Things I have learnt this week: 

1. You will be invited to attend every meeting, every party and every event that there is
2. It is expected that you will accept every invite you receive
3. At said event, you will be invited to sit at the front, or worse, on the stage
4. You will be introduced at length and expected to make a speech
5. Nothing very much is ever really achieved
6. Meetings and events never, ever end. 

On Friday afternoon I was invited to attend the Ministry of Education’s closing ceremony of their annual conference. My lovely friend Jess, another volunteer has been working long hard hours and pretty much organised the conference. In the face of adversity, I think she did a remarkable job. Words cannot describe some of the tales and stories I have heard. Unfortunately, it is not my tale to tell. I can, however, divulge to you the evenings events: 

We arrived at 4pm to the grand hall of the Malaita Hotel, all decked out in decorations.  There were hundreds of school children, all in traditional costume, waiting patiently in the scorching sun. The guests, all lined up in a back room, awaiting their grand entrance. There we sat till 5:30! This is not an unusual occurrence in the Solomon Islands. The chairman eventually pulled up in his SUV, spat a long stream of blood red betel nut and unloaded his crates of beer before starting the ceremony. What followed was a spectacular event. There were enthusiastic speeches (give a man a microphone), singing, dancing, then more speeches, dancing with fire, oh and more speeches. Thankfully, by 8:30, the microphone was taken from the chairman and we were allowed to eat. The  centre piece a full roast pig. Then they gave the microphone back. What followed was more speeches, more fire, more songs and a lot more dancing. The male delegates noticibly growing more “enthusiastic” as the night wore on ( it is taboo for women to drink). The best part being the point at which the chairman made a speech thanking himself for all his hard work because nobody else has. A fact I think that most would deny. So, by 10pm, we snuck out the back, unable to watch anymore. 

I’d like, at this point to tell you a bit about education in the Solomons. The majority of schools are run down buildings with no electricity or running water, few have libraries, barely any have computers and stationary is scarce. Few children are educated past 8 years old as most families cannot afford the school fees. The majority of teachers are unqualified, there is little access to training and development nor have many been recently paid. 

This was a night to end a conference which was all about improving education standards throughout the Solomons. This was a night which could have paid for thousands of text books or built a library. 

Just Saying. 

So, at last, I have finally made it into the clinical areas. It’s been pretty much what I was expecting but that makes it no less heart breaking. Patients with spinal injuries who have fallen from moving vehicles or out of trees, some with neurological deficits, are nursed for weeks lying flat on a hard surface. Thier treatment is hoping and praying that they will walk again. The alternative unthinkable in a town with limited physio and disability services. Young children unable to walk with osteomyelitis, broken bones and arthritis brought on by early malnutrition. A girl with half her body burnt, septic and sore. There is no chance of a skin graft. There are elders with cancerous tumours which will never be biopsied. What’s the point? In a country where essential medicines are sparse, there is no money for treatment. The doctor will smile and say “looking better today”. The list is endless and the suffering never stops. They do what they can with the resources they have. There is a greater acceptance of death here and people just shrug and say “it was his time”. 

I have a to-do list a mile long. At the moment I think my biggest hurdle is motivation and confidence. There is no desire for self improvement, no use of initiative, no drive. They do not ask why nor do they question what they do. There is no rational for their day to day activities and the nurses function predominantly as task masters. By the end of this month, I hope, at least, to have set up email accounts and taught basic computer skills. I’d love for the nurses to come and access  some of the amazing online courses. “I hope” and “at least”, a few small positive words. However, I get the feeling that no task will be small and the challenges will be plenty. 

Just to prove it is not all work and no play. Here’s a few pics of coconut cocktails and river swimming.