Airplane!

I had planned to write this one final blog to talk about how hard it was for me to leave Musanzi and my Rwandan/MGVP family...but I think after my traveling adventures I will have to focus on those for all of your entertainment.

Early Thursday morning, I said my sad goodbyes to the MGVP dogs and then Jan helped me load up the truck and drove me to the bus station.  I kept double checking my room thinking I was forgetting something...I suddenly realized it wsa just a part of me being left behind.  I really consider the Gorilla Doctors to be an extended family and am very sad I could not stay longer.

Jan and Julie (and another volunteer and a phd student) took me out for a fantastic last evening.  We had wine at Virunga Lounge and then dinner at Gorilla Hotel where I pigged out on my fav. goat cheese balls with honey and pili pili chicken.  Julie then was able to convince the hotel to sell me a bottle (she supplied the bottle) of their homemade pili pili (super hot sauce) which she bought as my goodbye gift so I can now share the hotness of Rwanda : )

saying goodbye to Danny the wheelchair dog and Dallas the volunteer

I had decided to take the bus to Kigali (about a 2 hour bus ride but $3 vs. $100 for a car) and thank goodness one of our local coworkers was also planning on heading to town that morning.  JP was kind enough to help me get my ticket and get organized.  The only problem going with JP was that I would have to leave early and sit in the airport alone for several hours.  Fine.  I could deal with that.  Unfortunately, my bags were quite large for the bus and they really pack people on these things.  Nobody was happy with the white girl and her bags, but JP took care of everything for me. 

I was finally starting to calm down and settle in for the 2 hour ride, the driver decided he needed to pee on the side of the road...so everyone else had to do the same...my bags had to be unloaded and reloaded again annoying everyone so that the doors could open and close properly.  Back on the bus, and into Kigali we went, only to be stopped at a checkpoint, where, yup, you guessed it, off the bus at gunpoint we went while JP saved me again by explaining that the bags were mine and not to be searched etc etc....When we finally reached the bus station and managed to track down our friend's driver, I could not have been more relieved.

My flight did not leave until 3:45, but I was at the airport at 11am.  I had to manage my two huge bags and my backpack and small bag since it was too early to check luggage..and of course I had to pee.  I finally found a nice french guy who stayed with my stuff while I ran to the bathroom.  I was able to entertain myself with the free internet and some books but was quite happy to be on my way when the time came!

My first flight stopped in Entebbe first, where we somehow got an hour behind...which then meant in Addis Ethiopia, my flight was boarding when i was deplaning.  I ran very quickly throught the whole airport and did manage to make it although I was fairly certain my bags would not.  I was happily settled in my seat and catching my breath when an African man about my age sat next to me. He was wearing what I like to refer to as the fancy African suit...white with silver designs and pointy shoes. I began to read To Kill  A Mockingbird which I had somehow never read but borrowed from the MGVP library when I found a card that Jan had sneakily put in there when I wasnt looking...as I read her note to me, I tried not to cry but was really trying to figure out how and when I could get back to Musanzi as soon as possible.

As if this were not enough adventure...it gets better.  I am a nervous flier anyways, not from fear of crashing, but from fear of weird people and this flight proved my worst fears.  The flight attendant began serving drinks, and I guess the guy next to me realized some of the wine was free, so he got a bottle of red...then the flight attendant walked away leaving her cart unattended as this guy grabbed several more bottles.  Dinner was served moments later along with another bottle...and several more that this guy decided he needed.  I thought, hmm, this guy likes to party..ok...

My chicken was completely raw, so I skipped dinner and just went to bed.  I normally cannot sleep on planes, but somehow I was out.  I awoke as we hit the ground in Rome for a refuel...only my wake up was disturbed by the noise to my left...yup, this joker was vomiting all over me.  Not just all over me, but he was kind enough to have put down his seatback tray so that the splatter hit everywhere.  I noticed 7-8 empty bottles clanging around that he had downed before I passed out (in under 35 min!)

At this point, I assumed I was dreaming an awful dream and that this could not possibly be happening.  I looked around searching for eye contact of someone who would see my plight..all i saw were people getting up to use the bathroom and stretch their legs. I was trapped in the window seat.  I hit the flight attendant call button over and over and over for about 10 minutes to no avail.  Just when I was really beginning to think I must have gone around the bend, a very nice guy returning from a mission came running back and said he had seen everything and had found an attendant who was on her way.  Meanwhile, this took another 10 min...during which Mr. Drinker McDrinkerson had passed out face first in his tray of loveliness.  I couldnt even speak a word.  The mission guy saw my internal struggle that at this point had to have been very clear and he asked for my bags which I happily handed over.  He then helped me to jump over this guy to get into the aisle...I do have to admit, although I was very calm, it took all of my restraint to not kick this guy in the head as I lept over him.  Fortunately, I had been completely wrapped in a very nice blanket that my dear friend Kyla had given me before my trip, so that mostly protected me except for my shoes and bottom of my pants....

When the Ethiopian Airlines ever efficient attendant finally made her appearance, there was not much she could do.  I was fine at this point b/c it was all over and I figured they would just re seat me.  I hung out around the bathroom area and watched two people dragthis man to the bathroom with his bags to change, as his fancy suit was completely ruined ( as were both seats and the floor.)  I asked where she would reseat me and she said sorry, full flight, nowhere else for me to go.  Some other gentlemen who were also on missions, that were standing near me kept saying that they couldnt believe how calm I was.  I just kept simply saying, well, I cannot sit there is this man's vomit and disease, so Ill just wait until you find me something.  They hadnt lied, there really werent any other seats...I looked believe me!  Meanwhile, they brought in industrial cleaners to attempt to clean the seat.  I asked if they were kicking him off the plane (nobody was getting off- just a refuel) and they said no, they saw no reason to.  I said well, I am absolutely not sitting there.  Now, all of this time, I wondered if these ladies knew how fortunate they were to be dealing with me rather than most other people who would have been yelling profanities at this point....I got my answer when the attendant said no, but you can certainly get off.  I said I would be happy to if she was putting me up for the evening and paying for my first class ticket home in the morning.  She walked away in a huff...at which point I pulled down the fold away attendant seat and strapped myself in.  I said, well, i may not have a TV, but im quite happy to sit here!  While the other passengers found this amusing...the attendants did not.  They insisted the seat was clean and I was to return immediately or be kicked off the plane.  Please understand, I am not tooting my own horn here, but I honestly had not been rude or had an attitude other than the comment about them putting me up in a hotel.  I had not even raised my voice or caused a scene at all.  Those around me continues to tell me they could not believe how nice I was being.

