Back in Mayberry

...as surreal as that might be. We arrived back in Dalton Friday night and it seemed as though we had never left. We are just about over the nasty jetlag that seems to get harder to recover from the older we get. The flights could not have gone smoother though. We got to Oliver Tambo airport outside of Johannesburg late Thursday afternoon. I am glad we got there early because the ticketing process bordered on the chaotic. Although he is plenty fine to walk, Russ got a wheelchair which helped a lot with our carry-on bags and his stamina. With time to kill, we hoped to get wireless access, which was expensive and not very effective, not to mention that there was no place to plug in. So even with cappuchino counters and luxury duty-free stores, we were reminded that yup,we were still in Africa. (By the way, I am loving the fast, consistent access we have now. Yippee!)

We scored bulkhead seats, right next to a two-year old and her mother. Thankfully the child was the perfect passenger and slept most of the trip. We managed to sleep for most of the trip, but it is amazing how airlines try to keep people up for most of the flight. We boarded at 9:45 pm and dinner was served at 11, while breakfast was served at 4 am, which really only left us with maybe four hours of quiet anyway. Even if we did not eat, impossible to sleep with all the noise. My thoughts drifted to how we could possibly get into business class on our next overseas flight. There must be a way.

We arrived in Cairo at 5:30 am and the airport was a pleasant surprise. Very nice and easy to navigate (easier again with the wheelchair). We waited comfortably for a few hours before going through another security checkpoint. Never mind that I had other small bottles of liquid in my carry-on (some more than 3 ounces); it was imperative that I drink my water before boarding. Grrr...

On the second segment, one of us had a bulkhead seat (with another adorable and perfect child with a grin stretching from ear to ear), and the other had the whole middle row behind so we switched back and forth. Not that we could sleep much, but nice to stretch out.

We arrived at JFK earlier than expected but Fred and Fred were there to pick us up. We breezed through immigration and customs despite having six large bags and lot of prescription meds (now of course I am wishing we had bought more because they were unbelievably cheap in South Africa). Even the drive out of New York on a busy holiday weekend was relatively pleasant, just taking under four hours. Of course I was not driving, which after driving the past 10,000 miles in Africa was a treat to sit in the backseat.

Oh, to be back in the land of miles, ounces, pounds and inches! I love not being bothered to to think about such conversions. To be back with highspeed internet (and caught up on my emails), total familiarity, and recycling is bliss. Food options are great except for the high fructose corn syrup which was completely absent in southern Africa, but which we try to avoid anyway. It was refreshing over there just knowing it did not exist.

Reunions with the Sears family and running into friends has made up most of our short time back here, when we are not napping or unpacking. Lucy and Freddy made welcome back signs for us. The weather has just started warming up, and I love being back in summer again. Fred just opened up his pool.

102 hours

Never thought we would finally come down to this - roughly 102 hours left in this long saga until we land in New York.

I was worried that we would have a hard time getting through this past weekend. Thursday and Friday were particularly tough. We were both going a little stir crazy, and we did not sleep well Friday night. As someone who puts great value to “be” in a space of my own, having all the time in the world is not an easy thing. Part of this restlessness is that while Russ does not think he is a good patient, I am equally not convinced that I am a great nurse. Secondly, we discussed some pretty big decisions, which left us mentally and physically tired. Thirdly, there hasn’t been a whole lot to do that does not involve spending money, of which we have very little.
Saturday however was a beautiful warm day and we ventured over to the public golf course not too far from the house for a picnic. It featured a lovely shady walking trail and as we meandered through the course, we came across a small herd of blesbok, a few ostriches, and a troop of vervet monkeys. We laid in the sun and watched golfers try their best on the driving range. It was the best way to spend the afternoon.

When we got back, Russ’ brother Steve and partner Maria called us. This was the first time we had spoken to them and that lifted our spirits. Russ instant messaged with his brother Fred and his parents called later in the evening. Sue tried to called but we never got a good reception. I had spoken to my mom a couple of days before and so we were rather caught up on familial connections.

