2005-06-22
10:59 p.m.
A Second Look
Five and a half months on, the events that placed the little dot called Meulaboh on the international stage are still vividly remembered in the town that before that was virtually unknown.
Although much of the rubble has been cleared from the land, man buildings still remain shells - pillars and foundation the remains of what used to be the prison, for example.
The old stalwarts of the devastated land brave on.
In the clinic, aptly called 'Klinik Harapan Bersama' ('Together
The team, comprising myself and four others, is in charge of various duties such as checking blood pressure ('tensi') or dispensing medicine in the 'apotik' (pharmacy).
I've seen some interesting stuff there, and learnt lots; chief among the latter was the resilience of a people that refuse to bow to circumstances. Once again, my brain went into overdrive. Will we be as strong?
There was a man who hobbled into the clinic late one evening after closing, with a gunshot wound on the right foot. He was shot by robbers (possibly rebels too) who, not satisfied with getting his money (perhaps too little?), decided to injure him. As we poured betadine on the open wound and watched the flesh bubble as if we've poured acid on it, I watched his face. We could not use anesthetic - the wound was infected. I could only guess at his pain.
Just the other day, a boy came in with a swollen right hand. He couldn't have been more than twenty. His wound (no idea how it came about) on the little finger had turned septic. He winced in pain as the doctor cut through the flesh and squeezed out the pus. I'd have screamed to high heaven, I think. Remember - infection equals no anesthetic.
That was just a sampling of the more 'exotic' patients that we saw. A large number had dispepxia or gastro-intestinal problems. Common cold or flu was aplenty, and Dr Tomi Hendra, the overall in charge, said a large number had fungi infection due to unclean water or not bathing (due to tsunami wiping out the city's water sanitation system).
Of grave concern, although as yet unknown (then) to the team (or perhaps they were simply too young to realise the danger), was the unrest in Meulaboh. Yani, our driver in Medan, who is also in the Indonesian military (army), and Dr Tomi told us on the last two days there, that the resistance guerillas (GAM fighters) were aplenty in Meulaboh.
In fact, according to Dr Tomi, two-thirds of the city was GAM. Dr Tomi brought to life the fear that was in the hearts of many, especially the Javanese (Acehnese and Javanese traditionally do not get along, due to the fact that Suharto is Javanese. For more info, look up the history of the conflict between Aceh and Indonesia). Yani said he had friends in the army who had their heads chopped off by the rebels. Pregnant women were not spared; they were stabbed repeatedly in the stomach.
I could see the shock on the faces of my team members when these stories were told.
I thank the organisation for giving these youths the opportunity to expose themselves to such realities. Not that I wish any harm to befall them at all, but I think it's good for them to learn about such facts of life, and to understand the difficulties and fears faced by many in Indonesia. I think it helps with maturity.
I thank Dr Tomi, Dani, Eni, Indra, Waluyo, and the many friends we've made in the clinic, for their friendship, and their lessons in life.
Terima Kasih banyak atas segala-galanya kawan-kawanku. Insya allah kita bertemu lagi.
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There seems much more to say, but I really don't know where to start. How do you summarise ten-days' worth of feelings in one blog post? Or two? or ten? Or even hundred?
Thank you, the two who came to meet me for dinner. You know who you are. I've missed you more than you'll ever realise. Thank you for helping me to keep my sanity when I was there.
And congrats to the person receiving 2 awards. You deserve it. =D