Under threat of being "booted" off the Ethiopian airplane (no pun intended) I did feel my cheeks get a little hot and I was determined that I was not moving.  The original guy who had helped me must have seen that I was about to lose my up to then calm demeanor and he stepped in and said that he would swap seats with me.  i insisted that this was ridiculous, but he insisted he wanted to avoid conflict.  I generally would not accept help like this, but I made an exception this time.  Unfortunately his seat was directly across from the offender...all I could think was that this guy was just going to turn left and hit me again. Meanwhile, the flight was delayed until they could get this winner out of the bathroom.  When they did, he promptly passed back out and began to drool.  the flight attendant then wrapped his head in a blanket and that is how he stayed the entire 9.5 hours back to DC. 

I have to say, 24 hours of traveling was annoying enough, but add that to it and I could not wait to get off of that plane!!!  Did I mention it was Ethiopian Airlines?  I managed to get through customs quickly and in a relatively good mood...plus my bags had somehow miraculously made it!  Finally the travel Gods stopped laughing at me and smiled upon me!

My mom, dad, and sister surprised me with balloons and a welcome home sign.  I was quite happy to see them! That is...until I realized they had for some reason parked forever away....so after the longest 24 hours of my life, i then had to drag my bags another 20 minutes to the car.  Sure, Dad grabbed the easy rolling bag and my sister tried to help me with my duffel but it was heavy and she was in work clothes...so basically, I endured one last insult to injury.  They were all paid back by being in the car with my smelly self.

All in all, it is good to be home with Baxter (who gave me the cold shoulder the first day, but is now back to being a lover) and to get out and ride Quinn... which I did when I got home from the airport and both days since then...but I really am missing Rwanda.  I am not really ready to be back in the swing of things here.  the grocery store was overwhelming...lights and options and constant electricity was almost too much.  Took me an hour to buy a few small items because I could not focus.  Driving around all these crazy VA drivers again was an adjustment as well, although probably safer than Rwandan roads.  Stacy helped ease me into good food with a dinner at Melting Pot my first night back, and I am getting ready for Passionfish dinner with the whole family now...but really, I am missing Leon's soups and fried banannas....

ill be back Rwanda...look out....

Land of a thousand adventures

As my last week has arrived I want to take a minute to thank all of you who have supported me on so many levels with regards to this trip. Without all of your help with fundraising, planning, and of course endless advice I never could have experienced this, the first of many adventures. Your constant emails of support and comments about my blog have kept me upbeat and motivated to write even on those nights when all I want to do is fall asleep. So thank you to all of you. Thank you to everyone who is reading this blog, sharing it, or who have even given Mountain Gorillas a second thought because of my trip. I also have had requests for more shirts which will be available upon my return, just email me your request- remember all procedes go directly to MGVP!


That being said, Dr. Jan (and all of MGVP) has been a great hostess this entire trip and she made this weekend no exception. Jan took a few others and I to Rumangabo for the day. If you have not heard of Rumangabo, DRC, I highly recommend that you look it up. We were visiting the main Virunga National Park Headquarters. I also strongly encourage all my supporters to watch two DVDs…one is called "Gorilla King," which was put out by PBS and includes researchers that I have met here. "Gorilla King" will give you some insight into how amazing these gorillas really are and how similar their social structures and moods are to ours. After that you must see a National Geographic special called “Gorilla Murders.” In this documentary you can see everywhere we visited on this trip as well as people I have met/worked with. These short videos will give you all special insight into how and why MGVP is here and how important they are. I will be forcing everyone to watch these when I am home anyways, so you might as well get a head start!

As we crossed the border into Goma and waited the normal almost 30 minutes for our paperwork to be approved, there was some excellent people watching. Many bright colors adorn the women and there is no shortage of shiny shirts and pointy shoes on the men.  Finally, we hopped into the truck and headed up to Rumangabo.  The roads were pretty rough for the hour and a half ride up to park headquarters. 

The headquarters themselves were very impressive, but add to that the amazing rangers who literally risk their lives everyday to protect the gorillas and everything else within the park and it was unreal.  Jan then showed us the graveyard.  This is where the gorillas who were brutally murdered by people whom they trusted are buried.  Watching "Gorilla Murders" really brought this home. These gentle giants were simply used as politcal pawns.

Next, we made our way down a picturesque trail surrounded by Blue Monkeys, Baboons, and Colobus monkeys.  We were closing in on our goal....two very special Mountain Gorilla orphans.  I cannot do their stories justice, so please read them here: http://gorilladoctors.org/support/orphan-story-ndakasi.html and here: http://gorilladoctors.org/support/orphan-story-ndeze.html   These little girls are survivors for sure!

We spent a long time in a platform looking down on these adorable little ladies, who soaked up the attention.  I was able to get some video of them clapping, laughing, spinning around, and chasing their caretakers.  It is impossible to describe just how amazing it is to spend time around these animals.

As we headed out of DRC, we made our obligatory stop at Shopper where we are able to buy some American food....compared to home, its tiny without much variety, but compared to rice and beans in normal stores..it is heaven! We found tortillini and tomato paste and REAL mushrooms! I even found some keebler elves cookies.... Mmmmm feast later...

