Found a Camel

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Found a Camel

Sometimes what you’re looking for is just right there…Sometimes it isn’t. Normally, feel quite blind, literally and figuratively. Last “real” blog was about my time looking for a camel. There was no reason why I wanted to see one, I just and a craving to be reminding that I live in such an odd place in the world.

Thankfully, my thirst was quenched 100 fold. I went up to N’djamena in February to pick up some new volunteers and saw a few. Then I drove up with Olen (ER doctor/administrator) to the capital and they were everywhere! Hundreds of them just walking or eat or rebelling against their herdsmen. There were babies and fat old ones. I even had the chance to try some camel milk that had been sitting in a container with gasoline. It reminded me of plastic but that was probably the gasoline residue.

My classmates have been continually asking about Chad. Its already difficult to explain a country like Chad to westerners but its even more difficult to do so in French. All conversations on campus are in French or we’re fined 2 euros! In explaining, I’ve focused on the unique things. Camels were one of them! When asked how we all arrived I said camel and then someone tried to say that I rode the camel while it swam to Italy but instead they said I rode it while it walked across the Mediterranean and my fictional camel was named Camel Jesus. They especially ask what I do for past times or weekends. I paint an elegantly choppy description of a sand beach along the river, clear rice fields for running, great motorcycle rides to visit other cities and friends. I get a lot of interest, a lot of disbelieve, and lots of concern when I have to explain what words like “paludisme” mean. I have enjoyed sharing where I live as well as learning from people all over the world!

We all have stereotypes. At school we joke about Australian tendencies as well as question things like what exactly is England since its not a state nor is it a country (sorry Uncle Gary). The first time I opened my mouth, I caught all the teachers off guard. I have a US passport speak ‘Merican but I speak French with an Chadian accent. My issues in this beautiful language is not the speaking part but the structure and grammar. This is very opposite of 95% of the other students and it threw the professors for a loop!

So I keep on speaking, trying to get the gender/tense/pronoun/etc right. I explain whats going on with me and listen carefully to those who are working through their own issues with French. So though I didn’t find a camel to take me for free, I’ve had an exhilarating time working on my French. I have 1 more week! Then straight back to Chad. I am excited to get back: back to a routine, back to my friends, and back to search for more camels!

Zachary Gately, MPH
zchgtly@gmail.com
zgately.com
+235 91122492

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

Let’s begin with a little update…

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Let’s begin with a little update…

I’m terrible when it comes to being regimented with personal matters without a clear goal. For example, marathon training is super easy because there is a date and you can’t skip a day (remember, shuffling a day is different than skipping!). On the other hand something like blogging (*cough, cough*) has no clearly defined goal. Most of you enjoy (I hope!) reading and seeing what I’m doing but it can be one sided as I don’t always see the appreciation reciprocated.

So I’ll write my own goals and see what happens. I am planning on 3-5 posts a month with at least one dedicated to some photos. With those I’ll probably just direct you to see them on my blog, as it is sometimes difficult to send them via email (and I won’t be filling your inboxes).

Right now, I’m just outside of Nice, France, studying up on my French. It’s been greatly helpful and I have 2 more weeks to go. I have really beefed up my foundation of French grammar (which surprisingly is much easier than I would have ever imagined). Honestly, it just takes practice and now I have the essential tools to do just that.

It has been a whirlwind of a trip without much time outside of class to see the sights. I thankfully ran into a friend from Loma Linda University (Kristina) on her spring break! It’s a small world as always.

I’ll be heading back to Chad April 25, so if you want to Facetime/Skype/Viber, lets do it before then!

Beautiful colors! This was the first day I arrived. Since then it was only yesterday that compared!

Hike to the park that splits old Nice and the port.

Beautiful old ruins at the top of the city. They have nice gardens now. There were four wedding parties there!

My studio!

My view.

The view from my classroom. Normally I have to sit with my back facing it or else it gets too distracting!

Early morning run along the port.

Always great to see friends!

Finally an afternoon to jump in the water! It was the first time I’ve swam in the Mediterranean!

Zachary Gately

zchgtly

zgately.com
+235 91122492

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

Searching for Camels

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Searching for Camels

Let’s set the stage:

The sun is setting in a deep, dusty haze. The sunset resembles the cross section of a blood orange; the vibrant hues painting a picture so complex, only the human eye can properly capture it. The never-ending horizon is dotted with sparse acacia trees, torched grasses, and a termite mound or two.

