Day 138

I had the whole day off today. I worked up the courage to make my way to the market to buy laundry detergent and water. Have I mentioned that it's HOT here? It's the desert out there. That sun just beats down. The sweat just drips.

I have totally taken clean drinking water for granted. I got so thirsty the other day that I broke down and drank tap water, even though I know I'm not supposed to. Fortunately, I'm still alive. It tastes and smells nasty, though. It's almost not worth drinking it, but I have been so thirsty. When I walked into the market today, I was still so thirsty that for a moment I considered buying soda to drink. Ugh. I picked up liters of aquafina instead, even though I had to haul them back through 100 degrees to the clinic.

What a privileged little brat I am!

After the market trip this afternoon, I finished reading a book called Monique and the Mango Rains. I started it on the plane and it was a fast read but very good. It is the true story of a Peace Corp volunteer who worked for two years with a midwife in Mali, Africa. Speaking of water difficulties, some of the stories in this book certainly made me much more appreciative of the water access I enjoy, even here. I liked being able to take advantage of today's quiet schedule and read for pleasure. I'll have to ask Louis to send me another book from my must-read stack.

Along with being thirsty, I haven't been sleeping all that well. Pardon the airy-fairy-ness, but the energy in my bedroom isn't feeling the greatest. The past few nights, I've woken up feeling like someone else was there. It's not a scary feeling, exactly, just kind of unusual. I mentioned this to a midwife, who told me a story about how there have been many reports of a male spirit staying around the resident room. What!? How come I never knew this before? She said it's been awhile since she last heard someone mention feeling this energy, but when she came to check out my room, she agreed that something was a little off. Anyway, after my shift tomorrow, a-smudging I will go. One of the interns wants to spiritually clean the clinic and intern house with sea salt and water, so I'm curious to see how that works.

We have a client in active labor now, so we will be having a baby tonight!