Long or short sleeves?

It's been a few days since I've written. My excuse is that I toured
the district on the back of a dirtbike at the weekend, on very very
bad roads. Some sections were rocky hilly scrambles and some involved
crossing small streams! I visited a lot of the health centres with
Samuel, one of the Health Unlimited field officers and ex community
health officer. I was quite interested to see how remote and
inaccessible some villages were, and the primary healthcare centres
available to serve them. The ferry that crossed the Kabba river
stopped working when we needed to cross it on Sunday, but no
worries... Apparently motorcycles can be ferried safely across in
dugout canoes!

I finished the 18 interviews that I'd planned to do this week by lunch
time on Tuesday. Some things that I found out... Witchcraft and
strange secret societies are implicated in some childbirth
complications. These are beliefs that may have to be challenged to
further improve referral to hospitals (opposed to performing
ceremonies to rid evil).

Just had two local guys round for a cup of tea (how English of me),
and we chatted about how they and the town were affected by the war.

"Long or short sleeves?", the soon to be amputees were asked.

These guys were about 14 when they were forced to flee and hide in the
bush. First with their families, and again after the rebels allowed
the townsfolk back home (so that they could help cook and find food).
They hid for up to a month at a time, fearing forced recruitment to
take part in cross border raids in Guinea. One guy's father was a
doctor and was threatened if he did not treat the rebel wounded. Of
course, a patient's a patient, friend or foe.

I was quite disturbed to find out that the building I'm in now was
used as a house by the rebels... Strange to think of what went through
their minds as they lay in what is now my current bedroom.