A Visit To Kpando

It was still a bit early in the morning when I got a call from a volunteer who was about to close out her service. I thought she was calling me on behalf of her bicycle which I said I would take off her hand but she informed me that there was a bit of a problem. It didn't have anything to do with the bike either.

The other volunteer that is replacing her from my litter of Volunteers had gotten a little bit sick on Tuesday, then more of the same on Wednesday, and Thursday wasn't much better. She asked if I was in the town and if I could make a stop out to see him and make sure that everything was kosher. So of course I said yes and then finished my scrambled egg sandwich and tea. The good news was he had already gotten a ride to the clinic that was in his town and I could just meet him there.

After about an hour I was in Kpando (which is pronounced pahn-doe) and looking for my pal on the grounds of the clinic. Sure enough, one kind question to the staff and they pointed me in the right direction. We have a running joke between us: I forgot he was in my group of PCVs once and I always come back to that forgetfulness moment. I joked with him and got a slight chuckle from him so I knew he was going to be better.  He looked a bit tired and I could see one of the reasons why he sought medical attention: earlier that morning he was walking in his room when a spell of low blood pressure put him on the floor and a slight bump could be seen on his head.

The fever was coming down when I got there and he had already taken his precautionary malaria medicine before arriving so he was going to be better but he admitted that he hadn't felt quite that run down and weak in many many years. Eventually the lab results will tell what he had and for all we know it could just be a virus or germ that didn't want to leave kindly but seeing him sweat it out made me glad for visiting. It helps to have someone just next to you when you feel like that.

The staff was going to keep him there and make sure that he was well-rested before letting him leave. In the meantime I came back to the campus and spoke with a dozen or so people on the walk home. I have to head back to the town later to make sure that he gets home in decent shape and can fend for himself. This was not how I wanted to visit their town, but I am glad that I live close enough by to be of service in some way.

And I don't know why it is, but each time I put my towel out on the drying line it rains within the next hour while I am away. It is hard to get that thing dry after it has soaked out there. One of those mild irritations as of late. I am glad that is all I am suffering through.