NY Super Saturday!

Last weekend I got a very LARGE shipment of donations from a church group in New York.  They held a Super Saturday event where youth and leaders from multiple congregations united their efforts to collect, knit, sew, and package literally hundreds of items for the people here.

  Knitting hats is serious business for these teenagers, as you can see...

  Don't let anyone tell you quilting isn't manly, especially if you're doing it to meet girls.

This will keep someone warm through the winter!

This must not have been the first time this group has done something like this, because they had the process down cold:  Assembly lines, work stations, numbered boxes with item quantities, packed neatly and tightly.  UPS has nothing on these guys!

Next time you despair about the young generation, remember that there are young people like these who will do things that will amaze us.

Thanks guys!  I'm waiting for the last of your boxes to arrive this weekend.  After that, they will go to the clinic here on base, and the Women's Shelter and Orphanage in Ghazni.  Happy New Year! ("Remember who you are!" HA!)

Matt

Choor! Choor!

As we toted the boxes into the clinic today, the kids started chanting, "choor! choor!" as we filed past.  Once we got inside, I asked the doctor what this meant.  Apparently, when you are ready for the situation to turn into complete mayhem, this is the word you use, since it means something like "free-for-all," "take as much as you like," or "the pinata has just burst open, every mob the candy while stepping over the people in front of you!"  So the kids were trying to get us to say this word so they could take the whole bag of lollipops.

This is Melissa trying to keep people under control while handing out candy.  Even the older men were jockeying for position to catch the pieces that fell to the ground.

Most of the donations we brought today were for winter (it was 19 F last night): lotion for cracked skin, hats, gloves, sweaters, coats, and shoes.  We can never keep shoes, everyone needs them.  If they are two sizes too big or too small, they will a move like Cinderella's sister: cram their foot in, show you it fits, and take the shoes.  Dr. Arfan is trying on some shoes also:

This mother brought her boys with her and asked if they could pick out a pair of shoes. 

 The older boy got a pair of very nice Nikes sent by Leslie and Jim from NY.  The younger one got some warm hiking boots.  They were very grateful, since most people cannot afford quality shoes- they usually wear what we would refer to as slippers or house shoes.   They were so grateful even Mom posed for a "thumbs up" -not something you would usually see an Afghan woman do.

Thanks for the donations, everyone. We'll make this last month of ODB really count!

Overheard in an Afghan Clinic

As the Afghan medical system progresses towards self-sustainment, the rules have changed for me a little.  I'm not allowed to treat patients as their doctor, but I can help in other ways.  So on Saturday I asked the Afghan doctor what I could do to help him get through all 60 patients he had to see that day.  He asked me to prepare little bags of common medications for him. 

There is no pharmacy in the clinic. Medications are kept on the shelves in his 4ft x 8ft office, which you can see in the background.  I took this picture to show that some Afghans have red hair, fair skin, and blue eyes, like this little boy and his sister enjoying lollipops.

As I'm preparing the packets, two young girls are waiting for their brother to be seen by the doctor.  They are watching me curiously, so I smile at them at say "Salaam."  A combination of Afghan culture and my being very manly and intimidating causes them to look away shyly.  I don't need a translator to understand their conversation:

Why is that American dude wearing a red cross and a gun at the same time? 

Shh!  Don't stare at him, it's rude.

I wasn't staring...[looks away, ten seconds later]

I said stop staring!

I wasn't!  [ten seconds later] "What?  I was looking at...something else..."

  I would guess they are about 8 and 12 years old.  Sometime around age 12 or so, Afghan girls stop playing with boys and begin covering their faces around men.

The bench in the background was being used by an American humanitarian worker to interview patients in the clinic to get an idea of what the local medical needs are.    I can't help but listen to the translator's words, since we are all in one small room.  Here is an example of one of the interviews, I thought you all might be interested in the answers as well:

How old are you?

-Probably more than 30 (most Afghans do not track their age into adulthood)

Why did you come to the clinic today?

-To get medicine for my child.  He has a fever and is coughing.

If you couldn't come here, where would you go?

-I couldn't afford to get medicines any place else.  They are free here, so I come here.

Isn't there some way to get medicines?

-If I had to, I would talk to all the women in my village and ask them to share their medicine with me (this is good-hearted but problematic from a medical standpoint.  Painkillers, antibiotics, antacids are all just "American medicines" that are often handed out to one's circle of friends upon stepping out of the clinic)

Did your children get vaccines?

-Yes.  At a free clinic like this one.  (This answer made me happy.  I know some of you anti-vaccinators are disappointed :) )

Do you work outside of the home?

-Yes, when there is work I do as much as I can to earn money.  I clean houses, wash dishes, and prepare food as a day laborer.  But it is rare to be able to find work.

