pre-weekend storytime

Greetings everyone....our internet connection has been shaky over the last few days, so don't worry if you have not heard from us.  We're not sure if it's the wireless server or the thunderstorms that have been rolling through intermittently or some combination thereof.  Even now, I could not connect well to the internet inside our cottage, but sitting on the clinic patio, the signal is better than ever.

In any case, we are doing well - have just finished (& Carter is just finishing, returning from on outreach site) our second week of clinic.  I will write more later about some of the cases I have seen & thoughts I have had, but for now just an update & weekend plan & funny story.

Mac will pick us up later this afternoon/evening, & then we will all go pick Nancy up from work.  We don't know exactly what we will do this weekend but are anticipating at least a daytrip to Maputo, in Mozambique - which is supposed to be quite lively, according to the doctors we work with.  We will update the blog with tales & pictures after the long weekend has ended on Monday night.  In the meantime, you may not hear too much from us as internet at Mac & Nancy's is not always very quick either.  We will, however, be back to work in the clinic on Tuesday.

So, now that you've read through the "business" bit of the post, here's your story.....

I was seeing patients today with Stephanie, the physician who is our supervisor here in Swaziland.  A woman (probably late twenties/early thirties though ages are hard to guess accurately here) had brought in her little brother to be tested for HIV and evaluated because she's afraid he has TB (their parents both died a few years ago from multi-drug resistant TB....it will get funny, I promise).  In any case, we were waiting for the boy's chart to pull-up on the computer (I know, an electronic medical record in Africa but not in many parts of New Orleans and the States!) making small talk.  The boy's sister laughed a little, smiling at me, & began to say "You're the first white girl I've seen in Swaziland...."  So immediately I was intrigued....I quickly thought about what I was wearing that day, what I had done between getting them from the waiting room & walking back to the exam room, what I had said (or not said), etc....all in an attempt to guess what she was going to say. 
Well, I should have known....I don't recall her exact words, but the gist of her remark was that I was the first white girl she had seen in Swaziland with an African-esque backside.  In fact, she was so impressed with the fact that my behind and hips were in proportion with the (black) women here that she called & told a friend....and I'm not totally clear, but I think she may have even taken a picture on her phone & sent it to said friend!  And just in case anyone is taking offense for me, you don't need to.....it was not meant to be an insult - the woman actually said that it was a good thing (and then she laughed a little more....though I was laughing with her).  The whole things is so funny to me because it's absolutely true (and pretty much all of the white women I've seen around Swaziland, wherever they may come from, do have pretty flat behinds) - - but also because she had the nerve to say something about it!  I suppose it's because she's close to my own age that she felt comfortable, but it was quite the moment!  Then, of course, when I was leading her & her brother to the next part of the clinic, I was somewhat self-conscious of how my dress swung on my hips when I walked (though she just laughed again in appreciation).

I'm sure there will be many more great moments during our trip, but that one will be hard to beat!  That gal'd fit right in down in New Orleans!!

In any case, I hope everyone has gotten a good little laugh from my story & has a great Easter weekend!