Sick Kids

The kids here seem so active. I remember the kids in Mbarara being so sedate. They didn't make noise, run around or cry much. I thought maybe they were just disciplined in public.

Here the tiny tots in the clinic are always running back and forth, crying, screaming, babbling. The clinic is cacophonous in the morning. It's really different. I mentioned it to Julia, and she said that probably all the children I saw in Mbarara were ill. These are healthy - they can come for problems or just for routine check-ups, so often they are fine.

One little girl with a very cute smile is especially playful. She started approaching me closer and closer every time, then screeching and running back to her mother's lap to laugh. Finally she was brave enough to tag my leg and run away, howling with laughter. She has been here 3 days in a row (they have to come every day if they get malaria), and now she is my BFF. She marches in and out of my workspace, grinning and singing, occasionally tagging me.

This other little girl had an IV in her hand, and so apparently is being treated. She must be on the mend, because she was not shy at all, and hovered near Tamara, shaking her hand.


The child in the background is getting blood testing. The mother holds the baby in her lap, and the lab technician holds the childs hand for a finger prick. The children usually screech and twist for a minute, but they calm down quickly (especially when they glimpse a fascinating mzungu).