Did you go to school?

-No, there are no schools for the Hazari.  (Hazari are an ethnic tribe, traditionally farmers anand day laborers, on the fringes of civilization because of their Asian ancestry.  My interpreter, who is Tajik, later told me, "you will never find in all of Afghanistan a Hazari begging for handouts.  They are hard, hard workers and always find jobs)

What do you usually eat for food?

-Whatever we can.  If there are beans, we eat beans.  Sometimes there are potatoes or squash.  We eat whatever is there at the time.

How old were you when you got married?

-About 15

How old were you when you had your first child?

-The same

Did you and you husband plan the children, or did they just come naturally? (This struck both me and the interpreter as a silly question.  I assumed she was required to follow a standard questionnaire)

-Of course they just came naturally

How many children did you give birth to?

-Seven

Did any of them die because of sickness?

-[sobbing]

(I was taught in my "cultural awareness" class that Afghan parents are accustomed to losing children and it doesn't bother them as much as it bothers us.  As a parent of four children, one whom was born too early to survive, this struck me as garbage the moment I heard it.  I was also taught that I should keep my distance from women and not interact with them directly.  Well, I guess that's two things I disagree with.  I knew it would be wrong to put my arm around her, but I had to at least give her a tissue.)

-Yes, I lost two children. [sobbing].  Please don't ask me their ages.

From here, the interviewer could tell it was time to stop the survey, and the conversation turned to lighter things like her beautifully embroidered housecoat and the handsomeness of her sons.  Soon her turn to see the doctor arrived, and her sons got medicines and lollipops as well as some winter clothes.  So when people ask me, "don't you worry about people coming to the clinic just so they can get free stuff and sell it!?"  I think of people like this lady, just doing what she can to take care of her sons.  I know she loves them as much as I love mine.

  Thanks for all of the donations, we gave away a lot today.

Dear Washington

Dear Friends who sent toys "With Love From Washington,"

Thanks again for the donations of toys and school supplies.  In the middle of November, the stuffed animals and coloring books went to Ghazni City Orphanage in eastern Afghanistan.  They were given to the children by the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), made up of Army, Navy, and Air Force military members.  Their mission is to build roads, schools, waterways and other important projects for Afghanistan.

  The Texas Agribusiness Development Team (ADT) also joined in.  They help teach Afghan farmers how to use water efficiently, develop soil, and care for food crops.  They even planted a small garden at the orphanage.

  Afghanistan has a lot of orphans because of all the years of fighting here.  It is still a very dangerous palce.  Even the orphanage has to be surrounded by barbed wire to keep the children safe.

 These buildings are their home as well as their school.

  Part of the reason behind these missions is to show the children that Americans are not the enemy, and that we want them to have a better future.

  For me, the best reason is just to see kids with happy looks on their faces.

  The orphanage director wants to thank everyone in Washington who sent items to Ghazni.  She is very grateful for all that you have sent!

There even more photos of the kids online on PicasaWeb, available to everyone:
https://picasaweb.google.com/101354529361885204071/GhazniCityOrphanageMission16nov2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCNGNktOO8pPGaA#

If you want to read more about PRT and their projects, visit:
http://prtghazni.blogspot.com/
http://blogs.usda.gov/2010/12/23/playground-brings-smiles-to-afghan-orphans/
http://www.rc-east.com/regional-command-east-news-mainmenu-401/2504-launch-of-ghazni-city-hospital-and-orphanage-brings-hope-to-afghans.html

Getting Olivia'd

I've been so touched and inspired by others' generosity that I wanted to share a couple of stories. A few weeks ago as I was leaving early in the morning to go workout I found this on my doorstep.

A huge box of donations left anonymously on my doorstep for ODB. Inside the box were razors, soaps, feminine hygiene stuff, toothpastes, toothbrushes and other hygiene supplies. In the bag were women's clothes and blankets. I wondered who the kind soul was that left this. I only found out when she came again the next night and I accidentally "caught" her. She knocked so quietly that had I not been standing close to the door I probably wouldn't have heard her.  She was dropping off a few more items she had collected.  This extremely thoughtful act was done by a single-mom I go to church with. Honestly she isn't someone I know well, nor did I have any idea she was collecting stuff for ODB. But very quietly, without seeking any sort of acknowledgement, for the past several weeks she would throw a couple of extra things in her shopping cart for Afghan women and children, and the military personnel.

Then yesterday I received two more large bags of stuff.

These came from one of my very active, very independent neighbors who would (justifiably) be offended if the only word I used to describe her was "widowed". She has been very busy knitting hats of all sizes, and sewing baby blankets for the Afghans. In addition she bought a lot of warm blankets, wash clothes, gloves, and coloring books to donate.

