An ice cream truck just drove by the hotel....

….same music chiming along that is so familiar back in the states.  But it’s 50 degrees Fahrenheit out there.  And raining.  And it’s 7:30 in the morning. 

Weird. 

(Pavel keeps telling me that Americans always say this word, “weird” a lot.  I think he thinks that  is weird.)

Anyway, that is neither here nor there, just sort of a funny tidbit that I wanted to share cause homey drove by just as I sat down to write. 

So. Sulaymaniyah update.  And Egypt update while I am at it:

Our darling surgeon, though I wouldn’t describe him as exactly the picture of health (what with the cigars, the scotch, the lack of exercise, and the fact that I don’t think he ever sleeps for more than three hours at a time) is having some health issues and we have finally managed to talk him into going home early.  I think.  Unfortunately, flights to the U.S. only leave every other day, so the logistics are thus far as yet to be determined, but at least he has agreed to go. 

But still, I am glad that he is acknowledging that he needs rest.  I think he has been burning the candle at both ends…like for 15 years.  He has managed to accomplish amazing things though…I think he might be my hero in fact, as cheeseball as that sounds.  But seriously…not only the kids that he has operated on, but all the kids that were also saved because of the teaching that he and the other ICHF teams have done with local teams around the world…that is where the real impact occurs. 

It sounds like the plan is for the rest of the team is to remain here and operate with the local team only.  So low complexity cases, fewer cases, and likely cases that do not require cardiac bypass.  We will see how it goes.  This is what we did yesterday in fact, which is nice because the ICU isn’t plunged into utter chaos as a result.  And when you remove the chaos induced by having exquisitely ill post-op open heart patients populating your ICU, we actually have time to teach.  Which means, that while we are not going to be able to “save” as many kids this trip, we can still work toward our ultimate goal.

Oh, and Egypt…not going.  Regional strife or something.  I guess the nurses are striking (they want better wages, benefits, everything we take for granted in the States, blah, blah, blah)…but actually, it is reassuring to know that we (the crazy folks at ICHF) really won’t be going places that are immersed in political turmoil.

Shucks.