You have to go through hell before you get to heaven..........

Countdown Begins: 30 hours and counting

After spending a reflective day at the Genocide Museum, and then doing some gift shopping, it was time to get ready to leave. I spent the rest of the afternoon just hanging out at the PIH house. Said good-bye to Ann (Dana-Farber nurse) as her and others went out to eat. 
Aloys, the taxi driver who had driven me around Kigali all day, came back to pick me up for the drive to the airport. He was a real nice man, didn't talk to much, but nice enough. He helped me my 2 suitcases to the inside of the airport. That's when hell broke lose on me!!
I have a backpack carrying my computer, camera and other necessities. I'm wheeling 1 suitcase,returning all the blocks and slide that Gaspard, Irenee, and I had processed and packed, along with a few barrels (bottles of beer!). I have a rolling duffel bag,that I might add is a little awkward to roll, and I come up to the 1st women who says something to me about my suitcases. "Excuse me?" saying cause I didn't understand what she says. "Do you understand English?"in this snotty tone and a look on her face of disgust at me!! I was like WHAT??!! I am so excited to be heading home and this is what I got to be confronted with!! Oy vey!! So after lifting the behemoth suitcases onto the x-ray belt, she so lovingly (yea....right) tells me take my shoes off, and take any computers out. I do as I am told!! Get, thankfully, to the other side and away from her and now stand in a new line. This wasn't bad, security looking at my passport and look at me.......go ahead through. Phew.....that was good.
Now I'm in line for the boarding pass and check luggage. I'm up..........throw the suitcase up and it alarms it's over weight limit!! Well duh!! I know this......
Two women behind the counter and one says to me that it's too heavy and start unpacking!!! What??? I said I can't unpack this is all coming home with me!! So with attitude like I just slapped her in the face she tells me I have to pay for it........fine, I figured that much, but you just treated like shit with attitude. We then proceed to the office upstairs. Go through all the paperwork, make payment, all done. I asked her for the receipt so I can get reimbursed because it's medical material and she was said they charge no matter what it is!! Okay, fine............but I proceed to tell her that United Airlines waived all fees on the way to Africa because I volunteered. She says "Really? Well we don't do that!!" Fine, whatever......how do I get to the gate?
Next!!!!!!!!
So the bit of hell is over........now to go throught security again to get to my gate. Shoes-check, computers-check, backpack-check. Go through metal detector, and the guy looking at the x-ray says something Kinyarawanda (no comprende!!) and the other guy says "do you have a bottle in your backpack" Yup........it's got water in it!! "Drink it now" I'm told.... okay,okay.
So I'm drinking and drinking, take a break......."Keep drinking!!" I'm told!! Alrighty.....I thought I was going to drown myself in Kigali airport!! Finally I was done......I got x-ray man's attention,unscrewed the top and tipped it over!! I'm said "is that good?" I passed and got into the gate... oh thank God.
At Kigali, you walk out onto the tarmac to get to the plane. It's kinda cool......the plane was huge!!
I sat next to a young guy, who told me he was a EMT turned cop, who proceeded to tell me, after hearing the above, that they can be that way with women traveling alone. Well I can't let it bother me anymore........I remember at what I had left the day before, and all that I tried to achieve and things I did achieve and all the memories I had made.
We flew to Entebbe......dropped off the cop and picked a lady with a scarf on her neck. Before we take off she's sitting over there pulling the scarf over her mouth and coughing like crazy!! I'm thinking this is great, I'm gonna get sick after I get home!! Eight hours to Brussells next to this!! I eat, watch Parental Guidance(it's kinda cute!) and fall asleep. Don't know how long I had been sleeping well all of a sudden I feel moisture on my left leg and I hear her say UHHHH....in my sleep I was thinking "She just puked on me!!!" when I wake up hearing the stewardess saying "It's just water!!" "Sorry" Oh thank God!!! I can handle water......since I didn't pack an extra outfit in the backpack.
Next!!!!!!!!!!
"Would passenger Viens please report to the gate" Really? Now what??!! It's a 10 minute interrogation about who,what,where,when and why. Yup look in my backpack......
Just get me on this plane and to the United States!!
Finally............on the plane.
I watched about 4 movies, played some games, napped and then finally landed in Newark!! I'd kiss the ground, but we are in Newark!!
Now to go through customs.....wait in the snaking line and finally I'm up!! Questions, questions and then......"What were you doing in Rwanda?" Volunteering at a hospital......."Are you a doctor or nurse?" Yup.....doctor- general practice!! Oh just get me outta here!!
Then it was to luggage to pick it up,go through more customs (with no problems or questions) and re-check it for the last flight to Boston!!
Finally I land in Boston........find my love, Bill and grab our luggage and go!!
I AM HOME!!!
It was the greatest, most life changing experience I have ever been through.
Thinking about all that I have been through in the past two weeks, I would go and do it again.

