Yesterday, I arrived back into da bush- after spending 3 days on the mainland. It was a last minute decision (like literally we decided within 30 minutes of the ferry departing) we had too many things piling up on our "to do list" for Apia and as it looked to be a quiet week at the business, we jumped shipped and went to the big city.
While we were there, we thought we'd get our vehicle looked at (finally) it was making a disturbingly loud humming noise when you drove it (for lack of any other mechanical explanation)- like the mechanic asked me over the phone- "whats wrong with your car"- me (with no idea of how a car works)- "uhm, it hums...like really loud." questions like " do you think its a bearing and which one or a cv joint??" mean nothing to me..you might as well be speaking chinese. Anyways, me and the hubby constantly fight over where to take our cars..the ongoing- you dont know who to trust debate (i.e they might take parts from your car to fix their friends car and us being clueless would not know...) always prevails and for the last few years our vehicles always end up at some bush mechanics front lawn.
Definition of bushmechanic- A person with some experience but most likely no qualifications, who ends up being a known "mechanic" in the bush because well- there are no car garages/qualified mechanics here...skills are questionable but they could probably glue a hosepipe, a saucepan and some twine together and get your car moving again...for a week or two...
I lose my mind every time our car ends up at the bush mechanics place because-
1) they have no concept of time and constantly hold you at randsome- ie.well i dont have time today but maybe next week- leave you car here and Ill do little amounts of work over the next 3 months to get that thing fixed
2) they dont really have tools/machines/parts/oil etc things you need to diagnose/resolve problems and we constantly have to run into town to get stuff.. (you know stuff a normal garage would usually have like Oil, grease, brake fluid ..a spanner)
3) they dont ever clean your car and infact you get it back with a few CDs missing, hand grease marks all over the ceiling/side doors/ on the floor that can not be washed off
4) if you are lucky like us and your car stays there for a month, bet your bottom dollar it will also have nasty mould in it on it and around it as well...thanks
5) the twisty packets and bubble gum on the chair are small hints that maybe some young children found a play haven in your car while it was at the mechanics..
6) when it does get fixed..most likely the mechanic WONT call you and tell you that your car is fixed and ready to be collected, but instead use your car for a week for personal errands, and when they run into you on the road- they may throw you a nonchalant apology- " theres been a funeral in the family" and they just need to cart pusa elegi and Povi to a village kua in your car..
and lastly..at no point can you sue them, yell at them, throw stones at them for how uunprofessional the above is because..your car might die at the Maliolio river one day and you may need his Mcgiver quick fixes to get you out of their before the river bursts...
nuff said.
Anyways- we took the car to a 'proper' mechanic and prayed he did a good job and didnt replace things with old bus parts...we got it back looking pretty buff, cleaned and all the faulty things resolved..however the mechanics failed to screw the bolts of a wheel on tight and halfway to the wharf the hubby (and I swear someone is looking out for him) happened to see 3 silver things fly out the side of the car, he pulled over and his front tyre was one spin away from coming off completely...he was with my daughter and we can not count how many thankyou prayers we have said as he avoided a major accident surely. Of course the "proper" mechanics got a bit sloppy and the hubby gave them a peice of his mind...dang it..this might mean that our cars go back to bush mechanics int he future...crap.
So now , we are back on the big island...Now I know Ive mentioned many times my grey hairs, in actual fact its one small patch of grey hairs that I have that make me look a bit rogue/xmen like...Just discovered this week that this is a genetic trait common in pacific islanders..wow..that explains it all- but Im sure its accelerated by stress!! haha...and what stress do I have to share today? Well..part of the hubbys business' biggest stress is our bar/restaurant. If I had seriously known how much work this sort of enterprise required I think I would have thought twice about going into this. But as we have, over the years we've tried things that have flourished and things that have failed. There are many things we dont get in Savaii so we try to keep things minimal, fresh, tasty and straight from our surrounding suppliers ....what always gets up my nose (just a little) is when customers come in and say things like "why dont you have Samoan food on your menu?" ok...we have oka, falai I'a, faiai fee ,kale moa..etc...but no they want umu and luau, pua'a and mamoe kao..but oh did I mention we want our food served in 20 minutes otherwise "this is the worst place Ive ever been too" ok..an umu takes hours to prepare..and if you have 1 guest dining a day..its just not feasable..