My head is nodding forward in sedimentary exhaustion as we bounce along the only somewhat paved road in the country. You know that feeling of when your body wants to give up even though you have done nothing all day? My eyes are dry, my stomach is shrinking, my legs and back tight from sitting, and my lips are begging for just one more swig of water while my bladder is dying for the final stop in N’Djamena. We’re still a couple hours out of the capital. The 220-ish miles seem to take forever no matter how early I leave. This time, I am numb to any emotion for going to NDJ: no excitement, no dread, no wonder, no need.

Cue the theme song to Arabian Nights as I raise my eyes to the horizon. I want to see some camels.

There is no reason I want to see them. I just do. I haven’t seen many since I arrived back here because of the rains. I have heard that camels get a pretty nasty version of athlete’s foot from the moisture. But we haven’t had rain since I got back so any moisture should be pretty much gone. I want to see an entire family moving using only their camels. I want to be reminded of how remote and old school we are here in Chad (by something other than their patriarchal system, women’s rights, internet speeds, or road conditions).

Last month in NDJ I saw two camels being used as taxis down the main road in the middle of the night. Before, we would see herds of them! With 5-gallon paint cans as cargo bags, the camels would be sauntering along as their drives looked for a new homestead.

After a while, we caught a glimpse of little ones off to be sold just before the city limits. It wasn’t the same but it was something cool. As the sun set on the Chadian plains, our journey, and my hopes, I was reminded that I was just lucky to see them in the first place. I’ll see them again. There is a time for everything and right now is not camel season. Maybe the next time I’ll see a few.

Zachary Gately

zchgtly
zgately.com
+235 91122492

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

Going Against Advice

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Going Against Advice

It’s a running joke in my family that no one is really that stubborn when in reality, everyone is stubborn. It’s a wonder that we can get together long enough for one holiday sometimes. There are a couple of different types of stubborn. For a long time, I only understood the classic obstinate, get-out-of-my way stubbornness. That is, until I realized that smiling politely and doing the opposite of what is told is also one way of being stubborn.

That’s me. Lots of people tend to think that I need buckets of advice on all aspects of my life when they don’t always understand what’s going on. For instance, many of you thought I should pull out of Chad and spread my future plans out somewhere else because of malaria but mysteriously, I stopped getting it! Maybe a resistance? Or maybe I just stopped saying that I had it. In fact, I had it over this last Christmas (those who feel really sorry for me, my paypal info is on zgately.com). I have learned to listen to everyone but most of you probably know that it’s hard to convince me otherwise when I’ve made up my mind. Charis, my co-director here, continually comments on how there’s no changing my mind. My mom gave up a long time ago. So why would I change now?

Last Christmas, we took a little envoy to Moundou for our Christmas and New Year’s shopping. It was crazy hectic and most of us took a vow to never have children after that but it added to the American normalcy of the holidays; our own little Black Friday. But due to poor planning, we did not have even one working vehicle on the compound. I was bound and determined to have a little retail therapy so I said I was still going. Now, not only am I this other type of stubborn but I like to have my independence and not wait on anyone so of course, I would take my motorcycle to Moundou. I would take my friend Allahramadji but on a moto, that’s all that would fit. Well the new-ish student missionary, Zachri, was getting a bit restless as well and wanted to go terribly. Kim also wanted to go. She has a moto too but she doesn’t ride it much and the 150 km trip wasn’t something she would drive. Some how or another, she convinced herself that we should all go: Allah and I driving, Zachri and Kim as passengers.

As soon as word was out we were going, we got requests for lots of things from people here: fabrics, butter, hangers. All items unavailable to us here. We said we would try but with the motos, we had only so much space available. “YOU’RE TAKING MOTOS TO MOUNDOU?!?!?!!?” This was the standard response, similar to if I said that I was opening an abortion clinic with only a hanger, salad tongs, and my crazy great aunt’s (who use to be a witch) tea made from toenails and lizards lips. The crazy thing is that I’ve done it before without any problems. There was lots of “are you sure?” and “is it really worth it?” or “please, its so dangerous. Just hire a car!” and “can’t you just wait?” but we pushed on and broke the mold. I mean, if we had planned a little better, we could have taken a car but all the registrations were out so we didn’t want to risk the police.

