Cameroon

Hey, so I think it has been several years since this blog saw the light of day, but it's also been a while since I've been overseas for any kind of humanitarian purpose, so what the heck, might as well do a little catching up. No promises about being particularly entertaining or insightful. I'm planning to use this more as a person reflection/travel log.

I had a pretty uneventful trip. Typical trans-Atlantic stuff like watching movies until my eyes were bleeding and I developed a pressure sore or two and enjoying the free adult beverage service. I slept most of the way between Paris and Yaounde. Arriving in Cameroon brought two considerable reliefs, #1 seeing my bags make their way down the conveyor amidst a huge throng of travelers cramming themselves up against the belt. (Why do people feel like they need to stand next to the baggage claim belt? Doesn't it make more sense for everyone to step back a couple paces and just step forward to grab your bags???) And #2 seeing a smiling face with a white "CBC" sign. I've always thought it would be cool to be one of the people that had a sign person waiting for them at the airport. And trust me, the actual experience lives up to the hype. (CBC = Cameroon Baptist Convention, an organization that runs several hospitals and clinics in Cameroon)

My sign-holder was a guy named Fon (like phone) Bangaman and after gathering the other two visiting docs from the airport, he whisked us away to a pretty ghetto hotel, a restless nights sleep and then an 8 hour drive with questionable passing methods and even more questionable road conditions. We survived and the spent a few days recovering from the whole ordeal. Day two (Saturday) one of the longtime docs here took us on a 7 mile hike around the property to show us some of the current and planned infrastructure while getting a great view of the surrounding mountains and countryside.

A quick recap of some of the highlights of the past few days:
-My first surgery here was an ex lap for a bowel perforation in a 13 year old. Apparently typhoid fever is still out there and can cause spontaneous holes in your small intestine. Caution advised.
-Cameroon church was a lot like American church with an accent. I was kind of hoping for some sweet African drum sessions, but alas, Western culture has come in like a plague.
-Been having a great time hanging out with Ethan Helm and his fam. He is a pediatrician and his wife is a family doc and they are here for 2 years. They gave me a shopping list before I left Alaska and so we got to have chocolate frosting on their 3 year old's birthday cake the other night. I could write a whole blog about these guys. Maybe I will. Fortunately, they did already here.
-The surgeons and residents here have been really welcoming and wonderful. I've really enjoyed working with them and have been amazed at their level of skill, breadth of knowledge and devotion to God. This is a pretty awesome place.
-I've been recycling some of the lectures I put together in residency for teaching sessions with the residents here.
-All of my meals have been provided by an extension of the hospital that houses and feeds short term missionaries and docs. Food has been great and meal time is a good time to catch up with the other short-termers and compare notes on our experiences.

I'm on call tonight so we'll see what the night brings! The residents take care of an incredible amount on their own but you never know when things could get exciting...