Friday, February 17, 2012

Emily

 Whenever I make a blog post Emily usually asks if it's all about her (in a silly way). I always say no. But today, since she turned 16 yesterday, I am devoting an entire post to her. 

HAPPY 16th BIRTHDAY EMILY!!






































And you can see how far she has come. This is her at her 15th birthday wearing a lamp shade on her head...

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Bunia


Our last three days in Congo were spent in Bunia. It's dusty. Very dusty. Beyond dusty.


We visited some other hospitals so Dad could do some more teaching.


Makeshift wheel chair











The hospital


On our last morning there Emily and I had our hair braided




Apparently they don't make sure their angles are lined up...


This is the guesthouse where we stayed. 





Yes, I have already posted pictures of him but he is just too cute not to include him again!








Because most people either walk or have motorcycles, gas is sold in small amounts. 

Friday, February 10, 2012

Nyankunde


We had to keep this picture secret from mom. She was worried enough without having dad on a motorcycle in Africa...


These baby goats played around our house each day. We named the brown one Nigel and the black and white one Dixie








It rained for a couple of minutes one afternoon and it was just enough to clear the sky from some of its smoke and let us see the mountains in the distance. 


I followed Dr. Cooper and Dad on the rounds in the morning. Here they are with a little boy with a hemoglobin of 2.6. 


Love the colors of Congo!


The shelter where the families of patients cook and wash their clothes





Me attempting to communicate in French. Not sure if my point quite got across though...


Em and I with the girls that taught us french and we taught them English


Us with Dr. Mike, the doctor in charge of the hospital (in blue scrubs) and Dr. Warren Cooper


This is Jonathan, when he came to the hospital he couldn't bend his legs and the day before this picture was taken he had surgery to help him bend his legs. 


The room Em and I stayed in at the guest house


Dad's room





The women here carry almost everything on their head--notebooks, pots, buckets, and clothes. Personally, I think it makes a lot of sense. It leaves your hands free and improves your posture.








We saw of a lot of these men on the way to Bunia. They pack a ton of charcoal onto their bikes and then walk an entire day in the hot sun and dust to Bunia to sell it. The next they come back and do it all over again. 


Congo doesn't have laws about seatbelts, so two men rode on the back of the truck we were driving in.