Life, here

Let's just say, I've read enough reflections about 2020 to last me, well...a year. So, in the interest of doing something different:

I'm sure there are thousands of these lists posted around the internet, but oh well, here's one more!

You may be a North American living in a developing country if:

Your contacts in the nearest big city include: the cheese lady, the movie guy, and "grocery Kevin."

You see a dark cloud on the horizon and you immediately boil a kettle of water and get the food for your next meal out of the fridge for the inevitable power outage.

The previous approach only helps you about half the time since your longest and most inconvenient power outages are usually on beautifully sunny days.

You've learned to include the words "old-fashioned" in your Google searches for recipes. If they could make it in the 1800s, surely you can make it in your kitchen!

Old-fashioned "twist" doughnuts inspired by our reading of Farmer Boy this year

You carry toilet paper in your car/purse just in case (few public toilets, fewer public toilets with free toilet paper).

You've ever separated out the green and red sprinkles from a multicolor mix for Christmas.

You start and end every meeting  - whether with church members or government officials - with prayer.

You see a silver lining in the COVID-19 pandemic: all your friends and family now know how to use WhatsApp and Zoom!

You're grocery lists are divided up geographically (for us that would be the market; Eldoret; Nairobi; and Amazon - to be brought by the next visitor!)

Your wardrobe is similar divided up geographically: things I would never wear in Kapsowar, things I would never wear in North America, and...well, for me the only other category is scrubs.

Your neighbor receives an animal as a Christmas gift. AND your first thought is, "I wonder when they're going to eat that..."

This year: Member of the family

Next year: Christmas dinner

Your monthly bills include eggs and milk, which are delivered to your door on a weekly and daily basis, respectively.

Your child is supposed to memorize their street address for school: literally "Kapsowar Mission Hospital, Kapsowar, Kenya."

Okay, here's a list that slightly fewer people can write (or appreciate!):

You may be a North American OB/GYN living in a developing country if:

You routinely diagnose twins...at greater than 8 months gestation OR in labor OR after delivery of the first twin

Most of your patients have their first ultrasound in your office during their admission for late-term induction of labor, and you're getting quite tired of your ultrasound machine telling you "This date is outside the pregnancy window."

You scrub all your c-sections with one person - a hybrid assistant/scrub nurse - and at the beginning of every repeat CS you decide if you want suction, or a Bovie, or if you're spending big today, both. (You don't have that discussion for a primary CS as the answer is, obviously, none of the above).

You would fall right over if someone ever uttered the following words in your operating room: "Would you like a Bonney or a Ferris-Smith?" Instead, you often get to pick which Adson to use on the fascia...the tiny one or the slightly less tiny one... 

Wishing you a very happy 2021!!