Anyways, we try to put some local things on the menu but a big fat Samoan feast really is only on offer for a booked buffet or Sundays (where we will just share our family toanai) anyways..today, a group of 30 guests staying with us for a local "event" (comprising of locals from Apia) were humming and hah-ing overwhat to get for their dinner, theyve been here 3 days and mostly never eat at our restuarnt (apparently they are being fed by various clubs/churches etc) but today they come up, look at our menu (ala carte menu, you know, like steak, fish and chips etc- one meal will serve on person) and said- well, we dont feel like this. Instead could you make us plates like this (like sunrise style)for $20 and could you get us some moa samoa etc etc ok its Saturday afternoon..the shops are all closed..and now you want a buffet?? at the last minute? for a miniscle price??.."you know, we are in Savaii so we feel like these things" right- first of all- get yourselves organised please and think of the sod who now has to run around like crazy for your last minute appettite...I cant exactly go out and buy a moa samoa from a little shop in the village...I can faakogu some from families,...but for tomorrow...people are not exactly sitting at home hoping that some visitor will come and ask them to go catch a chicken for them to eat that very day..e se kailo se...I swear my siga patch just expanded...lol- in actual fact the poor hubby, all 110kgs and 34 yrs of him, ran around the hotel..and actually caught a couple of moas...yes, believe it. He was panting terribly by the end of it and probably lost a few pounds as well...but thats what you gotta do to Satisfy your customers....hmmm...
I wonder whether these people walk into Restaurants in Apia and look at the menu, and then demand something completely different? like who does that??arggg...then they look at you with an eyebrow raised as if to say " you are in the hospitality industry, its your job to please me and bend over backwards to fulfil my dreams of food in Savaii"...Ia ua lelei la Mr I dream of Savaii food...LOL. Anyways- this is my usual rant and rave over the headaches of my day/week...at the end of it all...I think we get the job done and people go away satisfied...agailoa le blog lea Id probably be hung!haha....
anways- gotta go now and look for stock for this buffet...maua gei foi le mea foi gale e 30 people ga book ae o appettites a le 90 people so need to hunt down the last of potatoes, taro veges etc ,..remaining on the side of the road stalls and in village shops! Sei aumai foi i Salafai se Farmer Joes faamolemole! Til my next blog..ciao!
Friday, October 05, 2012
Thursday, September 13, 2012
busy-ass-day
That sums it. As usual..my 4 hour allocated plan ended up being 8 hours...catastrophe after catastrophe at work today much to the delight of 50 patients waiting..patiently...outside the emergency room doors . What is frustrating as usual with our people is the perception that Im going put my finger on someones pulse...and figure out exactly what is wrong with them. no..doesnt work like that any more...back in the Day of zulu china medicine thats what they did...in lack of any other knowledge of disease and medicine- they figured out a fast pulse was = sick and slow pulse also = sick and the 4 things that could cause that . If I put my hand on your pulse..all I can tell is whether your heart is beating normally or abnormally. If it is abnormal...there are a million reasons we now know for that andmy finger alone can not solve the mystery of your illness if you cant give me a bit more information....
A difficult case we received one day was an elderly man brought in practically pa-dead. (no disrespect meant at all ..just me own venting slang..) but literally wheeled in blue in the face..struggling to breath. His relative..sat there comfortably in a chair and while we were rushing madly to try to revive the guy..I was trying to get a history of what happened prior to his pa-deadness to try to pick up the pieces of the puzzle. She insists he is sick because he fell
This is an age old saying in samunda. If a kid has meningitis...its because he fell. hard. a month ago. forget the fact that there was a 3 week interval of wellness....now that he is sick...it all comes together in the parents eyes- that fall must have been the cause. Which is why everyone must be taken first to the fofo...to massage his head which struck the leg of the chair when he fell and he got a small bruise and cried..and caused the meningitis. Same with pneumonia...or joint sepsis...or tummy bugs..they are apparently all the product of a fall..somewhere sometime ago. eggs me. I dont want to hear about the fall unless he broke a bone....or hit his head and became unconscious. And I can not continue to try to convince people that falls dont often lead to many illnesses unless they got a cut and it got infected..or they broke a bone
so Im trying to get more info out off the relative while resuscicating a patient and she perisistently insists that there is no need to tell me anything else except about his fall..where he landed on his behind...and then needed a massage. the man cant breath..looks toxic septic..his heart trace is abnormal..and all she wants to say is he fell.arrrghhh...I am a medical practitioner but not a magician
In the end I have to politely tell her that I dont need to know about the fall..but can she tell me about his fever..and whether he had chest pain etc. she looks shocked...as if I have asked her a stupid question...Im trying not to lose my cool.
