It’s The Small Things

On a mission in a third world country when you’re staying in a luxury 2-star hotel and eating food that is hard on your stomach (as in spicy), you do start to miss some of the comforts of home. We take a lot for granted.

For example, following the pre-operative clinic I was lamenting that I wish they would pack cartridges of whiteout rather than bottles of the liquid variety that cannot/will not dry in 90 degree heat with 90% humidity. Alas, that request has still not come through. However, at breakfast one morning, Mary Gadeken made my day by presenting me with a cartridge of whiteout that she had in her luggage. Eureka! Moments later Amie gave me the other half of her Tillamook hot chocolate mix. I started to cry. I was so happy.

With a cold starting earlier in the week, I made a comment that I was craving orange juice. It was nowhere to be found. The next morning, Tom, our mission director brought a bag to breakfast from his shopping trip the day before – he pulled out two bottles of orange juice for me. OMG! I was so excited to drink warm orange juice. I’ve since started feeling much better. Tom also brought along packets of oatmeal that we’ve been enjoying for breakfast to break up the three curry meals a day.

The one thing I’ve wanted that has gone unmet is pizza. A few nights ago in search of a cash machine, we walked by a pizza place that smelled so good – like real pizza! I watched the chef pull a pizza from the oven and could taste the hot bubbly cheese and tomato sauce. Last night, I decided it was time for pizza and convinced on of our anesthesiologists, Ian, to walk a couple of blocks to get a slice of pizza. Forty-five minutes later we got back to the hotel empty handed. We walked a long, long way and never found that shop. I was pretty disappointed and ate nothing for dinner.

Even with that disappointment, I have to say that it’s nice that we’re all looking out for each other on this mission. It’s those little random acts of kindness that make all the difference. I will try to remember this the next time my Starbuck's coffee isn't hot enough or someone forgets to use a turn signal.

Cause for happy tears: hot chocolate mix and white out cartridge. It truly is about the little things.