alive and well

back in contact with the world! wow, life without internet is a trip! and quite liberating to say the least. if we thought internet was hard to come by in arusha, it is downright impossible to find with the maasai (for obvious reasons) and far too expensive to hassle with in zanzibar (but let’s be honest, who really wants to spend time on the internet when you’re in paradise anyway?). I hope none of you were too concerned/confused, I think my last blog I made it sound like I’d be back in contact once we returned from the maasai village, turns out that didn’t happen. and our trip to zanz might have been extended a day or two because really, no one wants to leave that island… there’s a reason your return ferry ticket has no date on it (I think people frequently decide to stay longer than they planned).but we’re back to reality and feeling well rested after a few days of leisurely travel without the stress or moral dilemmas that come from working at mt. meru hospital. it was a much needed emotional break but we’re happy to be back at centre house, the hostel is our home base and feels accordingly comfortable. it really did feel like coming home last night when we walked through the front gate, dirty and smelling of salt water, weighed down by our hastily packed bags. we sleep well and started up at the hospital this morning. I’ve already got stories but they’ll have to wait… first, an aside:

to clarify about the case I mentioned a while back, the boy who came in with the non-patterned, writhing muscle movements, that is called chorea athetosis and it is a motor disturbance that is often seen in kids with cerebral palsy (of which there are many here, and the prognosis is usually very bleak for them, though it depends on the severity). the delayed onset type, which we saw in the young male patient, can be the result of rheumatic fever, and can occur 1-8 months after infection. the jerking of the hands, face, feet and more generalized muscle contractions usually improve with sleep (as was the case with our patient) and can be improved with antibiotics and, often, time. very interesting case, hopefully they managed without us while we were gone.

now… living with the maasai: