Ground Hog Day

Hi everyone,

 

I'm slowly approaching half way but it is not soon enough!  I'm really looking forward to passing that mark as it signifies more of Afghanistan behind me than in front of me!  The days are just dragging on, one merging into the next.  The patients are starting to blur into a few big blobs of patients...the multitude of young men with nausea vomitting and diarrhea in one clump, the many kidney stones and appendicitis patients in another clump, and the IED (improvised explosive device) blown up patients in the third clump.  If I added up those three categories I would have 90% of what I see here.  It truly is "Ground Hog's Day" over and over...played out now for 81 days straight.

 

The time is starting to wear on Maryam too.  She had been doing pretty well most of the time up until this past week.  She's really been missing me and it's shown.  She's been acting out more and much more emotional.  A few days ago she fell and hurt her hand, she ran into the house crying that she just wanted "Mama".  She laid on my sweater stuffed with a pillow, sucked her thumb and cried herself to sleep.  The next day Ashraf walked into the room and found Maryam dressed in my clothes chasing after Layla (who was probably a bit scared) saying, "but don't you recognize me?  I'm your Mama, I've come back from being far away!  I've missed you so much baby let me give you a hug!"  The next day she asked her dad if she could take his cellphone with her to school in case I called so that I could reach her at anytime.  Finally, this morning she told her preschool teacher that she was very sad today because she was missing Mama.  I'm talking to her every night and she seems to enjoy it.  But she is still having a hard time and is acting out much more as well.  I'm really hoping that it's just a phase and that it will pass...we still have quite a ways to go!  Knowing that Maryam is having such a hard time makes it harder on me as well.  Layla, on the other hand, seems to be doing fine.   Maybe the excitement of her birthday next Tuesday will make it a better week for her, we'll see.

 

Not much else to report here.  Hopefully I'll have some new pics with my next update.

I hope everyone is well!

Angie