Work and Play

It has been quite the adventure the last couple of days. We are all adjusting to the Sri Lankan culture and having fun doing so!

We spent yesterday relaxing, playing with the kids, and meeting with the founder and director of the orphanage. We even got to go down to the beach and watch the fisherman catch fish and sell them. No matter where we go we have someone from the orphanage with us at all times. It takes some getting used to. It feels like we have a body guard!

Today we had tours of the hospitals we will be working at for the next 10 days. Two were Women’s hospitals and one was a children’s hospital. First however we had to meet with the ministry of health and have an inauguration ceremony with the school of nursing in Colombo. They have this big pillar they light at important ceremonies and my instructor asked me to light one of the candles representing the other students. I felt pretty honored :) It was amazing to tour all of the hospitals. It is so different, yet even half way around the world we do many things the same. Each hospital had its own neo-natal intensive care unit and I absolutely cannot wait to work there. Tomorrow I’ll be working in the burn unit at Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital, which my instructor said can be quite difficult. The doctors and nurses here believe that bad things that happen are a result of sin in a previous life-even if the victim is a child. As a result pain medication is limited. Burns can be some of the most painful injuries, and it absolutely breaks my heart to think that these innocent little children are in pain. Nevertheless, it is exciting to be working in hospitals so far from what is familiar.

On a little side note, I thought I would share a little bit more about the civil war that is happening in north eastern Sri Lanka. We learned yesterday that this has been going on for quite some time as a result of the animosity between the Sinhalese people and the Tamil people. We also learned that there is a ban in this country for any type of media relating to the war and therefore most of what is said in the newspapers and on the news here is completely false. We have learned however, that the fighting is contained to an area of about 152 square miles. Please continue to be in prayer for this country and the war that everyone wants to see end.

Thanks! (or as we say in Sri Lanka Istuti!) for your prayers and I can’t wait to share more as the month progresses and when I return home.