An afternoon Blessing

Today was the first "academic" day, when I met with the residents for lectures and presentations. It was a little rocky for the first hours, but as the day progressed we all became more comfortable with each other and I think everyone learned something...most of all ME! The residents are very polite and respectful. Although I keep telling them that I am not an academic doctor, they insist on referring to me as Professor Susan. They say to each other "as Professor has been saying,..."
I ate lunch with several residents in the hospital cafeteria. The food is typical Rwandan, I am told, and nutritious if not interesting. Beans, rice, vegetable sauces, something that looks like Palak Paneer but doesn't taste like it. We had a lively discussion about maternal mortality in Africa and what needs to be done to reduce it. I am so proud of these young men, who are passionate about their country, who understand better than anyone else what will be required to deliver better maternity care (for that matter all kinds of care) and are keenly aware that the task is squarely on their shoulders. I feel privileged to be here helping train them for this huge effort.
After the day was over, I was waiting at the hospital gate for the driver who takes me home. He was tied up and I spent about thirty minutes standing in the sun. A smiling man came by to ask if I needed to hire a taxi. I explained to him that I was waiting for a ride. Then, he offered me a seat in his taxi while I waited. "You look tired of standing" he said. We had a nice conversation while he practiced his English. His wife died in an accident, and his three preteen children are at a boarding school. Business is not brisk; in fact he referred to the "economic crisis." After we had spent quite a while chatting, I asked him his name. The word he said was in Kinyarwanda, the native language. I tried to repeat it, but he laughed and said, "In English, it means Blessing." So, I was blessed by Mr. Blessing as I waited for my ride home...