Add to the list of people who have been especially kind to us -
Out of the blue, we got a call from Dr. Cedric Yoshimoto, the regional Peace Corps medical officer. We had been in email contact with him, as he highly recommended Dr. Bennett. Cedric coordinates all med-evacs for volunteers in southern and eastern Africa which is a huge responsibility. He was maybe the most laid back doctor we had ever met. Anyway, he took us out to dinner at a fish restaurant and for the first time in almost two weeks, we did not watch a movie to kill time in the evenings.

Yesterday, we picked up our boxes in Joburg from Leungo and Vincent, friends of our friend Chris, who drove them down from Gaborone. These are the last remains of the shipping that came last December and represent most of what we own. We will take them back as excess luggage. So that too brings us one step closer to home.

Today was our last visit with Dr. Bennett. Good news is that Russ has no functional heart damage (technically there is some, but it does not affect the actual heart function of pumping). We were wishing for better news in the med department, seeing as the doctor wants him to continue taking the four medications he has been on for the past month. I am sure he is just being overly conservative, but we were hoping to get down to just two meds.

Thank goodness the sun still shines every day. It definitely makes things a lot easier.

The countdown begins

We will be leaving the continent one week from today. We have been waiting for this for a long time, and the days cannot go by quickly enough. I vacillate between feeling stressed out about things beyond my control and then being quite at peace. It’s hard staying occupied and we often feel bored and restless. That being said, we are trying to stay busy. We read and compose emails offline. We read magazines (although we are both in great need of a good book). We visit with the neighbor. We go for walks a couple times a day. We go grocery shopping and cook. Two days ago, we discovered what was a close cousin to a Whole Foods Market. Yippee!

We are watching more movies than ever before. Most of them are repeats which is ok. Pay it forward was one, which is such an excellent movie about being compelled toward random acts of kindness. Tonight it might be Zorro. Couldn’t do the Lord of the Rings saga, but think I might be up to see the Bourne trilogy again, especially if it decided to rain and we watched the movies as a marathon.

Russ feels better each day and his level of activity grows exponentially. We found a couple of places outside of the complex to go walking. But every day he still takes a short nap, which isn’t a bad thing. I often join him.

The days are beautiful and there are always a few hours in mid-day that are rather warm. Yesterday was downright hot. In the mornings and late afternoons however, it is quite chilly and we find ourselves changing clothes a few times a day. The house is not heated, which makes for lazy mornings under a big duvet in bed. Russ says it feels like October in Dalton; there is something about the air though that reminds me of Southern California in the middle of winter. There are even oak trees losing their leaves. In any case, it is lovely.

It feels like we are on weight watchers again, which again is not a bad thing, with now so much more motivation. I have no problem abstaining from red meat, as we focus on lean sources of protein. Russ is ready to totally cut out all foods high in saturated fat. Thank goodness that does not include avocados, fish, and nuts which we both love. Our weakness is French fries, so we are baking them. The fresh produce selection here is incredible and I am thankful for that.

Annette stopped by yesterday as she is in the area for a training program. It was good to see her again. It was also a national holiday because of municipal elections. Record numbers of people stayed away from the polls; they are disillusioned with ANC but will not vote against the party. One of the major issues was not having proper sanitation. Een toilet, een stem (one toilet one vote) was the rallying cry. Not sure if anyone was listening.

But I digress…time to go back out and sit in the sun.

Kindness from strangers

Throughout the past three weeks, we have been blessed by people with whom we were barely acquainted. Some of these people knew our situation, but others didn’t, going far beyond what I ever thought someone would do and made our lives infinitely easier.

In Windhoek,
Dr. Gild was a doctor on holiday that took half a day to initially check out Russ and take him personally to the emergency room.

Claudia Horn, the owner of Casa Piccolo, did our laundry and cooked for Russ in the first few days. After we checked out, she let us use the internet for free. She also pointed us in the right direction as we needed to finish up some errands.

When we needed pula to go back to Botswana and it normally required the 24 hour notice that we did not have, Wilbe Januarie, at First National Bank Foreign Exchange, delivered it within an hour.

The nursing supervisor in the ICU was incredibly supportive. She sat with us every day and took time answering the questions that the doctor was too busy to. She explained the procedures and medications. I am sorry that I forgot her name.

Charlie at the consular office at the Embassy called almost every day to see how Russ was. I am glad we did not need his services (like arranging for med-evac) but it was comforting to know he was there anyway.

