and two steps back...

Ah yes, totally predictable but I needed to chop myself in half today!
B wanted to go to school, but only if I stayed with her and she could just sit in the library and play cards with one of the teachers. L had earache and didn't want to go at all. R on the other hand filled herself a 1.5L bottle of water in preparation for sports day and launched herself into a hot day of athletics plus egg & spoon races. We are now sending her with bread & butter and a hard boiled egg to slip off and eat at lunchtime.
This mummy felt torn in all directions, but soothed by the wisdom of Sister G who reminded me that we are only in our 3rd week and that after 20 years here she still sometimes finds herself wondering how she has found herself living in the medieval period. Give it time and patience, she says.
We attempted further baking, but the proportions of ingredients just seem to be wrong here and the erratic oven was no friend. B's lovely looking cupcakes tasted mainly of baking powder. Simple recipes for plain flour, baking powder, eggs, marge or oil please.....
I did manage to find some self validation as something other than just mum with a teaching session this afternoon. M made sure he came back in time to swap with me, and it has given me hope that we can juggle this together.
I have agreed to mentor the CO (clinical officer) in the hospice along with some of the Tanzanian medical students. I hadn't realised that as well as nursing school they also train approx. 60 medical students who all live in a hostel behind the hospital. It's a complicated tiered training system which I'm still trying to understand. But essentially, you can train for 3 years following A levels to be a clinical officer (first line clinicians who see everyone who comes through outpatients; they can either treat & send home, admit or refer to a specialist clinic). The specialist clinics and wards are run by MD's (medical doctors) and AMO's (Assistant medical officers). The MDs to traditional 5 years medical school, the AMO's are CO's who after working for 2 years go on to do a further 2 year course. Complicated, isn't it! But now I appreciate that the guy I'm mentoring, who runs most of the hospice clinics, is approximate to a fourth year medical student in the UK. Looking forward to helping him in some clinics.
Enough of the information overload...I shall finish with a smile as I think of my trip this evening, before dusk with B to the mini supermarket across town (the one with air-con). I have walked through the streets with R & L separately and both drew a fair amount of attention. But walking with B was like what I imagine trying to go around town with a movie star would be like!! Everyone wanted to stop to talk to her, shake her hand, asking for photos...it was like reverse tourism. She was a royal in training, very gracious despite being smeared with  ice cream(our secret), and using her full complement of Kiswahili greetings, of which there are many!