Friday, October 15, 2010

Pukar Goes to the Clinic

It's the night before the big sacrificial slaughter and there's been a few pathetic bleats that sent me running into the bedroom to make sure my sleeping child wasn't crying.  Wild sound.  Oh, and the chickens and ducks are definitely to sacrifice, for those folks who can't afford the expense of a goat, and they are expensive, especially for Nepalese.  I've heard anywhere from $100-$200.  With a national average of $400/yr income, that's a lot of money.  So I can see where ducks and chickens would come in handy.  The festivities start at midnight.  Should make for a good night's sleep. 

Pukar cried the moment we step foot into the Clinic until the moment we stepped back outside.  Poor, little guy.  It was an interesting visit and the doctor felt he was probably the exact age that his papers say he is, and that was one thing that was bothering me a little as he seemed bigger, but in fact he is about 2 years 8 months.   All vitals looked good.  He has one leg that is a little bowed in, but he felt it was no big deal and would correct itself.  No need to test for parasites, just give him the medicine, and run a blood test to see about vitamin levels and liver function etc.  He said he sees the "screaming the entire time" a lot from orphanage children as that's the way they learned to get noticed.  He called it emotional deprivation.  I will get my tests back in a few days.  I also had them look at me and the doc put me on antibiotics for my lung/sinus congestion issues.  He said it was my choice but better to be safe in Kathmandu as it can get ugly.  I've been coughing and congested for about a week now and it's staying about the same, so I think I will take the antibiotics.  I need to feel better. 

I had another treat today as he totally melted down when we got home and had a full on tantrum, then fell asleep in my arms, no doubt exhausted.  It's a lot for a little person.  The tantrum in my presence is supposed to be a good thing, as it means he is starting to trust me and feels he can melt down (show his true colors!)  His personality is getting brighter and brighter too, and he's really got a lot to show.  He comes alive a lot of the time when we are around Nepalese people who understand what he is saying and engage him.  I have found that he has quite a vocabulary.

I've started joining my Guest House owners for dinner at night as Sunita is an amazing Nepali cook and Pukar loves to hang out in the kitchen.  They are wonderful people.  Unfortunately for them, they just had a death in their family so they can't celebrate Dasain because there is no festivities or eating meat or eggs to honor the dead for at least 2-weeks.  Bad timing!  Ajaye and his father also have to shave their heads and leave a tiny little tail of hair on the back to show respect and that they are in mourning.  Bummer for me as Dasain is the Nepalese equivalent of Christmas, and they were going to deck the house out, have big feasts and friends, and now it's all quiet.  But the food still rocks.    Ajaye told me when his mother died, he had to sleep on the floor, and no milk for an entire year!  He was especially bummed about the milk, as he loves his Nepalese milk tea. 

That's the report for today.  All Government Agencies are out of commission, and the streets of Kathmandu are relatively deserted so my ride into town was borderline pleasant.  Amazing.

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