We took the road less traveled (which means less paved) which cut our kilometers down to 90 and increased our time from 2.5 to 3.5 hrs. It was a beautiful drive full of National Geographic like villages, rice fields, and sand pits. We had to push through 1.5 ft deep sand, straddle previously cobbled lanes, and honk for the cows to move. And guess what, the only problems were 2 bumps that we didn’t see right away and that we had to wait for the post office to open.

One of the phrases that has come to life here was taught to me during the 2005 Auburn Adventist Academy Graduation by Mr. Thomas Allen: if it is to be, it is up to me. If I need something done, I can’t just wait. I have to push and try until it becomes a reality. As Bob Goff says, you have to knock down the door sometimes. So I’ll smile nicely and listen well but if I want something done or to do something, I’m going to do regardless. So there’s no waiting….

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

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

Going Against Advice

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Going Against Advice

It’s a running joke in my family that no one is really that stubborn when in reality, everyone is stubborn. It’s a wonder that we can get together long enough for one holiday sometimes. There are a couple of different types of stubborn. For a long time, I only understood the classic obstinate, get-out-of-my way stubbornness. That is, until I realized that smiling politely and doing the opposite of what is told is also one way of being stubborn.

That’s me. Lots of people tend to think that I need buckets of advice on all aspects of my life when they don’t always understand what’s going on. For instance, many of you thought I should pull out of Chad and spread my future plans out somewhere else because of malaria but mysteriously, I stopped getting it! Maybe a resistance? Or maybe I just stopped saying that I had it. In fact, I had it over this last Christmas (those who feel really sorry for me, my paypal info is on zgately.com). I have learned to listen to everyone but most of you probably know that it’s hard to convince me otherwise when I’ve made up my mind. Charis, my co-director here, continually comments on how there’s no changing my mind. My mom gave up a long time ago. So why would I change now?

Last Christmas, we took a little envoy to Moundou for our Christmas and New Year’s shopping. It was crazy hectic and most of us took a vow to never have children after that but it added to the American normalcy of the holidays; our own little Black Friday. But due to poor planning, we did not have even one working vehicle on the compound. I was bound and determined to have a little retail therapy so I said I was still going. Now, not only am I this other type of stubborn but I like to have my independence and not wait on anyone so of course, I would take my motorcycle to Moundou. I would take my friend Allahramadji but on a moto, that’s all that would fit. Well the new-ish student missionary, Zachri, was getting a bit restless as well and wanted to go terribly. Kim also wanted to go. She has a moto too but she doesn’t ride it much and the 150 km trip wasn’t something she would drive. Some how or another, she convinced herself that we should all go: Allah and I driving, Zachri and Kim as passengers.

As soon as word was out we were going, we got requests for lots of things from people here: fabrics, butter, hangers. All items unavailable to us here. We said we would try but with the motos, we had only so much space available. “YOU’RE TAKING MOTOS TO MOUNDOU?!?!?!!?” This was the standard response, similar to if I said that I was opening an abortion clinic with only a hanger, salad tongs, and my crazy great aunt’s (who use to be a witch) tea made from toenails and lizards lips. The crazy thing is that I’ve done it before without any problems. There was lots of “are you sure?” and “is it really worth it?” or “please, its so dangerous. Just hire a car!” and “can’t you just wait?” but we pushed on and broke the mold. I mean, if we had planned a little better, we could have taken a car but all the registrations were out so we didn’t want to risk the police.

We took the road less traveled (which means less paved) which cut our kilometers down to 90 and increased our time from 2.5 to 3.5 hrs. It was a beautiful drive full of National Geographic like villages, rice fields, and sand pits. We had to push through 1.5 ft deep sand, straddle previously cobbled lanes, and honk for the cows to move. And guess what, the only problems were 2 bumps that we didn’t see right away and that we had to wait for the post office to open.

One of the phrases that has come to life here was taught to me during the 2005 Auburn Adventist Academy Graduation by Mr. Thomas Allen: if it is to be, it is up to me. If I need something done, I can’t just wait. I have to push and try until it becomes a reality. As Bob Goff says, you have to knock down the door sometimes. So I’ll smile nicely and listen well but if I want something done or to do something, I’m going to do regardless. So there’s no waiting….

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

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

New Friend

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So this year, we have had a couple of very prolific cats on our compound. After the first couple batches of calico-ish balls of fluff, I have finally caught one. His name is Cap, short for Cappuccino. On the first night, he actually curled right up and slept by my pillow. Let’s hope he says as cute and playful.

