My gluten-free diet hasn’t worked as well as I had hoped over here simply because our cook Baba insists on making American meals part of the time. I would take coos-coos over macaroni any day. Unfortunately that means my stomach has suffered from the reintroduction to wheat products and I woke up feeling nasty sick. So I missed early morning Bible study but was able to stabilize myself for work at the Clinic at 8:45. (Just for the record I talked to Baba and he is going to make sure on wheat-filled days that I get something else to eat. I want a tummy transplant.)
The first few weeks at the Clinic Adrie and I are helping out in various areas where extra people are needed. Today she went to pediatrics and I got to go to the pharmacy. I spent the majority of my morning counting pills and taking stock while being able to talk to the amazing pharmacists there. Paige, Grace, and Matthew are all exceptional human beings and I had a lot of fun with them. After every task I completed one would walk over to give a big smile and pat on the back accompanied by a “Very good Cait!” Paige and I started up a conversation about life so it was neat to get to know someone new. (My favorite part is that she told me she is that she is “feeling close to getting married. He needs to move faster.”) The television was on the whole time (I guess counting pills can get a little boring if there is no one to talk to) and it was interesting to see how Americanized it was. They were interviewing a Nigerian rapper from Lagos who had made it big and was turning one of his mansions on the beach into an exclusive dance club for Africa’s rich and famous. Strange coming from a people who value community and good work over status and wealth.
We did some more odd jobs after lunch including putting together a new archive room, filing charts, organizing papers, and ended up back in the pharmacy. This time Innocent was there and he took an interest in where Adrie and I were from and what we were doing. He quickly dubbed us “Teacher Cait” and “Adrie Who Will Marry A Pastor”, which I still find pretty hysterical. As time went by the questions got tougher and the mood a little more intense. We spoke of the presidential election, the Church in America, and spiritual gifts--all of which we were criticized about. I never knew that all my opinions were wrong and ungodly but Innocent wanted to make sure we left the day understanding that the debate we never wanted to be a part of would end up his. I am not a debater. At all. So I ended up leaving the day feeling drained and attacked by a guy I hardly knew.
Luckily God knows what we need so I found a little time to talk to Him, journal my thoughts, and have a nice gluten-free dinner. Afterwards the trio was pretty out of it (Adrie and myself having just trying to defend our faith and Biana still worried about a task that hasn’t gotten done) so Biana grabbed a book and Adrie and I grabbed The Darjeeling Limited. Wes Anderson is a genuis. Every day by the end seems to have lasted the length of a week, which is a bittersweet blessing. I’m glad to be able to fall asleep to the sound of Nigerians singing outside my window.
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