Monday, November 28, 2011

My First Exit Poll, and Other Stuff that Happened Today

OK, it wasn't a real exit poll, but I was very interested to know how the voting went today, so I asked the night guards when they came on shift.  I was able to ascertain that:
  1. There were MANY people voting.
  2. They ALL got a chance to vote.
  3. There were no problems at the vote whatsoever.
I imaagine some places in the rain forest might have had more logistical issues than we had here, but so far, this is a major non-event.  We'll see what happens when they announce the results. :-)
In other news, one of our workers knocked on our door last night, as his daughter had just been bitten by a dog presumed rabid.  I say 'presumed' because it hasn't been tested, and because the community has no intention of trapping it and boxing it up for 10 days to see if it dies. I mentioned that this course was advised, but there seemed no interest.  After biting some 23 people (probably mostly children, like this one), the community wants it dead as quickly as possible --which I understand. The last rabid dog (some time ago, and not here, but close enough to be known of) bit some 60 people. I was told that at that time an aid group donated the vaccine (some $600 for a full treatment, per person), without which people probably would not have either access or means to buy it (the father of this one girl just moved out of a house he was renting for $13/mo. into his own, making a major difference in his ability to make ends meet).
Last night he took her to a clinic, then passed our house on the way to another. He had been told (rightly) at the clinic, that his daughter needed the rabies vaccine, but that he didn't have any.  So he was on his way to try a couple hospitals.  I sent him on his way with fare and prayers, and asked him to return if he didn't find the vaccine.  He didn't, but returned in the morning.  So this morning, on a national holiday (for the elections), we got to chase down possibilities to treat his daughter.  Fortunately there were a number of helpful and sympathetic people, who helped find out where a stock of the vaccine was.  But it wasn't open today (did I mention it was a national holiday?), so we'll go there tomorrow.  But she did get to leave with clean wounds and a pink Hello Kitty bandage, which she seemed to appreciate. And her dad got to vote (I hope!).
Anyway, I thought that the political and medical events of the day were a very interesting juxtaposition of reality, that shows that the things a day brings are not necessarily anything like what you might fear or expect.  But God is gracious, and He provides in our time of need.

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