Teaching CPR!

I teach in a Bongolo Nursing School. This quarter I have been teaching Traumatology (Emergency Room). Included in this course is the technique of doing Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation. The school has a teaching mannequin that the students named "Madame Claude". Each student had his/her turn at doing CPR on Madame Claude.

Feeling the Heat!

In Gabon Africa where I live the hottest months of the year are March and April. February is also a hot month, working up to March. We've really been feeling the heat more these past few days, literally.

This link has an interesting chart that explains how Temperature + Humidity feels.
www.usatoday.com/weather/wheat3.htm

Right now, at 5am, it is 80 degrees F with 80% humidity. According the the chart in the above link it "feels like" 86 degrees rather than 80 degrees. Yesterday when I was walked outside it was 85 degrees. I did not look at the humidity but suppose that it was the same, 80%. That would make the 85 degrees "FEEL" like 97 degrees!

March and April will BE and FEEL hotter!

Last evening I walked for 45 minutes while standing directly under my ceiling fan. That helped get me through my steps for the day! I also was thirsty and drank more plain water as I walked!

Today's Positives:
1. I have been keeping up drinking my 8 glasses of water a day.
2. I have ceiling fans in several rooms in my home.
3. I will increase my steps to 10,000 today!

Fish & Butterflies!

This afternoon I spent two hours at a "Fishing Hole", a river bed that was partially dried up. Quite a few of us went on a fishing and butterfly catching trip. The fish were for the aquariums of the two children who were along, Luke and Sara. Imagine going out fishing for tropical fish instead of buying them from an expensive pet store. Well, that's what we did! You can do that in the tropics where I live.
While some caught tropical fish, others caught butterflies. I took photos and mostly just tried to balance on the slippery rocks so I didn't fall and break a bone! In the 33 years since I arrived in Gabon, I had never been to this river bed!

Almost saw an Elephant!

Last weekend I traveled back to the hospital from Libreville and on that trip ALMOST saw an elephant!

Keir and Joanna Thelander and their kids Luke and Sara were with me in the car when we came to an area on the road where we saw about 15-20 men, one with a rifle and the others with machetes knives! Now, let me explain. People walk in the forest with a machete knife in case they see a snake so it was not strange to see a man with one but there were 15-20 men with them!!! I stopped the car to ask what was going on and they said that there were elephants in the forest and that these elephants were trying to get across the road. They had trampled the gardens of these villagers and the day before had destroyed a house. It is against the law to kill an elephant unless they come too close to the villages and start to do havoc in the plantations. These men were on an elephant hunt!

Some of us (not the kids) got out of the car and started to gaze into the forest, along with the men. We (Joanna and I) stood there for about fifteen minutes, watching the trees move, hearing the elephants (there were three I'm told). The elephants never did come towards the road and we had to keep going on our ten hour drive home so ..... I almost saw an Elephant! You realize I have lived in Gabon since 1977 and have never seen an elephant here. Maybe another day I will!

Beach Day!

One week ago today, Thursday, I drove to Libreville so I could pick up two official papers. I needed to get a safety inspection done on my vehicle and I needed to obtain a long-term (2 year) residency card for Gabon.  The Thelander family went with me and Keir helped me to drive the ten hour trip both Thursday and Sunday. I was so glad for that. I was able to obtain the two official documents that I needed.

Besides getting my papers, we went shopping and ate out in several restaurants. While much of the Northern world were "freezing", We were able to go to the beach on Saturday! I got in a nice walk on the beach. I didn't go into the water but was mostly the watcher of the purses. It was fun watching the others play.

Take Out Pizza... to the JUNGLE!

Yes, this evening I ate Take Out Pizza that was flown to my jungle home from the capital city. Our hospital now has a Cessna 207 Plane that will open an Air Ambulance Service. The plane will be based in the capital city but will ferry patients, medical supplies, visitors and International workers to and from our Hospital. The plane arrived a few days ago but today arrived a second time and we were able to order PIZZA to come with it. There is an Italian restaurant next to the airport and the pizza was delivered to us by PLANE! Now THAT was a FIRST!!

Today's Positives:
1. I did NOT eat the whole pizza which I have done in the past. I left some for tomorrow!
2. The cheese on the Pizza gave me the calcium that I need for my weak bones.
3. My laptop computer that would not start yesterday, started today!

P.S. More about the plane in a future blog entry.