Later on another relative comes in...and disclose that patient has actually been unconcsious for 2 days.... and where the wife informed me that "he ate this morning" was actually them trying to force vaisalo down his throat while he was comatose....ok nuff said.
Man I love/hate my job..I wish people could just answer the question and give us the info we need....would make our job alot easier....I knew it was not going to be easy...but some days- its just ridiculous. ..
ae kau alu la i le toilet and "eh" mai kagaka...hmm...and one wonders why ones hairs are turning white!!lol...
good day folks- going to try some Vailima Pure!!
A difficult case we received one day was an elderly man brought in practically pa-dead. (no disrespect meant at all ..just me own venting slang..) but literally wheeled in blue in the face..struggling to breath. His relative..sat there comfortably in a chair and while we were rushing madly to try to revive the guy..I was trying to get a history of what happened prior to his pa-deadness to try to pick up the pieces of the puzzle. She insists he is sick because he fell
This is an age old saying in samunda. If a kid has meningitis...its because he fell. hard. a month ago. forget the fact that there was a 3 week interval of wellness....now that he is sick...it all comes together in the parents eyes- that fall must have been the cause. Which is why everyone must be taken first to the fofo...to massage his head which struck the leg of the chair when he fell and he got a small bruise and cried..and caused the meningitis. Same with pneumonia...or joint sepsis...or tummy bugs..they are apparently all the product of a fall..somewhere sometime ago. eggs me. I dont want to hear about the fall unless he broke a bone....or hit his head and became unconscious. And I can not continue to try to convince people that falls dont often lead to many illnesses unless they got a cut and it got infected..or they broke a bone
so Im trying to get more info out off the relative while resuscicating a patient and she perisistently insists that there is no need to tell me anything else except about his fall..where he landed on his behind...and then needed a massage. the man cant breath..looks toxic septic..his heart trace is abnormal..and all she wants to say is he fell.arrrghhh...I am a medical practitioner but not a magician
In the end I have to politely tell her that I dont need to know about the fall..but can she tell me about his fever..and whether he had chest pain etc. she looks shocked...as if I have asked her a stupid question...Im trying not to lose my cool.
Later on another relative comes in...and disclose that patient has actually been unconcsious for 2 days.... and where the wife informed me that "he ate this morning" was actually them trying to force vaisalo down his throat while he was comatose....ok nuff said.
Man I love/hate my job..I wish people could just answer the question and give us the info we need....would make our job alot easier....I knew it was not going to be easy...but some days- its just ridiculous. ..
ae kau alu la i le toilet and "eh" mai kagaka...hmm...and one wonders why ones hairs are turning white!!lol...
good day folks- going to try some Vailima Pure!!
Thursday, September 06, 2012
what a week
Yes... I am butt crack tired and while I have a mountain of paper
work to do- all I can find the energy to do is BLOG. Yes....its my 2
minutes of sanity for the day:) And for some reason it feels fulfilling.
Unlike paperwork, it has that...how can I describe it...that kinda
satisfaction you get out of swearing under your breadth at something
that annoys you! ( I know a cousin of mines who would nod their head at
that comment..stop swearing) yes....anyways.
