There is no such thing as an emergency in Senegal

So, I will never be able to look at sand the same way again. I'm beginning to think there's just no way to stop the practically inevitable hatred of it I'm going to have after this trip. Sand. Yes, I used to think of it as beachy and pleasant but now, now it's just everywhere. It's in my shoes everywhere I go, it's on my legs all day long, I sink in it as I walk down the street. It's enough to drive a person absolutely haywire. Sand is a perfect example of how there are no emergencies in Senegal. Who's brilliant idea was it to make sidewalks out of sand?! Honestly! It's like no one's in a hurry to get anywhere, the sand is strategically placed there just to slow you down so you don't get anywhere TOO fast.
But really, I don't think they've ever had an emergency here of any kind. No one is ever concerned about much of anything. That is except when it comes to soccer. My friend Sara was living across from the stadium until the internships started last week. One day a couple weeks ago a flaming tear gas bomb came flying into their courtyard. Oops.
Ambulances; I haven't really figured out what they're for. It takes them forever to get through to anywhere and at my hospital no one sick or injured ever comes out of one. People here treat everything so casually. Even the kids are calmer and less whiny. I'm not making this up. I know if I were in the US during those vaccinations last week I'd of completely lost my mind from all the screaming but here half the kids didn't even make a sound.
So, my internship. It's interesting. To get there I get to use public transportation now. It's actually sort of fun despite the fact that I'm sure no one in Senegal would say that. To get to the hospital I walk about 15 minutes and then take one of these white van/bus things called an Ndiagne Ndiaye. They stuff as many people as possible into the things so until it starts to move I sometimes think I might suffocate. It costs a quarter to get to work and a quarter to get home. That's actually pretty steep here. I could buy a shit ton of peanuts with that amount of money. Anyway, you just sit there until it's time to get off and then you stand up or hiss or tap on something and they let you off. If you're white you just stand up because everybody notices that.
Last week was quite different from my actual role at the hospital as it turns out. Today I was in with the pediatric nurse who I can't really figure out. There's a good chance that she hates me, or hates her job, or hates her life, or hates whites, or hates Americans... I don't know but her attitude is a bit like some kinda hater. She usually speaks to me in Wolof despite that she obviously speaks pristine French. Then she gets mad at me and looks at me like I'm stupid when I don't make any response. At home this would probably make me mad or make me cry or something but I think I'm just tougher now. She doesn't phase me at all. And actually, when she talks to me in French she's pretty nice to me. Thus, I don't get it. Today I think she wanted to get rid of me but everyone else said she had to put up with me.
So, today was a fun and interesting day. In the morning I saw lots of newborn babies. One of which was placed into my arms for a few minutes. I wasn't sure why but there are a lot of unknowns here so I decided to just enjoy the little gal. A few minutes later Dr. Evil came in and pierced the baby's ears with a needle and what seemed to be cord of some kind. That really took the fun out of holding the infant. Anyway, I think at some point I might be made to pierce ears of newborns too. Can't really decide how I feel about that.
Later a kid came in with some gauze around his knee and she handed me some gloves and a tray of different kinds of scissors and said something like "do it". I having utterly no idea what exactly it was. Thus, I cut off the bandage to find a rather large hunk of skin missing off this boy's knee all the way down to the bone. After that I didn't know what to do so I stood there trying not to be sick while she showed me how to clean it and then I wrapped it with new gauze. After that I stuck thermometers in some baby butts. That was entertaining.I have a feeling the nurse has not been briefed on the fact that I have utterly NO experience in medicine. She's probably beginning to figure this out on her own.
Then came the favorite of the day- an abscess. Still not really sure what this is but the very thought of it still makes me kinda wanna hurl. This boy came in barely able to walk and when she unwrapped his leg there was a very long stream of what I assume was puss which shot in a projectile like manner out of this hole going through his leg. Mmm... was that appetizing. I oughta have an iron stomach after this.
So, tonight I'm getting ready to go buy fabric for an outfit for a baptism Saturday. Last week a baby was born there and then abandoned by his mother so the doctor give the baby the nurse who happen's to be Ousene's Aunt. Therefore, I get to go to my first baby naming ceremony! This is quite thrilling.
In other news, Alex has recovered from malaria and I am happy. Last night was my neighborhood's final soccer game and they lost. There was no celebration which was sad. Other than that, I'm just praying that nothing more disgusting happens at the hospital tomorrow because it will be really embarrassing to vomit or pass out in front of Dr. Evil.