Work, history and traditional dancing

I would say the last two weeks were both the worst and the best. Thankfully in that order too. Now that the follow-up visits are getting started for my project, that’s a good thing. I also realised I’m now halfway; it has been 41/90 days. My personal deadline to figure things out is the 20^th of this month. So yea..

The last two weeks were the worst because there were some days when I felt like I couldn’t do anything right and I was missing home. There was also quite a lot of work; microscopy, PBMC isolation (that is taking the mononuclear white cells out of a blood sample) training, study planning, meetings, preparing a presentation, reading, SOP writing. It was just a bit too much. But after I finished the microscopy, and for once the PBMC isolation worked, it all got so much better. The weekends are also good. Usually there is work to do in the weekends, but everything is just a bit more relaxed.

PBMC isolation; 4 layers from top to bottom:
medium, PBMCs, ficoll and red blood cells

Friday evening at the River Bar

Having breakfast with my chicks

'Can I eat this?'

Laundry Day

Small girl; big appetite

Saturday morning Brunch

Saturday morning Brunch

Even though not many people attended my presentation about submicroscopic malaria infections and their relevance for elimination efforts, it went well and people really liked it. In the evening they were still bringing it up again and discussing about the topic. I might have to give the presentation again on Monday, when more people will be able to come. 

All set for my presentation

As for the malaria study; the follow-up visits have started today, so the next month is gonna be crazy busy, but I think everything is well organised. I would have organised it a bit differently myself, but maybe that wouldn’t even work. Now we call the participants 1 or 2 days in advance to let them know we need their samples. I would have wanted to do it at least a week in advance, because in the Netherlands people like to know how to plan their days. That is different here; I was surprised how many participants were just fine with it. ‘Oh, you come tomorrow at 5 o’clock in the morning for my urine? Okay.’ I think the average Dutch person would make more of a drama about both the time of notification and the hour of sample collection. I don’t have to do the home visits myself; the fieldworkers do that, but one day I can come with them (yes, at 5 in the morning) to see where they go and what it’s like. Today I was told the fieldworkers would come back at 7 with the urine, but instead it took them till 8. And after that I found out that the door to the lab was locked (usually it's open), and I don’t have a key. Of course no one is going to be here this early on a Sunday morning, and the people who have keys didn't pick up their phones, so I had to climb in through the window. The windows are always open, but have a metal construction in front of them. The key to that thing is inside, and I could just reach in and grab the key. It's an interesting way of starting the day, but really not convenient, so I will have to fix that problem tomorrow. Apart from overseeing the urine collection, processing and storage I will assist with the PBMC isolation and the microscopy. I have finished my malaria slide reading course with the highest competency level according to WHO (World Health Organisation) standards, and it will be valid for 1 year, so yaaaaay!

Labeling urine cups for the first day of the follow-ups

Meanwhile I have also found out more about projects here, and even better, project I could be a part of as a PhD candidate. One about submicroscopic malaria in collaboration with Tübingen, and one about helminth infections and gut flora in collaboration with Vienna. The last one seems the most interesting so far, and also well organised. The only thing is they still want the PhD candidate to stay here for 2 years. I think that is a bit long when it’s a 3 year PhD. I don’t see how it is possible to finish it within those 3 years. Usually a lot of time goes into reading literature, analysing data and writing papers and the thesis. At least half of the PhD time, I would say. There are also compulsory courses. So if 2 years is ‘wasted’ on on-site work.. Well let’s see. There are still many unanswered questions.

Other news: I got braids! I have them for 1 week now. I first had to buy fake hair that resembles my natural hair colour. Then Emma (one of the Gabonese Master students in the research lab) braided my hair for FIVE HOURS!! I now have super long hair, but it’s also super heavy. The first 3 days were a bit difficult, because I had to get used to it. By the end of the day it really hurts, because all that weight is pulling down, but now I don’t really feel it anymore. It’s just very annoying at night when I’m trying to sleep. I hope it lasts for another week, but I can already see my own hair coming out at many places. For now I can still enjoy my African hairstyle.

Braaaaiiidds!!