With two public holidays within four days, Steyn at the Multicomponents mechanics shop, squeezed us in to replace a wheel bearing before we left for Botswana.

In Pretoria,
Dr. Bennett’s secretary Marti got us in earlier than we could have expected even though the doctor was supposedly booked until June. Ditto on scheduling the surgery and followup appointment.

The neighbors in the housing complex we have been staying in were amazingly friendly and helpful. Dolf organized transport for us when we had no car. He continues to come by every day to see if we need anything. He is one of the most optimistic people we have ever met…and also has terminal lung cancer. Van took us out of his way to and from the hospital for that first visit. Christa provided all sorts of referrals, directions, and fresh lavender from her garden.

During the long day at Wilgers hospital, Annegrette, the owner of a nearby guesthouse, let me use her internet so I could update the people at home.

When all I thought I needed were my bangs trimmed, Zica gave me a twenty minute scalp massage and then blew my hair out. It’s amazing how much better I felt when my hair looked good.

Yaseen at Egypt Air made the reticketing process infinitely easier and arranged for special seats, meals, and airport access. From previous airline experiences, I know he did not have to go out of his way and especially waive all the fees, for which I am thankful.

Back in Washington state, Dr. Kevin Foley, a cardiologist colleague of my Uncle Gary, answered each and every one of my emails from the very beginning. He looked at reports, read treatment plans, and was completely reassuring. He treated Russ like one of his own patients even though he has never met either of us.

Uncle Jim Clifton, certainly not a stranger but also a cardiologist, also gave feedback on diagnosis and treatment plans while on vacation visiting his grandkids in Scotland. He assured us that everything that was being done here was what would happen in the States, and explaining the process definitely made us feel better. He was a beacon of calmness.

And unexpected love and support from friends. These people are our angels.
Clara Donkor, the Peace Corps nurse who always liked Russ the best, often stopped by the Windhoek hospital to visit and advocate for him. She still calls us here.

Libet Maloney took me in for that first long weekend even though she had just gotten back from a tiring trip with a case of the flu. She cooked, drew baths, and was my sounding board. We hope to see her in Truro this summer.

Annette and Eicker deKlerk insisted we stay with them for the week after Russ was discharged. They gave us our own space, indulged us, and loaned us their car when ours was being repaired. Now that we are in Pretoria, we are also staying in their flat for as long as we need. They provided solutions before we knew we had problems.

Hannalie van der Merwe, my dear friend from Mariental, organized with her two boys to pick us up at the airport and helped with anything we needed. Calling just to say hi was huge.

Driaan and Bassie van der Merwe are grownup versions of the well-mannered, talented boys I knew twelve years ago. Busy college students halfway across the city, they still made sure we had a car to use for most of the time we were here.

Accepting gifts and kindnesses is not always easy, because of pride, embarrassment, stubbornness, or feelings of inadequacy. Our former pastor, Bill Imes, has talked to us about how it is a spiritual discipline to learn, to take a deep breath and let the grace of God through so many people wash over us. OK!

The days after

Later Thursday afternoon after I wrote my optimistically sunny blog, we met with Dr. Bennett, who explained that Russ’ artery was 90% blocked. That was sobering and we were doubly glad it was stented as soon as it was. Then after the doctor left, we found that the incision at the femoral artery was oozing blood, which was not supposed to happen. Russ handled it better than I did. Usually the sight of blood doesn’t affect me much (unless it’s my own), but I had to step out of the room before I fainted. That was a weird sensation. Erma, the young, attractive and incredibly knowledgable nurse had to press on his groin for twenty minutes. So, things could have been worse. ;-)

They got infinitely better. After that incident, we were not sure if he would be discharged yesterday. He was, but needs to take it really really easy.

We are settling into a somewhat laidback routine here which is the complete opposite of our “normal” lives. We usually sleep in until at least 8:00, have breakfast and talk about the day. Depending on how he slept, Russ may go back to bed. We try to go out every day, for a short walk or trip to the grocery store. There is an extensive tv and movie library here, one that even supercedes our friend Rick’s collection. So far, we’ve watched The Interpreter, The Devil Wears Prada, a couple episodes of Mythbusters, School of Rock, Avatar, Sherlock Holmes, and half of Lord of the Rings (don’t think we will make it through the trilogy though) We have a queue of a few dozen more films to watch, but also read, cook, and compose emails offline.