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

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

Winter is Coming

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Winter is Coming

As I looked outside the other morning, I saw a white dusting had fallen. Everything was covered! The sky was grey and I could barely make out the distant palms. Could it have been? Had Sub-Saharan Africa succumb to the climate change and we had snow? It was almost Christmas! Did Santa come early?

That would be great but no, it cannot be snow. It is a literal dusting. The winds from the north (the Hammadamramlam winds or something like that) are bringing down sand and everything is covered. I watched as dust blew in my open window, covering my newly painted table. My allergies are all out of whack and I haven’t had clear sinuses for months now. Its not as bad as southern California but Zyrtec is still my best friend.

The year has come to a close. We celebrated Christmas with a nice Christmas Eve program that Kim (whyweshouldgo.blogspot.com) collaged together using songs and Bible text to tell the nativity story followed by the Christmas classic “Its a Wonderful Life.” Our celebrations kept going! Even yesterday we invited our friends and families to watch “The Grinch” in French. It was quite silly and everyone enjoyed the exaggerated performance of Jim Carrey.

Not only has it bee a great year with new experiences and friends, we have made great progress with our programs here:

We have expanded to manage a nutrition program
Relationships have been formed at all clinics in our district The dream of a mobile clinic has been put into practice
Our Community Health Volunteer Program is referring more people
Communities outside of our own are approaching us to visit them with our health education programs

I am actually most excited about of those five things: the mobile clinic and the communities approaching us. The mobile clinic has been a dream for so long but due to blockades at the government level, we were never able to do them until now. We need to raise some initial costs to really get it flying but I have faith that it’ll come in.

With the communities coming to us, that implies that people have been sharing their experiences with those around them. We had all of our dental cases for 3 weeks referred from one village. People are beginning to see the value to invest in their health.

I am encouraging you to help out a little. Invest in their health as well. Ok, so maybe I’m doing more than encouraging: we need YOU to keep these programs going and YOU to really start the mobile clinics. We need YOU to take out that credit/debit card or mail that check. We are tax deductible so head on over to ahiglobal.org to make your donation! Just make sure to label it “Bere Project 21.”

Happy Holidays! Hopefully I’ll be better about blogging now that the internet is doing a little bit better…….just a little though.

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

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

Blog: When the Grind is More of a Rut

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When the Grind is More of a Rut

One week ago, I landed back in “my country.” Some things will never change about Chad: The perfume of many of the Muslims or the heavy diesel pollution that gets caught in the back of the throat as soon as you get off the plane. At least we are still Ebola free and are taking several screening precautions to prevent it (cough, cough USA).

There are many exciting things that could happen over the next few months in regards to our work here. We have some budding partnerships with ADRAs Chad and Germany, LLU School of Public Health, the US Embassy, and even our own Bere Adventist Hospital. Some of our projects include mapping our our areas using GIS technology, expanding our current projects, the recent acquisition of a nutrition center, and so much more.

With so many things, I know its going to be important to not only plan and use my time wisely, it’ll be important to take a small vacation here or there. Last year was the only time in my life that I have never traveled more than a 300 mile span for a year! So if anyone want’s to go to Egypt or Morocco, let me know! I am hoping to go to an intensive French language program to bring my skills well over the next couple of levels. Though it is expensive, I think it would be worth it for a couple of thousands of dollars to improve something so vital.

All in all, I am excited and positive! I cannot believe that November is almost here, signaling the end of another year!

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

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

Blog: Zach is Stuck In ‘merica

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By this point I should be enjoying pizza dans Le Côté Jardin in NDjamena before a long dusty trip in the morning. Instead, I’m drinking coffee in a little mountain town with my sister enjoying free wifi. Plans never go the way they are laid out but in this case it is going to work out very well for me. Because of my extended holiday, I will be able to attend a conference for Adventist Health International next week! This will be great to meet other people who are working in similar capacity and have had met similar challenges that I have encountered.

In the mean time, I am enjoying the fresh air and horse back riding and coffee and wifi and friends and Mexican food and hippies. So please, don’t hesitate to give me a call or a text if you wanna catch up before I head back out into an area of low communication!

My sister Kara and I horse back riding through the forest!

Zachary Gately
zchgtly@gmail.com
zgately.com
+235 91122492
+1 (530) 927-7970

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