I like planning. Programing. Everything has its time. Spontaneity is great but that’s more of a fun thing rather than a work thing.

Chad doesn’t like planning. Nor programming. What is time? Spontaneity is more of an everyday life thing and fun has to be planned out well in advance.

This past Thursday was the fifth of May or Cinco de Mayo so we had an Adventist celebration of the Americanized Mexican holiday in Chad with Haystacks and virgin piña coladas, as well as amazing authentic tamales made by Ben and Diana. Diana worked very hard. She started from whole grain corn kernels in the morning and ended with master pieces of tamales. I supplied the banana leaves.

Well, long story short, we found out we needed something that would be in N’Djamena the next day, Friday. I volunteered to go. But there wasn’t a known place to stay. No problem, I fired off an email to the evangelical mission to see if they had a bed for the weekend.

By 10:30 the next morning, I was half way there on the bus but hadn’t heard back so I figured why not just try to get back the same day. Olen already offered to pick me up in Kelo. The trip lagged on with minimal engine trouble, narrow camel misses, and a couple of prayer stops. I reached N’Djamena at about 2 and headed on my way to get my errands done.

The stops are as follows: Bank -> Appel household -> market -> pick up meds -> bus.

I thought I was going to fry while there. While my shoes were one, I felt like I had left them in the sun and then put them on. James and Sarah Appel have a beautiful house on the outside of N’Djamena where they can see camels while eating breakfast and dinner. I could’ve sworn my toes were going to burn off on the ride back. I don’t recommend a motorcycle ride through a hot sand plane in the middle of the hot season.

These meds were oddly arranged in 20 something tiny cartons. After half of them were loaded on the bus, they said I had to load the second half into the seat next to me and buy another ticket. So the second bus trip of the day resulted in me snoozing until we hit a bump and a box fell on me. Olen’s in-laws instead came to pick me up at midnight in Kelo. We threw the boxes in the back of their car and headed off, arriving home just before a light rain hit.

But it for sure was an accomplishment. Never had I gone to N’Djamena and back in the same day. It was long but not bad. It sure was nice to be able to sleep in my own bed the same night and of course it was great to get back for pizza potluck!

“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.” –Henry David Thoreau

I made the potato one! (Bottom right corner!)

Zachary Gately
zchgtly@gmail.com
zgately.com
+235 68920884
+235 91122492

L’Hopital Adventiste de Béré
ATTN: Zachary Gately
52 Boîte Postal
Kelo, Tchad
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