Meet Justin

Last day at the hospital: The guys and I put the finishing touches on 2 applications for funding for Remi and William to pursue further palliative care education and training in Uganda, through Hospice Africa Uganda and Makerere University in Kampala. We had one last lunch at my favorite place, The Coffee Shop, (which also gave me one more unexpected ride on the motorcycle--I am going to miss that! Sorry Mom.) Remi and William have introduced me to Smirnoff Ice--kind of like a wine cooler only with vodka. For lunch. So, team at Abbott, don't be surprised next Thursday if I belly up to the round table in the middle of the office with reheated leftovers and a bottle of wine! There is definitely still the French influence going on here, and I can't say that's all bad.

Got home and Justin stopped by and then Paul Haman came a few minutes later, so I was able to finally get some pictures of them, like I've been meaning to.

Justin, Me, and Paul Haman. This is in my backyard--it's really not as lush as it appears.
We are actually standing in front of the garbage dump.

Everyone has a story, and I want to tell Justin's. Justin is 25 years old. He's the kind of guy who's outgoing and always has a smile and wave, but he's also kind of shy and softspoken. He was part of the entourage that went to the waterfalls a few weeks ago, which is when we first met, but I see him most everyday because he is employed by the EELC Mission and is the handyman/jack-of-all-trades, thus, he's my go-to-guy to replenish the toilet paper and matches, fix the water heater, etc. Justin also works whatever extra jobs whenever he can, like cleaning our house. And he's doing all this AND trying to finish his high school education by taking night classes. He had to stop school when he was 15. This will take him about 4 more years. He told me he hopes to go on to medical school someday. 

So, why does he work so hard? Well, his father died just a few months ago and as the oldest child with 9 younger siblings, he is now the head of the household. He himself was in the hospital with an abscessed tooth just before I arrived, and as I have explained before, there's no health insurance here. It's all private pay. Things are beyond tight for him.

We were talking the other day and when I asked him how school was going, he told me it's hard to find the time to do the reading, between having to get up early to walk to work and then when he gets done with school at 9PM, he has an hour-long walk to get home and then he's too tired and falls asleep. He can't really afford the 75 cents it costs to take a moto taxi home. He tells me all this very matter-of-fact. No whining. No trying to get sympathy. No asking for anything. (And it's easy to feel like a human instant cash machine here sometimes. I've had people knock on my door, holding out their health clinic record and asking me to buy their medicines for them.) I told him, "You are juggling a lot of balls in the air all at once." He smiles, agrees, and shrugs.

Donna (my housemate) and I were talking about Justin yesterday, shaking our heads over how so much can fall on one young person's shoulders, and he somehow maintains this gracious composure and resilience, and tenacity in the face of constant obstacles. But I worry about how long he can keep his head above water. You can't help but want to help, especially for a guy who's so sweet, but what would be most helpful for him? As I've mentioned in a previous blog, Donna lives in Sturgis, motorcycle heaven, and her husband is a motorcycle mechanic. They'll both be coming back to Ngaoundere in about 18 months, and they have talked about possibly being able to raise some money and be able to go with Justin to buy a used motorcycle when they return, so he can get around faster and easier, and be better able to take care of his family. This would be a huge thing. Having this possiblity in his future might get him through some tough days. I'm signing on. 

Justin