At the border we heard a loud comotion and turned to see a "fancy" SUV squeal to a stop behind us. Several men in "Canadian Tuxedos" ( for those who are not familiar with the term- its an all denim outfit) with dark sunglasses surrounded the car.  A well dressed man got out and the border officials working on our paperwork dropped everything to salute him.  There were some "paparazzi" which included a few disposable and a few point and shoot cameras shoving us out of the way.  I pretty much held my ground afraid to be too far from my passport in DRC.  Turns out it was the governor of that particular area.  He was very nice and told the officials to continue working on our stuff.  I have to say I do not think those guys had ever worked so efficiently!

Back at the ranch, we had a ladies evening out at Sabyino Lodge where we enjoyed the view and wine. 

We also had a chance to visit the Skeletonn Project run by Shannon at Karisoke (she is based in DC out of GW)  This is the largest collection of Mountain Gorilla bones in the world. At some point these bones will be turned over to the Rwandan government to be placed in their natural history museum.

Needless to say, I am having a multitude of random experiences here in my last week!  We decided to spend Sunday relaxing and having lunch with Julie and one of her dogs.  I went to visit Zulu our friend's South African Boerboel, since they are out of town and he is lonley. 

Today Jan set me loose in the MGVP lab which has been organized in some fashion, but still needed some help.  The challange for me was to try and organize a labful of supplies without the convenient little tupperware type containers I am used to having at my fingertips.  I am so used to being able to run out and get a specific size, but here, we are lucky to find any.  I found a few dirty dusty containers that I cleaned up, then Jan and I were actually able to track down a few large plastic containers in Musanzi.  I spent all day today in technician heaven.   The first picture is what happens when doctors work without techs.  All my tech friends take note of how much our docs need us.

I then reorganized the necropsy kit so that nobody was in danger of stabbing themselves on loose sharp items in there as well as removing the 40 hemostats and replacing them with more useful instruments.  Hopefully the lists created will help the kit stay in similar condition.

I then created a human PPE kit (personal protection equipment) so that the staff can be protected before opening the necropsy kit.

  Dont laugh at the duct tape...the drug box i organized is done with tongue depressors and duct tape ; )

I believe that is it for now! That was my weekful of random adventures and excursions!  Now I am back to packing and weighing bags.  Seems like I just went through this to come here! I cannot believe its almost over already...time has really flown by!  Ok reality...against my will I am making a beeline right for you!

Andrea in The Mist

As I awoke at 5:15am on July 25th, I began to seriously question my decisions from the previous night. This morning was to be the pinnacle of my trip- I was finally getting to go trek and visit with the gorillas that MGVP works so hard to protect!

Unfortunately, my dear friend Molly was preparing to return to the US. We held a bon voyage party for her during which she announced that she would actually be returning to Rwanda as she had been offered a permanent job! There was much celebrating….which in Rwanda meant lots of goat brochette and large quantities of boxed wine. This party began at 3pm, and around 10pm (with party still in full swing) Jan looked at me and said “Aren’t you trekking tomorrow?” Crap. Jan then suggested I switch to water- as she handed me another large glass of wine. Life is all about decisions, and I admit this may have been a poor one on my part.


As I awoke before the sun, I was kicking myself for all the fun I had the night before.  I waited out front for my driver and just prayed that there would be old fat people in my group going up the mountain. Since they allow any tourist with enough money (and who booked 6 months ahead of time) to climb without any sort of physical requirements you never know what you are going to get.  I have heard horror stories of very out of shape slow people taking all day to go a few miles up the mountain.  I see myself as being not the most out of shape, but certainly not super fast or fit.  I am more acclimated to the altitude than I was for my previous climb but the hangover was definately going to work against me.

 Of course as I climbed into the back of the truck there was only one girl in there. She was about my age, way too perky for that early in the morning, and was going on and on about how she just climbed Kilimongaro and how she is a competitive mountain runner at home country Sweden. Just as I was thinking a few choice words about my luck, we picked up the rest of our motley crew which included nobody under the age of 60 and one woman who has severe asthma.  Sometimes I really do think there is someone smiling down on me....

After a long wait at park headquarters and being briefed by Hope, our very friendly knowledgable guide (who knows all my coworkers here) we took another drive up an almost non existent road to the park enterance where I decided I was not going to hire a porter this time. I figured I could manage my bags myself.  We started our trek up Bisoke by ascending up through all the farms that had been built up the mountain before protective laws went into place.  My head was aching already and my stomach was not happy with me after that drive but we pressed on up the hills.  My shoulders began to burn a bit from the weight of my bag, but I was faring better than with my first climbing experience.

 The poor asthmatic woman we were with had us stopping every few minutes.  As I watched her struggle and express the same feelings of doubt about making it that I had while climbing Ghahinga (although I think that I did not start that until at least 2/3 of the way up) and I assured her it would be fine, we did not mind waiting because everyone goes at their own speed.  The truth was that my body was grateful for the constant breaks.  About 2 and a half hours later, we reached an area where we left our bags with trackers and continued on for another  15 minutes to where Ugenda (groups are generally named for their silverbacks or leader of the family) group was hanging out. Thank goodness they were hanging out low on the mountain this fine morning.

 The groups that tourists visit are habituated to people being around.  Tourists are asked to stay 7 meters away from the gorillas to decrease disease transmittion.  Groups of 8 visit these gentle giants for 1 hour maximum once per day to keep everyone's stress level down.  These groups live on several mountains in the park and its really just a crap shoot which group you get and where they will choose to spend their mornings.  Right now is the busy season so they are trying to get as many tourists in as possible so in addition to the normal habituated groups, there are some research groups being visited.  Ugenda is one of these groups so we were very fortunate to be able to see this particular family.

