Right hand for eating, don't point, eat all that's on your plate, don't expect your host to eat with you, it's ok for males to hold hands, but not ok for males and females to do so in public. It's all about respecting where one is, and the people.
Then we caught a 'blue bus' which seem to be bus like taxis which travel along a given route, but for a bit extra will go out of the given route. The traffic here in Manado, is busy, crowded and frenetic, but is not a spot on Colombo, phnom pehn, or Saigon, were little horn honking, absolutely no aggression, but not very fast. Sandie was commenting on how the relative costs have risen since last year, but compared to Melbourne, is quite cheap.
Visiting the 'Base' in Manado, was a very welcoming experience. The NGO/Aid organisation was initially set up after the 'horizontal/religious' conflict in the region. There were many thousands of people(on both sides of the conflict) killed and hundreds of thousands of people displaced. So the early 2000's was not a good time. May who is the treasurer of the group, told us of her story. Because she and her family were from the minority group they had to flee first to the police, and when they could not assure their safety, they went to the army base and then it was strongly suggested they flee to the island of Sulawesi as refugees.
(Eo&e)It was there she met Peter and Esther ( ex pat Australians) who provided the base which was a refugee medical/ social / welfare centre, dealing with hundreds of people a day.
When the. 'Troubles' settled down and land was cheaper inHalmahera, the hohidia centre was brought and the clinic/orphanage/school, was begun. (This is a very potted version of the story that May, told us)
Accompanied by Epen and his fiancé (getting married in two weeks time)we were given the opportunity to have a look at the Manado public hospital, particularly the ED. It was an eye opener, quite a new building, yet, ancient furniture and equipment. It is the expectation here that the family will do all the care other than direct medical intervention, which includes providing and feeding food, washingpatientsand clothes, bedding etc. There seemed to be many many people in white coats, not doing particularly much. Kevyn and Andrew, being the non medical 'ring-ins', nodded and smiled at the right time. By our (eastern health) standards the level of infection control, primary patient care, medical intervention, was a touch under expectations. Lisa, did, however, recognise many of the ECG machines as the ones used in the days past. What was clear was the pride with which the local medical staff displayed their facilities, and were mostly happy to explain the processes. I think we worked out that the ED at Manade hospital would see 150+ patients a day!
Photos have been removed due to very narrow bandwidth and unreliable service
Then Maya, who is a nurse at a non government hospital, took us for a tour of her workplace, which was very interesting, from the comparative view point of our group. What is clear is the important role of the family in whole patient care, whereas in Melbourne the relatives etc tend to get in the way, especially in an ED setting.
Maya's workplace use your imagination......
Then the 'shopping' started, not satisfied with the supermarket, there is yet, in Manado, a (an) Hypermart, and yet again, a Megamart. Whilst I am unsure if a hyper is bigger than a mega, they were pretty much of a muchness. Couldn't wait to find the super-doper wonder mart. We did manage to source all we needed.
Monday 21st- Monado to Kao (cow) by biplane.
Bit of a shame to spend all that money and have to leave the hotel at 5 a.m. But that's what happened. We had 30 or so kgs excess baggage, even after we put all the heavy stuff in the boat pile. The inter island flying company had reduced baggage to 10 kgs each.
See imaginary photo of our baggage for the boat
Having been advised the time of the flight has been put back to 0700, from 0640, we thought the ground staff were quite effusive in waving us through the gate. We had not been told the flight had been reverted to the original time. So we were the last ones on the plane. The flight was un eventful, the landing successful, as was the take off.(not in that order). What was concerning was three meter wall of earth at the end of the runway, to catch the ones that didn't stop.
Imaginary photo of the landing showing whirling propellers.
We were collected at the airport, but had to wait the longest time for the one luggage trolley to unload the outgoing luggage into the plane, and then collect our luggage from the runway to the arrival 'lounge' (shed)
It was, to our experience, a very civilised drive to the accommodation, paved road, no more than five horn honks a km, all windows intact, 80% or more travel on the correct side of the road and the volume of traffic was somewhat light.
The accommodation is a large house, one k or so south of the compound, in the town of Kusuri. There is a New Zealand couple staying there too, but we get the impression that they seem somewhat overwhelmed by the new arrivals..... Even more than reserved than Andrew, who is one of the quieter of our group. Well that's life.
The compound is amazing. There is the clinic, a 14 or so bed hospital, a school, an orphanage and lots of stuff. The tour also encompassed a visit to the TB seclusion huts, the completely separate compound for the long term residential HIV, leprosy and TB, patients and some with their families.
Met Peter and Esther, who are the directors of the mission.
At the hospital we were all introduced to all the patients, bed by bed, it was almost like the grand rounds. In a description, dispell all your concepts of what a hospital looks like. The beds are quite old with a bottom white sheet and then the rest is Indonesian. Rarely are the guests dressed in P.Js and never under any covers other than their own clothes. The whole (and I mean whole) family are often staying in the ward as well. This is because often the patient's home is many many hours away, and there is no money, nor infrastructure to permit movement between hospital and home often.
Some of the conditions are HIV, burns, ulcers, abscesses, stroke, T.B. Fractures, urethral leak, seven cases of Malaria, and some long term patients, particularly 16 year old wheelchair bound young lady and a three year old developmentally delayed boy. The boy, who I will call 'Lexie' has virtually been left to the care of the community. The last time the team visited, he had not ever been moved from his back. Whilst still not verbal, he is now sitting, supported walking, and lying on his tummy. The aim is to get him to crawl during our visit.
Dinner and lunch are eaten in the communal open hall, but the bule (foreigners) have their own table and unfortunately we feel that we are being given the better food. The staples are rice, a bean curry, and an orange coloured potato like dish. Thee is also a coconut and juggery (Palm sugar) drink with slabs of coconut flesh in it. I am sure that there was a bit of fermentation happening there too.
Now it seems the staff have been threatened that Sandie is on her way, and apparently they have been scrubbing the place silly.
After dinner there was a religious service, where the team was introduced, and like wilting flowers we borrowed the missions vehicle , Andrew driving, and went back to the house, showered and bed. And they drive on the correct side of the road.
The first day!,,,",!
Up at 0637 hrs for a quick breakfast and dash to the Compound for morning prayers then Nathalie was off to the Klinik, and Andrew was gifted grade three maths, and prep reading, to lunch time, then
After lunch Andrew and Lisa's father Kevyn, took to fixing the doors falling off the linen cupboard, in the hospital, which is a work in progress. There are so many minor maintenenance tasks which will be very well serviced by kevyn's enormously diverse areas of expertise.
(Not and imaginary picture). Part of the Klinik (r) hospital centre and the TB seclusion ward on the left. Building in the back ground with the pointy roof is the eating hall.
Don't know when the next blog will be as internet here is horribly unreliable and very expensive.
Hope all youse down there are well. We haven't caught malaria, dengue, or Japanese encephalitis.
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