New year, new experience

After the cast is on

Last weekend we had our first trip to the Emergency Room here in Doha. Lisa has been wanting to see Qatar's health care system in action and she got her wish -- at Simon's expense.

We were at the park playing a simple game of catch and Simon tripped into a ditch and fell down hard on his ankle. It swelled immediately and he cried in pain. We took him to one of the Emergency Rooms in town and were very pleased with our experience. In less than 2 hours we had received Emergency care, x ray, casting, two consults with a surgeon, and a followup appointment with the Orthopedic Clinic. The diagnosis was damage to the ligament on his right lateral foot.

Modified school uniform

We have been back to the Clinic to remove the temporary cast. The Orthopedic surgeon believes that another week in the cast will allow the ligament to heal enough that Simon can start physiotherapy exercises.

The challenge of the first week on crutches was coping with the size of the school. Simon came home with blisters on his hands and very sore arms. So Lisa borrowed a wheelchair from her Lab and now he is much more comfortable. And his friends fight over who gets to push him to the next class!

The challenge of this coming week will be to continue to miss Phys Ed classes and Basketball and Swim Team practices.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year from the Schrocks and Chutes in Qatar! This was the morning of January 1, 2013. The Schrocks have since returned to Canada and our house seems empty without them.

Initial application

In Qatar, henna is commonly used by Arab women to celebrate weddings. So the girls used it to celebrate the New Year. Sajana painted a detailed design on each of their hands. Ingrid and Eliana were very patient with the process. The first step is to have the design painted on from a tube of henna. Then it dries for an hour before flaking off. The colour left behind is quite orange and this changes to a brown colour within 24 hours. The henna design will stay in place for 2 weeks -- it gradually fades away with washing and natural exfoliation.

 

The boys celebrated the New Year in a different fashion -- Go-Karting of course! In the Villaggio Mall there is a Go-Karting track which is loud, smelly, noisy, and fun! The boys have to wear head socks inside their helmets. And, naturally, go-karting makes you very hungry so a trip to the Mongolian Grill is necessary to finish the experience.