Up to this point I had managed to steer clear of the stinging nettles that we had been warned about but now I was getting stung over and over through my jeans and on my hands.  Fortunately the pain was not as bad as I had thought it would be and each one only lasts a few minutes.  I did manage to achieve my goal of not tripping and falling into a huge pile of them.

As we quietly approached the area where Ugenda was, the only sounds were of our careful footsteps over the nettles and other bush and clicking cameras.  I tried to really enjoy my hour with my eyes rather than my camera, but I was still able to get a few good shots.

This family did not seem to mind  us being there at all.  They occasionally stopped to look at us as if to ask "what are you looking at?" I saw a mother nursing her baby, several youngsters playing and climbing trees, and then the majestic silverback of the group emerged.  Ugenda is about 200 kg (more than 400 lbs) and just incredible.  He noticed us but did not seem to mind our presence.  We watched him eating for awhile before he went to spend some quality time with one of his females and their baby. 

As with my previous climb, I was not able to appreciate the true beauty of the forest until my descent.  No wonder this is where Dian Fossey chose to be buried.  I was close to her grave and would have like to have seen it, but that was not our goal on this trip.  So close.  Turns out many of the main things I want to see are atop mountains, which goes against my "no more moutain climbing" policy.  Things to look forward to on my next trip.

Hungry Hungry Hippos!

Monday Molly and I set off for another adventure, this time with Julie from Art of Conservation, her staff, and two members of our MGVP staff. In addition,  Kasia, ( Dr. Magda's daughter) also tagged along....not many 6 year olds would be brave enough without their mom but Kasia is a true "bush" child.  Born in Tanzania she speaks English, Swahili, some Polish, and Kinyarwandan and has gone on safari more times that she can count.

Julie organized everything and booked us a large bus to take all 15 of us down to Kigali (2 hour drive) where we met up with our 3 safari cars (plus Julie'scar) to drive an additional 2 hours to Akagera National Park.

This park has been cut down to 1/3 of its orginal size since the war of 1994 to make room for refugees and reconciliaton.  It seems very sad, but there are still many animals within the park and plenty of great views for visitors to enjoy.  We paid our park fees and camping fees and set out to make a plan with our guides.  We had 4 drivers and 2 guides to take us around the park.  We mapped out our plan (not quite what we had wanted to do since the main road through the middle of the park was closed for repairs- but good enough) and then set out for our first camping site.

The staff set up two large tents for all the boys to share, Julie and Kasia had their own and Molly and I shared our small tent.  We managed to get it all set up before dark and I got a fire going for us to cook on (yes- me!)  Everything was going great until the boys accidently knocked over Molly's and my beans and mini weenies....we saved enough for a small dinner at least.  Julie took over the fire after that just in time to have the boys kick a soccer ball into her pot....ok so maybe that first night wasnt as smooth as it could have been.  I had been told that last time Julie and Molly camped at this spot buffalo and baboons came up next to the tents in the middle of the night but I was not fortunate enough to have this experience. 

After a semi peaceful night, we were up in time to watch the sunrise and prepare for our first day of safari!  I was glad for the nutella and peanut butter I bought in Kigali...nothing says good morning like nutella and peanut butter!  We packed up our gear, took down the tents and loaded up the trucks to head to the northern part of the park.

My main goals for this safari were to see giraffes and hippos.  We were not driving long before we came upon our first herds of animals.  There were waterbucks, zebras, and giraffes!  With our heads popping out the top of the safari cars, we were able to be up close and personal with all of these amazing animals.  Although I have seen these animals in parks and reserves before, there is truly nothing like seeing them in their natural habitat enjoying a peaceful protected life.

We continued on throughout the day seeing much amazing wildlife and scenery andn getting very very dusty!  I have to say this was one of the best days since I have been here.  It was peaceful and quiet and empty!  Everywhere else seems so full of people.

I will admit by the end of the day, the 15 people with no shower was beginning to get to us....but camping is fun right? Molly and I did some "spot" bathing and layered on the deoderant and apologized to each other since we sleep 2 inches from one another. We then set up camp by a lake for our second night.  The guide kept telling us there were no hippos in the lake....then our every astiute child Kasia said " But I just heard him!"  The guide kept insisting...until one came up right next to us and grunted and shot water in the air to warn us to back off.  Our ever observant guide then admitted there may be some in this lake, but they were nothing to worry about.  Hmmm....at least my dinner of raman noodles went better this time around....

We slept to the surprisingly soothing grunting of the hippos and at one point I did hear them getting out of the water and splashing back in, but even when I poked my head out of the tent to see I could not really make out their bodies in the dark.  Since our "guides" gave us no "guidance" I sorta assumed as long as we didnt bug them we would be fine.  It is not mating season and we were not in the water so they are not supposed to be too aggressive...at least this is what I told myself ; )  As I slept I could not help but think of the contradictions of Rwanda....and place that most outsiders associate with so much hurt and ugliness and is in fact a very crowded and sometimes chaotic country also posesses some of the most serene beauty that I have come accross.  I cannot imagine being angry or upset muchless murderous in the midst of such a place.

Next on the agenda was the boat tour.  I was very excited to go see the hippos up close as well as the nile crocodiles and many species of birds.  You all know how I feel about natural bodies of water, but I was relieved to find a large new motor boat was there to take us out. 

We passed some hippos and headed out towards an island when...boom...engine died.  everyone should be proud of me...there was no panic until I saw the itsy bitsy teeny wooden canoe type "boat" coming towards us to which I quickly stated my position.  I was not in any way shape or form getting into that tiny piece of crap and rowing directly past the 10-15 hippos we just pissed off.  No way, no how.  Fortunately, this dingy was just bringing us a new battery.  Phew!  Meanwhile, us ladies relaxed on the boat a bit, and I enjoyed some playtime with my new favorite child.

