The Bush

Muddy roads!

August 12, 2012

Last weekend we went for an adventure.  There’s an old mine on a hill called Mount Nimba, and a group of the expats here decided to go sightseeing.  We got a little more than we bargained for in the day: ask me about it when I get home, it’s a good story.

So I got back from ‘the bush’ two days ago.  A group of clinical supervisors [among others] were travelling around to visit some clinics in Nimba County, so I tagged along for the ride.  I saw seven small health clinics and got a taste of rural healthcare in Liberia.  I sat in during the supervision which was very interesting.  I was with a doctor who was doing the supervision, and we sat in the room with a screener as they saw patients.  I learned a lot about HIV, TB, malaria management and Liberian healthcare protocols.  It turns out that the national protocol for diagnosis of pneumonia in children is pretty bad; the protocol is that if the individual has a high respiratory rate, that person can be diagnosed with pneumonia.  It doesn’t require additional assessment by listening to the lungs or anything.  Fast breathing = pneumonia.  This leads to the incorrect diagnosis of pneumonia in a lot of people, which definitely messes with the statistics.  It was very interesting to learn about so much, the doctor was very good at explaining things so I benefitted highly.  Overall I was really impressed with the clinics themselves and I am very glad to have gotten the chance to see them and get a bigger picture of healthcare in Liberia. 

Other than seeing the clinics, being in the field involved a lot of driving and waiting for meals.  There was never a shortage of food, just irregularity of meal times.  We drove maybe 4-6 hours a day going between the clinics, and that was actually very tiring.  The roads are very bad, so that I have bruises on my shoulders and hips from the bumps.  Also, I discovered that land cruisers can lean very far to the side without tipping over; I was very afraid more than once or twice before I started getting used to it!  There were a lot of people in the car, and usually something dead under the back seat.  Haha, we kept passing hunters who were selling bush meat, so that’s how the dead animals ended up under the seat.  Ansbeg [I think it might be an anteater or something similar, I also heard it called an ant bear] and ground hog were my new culinary experiences from the journey.  I also tasted palm wine: it was stored in an old oil container.  Very healthy I’m sure.  The Liberians are big fans of the stuff, so I’m glad I had the chance to try it.  I’m trying to get my hands on some ‘white bucket’ soup while I’m here, but I’m sad because it’s hard to find.  [Haha, google it to see what comes up for white bucket, otherwise I’ll explain when I get home!]

Well, the rainy season is in full blow.  It’s been raining every day for a while now, which necessitates creativity when trying to get dry laundry!  I got caught in the rain today as me and another person drove home from church.  We were on motorbike, so it was a muddy drive!  I’m really thankful for the raincoat I brought – definitely a necessity here. 

I have officially moved to Ganta for the remainder of my time until I go back to Monrovia for my flight home.  In one week I will be on a flight headed home.  I find that pretty crazy, the time went so fast.  Coming, I thought that two months was going to be a long time, but now leaving two months wasn’t nearly long enough!  I really like it here; I’ve gotten teased more than a few times about how much I love Liberia!