There's no place like home..........but I know Rwanda and Butaro Hospital will always be a part of me and my life, and I want to go back............

Genocide Memorial.......

No words.........just pictures

It was a sad day......

Well I'm now at the PIH house in Kigali. Just got back from dinner with some of the other people here. I had spaghetti carbonarra(?) BACON,CHEESE, EGG!!! And a side of fries!! And 2 Coca-Cola. Man was that good!!! Of course my tummy is rumbling.......don't know why??!!
It was a sad day in the lab for me. We got all the samples packed up and ready to go, hung out a little bit, took some pictures.
Gaspard and Irenee walked me over to the house where I was to be for the ride back. I tried my damnedest not to cry.............no need to say anymore!!
It was one hell of a ride back!! Three of us in the front.....me in the middle of a split seat!! And I think there were 8 in the back!! About an hour and a half on those awesome dirt roads, my ass was so sore by the time we got here!! Almost hit a cow that walked in front of the car!!
Took a great cold shower and hung out until we went to dinner.
Well that's it for tonight........
Going shopping and to the Genocide museum and then at 1pm EST. I will be heading to the airport for my awesome 24 hour journey back!! I don't care how long it takes............I'm coming home!!
Thanks for following!
Love to you all.

Massachusetts........

Sitting on the porch listening to a favorite song......"Massachusetts"by Aaron Lewis

It's where I always am, it's where I long to be......because I'm home.....

I sit and soak in the scenery for one last night here. I think of all that I have seen,done,taught and learned.....

It is my last night at Butaro hospital.....there are such mixed emotions. I sit here with the tears flowing again......I so want to be home, but I don't want to leave. This place, this country, will always have a part of me.

 I have made such a great friend......Gaspard. We went out last night for some Mutzig and goat kabobs(boy I will miss them---never thought I would say that!) It was just the two of us and we really just bonded as friends. We have a lot in common, our love for our spouses and our children. We think the same when it comes to our profession and our work. I know we will always be in touch. He so wants to come back to Massachusetts and learn more. I told him he will always be welcome at our home. Hopefully all my family and friends will someday get to meet this wonderful person, my friend.He has been there for me when I have had my bouts of being homesick, and has given me words of wisdom when I have gotten frustrated. I was told he is a special person and I am thankful to God, that he is now a part of my life. I dread saying goodbye to him.......

I came back at lunch today to get some packing done. My little babies were all out in the street playing, they saw me and came running. I didn't have any snacks on me, but I told them I would be back in a little bit. I got everything organized and packed....except for those last minute things. I'm wishing Amanda was here so she could do her magic on my suitcase like she did when I was packing to come here!!! When I headed back to the hospital I grabbed the last of the snacks. They all came running when they saw me!! I told them this was all I had, there was no more. I asked them if I could take their picture, and they all got together and let me take some shots of them. I showed them the picture on the screen and they were laughing and pointing at themselves. I'll miss those snot-nosed little buggers!! As I walked away they were screaming thank you, thank you and one even said love you!! Talk about having your heart tugged at!! I post their picture for all of you, and for my godchild Eliza who,I hear,likes to see pictures of kids.....enjoy those beautiful faces as I have for the past two weeks.

So it is now time to get to bed.....the cows will be mooing soon.

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Love to you all...

At a loss for words.....

I'm sorry to say that I have nothing to write about today.....

I have some of my own questions that need I need to find answers to....

Thanks for following!!!

Love to you all!!

Birds, cows, children & villagers........

Today was a great day!!! I was teaching one of the other techs how to embed tissue. He did a great job!! One thing I notice here is that they are so willing to learn and do. I then did some cutting of the tissue and got it stained so that the blocks and slides will be ready to come back home with me and brought to the Brigham to be diagnosed.

After I had cut the slides I went into histo to change the stainer. I moved a basket that was on the floor and almost had a heart attack!!! A little lizard went running across my foot and under the counter!! I ran out to get Gaspard!! I'm such a chicken when it comes to lizards...... But sure I'll sit on the ground 5 feet away from a silver-back gorilla!!!! As I like to say " that's different"!!! 

At lunch I strolled around the grounds of the hospital and took more pictures.

