Dirt Roads, Craters, and Death

Last night as we headed for bed we thought our day was over. Much to our surprise it was not. Jesca called from the kid's house (she is the Matron) and told Phil that one of our girls was very sick and couldn't keep anything down. So Jesca and two boys walked Sylivia to Phils in the dark. They arrived around 10:30 with her vomiting and with a severe headache. All I could think of was having to walk under those conditions to seek help. She got here and we put her in the shower. By her own will she opted for a cold shower as that is all she knows. When she was done with that we tried to figure out the best course of action. Unfortunately being in Senior 4 she has exams this whole month and there is NO valid excuse for missing. If she misses she will have to repeat the entire year! Finally it was decided that she would sleep in with Liz and I and at least get a good nights sleep. So we tucked her under two wool blankets and she fell asleep at least until the next time she was sick. This morning we awoke at 5 am so we could get her ready for school (the transportation as we understood it came at six). Next thing I knew six had come and gone and no one had come for her and she was still not feeling well. But she was up and trying her best to stay awake. By now Phil was trying to contact the doctor and Susan and Peter (for they both had the vehicles) and no one was answering. In fairness it wasn’t really morning yet! Finally, two girls came over bringing her school uniform which she managed to get on. All I could think of was this was time she should have been taken care of by a mother. Finally Peter called and said he got an exemption and she could show up for school at nine but not one minute later. So at a little after eight Phil left with her and the kids to see the doctor and to then get her to class. The other two girls who are in younger grades were late to school.

Phil left with the kids and basically left Liz and I to our own devices for the day. Since the kids were in school we tried to update some information on the children. Finally late in the afternoon Susan showed up and took us for a drive. I thought we were going on a tour of the countryside. What I didn’t know was we were going to our second burial in as many days. The drive led us through many small villages on dirt roads like none I’d never seen before. The ruts in the roads could well lead us to China. No wonder there are no lines down the roads designating where one should drive. It is a constant game of swerving left and right just to stay horizontal! If another car should be coming from the other direction it is not unusual to drive into the cotton fields to get out of their way. And thank goodness for the horn. It is the most used item in the whole country. Susan was honking at cars, bikes, motorcycles, children. She even honked at cattle and goats to get them out of her way!

The woman who for whom the funeral was for died of a snakebite. Ok, now for those of you who know me well, you know I hate snakes. I can find nothing redeeming about them and this just adds fuel to the fire. Now the village we went to was in the middle of nowhere. I guarantee you it is not to be found on a map. I’m thinking if the cause of death was a snakebite why are we all sitting around waiting for the snake to come back. Meanwhile everyone is walking around with bare feet sitting on the ground. I spent the time watching the ground around me to see if anything was moving. On a serious note, it was very sad. The woman left behind eight children – the oldest was 13 (a girl) and the youngest had just turned one. As we approached (the burial ceremony started yesterday) I could hear the wailing of the older two girls. My heart was breaking. We walked to the gravesite where Susan placed a stone at the head and foot of the grave (mind you it was still fresh dirt). I’m told this is a sign of respect since she missed the actual burial and was unable to throw dirt into the grave. Susan was also telling us that since now both the mother and father are deceased it is most likely that the older two daughters will forgo school and soon get married as she will have no other way to support herself. When this does happen their husbands more than likely will not take responsibility for their siblings. So now the remaining children are on their own. Life is so fragile over here.

I’m always amazed too at the actions of the people we visit. No matter where we go they bring “us” chairs to sit on and then they sit on the ground. I was watching this group of women tonight get up and down off the mats. I must say I was so impressed with their leg strength! But even the young women look old. Their lives are so much harder than anything I’ve experienced. They see death on such a regular basis.

We didn’t see our kids today. Instead we saw a picture of the country they come from. I keep learning more about this place they call home. For most of them this is the only place they will ever see; the only experience they will ever know. I guess in many ways it is the same for us. If you drove two hours in any direction from San Antonio you would see highways with billboards. You would see signs for fast food restaurants. You would see stores and open fields. It isn’t any different here. You see markets. You see vendors. And you see open fields. What is different is that you see people. Everywhere you look you see people. Students walking to and from school, people carrying loads on their bicycles, boys herding cattle, children playing in the streets. And they are always amused to see us; the Mzungus.

And now we are home and Sylivia is back. She is still sick and will be spending the night with us again. So prayers for her health are much needed. She has another exam tomorrow as she does every day for the entire month. Please lift her up before you head to bed.

I miss you all. I love you all.