Layovers

Well, here I am sitting at the airport in Vancouver.  It is going to be a long couple of days.  I fly overnight to Toronto, and arrive there at 7 am.  Then I have a 13 hour layover before I leave at 7 pm for Paris.  There is a 4 hour layover at Charles DeGaule Airport, and then I fly out to Niamey (the capital of Niger).  From there, it is either a 2 hour flight or about a 5 hour drive (so they say) to the hospital, but I may be overnight in Niamey.  Anyways, I will try to use the layovers to write this entry.

Some "fun facts" as they say:

Niamey is on the east bank (mostly) of the Niger river (so I guess that means that part of the country isn't a desert).  From Wikipedia:

Niamey is remarkably hot throughout the year. In fact, it is one of the hottest major cities on the planet. Average monthly high temperatures reach 38 °C (100 °F) four months out of the year and in no month do average high temperatures fall below 32 °C (90 °F). During the dry season, particularly from November through February, nights are generally cool. Average nighttime lows between November and February range from 14–18 °C (57–64 °F).

The hospital I am going to is in Galmi:

The village of Galmi is in the southern part of Niger and has a population of 10,000 to 12,000 people. The hospital compound currently has 30 to 40 missionaries, a total hospital staff of over 200, and 154 beds. This is a very busy hospital that serves a large part of the population of Niger, as well as those that come from Nigeria, Chad, Algeria, Mali, Benin, and Burkina Faso. Galmi primarily serves settled farmers, traders, and nomadic people of the Hausa, Fulani, and Tomajak tribes. 

From the handout from Samaritan's Purse:

Niger’s fragile economy is based on agricultural production. Periodic droughts resulting in food shortages and fluctuating export prices cause instability. The annual per capita income is $300. Approximately 94% of the country’s budget is derived from foreign aid, and industries include uranium mining, cement, textiles, and food processing. The main exports are live animals, vegetables, hides and skins, cotton, and animal food. Domestic consumption includes millet, sorghum, cowpeas, cassava, and rice.

And as to their customs - some advice I was given:

It is extremely offensive to eat, give, or receive things with the left hand. Don’t appear to be in a hurry all the time – people matter more than things, including time. Don’t display marital love such as kissing in public. Should a visitor come to your home, do not bid him farewell from the inside – walk out with him at least a few yards from your house. Show respect for your Bible by carrying and handling it above your waist. Never put it on the floor. Do not use a Bible with a Muslim which has been marked in or highlighted. Do not walk in front of a praying Muslim. Do not step into a Muslim prayer place. Many prayer places are alongside of the road, marked out with a row of rocks or are simply mats placed on the ground. Avoid politics, as politics and religion are closely linked in Islam. Pork, alcohol, and dogs are considered “dirty” in Islam. Nigerien custom dictates that a woman should never sit down on a mat that a man is already sitting on. Only married couples sit on the same mat. 

  

 Sounds like I will have to be careful.  Hopefully I won't offend to many people while I am learning the customs.  Well, that is enough for now.  Probably more to come while I am waiting to fly to Paris.

Thank you Ron Kilius and Superior Medical

So today at the office this arrived:

and inside it was this:

and inside that was this:

Courtesy of:

I won't bore you with the names of things, but suffice it to say that there was 10's of thousands of dollars worth of  equipment for the the OR when I go to Niger!  A big thank you to Ron Kilius and the Superior Medical Foundation.  They have also given me 6 french language dopplers (for listening to babies) to take as well.  They support orphanages and hospitals all over the world!  Just thrilled to be able to bring this equipment along when I visit the hospital in 11 days.

An unexpected find

Yesterday I did some more preparation for my trip to Niger.  As the country has Malaria everywhere, and it is resistant to some forms of treatment, the Travel Doctor  recommended I get some clothes that I wasn't worried about and spray them with Permethrin.  So I went to Rona and bought this:

Then I went to Value village and bought some light weight clothes I could spray.  When I checked the pockets later I found this:

100 Honduran Lempira

which works out to about $4.41 US or $5.87 Canadian.Not going to be able to finance the trip this way, but a nice find none the less!  Need to get some more spray for the mosquito netting I will be sleeping under.  The preparation continues.

Getting Organized

Bear with me people, I am not a blogger.  None the less, I thought it would be a good idea to record some of this for those who are interested - so here goes...

Back in the spring Rebecca found out a friend of hers from when she was at Augustine College in Ottawa was going to Niger. Samaritan's Purse has a Hospital in Galmi Niger run by their medical mission arm World Medical Missions.  Rebecca sent the link along to me.  I had been looking for an opportunity to serve in the mission field for a while, but nothing seemed to fit.  A friend of mine was going to Haiti in November with a group of doctors and nurses, and I was about to sign up for that, when this opportunity came along.  It seemed like God had a better plan, so I am off to Niger.

Interestingly they speak French in Niger, and I speak some french, so that may be helpful.  They have a full time OBGYN there who is originally from Australia.  She is back home visiting the churches that support her, and so they were looking for people to fill in while she was away.  It sounds like there may be work outside of my area that they will want me to do, so I may be stretched when I go there.  God is always trying to make us grow, and forcing us out of our comfort zones, I am sure this will be similar.

So I have visited the Travel doctor a couple of times, I have had my Yellow Fever vaccination (you can't get a visitor's visa until you do).  I mailed off my passport somewhere down in the states to get the visa, and it actually came back without to much trouble.  I have picked up the medicine to take for malaria, and the heavy duty bug spray.  I still have to get a net to sleep under.

I have received a lot of information from Samaritan's purse to help me with my trip.  It is a Muslim country, so there are a lot of customs that I need to be aware of.  You are supposed to use your right hand for everything, your left hand is considered dirty.  You are not supposed to mark up your bible (no underlining or highlighting) because it is a holy book.  There was quite an interesting few paragraphs on what to do when you arrive in the airport - people to say "no" to politely, what to say to explain what you are doing in the country, and the like.

One of the amazing things that happened as I was organizing myself was an unexpected blessing I received from a medical supply company.  The hospital asked about me bringing some equipment along, and I wasn't sure if there was anything that I could get from our hospital.  I happened to be at an event and talked to a representative for a supply company, and they seemed to be very interested.  They started making all sorts of suggestions for other things I could bring along, and how they could supply them for free.  We will see how it all works out, but already I may not have enough room in my suitcase, and if everything turns out as planned, I will need a suitcase just for the equipment I am bringing!

I leave October 30th, so there is still time to get organized.  Pray for me, and for the people I come in contact with.  I don't know how often I will blog, but I will do my best.  Hopefully there will be some pictures as well.

In Him, John.