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My life aint normal
Entry 7 of 18 | show all | print this entry |
I had written this big entry a while ago and was just gunna correct it before putting it public, it was meant to be vaguely amusing and about the weird differences between Togo and the UK. But then yesterday I encountered a guy whose 12 yr old daughter died yesterday morning after being sick for three days, and receiving good medical care, but she still died yesterday morning of malaria at about 5am.
So when I was re-reading my cheery happy entry containing more gems about lizards, ice creams and soldiers I decided it was inappropriate,
Basically yesterday I asked some of the mothers at the village more about this, Malaria seemed to be regarded as more of an annoyance, something like the flu, in the people I've met, and so I was surprise to hear of a girl dying from it. I was subtly informed I was fairly ignorant/stupid, and yes of course people still die of this disease, it may be preventable but yes drugs do cost money, and people tend to wait a bit too long and hope they will get better
Result was I felt rather stupid, and decided I should know more,
I had some interesting chats where it was suggested to me that perhaps that African families are so large because parents expect some of the children to die...ok!!
Anyway there are lots of facts and figures I could throw at you but it made me think, I live in a different world in cloudy safe Leeds!! At home children play with well tested plastic toys; at the village they make sand castles out of half open tins! With serrated edges)! At home people cause outcries when too many parking tickets are given out; here I heard the latest punishment for thieves is to be forced to eat cement!!(This kills you rather fast)!!(I think this is one of the "human rights abuses" the government is accused of)
Happy thoughts, on a more cheery note, Jeremy the little boy from my last entry (HUAGE PHOTO) is becoming more and more like me!! He was a bit ill a while ago bit now is defiantly on the way back to full health as he has discovered the joys of eating, He actually eats more of the Pate (local food, will explain in another entry, its made of maize and is a gloopy sticky yellowy blob, served hot with sauce) than I do. Screams when food is taken away from him, and the only other time he screams is when he's hungry or tired!! I'm vaguely worried as he cries when I have to leave him and go home...but I'm sure hell get over it, I think he associates me with food as I'm there for most meals so he thinks if I leave he won't get fed!! Lunch was late the other day and I found him eating gravel!! He was actually chewing it!!
Anyway as I was arguing over the price of my visa extension I realised that I'm about halfway through my trip and the next half is going to go fast as I've got some cool friends now, so for that reason and also to try and sort out my varying energy levels (some days I've loads or energy, some days I have very little, like today) I've decided that I'm going to try and go to Benin and Burkina Faso next week, so my diary will become a bit less child orientated for a week! Will be back in travelling mode!!
One last rant, every Sunday evening since I've been here I've gone to the French Cultural Centre to watch a movie, some classics some rubbish, but its free and somewhere to meet people!! Problem is they are taking there annual holiday now; all the staff get 1 month off, How French is that?? Your in a tropical paradise(ish) and yet they can still justify one month of holiday, don't get me wrong I love France, but still ONE MONTH HOLIDAY!!!
Lazy!!
Anyways I'm amazed I've had nearly 200 hits on this site, unsure whether it's my mother checking everyday (that I'm not planning to come home early), or that people are very bored, but thank you for reading it anyway!!
Take care
Johnny
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| 7. | My life aint normal - Lomé, Togo Jul 26, 2004 |
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