We saw many very cool birds including several different storks, fish eagles, and many more that I never really caught onto in addition to a couple of baby nile crocs.  Then it was back to the cars to make our way back through the park (stopping to see a few more baboons and other critters on the way) and make our way back home.  The car and bus rides home were slowed by a lot of traffic.  Campaign season began while we were in the bush and overnight there were massive billboards with Kagame on them plastering Kigali and all surrounding areas.  Kagame himself was visiting little towns everyday giving speeches, and of course he was in one town we drove through which slowed everyone down.  We could tell people walked for miles and miles and miles to hear their beloved president speak and many were wearing shirts bearing his likeness as well as paper visors.  Our good government friend happen to be with us on the bus and he told us Kagame was coming to our town the following day and we were welcome to go hear him speak but we needed to arrive many hours ahead of time.  Molly and I expressed our distaste for crowded areas but our desire for the propganda....the next afternoon we had a surprise visitor...our friend brought us Kagame campaign shirts : )  We now own a little piece of history without getting mixed up in the crowds.  There is a heightened security all around and helicopters above mean he is coming behind them soon...and there are military police every 100 meters for miles around whereever Kagame is speaking.  I have not heard anyone speaking against him and everything seems very peaceful and I am not at all uncomfortable...in fact, if it hadn't been so cold and rainy (yes in the "dry" season) I would have made an effort to go see him speak.

Since my return, the new vet student volunteer and I managed to get all of the medical records for the gorillas organized.  For as long as the records have been done here, they have been filed either under the doctor who did the work, or under field visits instead of under each individual patient...can you imagine trying to look up a patient history by looking through all of the doctor's files from several years?  We managed to get all of the ones that were already paperless (last 3-4 years) organized by what country they are in, then by what group, and then under individual gorillas.  Hopefully this will help everyone in the future.  Next we get to type up the records from 20 years ago and do the same thing...although many of those gorillas are no longer with us, it will help from a research point of view in the future.  Glad to finally feel like I am being useful!

Time is suddenly flying by and I cannot believe I will have to head back to reality in just 12 days.  I have gotten so settled and into the pace of things here, it will be strange to get back into work and school and life in general.  I do have to say, I am looking forward to some Baxter snuggles and some good quality Quinn time....oh yea and having Angel sleeping on my pillow again would be nice....

Exploding lakes, Heart of Darkness, gorilla in the market oh my!

While I have not had any major adventures in the last week, I have had a few fun mini excursions to catch everyone up on.    Last Saturday Jan drove Molly and I to Lake Kivu near the DRC/Rwanda border. I had never heard of an exploding lake, but apparently this is one of 3 in the world...all of which are in Africa.  There is a combination of Methane and C02in this lake that the Rwandans are able to tap to power the Primus Beer factory. I was very excited about all of this until Jan explained how the lake will occasionally "burp" and kill everyone in the surrounding area by suffocating them with C02.  I had to google all of this to really get an understanding of the situation...very strange.  

While trying to hide yet another new fear ( I have been discovering and conquering many fears this trip this time of C02 poisoning...) we made our way along the lake pausing by a population of large, noisy but intriguing fruit bats and enjoying the views of the old "mansions" that the Beligiums left behind.  Just as my stomach began to rumble, we found our destination an unassuming small hotel and restaurant aptly called "Paradise." 

As we walked past the bar and the beautiful fireplace to the outside seating a beautiful view emerged in front of us.  There was a cool breeze coming off the lake and other than our chatting, the only noise was from the birds fishing for breakfast.  We sat and enjoyed the scenery and drinks while waiting for our lunch.  In typical African fashion, lunch came about an hour later just as I thought I may pass out from hunger.  2 surprising things: 1. We were given wooden utensils and 2.My fish still had all its parts.  Those of you who  know me well know that this may have made me hesitate, but did not stop me from digging in! 

We finished up lunch and headed onto our next destination- Goma, DRC. Of course everyone at home hears Congo and thinks the worst, but I was assured that Goma was far from rebel activity and safe to visit.  Jan and Molly wanted to buy some fabric for some skirts and bags and Congo has the best most colorful ones!  After officially exiting Rwanda, waiting forever to check into (and pay!) DRC, we met a driver who took us to the market. They mostly speak French in DRC, so I felt way more comfortable and was even able to help negotiate some pricing.  When we were finished, Jan asked our driver to drive by the airport so that I could see the UN base and where all of the action happens.  Then, it was home again, home again!

Sunday evening Jan recieved an emergency call about a silverback in the marketplace in DRC.  This particular silverback has a traumatic past in which his entire family was murdered by poachers.  He has made it a habit to come out of the protected park and destroy crops and other property.  He has even seriously injured several park gaurds who have tried to scare him back into the forest.  He had already been sedated and moved once before and it seems that would need to be done again.  I was not able to go on this trip, but I sent my video camera with Molly (our photographer) and the rest of the crew.  They spent Sunday night in Goma and then went to the market where they found hundreds and hundreds of villagers screaming and yelling while this massive magestic animal just sat and ate.  Fortunately nobody had injured him and he had to yet been aggressive.  From the stories and videos I was able to see, the docs were able to dart him, but then also needed several other injections of sedative before loading him up on a stretcher, driving into the park and then having a crew of people carry the big stretcher deep into the forest.  The doctors collected many samples, as they always try to do during any intervention, for research purposes. They then watched "Makunda" wake up slowly and returned home late Monday evening. 

Since I had been home alone and bored, I was thrilled to meet the exhausted team late at night in the lab to get all the samples started and the remaining ones packed up for future use.  I felt a little more at home running CBCs, fecals, and chemistries.

I have been trying to stay busy otherwise with some menial but necessary tasks.  I "fixed"a scale that really just needed a battery, tested a closet full of batteries to sort out the dead ones, and have been walking our friend Kim's South African Boerboel- which is a mix between a mastiff, a rhodesian ridgeback, and a great dane.  He is just a pup, but already massive.  We certainly get looks walking up and down the street!  Molly kept me entertained by taking me to dinner at Muhabura Hotel, a place that Dian Fossey stayed frequently during her time here,although we had a generally quiet week.

