I arrived back here in Khost two days ago and have been busy making my way around the maternity saying ‘as-salamu alaykum’ to all the familiar faces. I tried desperately to communicate with the patients in broken Pashtu words and my national obstetric midwife supervisor chided that I have forgotten all my phrases. At least I try, I laughed.
The crescent new moon sighted in Saudi Arabia signalled the end of Ramadan and the beginning of Eid al-Fitr yesterday here in Afghanistan. We have been greeting everyone with ‘Eid Mubarak’, sending our congratulations for the Blessed Eid. The celebrations will last till tomorrow and it is a joyous time for the staff; everyone is dressed nicely before and after work with fantastic jewellery.
The hospital has been relatively (i.e. very abnormally) quiet during the final few days of Ramadan leading up to Eid. There were only a few patients in the in-patient department for complications at the moment but I know they will all start coming back in the next few days. This is the ebb and flow of Obstetrics and I have a sneaky suspicion that this is the eerie calm before the storm.
I think I will go to bed early.
