Today was a drizzly dreary day not unlike a winter day in the Lower Mainland of BC. I did manage to get out though in between the showers...
*I asked Ritha the other day if her girls had anything they needed as I wanted to get them a gift, after all, it is almost that time of year again... She thought for a moment and then told me that both girls have bikes but they are in need of some TLC. So I told her to bring the bikes in today for us to look at and see what we could do. Poor Rode has this bicycle that was given to her older sister by an expat couple that went back home about six years ago. It was a locally purchased bike and suitable for a three-four year old. It was missing the seat among other "issues". I decided then and there to look for a larger second-hand bike for Rode, knowing that they are not cheap. There are no garage sales here where you can pick up a decent bike for $10-20. I was successful in finding her a cute Winnie the Pooh bike that she can ride for a few years. We had them deliver it (you can get almost anything delivered here because most people don't have cars so it is perfectly okay to ask-sometimes they charge a little, but most often it is already worked into the price). I think Rode was in shock when I gave it to her. It's a bit early, but who cares??
* I also went to visit the parents of Willem. I had never met his mother so I thought it was high time I paid them a visit. They live in a little house on the end of a row of rented houses with another row making a "T" beside them. Like a little townhouse complex. And when I say little, I mean little. I showed them a diagram of the inner ear and explained to them the different types of hearing loss. They had never before been shown anything like this. Very little shocks me anymore.... I explained that as we are unsure as to the nature of Willems hearing loss, we need to find out so that we know what kind of hearing amplification device we need to get. I really wish that it was a simple process like back home. Yes, I know, you are all thinking, but our medical system is so ponderous... Really, but everything is available! There isn't even an audiologist here in Papua! I'm hoping that maybe Willem can be seen by an expat ENT in a big city on the other side of the island so that we can know more about the nature of his condition. I really, really wish that it were a simple thing to help this boy, but it is actually quite a process. But maybe if I can navigate the process for him, we can streamline things and possibly help other kids here too! One can always hope! If you feel like you'd like to help us out with this project, please let me know.