Arrival at the Kananga Hospital

Kananga Hospital where All Hands is based.
© 2014 Andrea Rip

I have safely arrived in Kananga at the pink hospital where our All Hands Team is fixing up the hospital so that it can be operational again.
The volunteers are a great group of people and very fun to work with. I have already seen friends come and go. My first week of work was painting the inside of the hospital in one of three different bubble gum colours (green, pink, and blue). We finished that work on Saturday afternoon and next week I intend to head out to the field to assist with deconstruction work or something of that like.

New friends enjoying smoothies at one of the bake shops in Kananga.
© 2014 Andrea Rip

We have over 50 people on base - living dormitory style. The words "bucket flush," "cold shower," and "mosquito spray" have an entirely new meaning to me, but after a few days on base, I was used to the cadence of community living. I am also already looking forward to my first meal that does not include rice - though the Filipino lunch and dinner we are served is very good.
Our team has been dengue free for three weeks and we no longer have to wear long sleeves and long pants anymore which is a relief. It was quite awkward to see everyone's legs and arms after that announcement was made!
The people here are resilient. The children have some of the most beautiful smiles I have ever seen. Every time we take the 2km walk into Kananga town we feel like we are on parade; waving to kids on both sides of the street who run out of their houses and say hello and ask our names.
My updates to this blog may come retroactively when I return as internet is quite difficult to come by and I do not believe that will change before my time here is complete. I have been enjoying the unplugged lifestyle and having a lot of fantastic conversations with my new friends and fellow volunteers.