Russ talked to his brother Fred, sister Sue, his parents and mine today. Absolutely made his (and my) day.

If things continue to go well, we plan to see the doctor a week from Monday and hope to fly home within two weeks. Given that the heart attack happened only two and half weeks ago, that seems like a really long time down the road still. But we will try to make the most of our time here.

The more time we spend here, the more it looks and smells like California in January. The air is clear, although there is also a haze on the horizon. The rooftops are mostly tiled, the lawns manicured, and it is quite green (it does rain more than SoCal). There are uncountable mega and strip malls. The weather is one for a long sleeve shirt with shorts.

Being (a) patient

We arrived at the hospital at 6:00 this morning after sleeping quite well. I think the waiting is the hardest part and we did that for an hour before being admitted. Russ was checked into the GYN ward because of a shortage of beds and put in the MALES ONLY room. I think most of these were urology patients, and they just lump everyone, males and females, with issues in THAT area together (the catheter goes in through the femoral artery near the groin). More waiting until 9:00 when they brought him into theatre (what a silly word). Russ was rather calm and had a good presence of mind. I was told it would not take long, so I ran downstairs to get something to eat, came back up, and ten minutes later he was out. The whole process just took thirty minutes, which I think is remarkable. He was then admitted into the Cardiac ICU across the hall.

The technical stuff: He did in fact have a narrowing in the left anterior descending artery which they stented. He also had an unrelated spasm in another artery during the procedure which went away with medication. The doctor did not seem concerned about that. He will stay in ICU tonight and Dr. Bennett expects to discharge him tomorrow morning.

He is groggy and will probably sleep most of today, probably getting better rest than he has for a while. He was only sedated for twenty minutes so coming back to normal is not too bad. Now the deed is done and he can work on building up his strength.

An upside to not having insurance (and we are looking for any upside we can) is that we do not have to wait for any authorization. Russ received the angio-seal which stops the bleeding at the femoral artery almost immediately instead of using manual pressure which can take several hours to stop bleeding. Apparently, insurance companies are hesitant to pay for that. The gold card gives instant authorization (and we are earning lots of frequent flier miles!)

The sisters (nurses) in ICU are helpful and pleasant, but I have to say that my experiences here and in Windhoek (not to mention my own at BMC) show that intensive care units are not conducive to healing. Florescent lights, bells and whistles, constant talking and activity all make it difficult to rest. I will bring him an eye mask and ear plugs to help things along.

It has been a long morning already, but has also gone by quickly. I am so thankful for how smoothly everything went, and for the support from friends and family.

Being patient

The past forty-eight hours have been a whirlwind. On the day we were to leave Gabs, we closed our bank account, packed our bags, said goodbye to friends, and sold the car to Zane. Everything went smoothly. The fifty minute flight was also uneventful, but our arrival in Joburg was the start of the adventure. We arrived early and I called Driaan, my friend Hannalie’s son who is studying in Pretoria. When he drove up to the curb, we could detect the strong smell of antifreeze. We thought it initially was a gasket, but turned out to be a disconnected hose. In any case, there was no water in the engine and it had to be towed. So we waited as Driaan called his brother Bassie to drive forty minutes to the airport and then we transferred everything from one car to the other. Driaan and Bassie live on the west side of Pretoria, and we were staying on the east side. Bassie loaned us his VW, so we drove to their place first, then Bassie drove us over to the flat so we would know where it was, then we dropped him back to his place, and we finally arrived at 11:45 pm, three and half hours from when we landed. We were exhausted and slept well.

Yesterday morning, I woke up and wanted to get some groceries. A tiny detail Bassie forgot to tell us about was the alarm. So I managed to set that off and most likely woke anyone who wasn’t up already in this small complex. After doing some light shopping at the KwikSpar, I got into the car again, and the alarm would not turn off. Fortunately, I was in front of a security system company and the owner found that the battery was not working properly. So we got that all straightened out and I went back to what will be our home for a few weeks to have breakfast with Russ.