Yesterday MGVP recieved a call about an infant gorilla (7 months old) that had been killed in a scurmish within his group.  He was being sent to us to necropsy as soon as the trackers could obtain his body.  It is normal for the mother to carry around a deceased baby for quite awhile.  We also recieved a call about a deceased Golden Monkey that we were to also perform a necropsy on.

Although we knew the cause of death of the infant, MGVP always performs necropsies on any deceased gorilla or golden monkey.  

As the docs performed their exams, I filled out the reports and assisted their technicians in properly labeling and storing samples.  Samples from every animal are split into 2.  RDB the park authority gets half and MGVP gets half.  They save organs, muscle tissue, fecal, urine, stomach contents, bone marrow,etc. all for future testing and research.  There are many projects around the world that rely on DNA tests and other research that is performed on these samples.

Although I am generally a stoic person, I have to say when the infant was placed on the table, I had to catch my breath.  They are so human-like, and he was so recently deceased, it was easy to imagine a little person laying there.  We all worked in quiet respect for the little man as we went about our business.

I joined the group this morning as we buried both bodies.  This is more than a way to dispose of the bodies.  There is a woman here working on her phd in bone studies.  We bury the bodies in a certain manner in a certain position which are all well documented, and then 1 year later they are exhumed and their bones collected.She has the world's largest collection of Mountain Gorilla bones in the world.

Now, I begin an office project of organizing medical charts that have been a bit disorganized for years.....slightly less adventerous than my first few weeks, but there is something to be said for that!   

And I would walk 500 miles....

Before I discuss Monday, which marked my first day with Ernest, a former student of my friend John and a sector vet (sector vets have about a high school level education but are the closest to veterinarians that is available for most local farms) I should explain a bit about the government here. Sector vets control the agriculture in the area so we had to get special permission for me to tag along and make sure that everyone knew what I was doing here etc.  The government is very involved in every aspect of daily life here and they like to know everything that is going on. They want to know who is in this country and what exactly they are doing while here- this is especially true with the upcoming elections.  With Rwanda being about the size of Maryland, it is very easy for them to keep tabs on everyone's activities.  Nothing flies under the radar here. Last week I had been at a small graduation ceremony for a local woman at her home and the former governor of the Northern Province, Bucagu Boniface showed up and sat with us.  The woman's boyfriend has done a lot of work with the government and they wanted to show their support for him.  Boniface and each of his friends stood to give long drawn out speeches that were mostly about the boyfriend and rallied the party with pro-RPF slogans.  The people here seem to love him and he seemed to love grandstanding for them.  It was a bit awkward because "Umuzungus" (pronounced Muzungu- we hear it shouted everywhere we walk- not as an insult, more like an announcement) or "White People" always have the seats of honor.  Molly, 2 friends, and I were seated at the head of the room before Mr. Boniface showed up.  He was then seated next to us in a lower place.  He did not seem to mind and welcomed us warmly to Rwanda.  Those of you who may have read about Genocide may recognize his name...

Back to my first couple of days with the sector vet....

Noel, the technician I work with here at MGVP, came with me the first day.  We took the bus about 25 minutes to meet Ernest, who took us to the sector vet's home where we prepared for the day.  They had a plan to help me experience as much as possible during my time with them.  We packed up frozen bull semen and some instruments and headed out.  We did not get far, as there was a woman with an ailing sheep outside his door.  I immediately recognized a massive ocular ulcer.  He asked my recommendations, to which I said antibiotic ointment every few hours. He agreed, wrote down what she needed to get from the store, and we went along on our way.  This sector vet does not want anyone to know I am not an "expert" so he has told everyone that I am an American veterinarian here to help.  This made me uncomfortable but I quickly realized that this was probably the right decision.  He said to just look like I knew what I was doing, he would teach as we went in English since nobody in these rural areas speaks English. 

We then set out on foot.  Now, if you recall, I had just climbed Gahinga the previous day and was not only incredibly sore, but also seemed to have injured my knee.  I follwed Ernest and this vet for hours, walking up and down hills (Rwanda is not called "Land of a Thousand Hills" for nothing) trying to suck it up.  First we insemenated a cow that was in natural heat.  I was able to palpate and try to locate the cervix. Then we visited a cow that had given birth to twins, but the owners had attempted to help and it appeared that she had dislocated something in the process of them hauling calves out of her.  After much discussion that I did not understand, the sector vet gave an oxytet injection, Noel and I collected blood and feces, and we went on our way.  This seemed completely inadequate, but I am learning that is the norm around here. 

I then was able to palpate two pregnant cows. One that was due in a week, one that was just a few months along.  I was able to easily feel the almost due calf and gently touch his moving head, but had a more difficult time feeling the other one.  It was hard with broken English directions.  I did mention that I thought the one calf would be here any minute. After walking who knows how many miles over 4 hours, we took a smaller bus to inseminate one more cow before hoping on another overcrowded tiny van/bus to head home. We had already missed lunch and my knee was pretty sore, so I called it a day.  I ended my day by helping Molly prepare a delicious dinner of stir fry veggies and pinapple rice and waited for friends from Project Rwanda to join us for dinner.

Tuesday, Ernest wanted me to experience an "abattoir" or local slaughterhouse.  That meant being in their town before the buses ran so Jan was kind enough to drive me out there at 5:30am.  Ernest, the SV, and I all walked to the local market where the killing was to begin.  I am not naive and did not expect this to be pretty, but I had wrongly assumed that they were at least quick about their business. Our job was to do a cursory anti-mortem exam to make sure there was nothing very obviously wrong with the animals before slaughter and then to witness the butchering, then closely inspect the organs looking for problems.