Had a full on week in my number 3 shoes as a doc at the hospital. Had to do some extra hours to help the team which has been...tiring to say the least. (number 1 shoes is mom and number 2 shoes is the home business) This week has been UNUSUALLY busy and the OPD clinic has been chokabloc by 10 am the line of patients surpass the seats available-go beyond the corridors past the dental unit all the way down to the immunization clinics...thats like...way too long for me. It has been...trying. Man...my problem is...I genuinely want to help people. I want to see the sick people quick and get them treated and sorted. From time to time I do eyeball checks when I run out to the loo and pull people out of the stupid numbering system of first come first serve and just get them inside to you know, prevent them from keeling over and having a heart attack...but work never fails to get my blood pressure up
on one very busy day- I forced our team to try to triage people (you know- do their recordings (temp/blood pressure etc) and bump up the ones who were really sick (i.e very high temperatures or short of breath or low bPs) so that we could see them quick enough in the mass of hundreds out there who were mainly repeat perscriptions sniffly noses and pain killers. Man, to my shock...all hell broke loose. people were yelling, nurses were trying to calm them down..and to top it off one person in particular stood up and abused the staff outside very loudly about a kid who was ushered in before him having a number which was further down the line from him - ended up discovering he was a priest from a certain village!! talk about keep the peace....in the end..traige fell apart because of the big mouths outside...for freaks sake man...bet it wasnt the really sick ones that piped up...e se kailo se
today ..after a whole week of slugging through the masses..I started to lose my cool. Up to number you know..67 and the patient sat in front of me could not really say why she was there...fiu e fesili aku poo le a le ma'i and in the end she says- I just came to visit a friend in hosp and thought I would get a check...for ..nothing. number 67 been in line for 4 hours...ae leai se mea o kiga...then starts fabricating reasons for me to check her left nostril which hurts sometimes and the other day she had a rash on her hand but its gone now. Koeaikiki percribe aku se kui lou muli.
Then a mum comes with her 17year old daughter. She stands over her with her eyebrows raised...me- introduce myself- whats wrong- Mum- practically shouts out "lea...gale...gae ma'i" (shes sick look at her) ok..try to ask the teen about her symtoms but shes rolling her eyes at her mum as if to say "i hate you you dont understand me" you know that teen stage where you and mum are just not best friends...again- what is wrong what are the symptoms- "well obviously shes sick!" says mum- look at her as if eyeballing her is going to miracoulousy give me a vision of what has been the problem .."sleeping all day..faimai kiga le ulu..gae mai - aumai saga fualaau tui (give me antibiotics)poo se mea e koe faa ala ai maka!" ok...now resort to the close ended questions we were always taught never to use- Do you have a sore head YES..sore back?YES..sore eyes? YES...have you had fevers YES.. ok...every question was a yes..but examination revealed a big NO as patient sat there chewing gum and texting someone in the middle of the consult...at the end of the day mother daughter dispute really su rmounted to NADA...daughter needed panadol for headache and mum needed a stick removed from her.....ok will stop there...the jist is I kept getting these rubbish patients and in the end the last one got a "dont waste my time" growlin...sorry..it was waiting there to be said. It happens and I try to be ok about it ..but sometimes there are just people there to waste time...ae uma komumu i le kaugaka o le lima kala leaga kokogi.
