fun and games

"Meggee come here I want to show you something," called Edwin's mother.
At the present moment I was busy; I told her I would come as soon as I was free.

After about an hour the ward had settled, and Edwin's mom immediately took advantage, insisting I came to Edwin's bedside. She made me sit facing her on the mattress on the floor, still not telling me why I was called over. I thought it was going to be something important.

She started moving and clapping her hands, motioning for me to join her. She wanted to play "hand Clapping" with me (like little girls play on elementary school playgrounds). It made me laugh. In my two years of working at CHOP's PICU I never had a parent request that I played a hand clapping game with them. A Liberian first for me.

Later, Edwin's mom and I played a Liberian version of "London bridge" with the dear children. We stood in the center of the ward forming a "bridge" with our arms, and she sang as the kids walked under our arms. At the end of the song we would "catch" whoever was walking through at the moment. The caught child would then choose either myself or Edwin's mom to stand behind (I didn't know why when we were playing).

All the kids picked me which made the adults in the ward laugh out loud.

After each child was caught, I was showed the purpose of forming the lines.
"We will not do this part here because the children are sick. But in Africa we do this."

She then drew an imaginary line on the ward floor with her foot and explained that we would hold hands and try to pull each other over the line. Those who had picked us when they were caught would be our assistants.

Fun times on B ward.