mbote!

Here's the scene: a group of friends around the dinner table on Saturday evening, some were looking a little toasted from spending the day off ship, I had just finished up with a day shift followed by a late afternoon nap, and the question was...what next?

Movie and popcorn?

Play guitar on deck 7?

But then Nick said- "I know, let's go get the get those costumes out and go sing for the patients!"

And that's how a nurse, a physiotherapist, a radiology tech, a doctor, the off-ships project manager, a reception team member, the communications department manager, and a teacher all ended up in crazy outfits down on the ward on a Saturday evening. And oh my it was a party! :)

 

We sang a made up song- with the only words we really know in the local language, Kituba:

"Mbote, wa faso?

(Repeat 3x)

Ka bien!"

That means "hello, how are you?" And "I'm fine"

On to verse two:

"Jabula!" (Repeated over and over, that means "high five!")

 

And that's all the Kituba you need for a silly song that makes lots of people laugh. We sang and played and danced on each ward along with patients, nurses and caregivers. When you are dancing it gets really warm under that fuzzy green wig really quickly. :)

For some of our longer term patients, life can get a little monotonous around here. So some crazy crew members wearing bug anntenae and clown outfits is welcome entertainment. Our song was pretty catchy too, on our way out the kids were still singing it. Actually a couple of them were still singing it when I went back to work the next morning. One of my patients smiled and asked where my green hair was, but I had traded it in for blue scrubs.

:)

I love this hospital.