now...Im pooped...Im tired...I need to shower...I hope I didnt pick up any of that hand foot and mouth virus i saw on a kid today...I need a boxing bag to destress myself..and my friends pics of eating crab overseas somewhere has made me really hungry...and all I have at home is saimigi...se crap ia se!!Lol ciao
Had a full on week in my number 3 shoes as a doc at the hospital. Had to do some extra hours to help the team which has been...tiring to say the least. (number 1 shoes is mom and number 2 shoes is the home business) This week has been UNUSUALLY busy and the OPD clinic has been chokabloc by 10 am the line of patients surpass the seats available-go beyond the corridors past the dental unit all the way down to the immunization clinics...thats like...way too long for me. It has been...trying. Man...my problem is...I genuinely want to help people. I want to see the sick people quick and get them treated and sorted. From time to time I do eyeball checks when I run out to the loo and pull people out of the stupid numbering system of first come first serve and just get them inside to you know, prevent them from keeling over and having a heart attack...but work never fails to get my blood pressure up
on one very busy day- I forced our team to try to triage people (you know- do their recordings (temp/blood pressure etc) and bump up the ones who were really sick (i.e very high temperatures or short of breath or low bPs) so that we could see them quick enough in the mass of hundreds out there who were mainly repeat perscriptions sniffly noses and pain killers. Man, to my shock...all hell broke loose. people were yelling, nurses were trying to calm them down..and to top it off one person in particular stood up and abused the staff outside very loudly about a kid who was ushered in before him having a number which was further down the line from him - ended up discovering he was a priest from a certain village!! talk about keep the peace....in the end..traige fell apart because of the big mouths outside...for freaks sake man...bet it wasnt the really sick ones that piped up...e se kailo se
today ..after a whole week of slugging through the masses..I started to lose my cool. Up to number you know..67 and the patient sat in front of me could not really say why she was there...fiu e fesili aku poo le a le ma'i and in the end she says- I just came to visit a friend in hosp and thought I would get a check...for ..nothing. number 67 been in line for 4 hours...ae leai se mea o kiga...then starts fabricating reasons for me to check her left nostril which hurts sometimes and the other day she had a rash on her hand but its gone now. Koeaikiki percribe aku se kui lou muli.
Then a mum comes with her 17year old daughter. She stands over her with her eyebrows raised...me- introduce myself- whats wrong- Mum- practically shouts out "lea...gale...gae ma'i" (shes sick look at her) ok..try to ask the teen about her symtoms but shes rolling her eyes at her mum as if to say "i hate you you dont understand me" you know that teen stage where you and mum are just not best friends...again- what is wrong what are the symptoms- "well obviously shes sick!" says mum- look at her as if eyeballing her is going to miracoulousy give me a vision of what has been the problem .."sleeping all day..faimai kiga le ulu..gae mai - aumai saga fualaau tui (give me antibiotics)poo se mea e koe faa ala ai maka!" ok...now resort to the close ended questions we were always taught never to use- Do you have a sore head YES..sore back?YES..sore eyes? YES...have you had fevers YES.. ok...every question was a yes..but examination revealed a big NO as patient sat there chewing gum and texting someone in the middle of the consult...at the end of the day mother daughter dispute really su rmounted to NADA...daughter needed panadol for headache and mum needed a stick removed from her.....ok will stop there...the jist is I kept getting these rubbish patients and in the end the last one got a "dont waste my time" growlin...sorry..it was waiting there to be said. It happens and I try to be ok about it ..but sometimes there are just people there to waste time...ae uma komumu i le kaugaka o le lima kala leaga kokogi.
now...Im pooped...Im tired...I need to shower...I hope I didnt pick up any of that hand foot and mouth virus i saw on a kid today...I need a boxing bag to destress myself..and my friends pics of eating crab overseas somewhere has made me really hungry...and all I have at home is saimigi...se crap ia se!!Lol ciao
Friday, January 06, 2012
Bullet point blog
Because I want to blog, but its an ongoing inner battle that goes something like" what the heck are you doing? you see that list there- yes, there , with 10,000 things listed?? that's what you are SUPPOSED to be doing..so GET OFF...NOW"
and cause I only have 2 hours in front of this laptop with no kids wanting me to "turn it on paint" or turn on DORA or just turn my head to face them and give them some attention...kalofae....