I knew it before, but it has certainly been reiterated, I have some very cool neighbors!

--Becky

Pins and Needles

Paging Dr. House: what's wrong with this man's elbow?

If you guessed, "an Afghan citizen injured in a vehicle accident in Iran 18 months ago, who now cannot afford to pay the bribe to the hospital in Kabul, and traveled 4 hours by bus to come to the Ghazni clinic" you are exactly right! 

This unfortunate man had left the country to find work in Iran, got injured, had pins and wires placed in his arm, and was sent back to Afghanistan.   He was hoping we could take out the hardware, because it gives him a painful (appropiately named in this case) "pins-and-needles" sensation and occasionally pokes through his skin. 

(medical types who can't help poring over the X-ray will note persistent non-union of the olecrenon, and lucencies around the wire and pin suggestive of infection)

Unfortunately, we can't do the surgery here because we don't have the right equipment.  But we were able to refer him to a South Korean hospital in Bagram that does charitable cases like these.

Today I also gave some of the clothes you all sent to an 8 year old boy whose thumb was blown off by a land mine.  This is not uncommon, as Afghanistan has the most land mines per square mile of any country in the world.  We took him to the operating room to clean up the rest of his hand, and since his clothes were totally bloody, I got him a sweatshirt and pants for his trip to Kabul, the capitol, to get further care.

  We also gave out dozens of winter clothes for men, women, and kids, and handed out many more toothbrushes and toothpaste.  

Donation Comings and Goings

GOINGS:
Here's what went out to Ghazni City Hospital and Orphanage this week:

About 150 pieces of women's and children's clothing.  These were from Claudia & Kreso as well as Xiaodi in Texas, and also Jim and Leslie (and generous co-workers at Hudson-Baylor!) from New York. 

40 pairs of shoes, sent by Rachel from California, and Jim and Leslie.

The clinic here at Ghazni recieved: 200 toothbrushes, about 60 tubes of toothpaste, 20 hats, 40 gloves, and about 30 pieces of women's clothing.  Thanks to Lisa from Texas, Sarah from Ohio, Becky from Washington, Kathy from Utah, and Chris and Katie from California.

COMINGS:
We got some fantastic donations in as well:

Tricia from Michigan sent hats, socks, toothpaste, toothbrushes and soap.  Thank you!

Hillary from Washington had her third grade class send treats and coloring books for the kids at the clinic.  They also sent my team some cards, which I passed around today and everyone loved.  There are two that were so adorable I have to show them:

These cards (and two others put up by my teammates since the following picture was taken) now decorate the entrance to our operating room, where wounded soldiers come to have surgery so they can continue to fight bad guys for us:

I have to include a picture of this gift also, because I can tell it is from the heart:

Thanks Jack!

Clinic 26 Nov

It was very busy in clinic today.  Standing room only on the female side, as there were many mothers with young children.  Some had come because they had heard they might be able to get clothes for their kids.    We handed out clothes for both women and children.



Things were a little calmer on the male side.  After being seen by the doctor, the patient would get a short lesson on brushing their teeth. We handed out a toothbrush and tube of toothpaste to the patients that needed them.

These boys got to pick out their favorite color hat and gloves.  The older boy in the picture will be sporting the neon green one.  I'm glad they got them, because it is 32 F as I write this.

Americans have high blood pressure.  Afghan women have low blood pressure, often 80s/50s.  The Afghan nurse tells us it is because women are afraid if they drink water, they will get full of fluid, look fat, and their husbands will leave them.

What could be more manly than rolling down the Ghazni "strip" in my little six-wheeled gator, trailing behind 10-ton armored vehicles, and toting this cargo?  The nurse was very surprised and impressed that I would bring laidies' underwear and pads.  She recommended I have the female nurses help to hand these out, because the women would be ashamed to take it from a man. 

I did not fight her on this issue.

Thanks and Giving

It has been said that some of life’s greatest lessons come from unexpected sources, and indeed, the most valuable lesson I ever learned about the joy of giving came from a seemingly unlikely ambassador: two doorbell-ditching teenage boys.

It was December 13, and the doorbell rang. When we went to answer the door, nobody was there, but on the doorstep was a small, obviously handmade dessert with a simple note that just said “To Olivia: one lemon cake.” We figured that there must have been a mistake in the delivery. There was no Olivia in our family, nor did we know anyone in the neighborhood that we could think of by that name. We had just returned to the family home after a few years out of the country, and we suspected that maybe one of the renters had had a child named Olivia. However, since we did not know who had left the package, we couldn’t really return it, and I’m pretty sure we just quietly enjoyed the dessert.