Turns out that they had three cows to slaughter that morning and they wasted no time in beginning.  I was told that the cows were first "stunned" by cutting the nerves that rest behind their ears at the top of their head.  What I witnessed was not "stunned" cows, but essentially hacking animals with rusty dull knives before trying to slit their throats then watching each one take 10 minutes to die.  The worst part was that the live ones watched the others be slaughtered and butchered before it was their turn. I wanted to scream, I wanted to cry, I wanted to run as fast as I could, but I didnt.  My feet were glued, my throat was dry.  The only outward sign I gave was shivering, to which Ernest asked if I was too cold in the mountain air.

After the cows were deceased, I regained my objectiveness and was able to focus on the meat inspection.    As they sat there discussing Anthrax and TB, I could not imagine why they were not wearing masks and gloves.  Ernest and the SV were impressed with my knowledge of anatomy but disappointed that I would not take part in the touching and cutting of the meat without gloves.  I was more disgusted by the minute as we cut open the liver to find what I would have called a large infestation of liver flukes and one of the stomachs that had a heavy parasite load.  Apparently, this was fine and not enough to not approve the meat.  They explained that the liver flukes would be cut out and the remaining part was still edible and that the parasites would cook off as long as the meat was cooked to a high enough temperature.

I was eager to leave that area as soon as possible and was excited to hear our next stop.  The calf that I had felt in the womb the previous day had apparently been born hours after I left.  I guess I stimulated her.  He is from an American father, a Holstein.  I went to do a brief exam to make sure he seemed ok (although I don't know much about cows..) which he did, but mom kept a watchful eye and her horns pointed towards me, so I made it quick.  I then learned that the cow with a potential dislocation had died.  I was sort of relieved that her suffering was over, but felt for her calves.  There was another cow there with milk that would help sustain them.

Next, we recieved and emergency call about a cow with a prolapsed uterus.  The SV assured me that is was close to his home and that it was an easy thing to fix, in fact, I would be fixing it myself!  We did not have time to wait for a bus, so we took bicycle taxis...yes, I, who cannot ride a bike, rode the back "seat" of this bicycle for several miles back to the SV's home.  Although I could not have clenched my stomach any harder as we went up and down steep hills I did manage to make it in one piece.  We then set off to find this cow. Turns out we were several miles from her.  Ugh.  My knee was already screaming but off we went.  When we found her, she was being led along the road by about 10 people.  We tried to get her tied to a tree when she promptly took off down the mountain.  We waited as her entourage went to fetch her. 

 Once restrained I was able to see and attempt to fix the problem.  I was told to use my fists so that my fingers didnt puncture anything.  I was able to reduce the uterous, but found that something did not feel quite right, so I had the SV step in to finish.  Turns out she had also prolapsed her bladder. He spent a long time reducing it all and then had Ernest hold her vulva shut so he could suture it closed. They use what is essentially thick string to suture and old dull dirty needles.  I winced everytime he punctured her skin, but she did not react at all.  I then gave her an injection of Oxytet ( I think thats all they have around here) and we sent her on her way.

Ernest then helped me get on the correct bus home.  I even figured out where I was supposed to get off so that I did not have to walk an additional 2 miles to MGVP.  Another exciting day in the field!  After lunch, Olivier, another one of John'sstudents, stopped by.  I had him and Noel look at some blood smears and fecals and ask questions as they went.  I discussed my awful early morning experience and Noel assured me that in the city it is better and that they are working on laws to improve cattle welfare and killing techniques.

I decided for the sake of my knee that Wedesday would be a semi day off to rest and update my blog.  I did have a relaxing day although on the morning forest check, the gorilla doctors found a dead golden monkey.  Noel and I did the necropsy and report.  Very interesting.  Dogs or some other small carnivore had already gotten most of this poor guy but we wonder if a poacher caught it and then had to drop it while fleeing. Illegal poaching of Golden Monkeys for meat is common here.  The docs were also able to disarm 3 snares while visiting the gorillas.  The snares are set for bushbucks, but frequently young uneducated gorillas will place an arm in one while walking and many end up losing their  hands to subsequent infection.

Thursday morning was filled by visiting our friend Julie Ghrist's class.  She started and runs Art of Conservation,(http://www.art-of-conservation.com/) a great group that teaches children conservation through the arts.  The kids were wonderful and so eager to learn!  Noel did a demonstration of what Gorilla Doctors (http://http://www.gorilladoctors.org/) do and explained why it is so important to protect the Mountain Gorillas.  I was invited to participate in the days art activites which was great fun!  My days here seem to vary between exciting, downtime, and too exciting!  I will update more as the adventure continues!

It's all about the Climb

Since Molly had not yet steered me wrong, I fully trusted her when she said I could easily climb Gahinga, the smallest in a chain of 3 volcanos, the others being Muhabura and Sabynyo.  Seemed like a great way to spend 4th of July to me!  We had packed lunches, some beef jerky, and a driver for the day who took us down the long barely existing road to the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park where he would wait for us. We paid our permit fees and listened to a briefing on the climb. This was considered a moderate climb and we would be joined by a guide, an armed gaurd, and a porter we hired to carry our packs. 

The guide told us to expect a 4-5 hour hike up and 2 hours down.  I was instantly asuming we would taking 6 hours up since I am not in the best shape. Turns out that the altitude was the biggest hurdle.  Most people do not attempt to climb until they have been in the area for a month to adjust to the approx 7,000 ft that we live at here. I had been here for exactly 8.5 days.  The height of this volcano is close to 12,000 feet above sea level.

As we started the 8km trek up the mountain, it was slightly sloping, inviting, and beautiful.  As we dodged the buffalo poop (yes, there are buffalo, elephants, golden monkeys,and bushbucks in these forests) our guide found the first of 3 tiny chameleons that we came accross. 

