A day in the life...

Thought you might like a run-down on the day? It was a good one all together.

Today I had another doozie - a day full of emergencies and problems...I am wondering if a smooth running day is more of an exception than the norm??? Oh well. For example, I got up early and skipped my run to deal with an 'emergency' - I got wind last night during my late-night excursion to replug in the lights at the hospital that the drivers don't like a decision I made. So I got up early and prepared for a meeting, and then made it known that we need to meet ASAP 0800 hrs sharp. Everyone I mentioned this to nodded and agreed. I tried to get them together early in the am to have a meeting so that our meeting would not disrupt the activities of the other expats and the mission. Well even after I said, no kidding, 'do not move' one of them got up and went for a drive. What the hell is that??? Needless to say we had to wait for him to return to start the meeting and so we did indeed disrupt the activity of the expats and the mission. Holy hell...can you say Africa-time? This was followed by two lectures; one of respect for decisions (if I make em, I don't care if they are 'not satisfactory' to them) and one for listening to instructions Oh and one to remind them that the trucks belong to THEM and not to them, I am the BOSS of the trucks.

Then at the conclusion of the meeting, I let them make their decision to re-decide the thing I made the original decision. I gave it up. We did make an agreement, but on further investigation by me, it was realized that my decision was still the best option and their decision would not work, period. Had to call back the chief driver (who was on a lark in town, mind you. Another lecture there) to make him take ownership of the fix. To fix it we either could go with my original decision or redraft the whole driver work schedule for the week, which creates extra cost in overtime payments. What do we do? Money is the name of the game. The drivers are a big bunch of whiners who have a status complex. (Need to fix this too.) Anyway, I spent the rest of the morning recalculating overtime payments so that I could recalculate the monthly payroll so that I could start the payment process. I hate month-end.

Gosh darn drivers...One in particular was the inciting influence on the 'lack of satisfaction' of my decision. It was based on a greedy desire to get a free ride to Monrovia - he has family there but also some personal problems. He angled to get home and caused some hostility, and I gave into it. Rearranged the schedule to suit him. Last time as it turned out that he did not have family problems (he said his pregnant wife needed help) rather his brother who ran his taxi service crashed the only taxi and needed a bail-out from the police station). The whole thing leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Everyone is out to maximize and no one is truly interested in the purpose of the work.

Then in the aft I found out that over 200 thousand Liberian dollars we received, in 5000 dollar bank-wrapped packages have periodic 5 dollar substitutions. Whoa? So I spent the rest of the afternoon counting 49 - 100 note packages to see if I could find any 5s. Found four. Now I got a 180 LD cash disparity to justify. But then so does the Finco for not getting a sore thumb ;)

Also I found out that in one of our transactions we did today, we are out 800 LD short. Hmmm how did our finance policy let this one pass?. He actually stayed late this afternoon to see if he could find the problem. I had him post the receipts in the journals and then do a cash count. No luck. He is scared, and rightly so.

I did my own receipt posting, and cash count and found a disparity of 51 USD. Momentarily befuddled I found the money. I miss counted some of the $19300 bucks for medical, general payroll and hospital incentive payments. We should really have an electronic cash counter here. Phew.

Meanwhile, I got word from the PC that the MOH is prepared to do some work in the hospital so there is less work for me...but then the work they are doing is cosmetic and much a joke. Meanwhile the simple fixes, like how the flies are flying through the gaps around the AC system in the OR need me to fix, and the holes in the OR doors permitting the flies to enter are my problem, and the ceiling tiles, completely rotten and full of insects dropping on the OR table is something else I need to rectify; all needs to be done right away. Instead, MOH is putting tile on walls not requiring tile. I asked whether MOH is going to go ahead with their plan to change the OR doors so that the flys do not fly under, over and thru the cracks but I found out that the MOH decided to replace the perfectly good door handles instead. OK no problem let me add that to the list of work.

In the mean time, our expert TB adviser from Canada is here. She continued to impress on me, nay demand of me, that the efforts we have put towards one of the clinics vis-à-vis the upgrading of the waste (sharps pit, organics pit, placenta pit, incinerator) area is insufficient. How many times I told her that we have done lots, and more than the others, and that it is a far cry from where it was and I know where the gaps are ...we came to an impasse. Her insistence that we should do more was met with my insistence that I know all this already and her demanding things is not going to get us working faster thanks. We both left huffy and then apologetic. She expressing that she 'caught me at a bad time' and me trying to be very clear that she does not need to tell me what is wrong with the waste area. I understand her response as too flippant (I AM getting chippy with the entire extra but unasked for 'advice') but she did not see my point, I am sure. I need to learn my lesson here - a simple 'no problem, get right on that' would have ended the whole thing so much simpler and quicker.

All this after a protracted discussion on how to upgrade the four clinics with new windows doors and walls (some clinics newly built in June 2005 mind you) so we can accommodate TB slide staining in the clinics. Experts have one-track minds to the pain of the logisticians.

Of course the conversation also realized one more thing (of which I didn't let on to our expert TB-er) namely that the job I thought would be finished is NOT. Must get on my man for that one (Africa-time again). Oh, at lunch I heard thru the grapevine that my man did not pay the contractor for the work completed so far - contrary to my understanding (and expressed frustration) that the contractor got paid fully at the BEGINNING of the job and not at the end. I wonder if somebody is keeping a little padding, or the contractor is bidding for more quan?

As for successes for the day? I took amazing pics of the freaking huge snake in the compound (leapt upon by the security guards not unlike the fat chick in the BC comics). And more pics of the hairy spider the size of your foot crawl out from under the fridge. Holy freak, with fangs the size of our house cat. Finished my book. Watched a movie. Did a facial operation on the cat - had a fishbone impaled through the soft palate into the sinus cavity. With me clutching the cat and prying open his mouth, the surgeon did a slick job with tweezers (he called them forceps...) and pulled the bone out. Oh and I played at warehouseman/pharmacist by receiving and storing some supplies off our emergency drug order.

All in all, my list of things planned or done today is in the double digits. The best part of the day was sitting with a glass of Irish whiskey (Jamiesons) neat, with the lightning show in the background. The Jamiesons was complimentary from the visiting Logco from Monrovia. It came with the pile of work on my desk and a book of judgments about just how far from proper we are.

Of course my list of things to do tomorrow is similarly large and diverse. What the hell? I sure am grumpy lots - I am tired of hearing about problems. Everything is a problem. Every request, need, desire, task comes in the form of a 'I have a problem for YOU to fix'. Yesterday I got this from an expat: “I wonder, Chris, if I can tell you to put up the tarp for my party.” Tell me? I sure would like a simple request and some courtesy. Oh well, better suck that one up and get on to business.