Russ and I wanted to get a SIM card for the phone and look for an internet connection. We got into the VW, turned the ignition, and nothing. The engine turned over and the battery sounded strong. We thought it must have been an immobilizer switch. Out of his flat comes Oom (Uncle) Dorf, the self-appointed mayor and watchdog of this small housing complex. We explained our situation - that we had a doctor’s appointment later on and asked how could we access a taxi. Explaining how difficult it was to get a taxi in the suburbs, he took it upon himself to call Bassie and Driaan (they were both taking exams and did not answer), then started talking to the neighbors. Within a couple of hours, we had met three other people in the complex. One of them, Vannie, was an older man who ran a nursery business. He offered to take us of his way to the hospital, and then picked us up again when we were finished. The hospital is twenty minutes north of here and his business is almost in Joburg, but he did not hesitate to do either. Another woman Crystal drove me to a store where I could get airtime and a SIM card. In the meantime, Dorf called a mechanic friend to come look at the car and he could not figure out the immobilizer problem either.

We were at the hospital for a couple of hours. Our time with Dr. Bennett was helpful. Yes, Russ has some heart damage. Yes, he should be scheduled for an angiogram soon. No, Russ’ heart flutters are nothing to worry about. Yes, he is on all the right meds for now. His secretary Marti was even more helpful, getting Russ into the schedule first thing Thursday morning. We went through pre-admission at the hospital, where we got a bit of sticker shock. They required an 85,000 rand deposit (about $12,000) which we were expecting but when faced with the numbers is still mind-blowing.

It feels like southern California in January here. It is comfortably warm during the day, but not too much. However, it is quite cool in the evenings, much more than we expected, and I think we may have to buy some warmer clothes. The flat is really a small one-story house with living room, kitchen, one and half baths, and three bedrooms inside a walled community. We had a nice dinner of fish, rice, and peas and then watched a movie, of which there are hundreds to choose from here.

Driaan, who is studying engineering, came over later last night to try and fix the car. It was a good diversion for Russ. Together they determined it was a faulty fuel pump, so that grounded use of the VW. Driann however had fixed his Toyota and is lending it to us for a week, so we drove him back to his place and then came back here. We are hoping this is the end of the car troubles! We are taking it easy today.

Back where we began

Russ was discharged last Monday with strict orders not to do anything. That is not an easy task, especially for someone like Russ. There is only so much television that one can watch, even give the full range of satellite channels. Fortunately, or not so, Russ had some adjustments to the medications which made him feel sleepy or lightheaded.

Our friends Annette and Eicker welcomed us into their home for the week of rest. My time was split between running errands, internet updates, and hanging out with Russ. Between two Namibian public holidays, there were lots of phone calls to make, bills to pay, and things to settle. Oh, and the car needed a wheel bearing! But everything worked out incredibly smoothly.

Although we already had a cardiologist appointment on May 16, I woke up Friday morning feeling I should call another doctor's office to see if there was a chance we could get in. We had been told previously that this doctor was booked until May; he is a popular choice as the US Embassy's top pick (although I am sure he also serves a wide range of nationalities). The receptionist squeezed us in for Tuesday afternoon and the catharization (called an angiogram here) for Thursday!

We had been feeling for a while like we needed closure in Botswana, and so decided to take our time driving to Gaborone. We took two days to drive 1000 kilometers (a mere fraction of the 15000 kilometer trip). Initially, we were going to take three days, but the road in Botswana was so good, it was like driving a freeway (occasionally needing to slow down for donkeys or goats; the cows wisely stayed off the tarmac). It was also a beautiful stretch of green hills and fields strewn with bright yellow wildflowers, making it feel more like spring than fall. Having gotten twelve hours of sleep the night before, we both felt great and the time went by quickly.

We were welcomed by Zane and Helen, and are staying at Rosemary and Rafa's place until we fly on Monday night for Johannesburg. We will completely unpack the car at last, emptying out all sorts of junk and treasures from the past few months. Then we turn it over to Zane, who is busy packing up for his move to Zambia. I'll close the bank account, pack our bags and hand out whatever is left (we will leave two more boxes of stuff here) tomorrow. Helen thoughtfully invited our friends over for dinner tonight so we will have one last hurrah!

