venal times

One of the sadness’s of the Ethiopian condition is a generalised venal petty dishonesty, which in the upper echelons of the donation society becomes much less petty. I say this as my operating glasses, complete with significant case seem to have taken a hike, which is going to make the upcoming Caesareans a little blurry. While trying to do a small electrical job on the car I spotted a young hand in my tool kit, happily he ran of wailing with a sore bum, and more happily he did not return with parents bearing sticks. While loading the car for karen;s trip the adventist frisbie went walk about. A smiley little girl had been spotted and as her mum was in hospital with another child a search of the bag revealed the offending (offended?) frisbie and the child was banned. Venal indeed! The velocopedists ,now departed for Addis and on have had their share too, rather spectacularly leaving their (doubtless designer and label) trainers with a street cleaner while disappearing for a juice only to find some Ethiopian haring off down the street with them never to be seen again, while they had to travel home to their rooms exposing themselves to hook worm, shit and the like. There is a big tendency, resisted by your correspondent, to wear ‘thongs for feet’ which apart from putting you at risk of stubbed toes and dirt also allow all sorts of creepy crawlies to attack you. 17 of the ‘pedists’ duly arrived in thier tee shirts blisters and cycling hats and subsequently enjoyed orange, water melon and an evening reception. Karen was worried about what we should feed them and thought that my dea of pizza and chips mean and inadequate. In the end all they wanted was…..pizza and chips washed down with copious quantities of Gouda wine, which may become our staple and St. George beer. I was right it was what they wanted! As ever the orphans (being fingered by me as possible sources of loss) were in attendance and collecting their dues from assorted cyclists. However the youngest orphan, abandoned by granny is still awaiting a surrogate parent which is a pity as previously fit 16 year old is good genetics. Handily, one of the velocopedists was a haematologist and as I have a lady with pancytopenia (no blood cells, or any way not as many as she should have) and big spleen, this was quite useful and she managed to do a bone marrow with a spinal needle for further U.K. investigation which was neat. Less neat, Ethiopian incompetence and lack of checking again, was our attempt to give her fit U.K .blood as there was confusion over her and her husband’s blood group and yes you have guessed it we got it wrong. Good try though. Touring them round the hospital and assorted outreach was tiring and I am not sure what they thought, certainly you soon habituate to the chaos, but I do not think they had reached that bit yet. Meanwhile the maternity Worldwide (U.K) local organiser, GP arrivist and other locals tensions run on as ever with weepy attacks, difficult meetings and probably plans that will never come to fruition. I can however reveal that a whole new chapter is about to start. The hospital CEO who reminds me far too much of the devious snake in the Mowgli film, tries to hypnotise you and hides things in his metaphorical coils as he moves around trying to distract you (what was the snakes name – any commenters please tell me) and if you ignore the colours looks like him too, is on his way back to the good old USA and pastures new. His replacement is a sitting Adventist who is now in a local relationship and is very quiet, will he/they get the CEO house..stay tuned. Also coming is an Adventist medical director, Dutch and from Malawi I think, and they are off to gethim registered which they hope to do in a day or so (ha ha or straw hat eating) and there is also an Adventist surgeon due too and all this might prove just a little too much. Anyway whole new group and what one wonders will crawl out of the wood work, given that senior looking (and a prayer on every corridor) Adventists have been crawling round the hospital. Talking of crawly things the furry kitchen scrounger is about and I cracked buying two traps, one for the upstairs variety which I duly baited with bits of chocolate matchmaker, occasionally treats have to be forgone for a higher cause, only to find it ignored by the upstairs version and carefully picked off the trap by the downstairs…clearly designed for more heavily footed Ethiopian rodents (probably those with scaly tails). Others may be on the move too as Wasihum asked me to do the next few days for him as he hitched a list with the pedists to do some deal in Addis, there by denying me an adventure to a remote bit of the highlands with Karen and the Adventist boys and leaving me home alone to a rather wearing night on labour ward and crossness in the morning when I found an abandoned teenager in the labour ward, pouring meconium and with a deep transverse arrest which proved difficult to deliver in an unanalgesed world – some time since I managed a manual rotation and forceps. Growling a bit I was though I wonder if they noticed. Alone I was but not alone as in addition to furry friends, broody chickens who want to stay on ground level (tricky this bit as I have seen the odd predator sniffing around on my crepuscular trips to hospital at night and I would not like to see them eaten (well not yet) and I did remove three eggs from under one of them so they are producing I also had other visitors. (Perhaps we should get some fertilised eggs and be even more goodlifey.) Come to see if I was alright on my own and offer me company and supper - no chance, freeloading on my dongle and internet access more like. A painful half hour with the now unemployed Hunde who seems deserted by his Adventist friend (I think the sane one who has deserted his daughter who has a 5 month old born out of wedlock with an Ethiopian father) so I do not think much joy there. As he was totally incapable despite many lessons of driving the internet I posted it for him and at the risk of mockery I place it here in full. The said tooth is one that I got touched a significant number of birr for (see blogs passim) and presumably is still rotting in situ. He is still looking hopefully for other sponsors but in the meantime his e mail is full of suggestions as to how he can get facebook friends. (The Jeremy is not me I hasten to add)
dear jeremy wen you near me you now all my problem but now why you lose me still I wait you please try to support me for my tooth and if impossible for you try to find somebody who is support me jermy I havent job now so be think it thanks
or call me on 0910554629
The other freeloader was the only other onsite farangi whose tension levels, paddies etc. have been rising and I left to it only to find that she had been on skype, left her account up and gave me a nasty moment as I can never remember my password. Not that it was very useful as there was no one on line to whom I could have a bitch. I will continue to share the next 5 months……do keep reading and if you want to comment without getting drawn into face book twitter or other dodgy advertising sites torquilwright@gmail.com is the way to go and I will put the comments up in the main body of the text.
attached is an E ranger, to carry women about but so far only a tourist attraction