Togo Road-Trip Part 5

For those of you bored by the medical field or my constant ramble about health care, for your sake, I will take a detour in this story. I will tell you about some of the other exciting things I have been interacting with on this adventure. Well, the list is huge and I am not sure you will appreciate or even understand the significance of most of it, but I will try to explain. I have been staying in a guest house. It has three bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining room, living room, walk in pantry, and a bathroom. I feel like I am in a mansion! The house design is simple and basic, but I am in heaven! I have SPACE! It’s amazing. I wake up to the sound of chirping birds, rustling trees, and a gentle breeze coming through my bedroom windows, instead of an alarm from the engine room, thunking my knee on the wall of my bunk when I roll over, or the sound of our suction-vacuum toilet flushing. The bathroom in this guest house is bigger than my entire cabin that sleeps four and I have a “luxury cabin” on the ship. I have selfishly taken more than a two minute shower each day and even though it is hot here, I am seriously considering having a long bubble bath before I leave! There is a bath tub here! Glory! Glory! And it is purely exciting to be able to turn around in the shower or reach for my shampoo without having the shower curtain stick to me! Awesome! Goodness, the blessings surrounding me are incredible. The hospital compound has grass, flowers, and trees everywhere! The hospital is situated between some lush, green, mountains, and I feel like I am in paradise. I didn’t realize how much I took nature and dirt for granted until I moved onto a large metal box that floats in the ocean. (It may sound like I am complaining and that I am not thankful for what I have on the ship, don’t get me wrong, I am, but I am just expressing how thankful I am for other things too). One thing I haven’t missed about dirt is the little crawly creatures that often live in dirt. I have seen some beautiful butterflies and some not so beautiful creatures, too. A few spiders tried to sleep with me, but I “disinvited” them before they crawled into my sweet, double bed! I know I am cruel, but I didn’t want to share my bed! I also met the biggest bug I have ever seen in my life. Thankfully, I met him when he was dead. After dinner one night some of the missionaries said they had something to show me. I was confused when they went to the freezer and pulled out two cups taped together. They then proceeded to open the cup and pull out a huge rhinoceros beetle. I thank God I didn’t meet that bug when he was alive. I am glad he climbed on their screen door and not mine! Holy cow! I took a picture with the bug, for your enjoyment, but I wouldn’t even touch the bug myself. I wouldn’t even hold the bug on a napkin, I put it on a napkin, on top of a weaved pot-holder, and then held the edges of the pot-holder with my finger tips. Yuck! Everyone laughed and we put the bug back into its resting place in the cups, in the freezer. One thing I have learned from being here is you better be careful before you open a freezer around this place! I met a few more exciting creatures while roaming the hospital campus. Missionaries are known for having interesting pets and Doctor Russ’s family is doing well to keep up with that stereotype. I met their 2 living snakes, new baby squirrels, monkey named Alf, and their pet civet. I’ve never heard of a civet before, let alone met one. A civet resembles a cat, has a leopard like tail, but apparently is a member of the mongoose or weasel family. I said hi to the little guy, but didn’t attempt to pet it. I get squeamish when it comes to petting hairy things. Many of the other creepy bugs in Togo apparently heard I was visiting and they decided to say hello to me as well. I appreciate their gesture but, I have decided I will be okay if I don’t have to hang out with millipedes or praying mantis in the future. I feel sorry for the last bug that tried to greet me; my patience had run out for meeting new friends…He is pictured to the right with my shoe. Oh, bless that little guy…More to come in this story…but not for the bug that got too close to my shoe!