Sisters...Sisters....

DSC_3901 copy, originally uploaded by Photo2217.

I left the physical therapy tent today and came across several patient friends that have arrived for their post operation appointments. Many inquired about the photographs I had taken of them, and if I would be willing to let them have a copy. This pleases me to the inside tickle wholeheartedly. I immediately began to mentally trace the photographs we have taken of all of them and retrieve in my mental archives the photos and where I placed it on my computer. As I continue to hang out with the patients, I’m thinking; when in this day will I have the chance to actually sit down and print the photos? Maybe after lunch? Maybe after dinner? Maybe late at night, when I do my best work? All I know is that I have a crucial deadline of 9am tomorrow to have photos ready and available for one of the dear patients we have grown to know and love over time.

Out of the corner of my eye I see a colourful African fabric on this woman and cannot keep my eyes off of the color and the shapes. I’m primarily focused on the pattern shapes situated on her lap and then glance up to look at her face. She’s beautiful and the woman next to her is beautiful too. We smile at one another since that is pretty much all we can do. She does not know English and I do not know Ewe, but with my broken French/Ewe I ask if I can take her portrait. She immediately agrees and begins to prep herself for the photo. Her face shines. She just shines through the photograph, and I’m mesmerized by her face. Soon after a few clicks of the shutter, I politely say goodbye and excuse myself. After all, I’m sure there are important things waiting for me at my desk, and I am sure there are plenty of things this woman is in a rush to do to.

I walk away and begin to walk towards the gangway and another orthopaedic patient passes by and we begin to chat a bit. Her mother is grinning from ear to ear of how straight and balanced she’s able to walk now. I applaud the patient and I applaud the mother for being so incredibly strong and brave through all of it. We say our goodbyes and I continue towards the gangway and up the stairs to that ever so important thing that I must have waiting/sitting at my desk that I need to get to.

And I realized, that this is exactly what I came to Africa for, and as I had this mini internal battle of what I should do next; truthfully I must have looked like a circus freak talking to myself. I just simply turned around and walked back over to the admissions tent area and began to sit and talk with the beautifully patterned women.

I introduced myself and asked another patient friend to translate for us for a few moments. And over some time we shared much of our history, even before we even shared our names, they had already taken me into the meaty stories of their lives. The woman in the beautiful colourful patterned dress is Melanie and she had brought her older sister Pauline for eye surgery. Both are women who have become mothers and are now grandmothers. And Pauline like every proud grandmother all over the world pulls out her date book, and a few precious 4x6 photos of her and her family. We looked at each one of them, one by one, and I ooooo’d and ahhhhh’d over each of them. If any of you know me at all, I love looking at family photos and can spend hours looking at them. And in those photos I could see her life, the pride she took standing next to her family, in her clean humble home. I complemented her gardening techniques by the significant flora examples in her healthy garden and was so happy that I noticed. She asked me about my family and if I was married, and how I got to Africa. And we spent the next forty-five minutes just sharing our life stories.

And I forgot that is what we do when we are in Africa. We share our life stories. We share the knowledge that each one of us has first before we focus on the due dates, and assignments, and what we think needs to happen in one day. Some more minor/major than others. I was worried about a photo file while Pauline had spent the last few days wondering about her cataract surgery and Melanie wondering if her sister will be alright. Puts priorities into perspective.

I am so thankful for those forty-five minutes with Pauline and Melanie. I am so thankful for those forty-five minutes to remind me of the important things in life and sharing them with the people that cross our path.

They are incredible women!