Schooled

Well, I've been schooled. In the best way possible. Even back at home I had a hard time sharing food, but here it is so much worse. Everyone is constantly asking for things, so 'no' rolls off my tongue very easily.

It all started when a neighbor of Edison's became a patient at the hospital. Her name is Mama Kagabo, since her son's name is Kagabo. She is a single mother who never married Kagabo's father. She would greet me every day and would tell me about how she has a sickness in her head. She always remembered my name and was happy to see me. One day she came in and asked for some of the apple juice I was drinking. I didn't even feel bad as I put her in her place and denied her request quickly.

The next day I was sitting outside my office. She came by, greeting me as usual. I asked how she was and once again she told me about her head being bad. She told me she was going to buy tea. Most local stories will serve tea by the cupful that you can buy. She went to drink her tea and came back with a sucker for me. I didn't want to accept it because I had nothing to give her in return, but she insisted that she had bought the candy for me. She just looked me in the eye and said - don't worry if you don't have anything today. One day you will and you can repay me then.

The next day I left my village for a work meeting. I returned two days later to find out the Mama Kagabo had taken a turn for the worst. She was extremely aggressive the next day, fighting nurses, patients, visitors. She tried to escape the hospital, proceeded to pick up a rock and tried to beat people with it. Since I have never seen her with an ounce of violence in her behavior it was very hard for me to imagine. They were forced to give her a sedative and transport her to the national mental hospital in Kigali. It's where the worst cases get sent.

I have not seen Mama Kagabo since, although I visited a neighbor and saw her little boy. Apparently he is being cared for by neighbors.

The only explanation I have heard is that being an unwed mother causes mental problems. Some of the perceptions here…ugh.