frjack Loc: Boston, MA

I spent August in N'Djamena, Chad working at the medical school and Hospital of the Good Samaritan. Much of the technology an American physician is used to is absent there as seen in the photo of the EKG.

A few days after I arrived the Jesuit run parish had a major celebration for the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus (The Jesuits) at the Church of St. Matthias Mulumba, a martyr from Uganda. It was an amazing 2 1/2 hour Mass, especially when the dancing broke out before the final blessing and recessional. As I was concelebrating the Mass along with 18 other Jesuits I could not take photos of the colorful and joyous celebration though I did get some afterwards. There were at least 500 people there. Three weeks later I returned to concelebrate again, this time with one other priest. It was a regular Sunday. There were perhaps 400 people there. Chadian Catholics take their Mass obligation seriously and with great respect. Despite the heat (the Mass was outdoors under metal roofed pavilions) not one male of any age wore short pants. It was a refreshing change from the attire in air conditioned U.S. churches.

The statue of Le Bon Samaritain on the hospital grounds.

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Main entrance to hospital shot from roof of med school. Hospital grounds are well below the grade of the road.

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I haven't used the metal suction cup leads on an EKG in probably 30 years.

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Checking out announcements on the bulletin board after Mass.

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Women chatting after Mass.

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Cameras are a kid magnet. This little boy photobombed more shots than I realized at the time.

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There was a festive meal after Mass. The youth of the parish put on quite a show. This was a reenactment of a coming of age dance.

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During the dance the boys moved faster than I thought the human body could move. I have a suspicion that during the real coming of age dance shorts may not necessarily be under the loin cloth.

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carlysue Loc: Columbus

WOW! frjack, this is a wonderful series. I love the bright colors of the Chadians wear.Seems so right in a dry and thirsty land. Each image is engaging and enjoyed. I especially like the EKG, hadn't seen the suction cups for a while and that took me back, its the equipment I learned with!

pianist38 Loc: Nebraska

What vivid photos! I love your little photobomber. :-D

frjack Loc: Boston, MA

Carlysue,
Thanks. Those EKG suction cups were the bane of my existence during med school and medical residency. Men with hairy chests and women who were D cups were a real challenge. The machine looked older than the one I bought for my office in 1978. Chad is dry though August is a fairly rainy and relatively cool month, relatively cool in the sense that it is the only month the average temp is below 90.

frjack Loc: Boston, MA

Thanks for the feedback. That kid simply followed me around. Whenever I took photos of kids I showed them the result on the screen. They loved that part.

Urban Woods Loc: northeast USA

That's a great set! Thank you for sharing your story and a piece of the culture of Chad!

frjack Loc: Boston, MA

Thanks for the comment. It was quite an experience there. Expect to return next summer for a longer period of time.