I feel terrible that we left our story in Niger hanging and abandoned this blog for a few weeks. Our last week of summer was a whirlwind: I was terribly sick, we had a holiday in Niamey with close friends, we flew home from Niger, unpacked, packed, drove, unpacked, packed and our lives started again in full force.
Now that Josh and I have finally settled into the routine of what this fourth year of medical school will look like, I realize that we processed in high speed and suddenly Niger feels miles away. It's important to us to keep our weeks in Niger close to our hearts and not lose all the important lessons and memories we have there. As life keeps steamrolling forward it's crucial to take the time to reflect.
Joshua has left such a rich community of friends in Niger; it was touching and sad to watch him say goodbye to everyone and to see how close they got in such a short time. Josh worked hard to learn the language and his personality fit right in with the Hausa culture of teasing and laughter. When there were four huge containers of supplies to be unloaded in a day, him and his shop friends made an unstoppable team. The resounding response to his departure was a wish that he would return in the near future and a hope that we would stay forever. Walking home that last night, Josh described Hausa people as having a 'tangible character'. When he was talking to and greeting his friends, he felt the interactions had such a close and honest quality about them that he hasn't felt anywhere else. There is no superficiality but rather a deep kindness and desire to build a connection.
Working in the hospital was hard, often tragic and most days I was left feeling helpless with "we've done all we can, now we have to wait". But this medical experience was unique not only in the low resource sense but in the richness of interactions with patients. It was the first time in medical school where I felt I could be completely devoted to using my skills to help people without the distraction of fighting for grades, reference letters and experiences to pad my resume. And out of my feelings of burn-out from this year I found myself again passionate, refreshed and completely blessed to have ability to hear people's needs and the opportunity to heal. I was reminded of what should be the foundation of medicine: the spirit of humility and the act of serving others. It is a privilege and it is a calling.
We want to thank you so sincerely for all the love, support, prayers and thoughts that were sent to us this summer. Taking this time to travel and experience the many wonders the world has to offer was only possible through doors opened to us and the gentle backing of all of you. This type of mission is something Josh and I feel will be a part of our life in the future and we are so blessed to have had the opportunity to experience it at this crazy stage of life. We have learned that life is about people; the lives that you may touch and the lives that touch yours along the way.
Josh and I are on to our respective placements for this coming year. We have some months of long distance marriage as I travel for electives and Josh works hard to support us in Calgary. Residency applications are now open and there is a small sense of uncertainty and anxiety surrounding our future. But we know that there is something much bigger orchestrating a perfect plan for us.
We rest in that and trust in what is to come.
Love, Lydia