But bullet points for the week are
1. toilet hygiene. Can someone explain to me why some Samoans, tend to leave soiled t-paper..OUTSIDE of the loo pot?? seriously i see it everyone, in our hall toilets, in the boat toilets etc etc...fargs me off. is someone seriously gonna pick that shit up (literally) and kiai it again?? I feel like putting a sign up in our almost public toilets (that every fa'akau niu in the village uses secretly when no ones looking) that says- if you cant put it in the toilet and flush it away..put it in your bag and take it home with you! fanks very much
2. My Desk. I found out a while ago the old as rickety desk I sit at hours upon hours, which is actually pretty solid compared to these days l-cheapo from the wharehouse type desks...actually belonged to...wait a minute...my grandfather. Yes, here in Lalomalava, in the village of my inlaws in their business office, I sit at my very own grand daddys desk. See my grandparents actually lived and worked here for some time. Raised their kids here at good old St marys etc. And when they closed up shop and moved to the big city, the sold my husbands family this desk. Brings a tear to my eye sitting here. Scoured the desk for possible little doodles, you know..Neil for Bella forever type thing, in a heart...but alas. My grand pop was not that kind of a man. He was the big kahuna in our family. So solid and sensible...a commanding force and yet the most caring grandpop who would read his litter of grand kids stories in bed...love him always. how awesome it is to sit here at this desk which is a sentimental piece of history to me:)
3. Xmas and news years in Samoa. Has meant tons of head injuries showing up at the hospital. you'd think it would all be drunken violence, when in actual fact Ive seen about 50 /50 really..lots of actual stupid violent injuries to the head...(dont get me started on how dumb that is...) and actually alot of - "fall out of trees"...(i.e Breadfruit/coconut) Perhaps they were climbing intoxicated.??.who knows...anyways, I have had to be a paramedic and accompany a couple of these particular patients over to Apia..bag and masking (i.e artificially breathing for them) all the way- me and a very good nurse Henry- actually..he did most of the baggin, I just gave him breaks and gave drugs..either way, we both had to suck it in...all the way:). yes, I got sick on the boat and its blooooody hot in the ambulance when the car is turned OFF even with all the windows open..BUT..you have no opportunity to be sick. So its just a "suck it in" kinda ride...and do your best for the poor soul on the bed. Tough times....but very exciting non the less.
OK...I am gonna keep it short and sweet...fill in the rest of my bullet points at the end of the week!!ciao!
and cause I only have 2 hours in front of this laptop with no kids wanting me to "turn it on paint" or turn on DORA or just turn my head to face them and give them some attention...kalofae....
But bullet points for the week are
1. toilet hygiene. Can someone explain to me why some Samoans, tend to leave soiled t-paper..OUTSIDE of the loo pot?? seriously i see it everyone, in our hall toilets, in the boat toilets etc etc...fargs me off. is someone seriously gonna pick that shit up (literally) and kiai it again?? I feel like putting a sign up in our almost public toilets (that every fa'akau niu in the village uses secretly when no ones looking) that says- if you cant put it in the toilet and flush it away..put it in your bag and take it home with you! fanks very much
2. My Desk. I found out a while ago the old as rickety desk I sit at hours upon hours, which is actually pretty solid compared to these days l-cheapo from the wharehouse type desks...actually belonged to...wait a minute...my grandfather. Yes, here in Lalomalava, in the village of my inlaws in their business office, I sit at my very own grand daddys desk. See my grandparents actually lived and worked here for some time. Raised their kids here at good old St marys etc. And when they closed up shop and moved to the big city, the sold my husbands family this desk. Brings a tear to my eye sitting here. Scoured the desk for possible little doodles, you know..Neil for Bella forever type thing, in a heart...but alas. My grand pop was not that kind of a man. He was the big kahuna in our family. So solid and sensible...a commanding force and yet the most caring grandpop who would read his litter of grand kids stories in bed...love him always. how awesome it is to sit here at this desk which is a sentimental piece of history to me:)
3. Xmas and news years in Samoa. Has meant tons of head injuries showing up at the hospital. you'd think it would all be drunken violence, when in actual fact Ive seen about 50 /50 really..lots of actual stupid violent injuries to the head...(dont get me started on how dumb that is...) and actually alot of - "fall out of trees"...(i.e Breadfruit/coconut) Perhaps they were climbing intoxicated.??.who knows...anyways, I have had to be a paramedic and accompany a couple of these particular patients over to Apia..bag and masking (i.e artificially breathing for them) all the way- me and a very good nurse Henry- actually..he did most of the baggin, I just gave him breaks and gave drugs..either way, we both had to suck it in...all the way:). yes, I got sick on the boat and its blooooody hot in the ambulance when the car is turned OFF even with all the windows open..BUT..you have no opportunity to be sick. So its just a "suck it in" kinda ride...and do your best for the poor soul on the bed. Tough times....but very exciting non the less.
OK...I am gonna keep it short and sweet...fill in the rest of my bullet points at the end of the week!!ciao!
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