The next evening the doorbell rang, and again, an unattended treat was left on the doorstep with another note: “To Olivia: two chocolate cookies.”  This was followed by a trio of goodies on the third day. Although we were enjoying the treats quite a bit, we started to feel a hint of guilt since these were clearly not intended for us, so on the fourth night, we left a note to the mysterious gift-giver to let him or her know that Olivia did not reside at this house. So we were surprised when a fourth treat was left that evening, but the note that we had left was gone. We followed up the following night with a more emphatic note of explanation, but again received the Fifth Night of Christmas. After nights 6 and 7, my brother Matt became determined to “catch” the gift-giver, just to make sure that they knew that they really had the wrong people. We all waited in anticipation as the doorbell FINALLY rang on Day 8, and my brother Matt ran out the door to chase him or her down. After some time (and both a chase on foot and by car), he returned and explained that he had finally caught up to the culprits: two teenage boys not much younger than Matt. Matt told them that our family  really didn’t know an Olivia or where she may have moved to, to which their response was “Yeah, we’ve known that Olivia didn’t live there since we got your first note on Day 4, but we’ve had such fun, that we just decided to keep doing it anyway.” And so, for Days 9-12 we just waited with great anticipation each night for the chime of the doorbell and gratefully enjoyed the Gift.

The whole experience left such an impression that the following year (and many years after) our family selected a house at random and anonymously left something for each night between December 13-24. Those teenage boys were right: it was tremendously fun! Some members of the family would be involved in the planning, others in the preparation of the gifts, and others in the actual delivery, but every night each of us played a part in “Olivia,” and I think every one of us found immense joy in those moments that we spent together in planning and creating, and in the car together on the way to and from the “Olivia” house for the delivery.

The tradition is nearly two decades old now, and there have been several “Olivia” recipients across the nation as we have moved away from home and started the tradition in our own families. I was excited about the prospect of an international debut of “Olivia” this year and asked Matt about it, but he noted that unattended packages might not be quite so welcome on the military base in the middle of Afghanistan. But, he suggested, we might be able to “Olivia” some widows and orphans—not just at Christmas, but throughout and perhaps even after his deployment--and his initial email about Operation Desert Blossom immediately followed.

While “the 12 Days of Christmas” undoubtedly means absolutely nothing to this year’s (Muslim) recipents and will hopefully extend long beyond a few weeks of the holiday season, my own experience with this year’s “Olivia” has not disappointed. In fact, it’s probably been the best year ever.  Of course it is nice to imagine that there are at least some grateful recipients of the basic things that we send and that this makes a difference for the few Afghani people that we can directly help, but even if that were not so, there are tremendous benefits to us in giving; our involvement brings the joy that those teenagers were talking about as we come together as a  community to contribute to a project like this. For those of us here in the States, we gain some much needed knowledge about what’s happening in that part of the world, a sense of profound gratitude for things both big and small that are afforded us, and a newly-found appreciation for the generosity and kindness of our families, neighbors, colleagues, and friends, but also that of complete strangers and new “friends.” It provides people like Matt and his group in the military with a sense of purpose and a constructive and positive respite from the grind of what can be an otherwise utterly brutal environment, sometimes physically, but more often psychologically. Communication around the planning and collecting and coordination and staging and delivering initiates and sustains a delightful and contagious connectedness among people from all walks of life in way that few other activities can. The more and the longer you’re involved, the better it gets. I assure you, it is most decidedly “fun”, and in these moments of kindness, perhaps everybody involved wins.

Soap, Shoes, and Fun

Today we talked about the importance of washing hands with soap before meals and after using the bathroom, as well as washing often when we are sick.  The patients who listen to the presentation get a free bar of soap to take home.

Keeping your feet covered is important for preventing soil-borne bacterial diseases from getting into openings in your skin.  Most Afghans have one pair of shoes.  This man now has two, thanks to the generous donations of people back home.

That's enough serious business for one day- now it's time to hand out some treats to the kids just for the sake of putting smiles on their faces.  Every kid needs a goodie for being brave at the doctor's office, right? 

 Now that we've given them sweets, we'll need to make sure we talk about oral hygiene.  Luckily the folks at VentureSix.com provided two hundred toothbrushes to our cause!!

Thanks VentureSix!  Next week we should have enough toothpaste to hold a clinic workshop about toothbrushing.  Getting to pick your favorite color is nice too!

Thanks everyone back home: I officically name November 19th as "Best Mail Call Ever" Day: everything in the picture (and four other boxes I couldn't fit into view)  came today.  The Haul: 21 boxes, including kids clothes, hats, gloves, five boxes of shoes, and women's items.  Tomorrow's job: inventorying and staging it all in the storage shack I built from spare materials.