Needles!

The little boy screamed and cried on his mother's lap after being given a needle against measels, his displeasure made worse by the fact that there was 9 strange white people staring at him. Yesterday was national immunization day, when kids all over the country were immunized and given a dose of vitamin A and a de-worming medi cation. Husna Hassan has been a nurse for 35 years here, and works frequently with Cpar. Typical of most long-time nurses, she has that tough but gentle manner about her, and is excellent at her job. As a nursing student, I really enjoyed being able to help give needles, holding the kid's little arms between my thumb and forefinger and watching their faces stiffen into bravery or collapse into tears. As entertaining as the drama of immunization day was for us, we were also very entertaining for the kids. Dr. Don Payne is the most dedicated photographer in our group, and the kids love him and his camera.

This morning at breakfast we talked, as per usual, about the bat and owl noises we heard during the night. It is going to be another scorcher of a day, but we are all ready to head out in the trucks for another "african massage," meaning the jolts our bodies receive from the bumps and ruts of the roads.