Bahai Beach 21

Bahai Beach 21

08-11-2006

Toma returns

For those of you avid readers somewhere a couple months ago a young lady was sent to N Djamena to have a breast amputation. There was a lot of crackle about this case as we do not have budget for taking care of cancer patients. Luckily the health coordinator and the country director were moved by the case and gave permission. In the process I was to see here pop in a private clinic in N Djamena were she was to be operated by a Chadian Gynaecologist trained in Cameroun. Guess what in due time she seem to be lost/ had a major haemorrhage (bleeding) but all out of the blue she popped up in Bahai yesterday. Radiant as ever. Best news of all. Believe in miracles ! The 6 kilo breast seems not even have been cancer (pathology) but a benign laesion. I just pray this is true but for now she is smiling.
The hospital is turning into a joyous place as well. The soldiers are peacefully playing cards and smoking cigarettes inside. And as men they are complaining about the plasters and sandbags hanging from their legs in traction. Delight full as these lads are in the hospital the reality is that for at least one more month all the beds will be taken by them and given the weather. Believe me or not it is cold outside tents are not an option. We are recruiting as ever for nurses. I wish they would have the courage to come up to Bahai.
The camp in the mean time is drawing one line. No move. No going anywhere. Well I guess that response is to be expected when you ask people to uproot their newly built mudbrick homes to return to tents. On the border of the camp in Sudan however Government of Sudan troops are being reported. Tension is rising between UNHCR and the refugees. Few people have signed up to be displaced and for sure at night they are being pressured to withdraw their signing up.
A new inhabitant has entered my villa domain for chicken. It is a bearded hairy bleating goat pretending to be a big bird. My chicks are becoming audacious again. Perhaps looking for their father. Running around the compound again in the morning.
Sandstorms a plenty since 3-4 days. I do not have enough warm clothes and need to go shopping urgently in the market to buy some woolens and a cap to cover my ears. O and our new Environmental Health Coordinator Tim has arrived. It took him 12 hours to get from the USA to Chad and about 12 days to get from the capital to the field. Well he is highly welcome. In a way I am a blessed man. Sancho Yoda is back in town and it seems he might be staying around to play some ludo with me. As usual he came completely under prepared with one shirt, two socks and three pants. O and this time he managed to take one book as well. Poor sod I will buy him some clothes. It is a good thing he gets married. I am surprised he got around so along without kicking the bucket. The good thing about him is that he does take the piss out of me as often as he can. Like to giggly schoolboys we are always up for mischief. Our latest plan is to shoot a cult film in Bahai. Spread the message of the downtrodden to the masses around the world. A Bunuelesque or rather Kafkaesque feature film leading to box office success. Big cash flow and major prices. Getting us to hob nob with the fertile famous. Keep on dreaming I guess.
The closest I got today was in a recorded interview on the World Radio (USA) which shall be broadcasted Friday.
Talking about toast. I did it 2 computers in 3 days. I guess Dell is happy with me as a customer. The last computer lasted about 36 hours. I was happily tapping away when I started smelling something funny. Mostly it is the lamp which is burning so we turned it off. Five minutes later `I realized it was not the lamp. Too bad before that the lap top decided to croak on me. Ribbit no more laptop for me. Recommendation has come for me to continue work by Papyrus and Goosefeather .
People I am just so far behind with work it is hilarious. Every time I make a serious attempt at catching up in Administration a computer gets fried due to excess energy input. Should I just wholly quiet touching these malign machines. I am still on the fence.

Well before I fall of I am taking my catnap. Tonight I will not try my conventional place but my bed outside not in the wind. To much sand in the ear is not good.

Sleep tight.

Namaskar,

Ashis