Weather: 59°, clear and beautiful
Spotty internet connections in the room I'm staying, and a much more packed schedule than expected has made blogging challenging. And perhaps more so, is that I need to organize my thoughts and decide what to share when there is so much.
Here on the pediatric oncology unit of the Children's Welfare Teaching Hospital, I was able to join Dr. Mazin Al-Jadiry during morning rounds yesterday (Sunday).
The room is shared by 4 patients and their mothers, who each have a cot. Everyone provides their own bedding.
The file system is archaic. The pages of these files are waiting to be scanned....there are
thousands and thousands of pages over many years.....
....and they're all stored in these battered old locker room type metal cabinets.
The hardest part of being here is photographing and hearing the children in the treatment room. Many cry and weep, and some mothers weep with them.
In great contrast to the hospital scene, Claudia and I were treated to a day of sight seeing with Drs. Mazin and Hasanein. We walked from the hospital to Mutanabbi St., jam packed with mostly men shopping in the markets.
It is famous for its book market.
We had fresh squeezed pomegranate juice and....
....visited the famous Shabandar Cafe which was badly bombed during the war, and where we were able to sit for a few minutes.
We ate Lablaby, (chick peas), and then noticed the bucket that the dishes were washed in!
There are many check points; men on the left, women and children on the right
The Al-Kadhimiya Mosque (double exposure)
and our wonderful hosts Hasanein and Mazin
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