I watched Gaspard do some grossing of tissue that had come in today. One specimen was a breast nodule that was from a woman younger than me! Very sad....more than likely it is cancer. Butaro hospital has a cancer care unit and  they are succeeding in getting people the treatment. The nurse, Ann, who came from Dana Farber is here to teach the nurses about and how to give the treatments. One of the other specimens was from a prisoner in a jail. It was a brain tumor that was removed. It was smaller than a golf ball, but good size!! I have to say it was the ugliest specimen I have ever seen!!!

Every night when I get home, I love to sit out on the porch and just enjoy the view!!! It is a time for reflection and thought. I love the sounds of the cows mooing, the people talking, and the birds making some of the wildest noises I have ever heard!!! The sounds seem to travel up from the valley below.I will miss that when I leave. To be home listening to Memphis & Angus bark is a sound that I deeply miss and can't wait to hear. I miss Rudy & Rory trying to get up my lap before Memphis chases them away. I miss the sound of Rudy sucking on his tail!! I miss my fur babies!! Angus is going to have surgery on June 5.... He has a torn ACL and meniscus. Bill said the little man is depressed and probably in pain. Makes my heart break. Hopefully after his surgery it will all be better for him. He loves to play ball and just roam around the yard, and it something he has been unable to do.

I miss my husband!! He is my best friend and means the world to me.....

Well I'm very tired tonight and we have a lot to do tomorrow......

Thanks for following!!!

Love to you all!!

Goodnight!!!

P.S. the bugs are big!!

A frustrating day..........

It was back to the lab today. Mondays and Tuesdays are the busy days for histology. There were a lot of specimens for Gaspard to process. I worked on re-organizing the histo lab for a more smoother work flow. Irenee worked on doing spreadsheets for the training of the other techs that will be learning how to do histology over here.

There are some things that I still need/want to get done before I leave here on Friday. I was hoping when I got to the lab this morning that I would have answers to emails about lab issues and questions that I had sent at the end of last week. It was not until I called Bill, and woke him up, that I was reminded that it was Memorial Day today. So the emails I needed answers to, I would not be getting!! Anybody who knows me, when it comes to my work, I can get easily frustrated when things don't go the way I would like them to. Today it was one of those days!! The time difference plays a big part here. When I am starting the day, all of you are in REM sleep mode!! By the time my day is ending, yours is just beginning. I was told that things can go slow here, and now I see that! For me....that spells frustration!!! But I will move forward with what I can do for the remainder of my time here.

So I did a lot of research on the Internet to hopefully find the answers that I needed. I did find some answers, but I could go no further without some more help from my contacts back home. I take my work seriously, these are patient lives that I am dealing with. They are real people, not lab rats!! I do not want to jeopardize specimen quality. 

One thing that I want to do when I get home is to try to organize some sort of donation to the lab and to the 2 wonderful young men that I have been working with. Irenee and Gaspard do not make a lot of money. Irenee is married and has twin boys that are two years old. He rents a house near the hospital, I saw it from the road below.It looks very tiny and I am sure it is not like ours. Most houses have dirt floors, limited electricity. I would like to get things for his children....clothes, shoes, toys, etc. I know they would appreciate anything they were given.

Gaspard lives about an hour and a half away from here. He rents a room and goes home on Fridays to be with his family for the weekend. He is married and has a 4 year old. He was telling me that Kevin will start school next year. I would also like to take care of him with school supplies, clothes,shoes,etc.

They only get paid once a month........

The hospital was started by foundations, grants and contributions. There are the crazy little things that are needed here. It is not like our hospitals where we can put an order in and receive them.I have started a list of the things that they need and could use. 

It is crazy,to me, but no one has cars here!! They can't afford them, so they either walk or take crowded buses. But as I've been told, it is free to walk, money to take a bus....

If anyone who is reading this would like to help,in any way,please contact me at pjviens@gmail.com

At lunch, I did not eat much as I had a headache that was making me sick to my stomach. I told Gaspard I needed to come home and rest, I was of no value to anyone or myself.

It was probably the best thing I did. I slept for about two hours which settled my stomach and got rid of the pounding headache.

I started to get some things packed and put away. I will be leaving here in 4 days.

When I return to Kigali on Friday night, I will be staying back at the PIH house where this adventure began. On Saturday I plan to visit the Genocide museum. From everyone I have talked to, they have told me to make sure and go. The tragic event is set very deep into the people that live here. I watched the movie Hotel Rwanda on the plane....it is a heart wrenching movie.....watch it someday!!

I will also be doing some craft shopping after the museum. I have seen some of the work that the people of Rwanda do, and it is beautiful, so I am looking forward to spending time shopping!!! 

Well it is time for me to go to bed.....it was an uneasy day and I look forward tomorrow being much better.

Thanks for following....

Love to you all! <3