Nana

Upon getting back into the swing of things in the US and telling people about my trip, a few things stick out in my memory more than others. I realize how wonderful the physicians were that accompanied us and how lucky we were to have their instruction and advice for the three weeks that we did. I realize how unique and perfect the group of students ended up being, and I am so glad to have made such good friends from this trip. I realize the importance of the role of the church in Africa and in our Zambian program in particular. Finally, I realize that although Africa now seems like a world away, it is so very important to not shove what we learned and what we saw into the back of our minds. It should be more than a story we tell to our family and more than a cool photo album of giraffes and cute kids. It should be something that we constantly think about and to which we continue to contribute. Yesterday I packed up two flat rate boxes full of clothes I do not wear and sent them over to my friends in Lumezi. Today we are working with Steve and Andy to try to raise the money to send one of the clinical officers to medical school in Tanzania. The work can’t stop at the end of our trip. We have to keep these people and this culture in our thoughts; we have to strive to get back there in the near future; and we have to strive to maintain the friendships that we made during our work.

I made one friendship in particular that will never be pushed to the back of my mind. A six year old little girl took a liking to me very early on when I gave her a sticker in the childrens’ ward (her brother had malaria). I noticed her because she was shy but not afraid and she never stopped smiling at me. The next day she was waiting for us by the hospital gates. Again I gave her stickers. Again she got me with that sweet quiet smile. It became a routine and by the end of the week she was literally sprinting into my arms at the end of the day. Any time she saw us she would come running from a mile away and then I would pick her up and hold her and try to converse with her. All she could say in English was “Hi” and “I’m fine.” For a long time I would say “I’m Kathryn what’s your name?” And she would say, “I’m fine.” Steve and Andy had me convinced that maybe her name was Fine….those silly doctors. At some point she finally said “Nana” and I realized that was her name.

After the hospital one day I gave her a pair of socks with tinker bell on them. The next day Chris and I were walking back from the rural health clinic van (chicken in hand at this point) and he said, “Katmac look behind you. You have a little visitor.” Sure enough I turn around to a beaming Nana with a bag of strawberries. I later discovered that her father was the gardener of the nuns’ garden and so the strawberries were her way of saying thank you for the socks. Brought tears to my eyes.

Needless to say, that little girl generally came back each night and honestly would have made the whole trip worthwhile even if nothing else had gone right. She became a friend and face I looked ever so forward to seeing each day. Even though we could not speak the same language we had a connection that I will never forget. We understood enough to know that we were friends. Any clothes I do not wear will go to that little girl for years to come. Every picture I have of her I have printed and sent along with the clothes to her father so that she may remember me.

So, I suppose the greater meaning of this particular situation that especially stands out to me, is the realization that by the end of a trip like this you come to understand that you are not just here to help the poor people of Africa who are denied health care….you are here to help Nana, our cook Josaphine, her daughter Hilda, and nurse CJ. Being able to put faces and friends with a cause not only makes that cause more real; it makes you that much more likely to want to return to continue your work in the future. The thought that if you wait too long, those friends you made may no longer be around, or even worse, may no longer be living, is enough to get your mind racing about possible fourth year rotations. That is for sure!