the ear. Is there some scientific reasoning that I am unaware of. They both said no there is no metal in that babies ear.... meaning the baby's ears were not pierced no ear rings. I still was in disbelief so I went into the clinic were the mother was at and asked her, she said it is a BOY. 

Apparently it is real easy to distinguish between a boy and a girl here. All baby girls get there ears pierced very early on in life. 

Guess you learn something new every day. 

New PICS Posted.

Click on the photos below to see more in my flicker account. I just added tons of new pictures for everyone. So take a peak. 

Pictures from Deck 8

Weekends..who knows where we will be next
Good Byes
Dental Outreach and Hygiene Teaching

Random Transportation Method

Random Question: 

Have you ever thought of riding your bike with a goat strapped on your back?   

If you have and just haven't tried it in fear of how it would look in the eyes of other....well here you go. 

Flat Tire.

About a month ago you might remember me posting a video clip of the dental team push starting our dead Land Rover after work one day. Today we had to change a flat tire. Oh the many things we do besides pull teeth. It is amazing really. 

How many people does it take to change a tire????

Sandra and I just supervising.

The 4th of July

So this is how I spent my 4^th of July, just after lunch at the US Embassy. 

African Arcade......

Today was a ship holiday so we were off and instead of sitting around Richard and I decided to go to a day volunteers Video Arcade Shop. Solomon the co-owner of these two successful shops invited Richard to come check them out I just went along for the ride. 

We were not sure what we were getting ourselves into. We kind of thought it was just going to be a tv and an xbox but you never know. Sure enough we arrived at the first shop which had been opened 4 months and it was a small concrete room with two tvs, two xbox sytems,  a PS2, a few games, a bench, and a room full of kids gaming. Richard sat down and tried out the games, I just spectated and took in my surrounds. after about an hr or so we headed across town to his second shop which has been running for 2 years. It was a little more established...4 tvs, 3 PS2, and more kids. 

I asked him how business was and this is what he reported to me. Good. I charge 100CFA( 20 cents) for 15 mins of  game playing time or if they want to stay an hr 400 CFA( 75cents). I have a manager at each shop I pay them 15,000 CFA a month( 30$), I pay rent and electricity on both shops, and make a profit of 50,000 CFA (100$) which I them split in half between my brother and I. So at the end of the month I take home 25,000 CFA ( 50$) and that is my main source of income. On a good day I make 3,000-4,ooo CFA( 6-8$) 

Solomon is 22 years old married and has 2 kids. 

Just another day here in Africa. 

Richard playing the games with the kids

The equipment..nothing like a video arcade at home. 

Outside the window of the arcade.

Me spectating the gaming

Outside the shop

The second shop.. with more equipment.  

Extreme Dentistry.....

Today and yesterday the dental team played traveling dental clinic. We closed down Avotrou and packed up dental chairs, instruments, medication, water, anesthetic, headlamps, and all the other needed equipment to set up a makeshift clinic at the Psychiatric Home in Cotonou. Our main goal for this outreach.... we like to call it extreme dentistry (sounds more adventurous) is to provide the residence with an opportunity to be able to be seen and treated by a dentist. 

Last year when we did our extreme dentistry outreach at the prison in Liberia we treated almost 200 patients in 2 days. So with that in mind and also with the tid bits I received from the facility we planned on seeing anywhere from 150-200 patients in the two days. When it was all said and done we treated 39. HAHA oh how I love the management style of those who are "IN CHARGE" of things in Africa. 

Even thought the numbers where lower than expected it was still worth it. This morning when I was walking around the parameters of the facility looking for patients I ran into 3 people who made it worth all the hassle and planning that comes into an event like this. Two ladies and one older man who was calling himself Fidel Castro President of Cuba really made me realized that its all for the sake of even just once person. As I passed each of them they all separately said thank you for coming, I was in pain yesterday and now I feel much better. It is not about the numbers, it is about the impact that you make even if it is only on a handful of people.

Below are a few pics I took while we were there:  

Simon, Claudia, and Don extracting a tooth on a resident of the facility. 

A resident who just wanted to come check out what the white people were doing... she did not want to see the dentist though. Think she was scared.
Sieh my new assistant, he was one of our day workers in Liberia now he is here as crew to serve along side us. 
Registration. Joyce and Florent
A sister who thought she would come take advantage of this opportunity
My favorite patient of the 2 days. This is the face he gave me when I asked him to smile. 
Comfort, Roland, and Arnold our disciplers blowing up balloons and make the crazy ballon hats you see on everyone. Roseann and Midokpa sterilzers
More work going on. 
Dell getting patients numb