Adventures in Datcha

Hello all!  Hope everything is going well for everyone back home.  We're sure it is colder there than it is here!  We are in the land of no winter.  Our blog today is about going to another Canossian hospital here in Togo and our experiences there.  We hope you enjoy it!
Although our mission site through VOICA is Agoe, we were offered the opportunity to spend some time helping at another mission.  The Cannosian Sisters operate a hospital (Hopital Sante Joseph) in Datcha, a small village two and a half hours north of Agoe, where Tim, Leah, and Gabriele were able to spend about 10 days helping in different ways.  One of the sisters came to pick us up on a Saturday morning and we made the drive up the bumpy, partially paved road that is the main stretch from the south to the north of Togo.  The drive was long, and sometimes slow going, but it gave us a chance to see other places along the way.  Our journey took us through a lot of villages were we saw people selling their goods on the side of the road, children walking to school in matching uniforms, and dogs, chickens, and goats dodging children and cars as they scurried across the road.  It was interesting to see the different materials used in building as our journey progressed.  The further north we drove, the more the construction of the houses and buildings changed.  Most houses toward the south are made from wood or cement and corrugated tin.  The houses just north of us had similar construction but instead were topped with grass roofs.  A little further north and the house looked more like huts with walls made from mud and had the same grass roofs.  And then, when were were in the Datcha area, the huts were made from only grass that was woven together and they were all arranged in a circle.  We were able to see some of this intricate grass weaving up close, and it's really incredible that it is used to build an entire hut.
When we arrived at the mission the sisters were waiting with open arms and an already prepared lunch of fufu and pasta.  After our lunch, Sister Anna Maria, an Italian sister stationed in Datcha, took us on a tour of the hospital, which is not a single building but composed of many small buildings spread out over a large campus.  Besides the front most building, which contains the pharmacy, laboratory and the cashier, every department is housed in it's own building. They have separate building for radiology, surgery, hospitalization, general consultation, administration, maternity, and many others, including a morgue and a place for family members to wash laundry and cook for patients.  It is not a large hospital, but it is much larger that our dispensary.  The residential part of the compound in Datcha is also set up differently than ours in Agoe.  The hospital is enclosed in the same compound as the convent, whereas in Agoe, our dispensary, while smaller, has its own compound.  Another difference is that in Agoe, the volunteer house is in the same walled area as the convent, while in Datcha the volunteers have their own compound next to the sisters' with a house and a bit of land, which gives the volunteers a quiet, private place to stay.
Datcha is full of greenery and wildlife, and it's a great place to wander around with a camera.  One day while we were exploring right behind our compound, we came across some nomads and their large herd of cows.  These nomads, always with some type of livestock (cows, goats, or sheep), are a common sight in Togo, especially in the north.  We took many photos of the cows and the goats that were hidden among them, the birds that followed the herd, and the nomads as they kept the cows moving in the direction they needed to go.  There were three children among the nomads working just as hard as the adults.  The smallest of the children was having a difficult time keeping up, so one of the older ones picked him up and put him on his shoulders.  We walked around to another side of the compound and found a small, circular cluster of grass huts with women cooking over fires and dogs and children running around.  Some of the children saw us with the camera and came running toward us to pose but were afraid to get too close at first.  When Tim tried to show them the photo he had taken they started to inch closer, but were still a little hesitant.  Then, one boy was brave enough to walk up and look at the camera, and the rest felt it was safe to approach.  They all started laughing when they saw themselves in the photo and then ran off to continue their playing, so we continued our exploring.  Our walk took us to the front of the compound which lies on a dirt road, along which you will find a small hotel/bar, a shack that poses as a convenience store, and an outdoor market area that is crowded with people trying to sell their goods every Wednesday.
Even though this market is only a 5 minute walk from the compound and we were able to buy all the food we needed, the sisters came by our compound every day or two to bring us fresh fruit and make sure we had enough bread.  Sister Anna Maria even brought us a chicken and 3 packages of hot dogs.  Walking through this market was different than the markets near Agoe.  Everyone quoted us fair prices on things (we have learned how much things should cost), some of which were even lower than what we pay in Agoe.  The only issue we had was similar to others we've had before.  Two ladies were selling the same beans.  We asked one lady how much the beans cost, and she told us one price.  Then, when the other lady came over to bag the beans for us she tried to charge us a higher price.  After explaining that we were quoted a lower price and talking back and forth for a while, she finally gave in to the first price.  When we paid her for the beans she didn't give us the correct change.  Gabriele argued with her for a minute, and when she wouldn't give us the rest of our change he reached down, grabbed another handful of beans, put them in our bag, and walked away.  Everyone around started laughing, including us, but that's just the way things are here.  While some things in Datcha, like the market, are a little different than Agoe, we felt right at home and settled in quite nicely.
One of the main differences is that they have a full functioning hospital.  Tim found the pharmacy was pretty well organized but their inventory system was basically large index cards with drug names, dates, and quantities.  So he installed a program on their computers, one in the pharmacy and one in the storage facility where they keep most of their stock, and taught the staff how to use it.  Sister Anna Maria had a small problem with the disk drive on the computer in the pharmacy and Tim showed her how to fix it.  That day she had the same problem on another computer and was able to fix it herself.  When she saw that Tim knew his way around a computer, she asked him to take a look at a some of their other computers and fix a few problems.  Our last day in Datcha, he was able to come to the O.R. and observe the last three surgeries.
Gabriele worked alongside their surgeon, Florentin, and completed a number of different surgeries that repaired hernias, fistulas, and hydrocells.  With the opportunity to work in the O.R. again, instead of working in the lab, Leah assisted Gabriele and Florentin with the surgeries.  For some of the surgeries she was able to scrub in and retract and even help as an instrumentalist.  Knowing the names of the instruments in English doesn't help you much when you're working with two surgeons, one who speaks Italian and one who speaks French!  At least there was enough time to watch one surgery and learn the names of the important instruments before scrubbing in to assist with the next surgery.  It was different than working in the O.R. at home, but it was a great learning experience.
As a thank you for all of our help, Florentin took us out to a bar/restaurant in Atakpame, a larger town about 15 minutes north of Datcha.  Because the bar was having a promotion for a local beer, there was a DJ playing a lot of African music, and an unofficial dance-off started.  It was very entertaining!  One guy, probably in his twenties, was dancing so enthusiastically by himself.  He danced nonstop for about an hour.  Two teenage boys were having a dance-off between themselves.  One would show off some slick moves, and the other would try to copy him and add in something a little more complicated.  For some songs they would would do the same moves simultaneously like a two man dance team.  Probably the most entertaining were the small children that would dance like their energy would never run out.  One little boy, who couldn't have been more than 4, was dancing like crazy when his parents dragged him back to the table.  But as soon as his parents sat back down he jumped back up and started dancing again.  It was a very entertaining night.
Our last night in Datcha the sisters made us a nice going away dinner, served with beer and soft drinks, and told us how much our presence was appreciated and that we must come back soon and bring the others.  After we were all finished eating and were sitting around the table talking, two of the sisters left the table and reappeared a few minutes later singing and carrying in gifts for us.  What a surprise; it felt like a birthday party!  We unwrapped our gifts to find that we all received beautiful cloth, each with a different pattern, to have made into clothes.  The sisters were so generous in showing their appreciation.  The night ended with a chorus of "Thank you", "Merci", and "Akpeloo" from both us and the sisters.
We are really glad we had the opportunity to visit Datcha.  Not only were we able to see a different area of the country and meet new people, but we were also able to give of ourselves to help others in need.  A satisfying experience indeed!
Keep praying for us, and thank you for all of your support!