Day 1 at Haydom
I arrived in Haydom at 2am after another adventurous travel day. This included a car break down (belonging to 2 other volunteers), a flat tire, and 7 hours of off-road driving. But, I'm here safe and sound. Middle of nowhere, to be sure. Haydom is everything that you expect Africa to look like minus wandering lions, giraffes, elephants, etc. They will come later in my trip :). Haydom Lutheran Hospital is set within a compound-like settlement (don't think creepy cult). Mom and Dad, note the gate with the security fence and security officer- I'm safe. The main hospital has about 400 beds. The families of patients, having travelled a long distance, often stay on the compound in family housing. Picture this as a long, narrow cement structure with sleeping rooms on one side and a place for cooking over the fire on the other side. The cooking part is important because the hospital does not provide food for the patients. Morning prayer services are held at a chapel on site. Haydom has several community health outreach programs including a diabetes clinic, palliative medicine, and maternal/child wellness. There are also outpatient clinics.

There are many volunteers here, mostly Norwegian. Everyone is friendly. It kind of feels like being at camp. My room is simple, but clean, and the shower has hot water. The guest rooms and houses are within the compound.

My day began with a tour of the aforementioned facilities. I'm surprised by the resources at Haydom. On the other hand, they still do not have much and there are so many people with so little. As I gazed upon medical rooms with multiple patients lined up next to each other with no privacy, I couldn't help contrast my experience in American hospitals. Supplies that I routinely use without any thought at all just don't exist here. In the ICU I watched 2 babies less than 1 month old share not only an oxygen dispenser but a suction canister and intermittent oxygen monitoring. There was another patient with an esophageal tumor who had an emergency tracheostomy yesterday; he will likely die because his family cannot afford any more care. It is just heart-breaking. There is a "CCU" which stands for child care unit. The CCU is for children who lost their mothers. Many go to live with their families within 6 months but I saw one today who is a year old and no one has come to get her.

It's late and I'm tired but there's what my first day looked like. Oh, and your Swahili word of the day: choo- toilet. Important word to know.