I know you guys like to read about my little quest about the meaning of love and marriage in Gabon. So here is a little more info. There are many religious people here, and some of them believe it’s not good to be in a sexual relationship (or any romantic relationship at all) before getting married. So far I have not found any men who live by these rules, only women. The women do hope to find themselves a guy who believes the same. Hmmm… Traditional marriages seem very interesting, from what I’ve heard and seen in pictures. I’ve briefly explained it last time that all the groom’s friends/family wear clothing with the same colours and patterns, and the bride’s  friends/family wear another. When the bride changes into clothing of the grooms pattern she belongs to that family. Now I also came to know that the groom has to give money to the bride. Or actually, to her family. He basically buys her, because – I assume – any money she earns goes to her new in-laws/husband instead of her own family, so it’s a sort of compensation for taking one person out of their family. The minimum is 2 million Francs (that is €3000), and depending on education that can be more. The guy in the lab, Rodrigue, explained it to me. His girlfriend did a masters and a PhD, so he has to pay 5 million. He is a bit worried, because he thinks he is getting old and he wants to have children. Most likely they will have kids before they get married, because right now he hasn’t saved enough money to marry her. I think it’s very interesting, because it is first of all very different from Europe, but secondly also different from India, where the bride’s family used to pay dowry to the groom’s family (and there will definitely not be any kids before the marriage).

Friday was an interesting day. It was exactly 50 years ago since Dr. Albert Schweitzer passed away, so there was a memorial. There were many important people, such as the prime minister, the director of the hospital, the president of the German Albert Schweitzer Foundation (who collect money to support the hospital from Europe), the German Ambassador. They put flowers at Albert Schweitzer’s grave and there were traditional performances. I’ve taken a few video’s, which I will add here too. The little girl dancing is soooo cute! 

Checking out police officer's butt with Julie

Important people coming!

From left to right: director of the hospital, prime minister of Gabon
and the president of the Albert Schweitzer Foundation

Dr. Albert Schweitzer's grave

There was also a tour, but sadly I couldn’t join them because there was too much work. I did get some of the pictures, so we can still see some bits of history. Because I wasn’t there I can’t tell much, but I found this text on one the Albert Schweitzer Foundation website, and I think it gives a good impression of how much his work was appreciated and how this place became what it was today.

The old setting of the hospital in dr. Albert Schweitzer's time

The old setting of the hospital in
dr. Albert Schweitzer's time

The old setting of the hospital in dr. Albert Schweitzer's time

A painting illustrating Dr. Albert Schweitzer's influence

"Years ago, he had (Albert Schweitzer) prepared the simple stone cross on his grave. He calmly looked forward to his death and was cheerful every day.

Five days before his death Schweitzer no longer came into the dining room or in the big Pharmacie. He had fallen asleep. All felt - Africans and Europeans - that his death was near. People sat in silence on the floor in front of his room. Others followed and sat down on the yard in front of the doctor's house, under the mango trees and the high oil palms. First there were people from the hospital, from the town of Lambarene and from the nearest villages. On the Following days people came from distant settlements, upriver and downriver from the Great Lakes and from North and South Fougamou. People were lining up. Each testified concern and sadness. All were full consideration to eachother. The coming and going of people happened almost silently. For nurses and doctors the work continued, and there was nothing more Encouraging and more worthy than this silent That community sat in front of the doctor's house.

After three days, Schweitzer awoke and demanded to see the hospital. He had Become weak. As if it was yesterday, I remember how Miss Ali and I Accompanied him on this walk. Arm in arm, we walked slowly down the steps to the yard. The people silently moved apart to give us space. From a distance we looked at the hospital. That axis he remembered everything he experienced - the suffering and joy - He Said in his welcoming Alsatian dialect: "Awer it Hett but e charm of Spitol find her nit oi.?" (But it Still has a charm, this hospital do you find not.?) These conciliatory word is in my memory; the last thing Schweitzer Said about his hospital. Slowly we turned around and went back to his room. He soon fell asleep again and no longer woke up. Everyone who wished to say goodbye, it was allowed to come to his bedside. After two more days his heart stood still, in the night on the 4th of September 1965.

Bells rung at the hospital at six in the morning - Gabon and the whole world heard the death of Albert Schweitzer. In the afternoon of September 5, the doctor was buried in the small cemetery next to his house, next to his wife Helene.

During the Following months, every Saturday and Sunday, mourning groups or villages came from near and far - of all the tribes. They came to sing and pray and so important to dance the Dance of the Dead to show Their love, grievance and gratitude."