It is so so good to be back here, even for just forty-eight hours, and like Namibia it will be sad to go tomorrow, but we are incredibly thankful for the earlier appointment which brings us one step closer to flying back to the US.

The latest and greatest

People have been so good to us. We have laughed and cried a lot over the past several days as we read all the emails and talk to family at home. We are feeling the love. Russ was discharged yesterday from the hospital and he is taking it easy at the home of our friends Annette and Eicker who live close to the hospital. “Lifestyle change” is the number one prescription. We generally eat well (although Russ loves his meat and salt, which he is heroically cutting out for now). We walk quite a bit. We figured out that we could probably find some different ways for us both to handle stress so that is what we are focusing on now. There are a lot of decisions to make in the next month or so, so Russ and I decided to take a break from that, and reflect on the past three and half months. We made up some fun lists and here are a few of them:

Most amazing “took our breath away” experiences (in no particular order)
Traveling to the remote waterfall at Semonkong, Lesotho
Experiencing the heavy volume of water at Victoria Falls
Cruising the Chobe River
Walking the beach at Vilanculos
Climbing Dune 38 at Soussusvlei

Some things that we’ve lost along the way (although not all in the same place)
A towel
Russ’ swim shorts
The really good vegetable peeler
A headlamp
A cutting board
One of my socks and one of Russ’ (but together they are unfortunately not a pair)
The camera transfer cable
One of the adaptor plugs
(We did however manage not to lose our passports, cash, or sanity)

Some of the items women carried (oh so gracefully) on their heads in Mozambique
Buckets of fish
Firewood
Ten gallon water jugs
Long poles
Suitcases
Long rolled up reed mats

Nicest loviest places to stay (in no particular order, and not including friends’ homes)
Karma Backpackers (Kestell, SA) for its warmth, homey-ness, and delicious jams
Turtle Cove Yoga Center (Tofoinho, Moz) for its tranquility
Roma Trading Post (Roma, Lesotho) for its beautiful gardens, well-stocked kitchen, and movie selection
Okakuejo Camp (Etosha, Namibia) for the Out of Africa romance it inspired
HIVU Cottage (Bvumba, Zim) for the amazing sunrise views from the bedroom, eggs, and hearth fires
Casa Piccolo (Windhoek, Namibia) for the German attention to comfort and detail
Old Vic Traveler’s Lodge(Nelspruit, SA) for the spacious apartment right outside the lush garden & pool
Camping at Chobe Safari Lodge (Kasane, Botswana) for its incredible beauty and wildness.

Absolutely the most terrible roads (in order)
From Ramabanta to Semonkong, Lesotho
From Hochfeld to Okahandja, Namibia
From Inhambane to Chimoio, Mozambique
Most of South Africa

Best tarred roads, a pleasure to drive (in order)
Most of Namibia, except Windhoek with washed out streets and massive potholes
Most of Zimbabwe, except Harare which was almost as treacherous

Entertaining road signs in Zimbabwe
Give way (Yield)
Lay bye (Rest stop)
Humped zebra crossing (Crosswalk with speedbump)
Deadly danger (Hazardous road)

“Would love to eat again” meals (in no particular order)
Grilled seafood orgy our first night in Vilanculos
Matopos dish also in Vilanculos
Fish curry in Tofo
High tea at The Victoria Falls Hotel
Every Namibian braai we were at (but we are going to lay off the meat for awhile)

Coolest most interesting animals
Wild dogs (just the prettiest dogs you have ever seen, yet also the most vicious hunters which one would
never guess to look at them)
Elephants (for their emotional group interactions)
Hippos (for their sheer girth and speed, also potential to kill humans)

Even a couple of regrets (first one - definitely, second and third - not really)
Not having travel insurance (we’re still kicking ourselves for that gamble)
Going into Mozambique at the chaotic South Africa border instead of from Swaziland (but we would
have missed an awesome stay in Kruger’s Crocodile Bridge Camp)
Not going to Malawi (but it would have been too rushed)

Things we will not miss when we finally leave Africa
The price of petrol
Dogs (most places we stayed at had several animals who were annoying and not well-trained…and we
like dogs)
The rain (especially while camping)
Police roadblocks
Runny tummy