As we continued, the air became noticably thinner and I was having to start taking some breaks.  I heard Jan's voice in my head "take you time, stop often, do not be embarassed."  I was certainly embarassed the first 2 hours, but after that, there was no choice.  My legs burned with every step, my chest ached with pressure, my mind was unfocused.  As we went from grassland to bamboo forest to virgin forest, the hills turned to makeshift steps, which turned to a series of unstable ladders amist steep hills. It was hard for me to take the time to look around and realize just how unbelievably gorgeous my surroundings were. There were no breaks in the steepness as we went up.  Molly was so patient and encouraging every step of the way, taking time to stop and discuss the different flora when I needed to catch my breath.  At several points I really thought I wouldnt make it, but Molly's assurance that I was doing well and my stubborness must have taken over. Towards the end, I think I was stopping every 50 feet or so and offered to let them go on ahead but the guide told me we were close, that I could make it.  I was a little delerious and at the brink of tears at this point, but just tried to take one step at a time. 

Finally, we reached the top!  I was so excited I just wanted to lay down and take a nap! This was definately the hardest thing I have put my poor body through.  I asked for a time check, thinking I had slowed us down quite a bit, but we actually made it up in almost exactly 4 hours!  The air was cold and crisp, I could see my breath as Molly and I chatted.  We enjoyed our time at the top taking in views of the swamp and the forest. It felt like a fantasty movie with the mist periodically creeping over the swamp, birds singing, and bees surrounding us. It was easy to picture the gorillas snacking up here when there were no tourists to bother them. As I ate my hard boiled eggs and beef jerky (hey it was independance day, we had to have something american!) and the bees crawled all over us ( I repeated the mantra show no fear and they will not sting over and over) I couldn't help but be proud of myself.

As we descended down the mountain, my knees groaned and my muscles burned, but my mind was sharp...could be all that oxygen once we reached a lower altitude, but I like there think there was a little something special in the air that afternoon.

The Case of the Homesick Goat and other short stories...

Thursday, MGVP recieved a call from  Justice, a friend of the group, that one of is goats had not eaten in 3 days and he was very worried. This particular goat was a gift from one of our doctors, and a very sweet boy,so we were also very concerned. After sending our technician to check on him (its over an hour and over a border from here) "Tommy's" illness remained a mystery, so the next day Magda, Noel, and I all drove to the Uganda border to pick up the poor boy. This was a quick trip since we were in the middle of having "rounds"with MGVP vets from all 3 countries (DRC, Uganda, Rwanda) and went to a lecture on socio-economics of the people surrounding the forest. When we arrived we found him to be very thin, but in good spirits. He rode all the way home on my lap. As soon as we had him back at the compound, he instantly ate everything we put in front of him! Labwork was all normal, physical exam was normal...my verdict was that we had a case of a homesick goat. We are keeping him here with us (and the dogs) for a few weeks to fatten him up before returning him to Uganda.

Saturday, Molly wanted to show me around Uganda and take me to Justice's farm. We walked to the bus, and I had my first public transportation experience.  It was crowded andstinky, but not nearly as bad as I had imagined.  As we arrived at the border, Molly took over, she had previously looked up exchange rates etc. and was great at dealing with the swarms of people that attack you as you get off the bus.  The border is a bit like an old west scene, with old buildings and dusty roads. There was a slightly complicated system to check out of one country and into the other and you have to pay and enterance fee of $50 to get into Uganda.  Molly then expertly negotiated motorbike fees and I nervously hopped on the back of one (helmet on of course!)  We took a 25 minute ride over twisty bumpy "roads." Once I was able to relax enough to look, I realized how amazing the views were.  Riding those bikes on those rocks is a bit like riding a tiny bucking pony, only heels down and look up doesn't really apply. I was grateful for my full face helmet when I saw that Molly's face was a very different color when we arrived from all the road dust!  First we stopped at the very famous Traveler's Rest (Dian Fossey and others have stayed there many times) to make dinner reservations as Molly explained it was the best and very cheap.  Then we checked in at the Golden Monkey which is like a cute glorified hostel.  Molly knew all of the staff and we actually got a room with a toilet (other alternative is the shared hole for all rooms) and shower! Plus they had a Gus look alike named Barney- as you can see, he was vicious.  We then met up with Justice.

 Justice is a very sweet man who lost most of his family in the genocide. He, his mother, and his older sister survived. His sister was then blessed with two wonderful sons, but she and her husband were tragically killed in an accident, leaving the boys in the care of their uncle. Unfortunately, Justice works very hard at whatever jobs he can get in addition to selling potatos but it is not enough to feed everyone. My friend took an interest in Justice's family and set him up with goats and a cow who recently calved. This is now still barely enough to get by on and the boys were not recieving any education and almost no nutrition. My friend decided to pay for the boys to enter boarding school where they are only about 30 min from their uncle.  They get proper food, and are being well educated. Unfortunately this friend is currently unable to help pay anymore so everybody here is trying to scrape together enough for the $200 a month tuition that covers both boys. I went with Justice to meet them, the picture is Prosper, the younger boy. I delievered the toys, clothes, and books that you all were kind enough to send with me, to their farm so the boys will have them when they come home on break.  They had previously been robbed of everything, including the kids clothes and books.They are so grateful for everything.   If anyone is interested in helping, let me know!  We are going to attempt to gather enough for at least a year's tuition back in the states, $2400.

We left Justice's and again hopped on the motorbikes and headed to the Golden Monkey for a shower and rest before dinner.  Dinner was fabulous! It was some sort of fish tartar with horseradish,tomato soup then an amazing salad of green beans, lettuce, tomatoes and other fresh veggies. Then came the potatoes, fennel (ick,) and the main course of broiled fish on eggplant. For dessert, my first since i'd been here, we had boisonberry crumble. Mmmm..hands down the best meal I have had since I got here..best part? With our NGO discount, the grand total was $9 including wine.

It was then bedtime, and time to mentally prepare for Sunday's challenge.  Molly was taking me to climb a volcano.