Monday, September 5, 2011

Changing the world - Day 19

My lips have begun to tingle...I'm getting a touch of the trout-mouth about me. Because I have been accepted for the volunteer position I applied for with the UN. Move over Ange - there's a new pout in the hood. Cool!

So tonight I have been practicing my French by reading a document and translating it to English. I haven't required Frenchy's help too much which is pleasing. But given the document is about obstetric fistulas it can get a little technical in parts. It's not too long though and I am getting through it reasonably quickly. I have a one week deadline but I estimate I'll be done by Wednesday. Yay!

You know how certain things you've either never heard of before or only recently been made aware of seem to crop up continuously after that first encounter? Well that has happened to me with the word fistula. I really had no clue what it was until I watched 'Embarrassing Bodies' the other day with a friend of mine and we were horrified when a man's anal fistulas were deemed worthy of a close-up camera shot. Oh my God. Not pretty. But at least he had access to medical care.

And now I'm translating a document about how prevalent obstetric fistulas are in certain parts of Africa. I hope my good deed helps raise awareness for this awful and avoidable problem.

So yesterday's good deed has carried over into today - and will continue to carry on for a little while yet. But I'm still doing other things as well...For instance today I emailed a local cafe (The Village Larder) to see if they wanted some of our excess vegetables from our garden. Parsnips and turnips and leeks particularly. But I haven't heard back from them yet. I'll try them again in the morning...

Until tomorrow do-gooders xx

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