Ipoh – LCCT bus ticket : ADA!
Flight web check-in : DONE!
Boarding pass : SIAP!
(Heh! If I forget any of the above, none of my office-mates will be going anywhere!)
Hotel booking confirmation : GOT!
Return flight booking confirmation : ADA!
What else? Oh yeah, DUIT : baru dapat gaji beb, ada la!
Okay, will NAIK BELON tomorrow morning. Taking a 3 day break from office work, voluntary work AND blogging. Be back in Ipoh Sunday night and back blogging on Monday, insyaAllah!
Unable to visit Sofie at the hospital yesterday due to a long list of things to do, I called her around noon to find out what was wrong with her.
“Doctor cakap badan saya tak cukup garam dan terlebih oksigen.”
I told her I’d be visiting today and asked her if anybody was home since I wanted to send this month’s supply of groceries as well. I felt relieved when I was told that her older sister (not the one Sofie used to stay with, this is another sister staying in another state) was home looking after the needs of Sofie’s kids. They (the sister & her husband) were there over the weekend, but looking at Sofie’s fragile condition, decided to stay on for another week. They were the ones who arranged to send Sofie to the hospital. If it was up to Sofie herself, she’d rather suffer at home than being warded at the hospital.
This morning Sofie sent me a text message, saying that she may be discharged in the afternoon. I did tell her that if she was willing to wait until after 2.30 pm, I may be able to fetch her at the hospital. But at that time she herself wasn’t really sure what time exactly she’d be discharged, as she was still on drip, so I figured I’d just give her a call before I make a move from Ipoh.
Around 12.30 pm, Sofie called to say she had already been discharged and had already called her sister to fetch her at the hospital. She preferred taking the bus rather than wait another 2 hours or so for me to come and fetch her. I figured for whatever reasons, she couldn’t stand it anymore at the hospital.
Before going home from lunch this afternoon, I went over to the minimarket near my office to get this month’s supply of groceries for Sofie’s family.
I headed straight to Sofie’s house right after my zuhr prayer, and got there about 2.40 pm. I was pleasantly surprised to see Ika there. I thought her school session was in the afternoon and so she wouldn’t be home if I visit during weekdays afternoons. Apparently her school changed from afternoon to morning session after the recent CNY holidays. So today other than Saiful, Ika too helped to carry down the groceries from my car. Sofie’s bro-in-law too came out to help carry the things. I have already met Sofie’s sister & bro-in-law twice before this, so they are quite familiar with me already.
Anyway, Sofie had already asked to be discharged from the hospital yesterday, but the doctor wouldn’t allow her. This morning she asked again, giving the excuse that there was nobody at home to take care of her children. Well yes, Sofie’s sister was home, but all Sofie wanted was an excuse to go home. The truth was, she couldn’t stand it any longer at the hospital.
You see, most of the nurses at the hospital knew Sofie’s family. It had been quite some time since Sofie was last warded at that hospital (ever since she was diagnosed HIV+, she has been going to Ipoh GH for her appointments), and so this time, they asked her all sorts of questions. They asked about her husband, whom they had always known as a playboy. They asked about her HIV. Sofie couldn’t take it any longer, so she repeatedly asked to be discharged. The doctor finally agreed this morning although her BP was still rather low.
Worse, when Sofie’s bro-in-law went out to buy roti canai this morning, the roti canai seller asked him straight in the face, “*Sofie tu sah HIV positif ya?” And guess who told him? None other than Sofie’s other sister who stays nearby – the one whom Sofie had been staying with earlier. With Sofie hospitalised, that sister has even more stories to tell the neighborhood.
Sofie has had it with that particular sister. She intends to quietly move to a nearby town in one or two months time – without telling THAT sister. Last time she told me she may move at the end of the year. But now she intends to move as soon as possible and start afresh at a new place. In fact, she also intends to change to a new phone number. She has already identified a house, with the same rental rate as the present house. She will also need to arrange for her children’s change of school. Sofie’s sister and bro-in-law (the ones who came from another state to visit) had promised to help her out when she moves.
Sofie promised me that whatever and whenever she decides, she’d inform me first. I told her that if the timing is right, I don’t mind helping her move.
Poor Sofie. It’s tough when you’re staying in a small town where everybody knows you have HIV. Worse, when people start whispering every time you pass by. And with her own sister as the main source of news, all Sofie wants now is not only to get away from her neighbors – main thing is to get away from her sister!
I was shopping for some personal things this afternoon when I suddenly saw a familiar face that I didn’t expect at all to see, of all places, at a hypermarket in Ipoh. Without mistake, the person I saw was definitely Anita. Anita? Hmmm… what was she doing in Ipoh? And at a hypermarket?
I knew very likely she wasn’t there alone, so I looked around her. Yep, saw Kak Ana! And there was a little toddler in a pram – who else could it be other than… my little Cek Mek!! Woohoo!!
I went over to them. Kak Ana had brought Anita to the hospital earlier to see SN and since they ran out of diapers for the little ones, Kak Ana decided to go to the hypermarket to shop for the needs of the infants at her shelter home.
Cek Mek is no longer as chubby as she used to be. Oh well, the last I saw her, all she did was eat, sleep, eat, sleep. Now? Well, she’s almost 10 months old (wah, so fast??!) and dah buas, so yeah, that explains why she’s no longer chubby! But she has not lost that old selamba aka muka sadin looks… just like her Opah Pi… heheheh…
The little girl still has to go for follow ups at the hospital and get her blood tested, but alhamdulillah, so far so good.
On another note, I got a call tonight from Sofie’s number. At first I thought it was Sofie herself. But it turned out to be Sofie’s sister. Sofie was the one who asked her to call me to inform me that she was unwell and that they were waiting for a neighbour’s car to help bring Sofie to the hospital. According to the sister, Sofie was too weak to get up.
Hmmm… I’m wondering if her condition is back to square one… like when I first met her? Looks like I have to rearrange my plans for this week – instead of visiting Lin first, I’d probably better visit Sofie first.
I sure hope it’s nothing serious though…
We’re already in the final week of February (already?!). I was looking through my log book (I have one book specifically for me to note down and scribble matters pertaining to Buddies), scribbling down things to be discussed in the coming Board meeting on Tuesday night, when I noticed that I had not been doing any house visits at all in February. Other than the month being shorter than the rest, there was also the CNY break when I decided to take a break for myself as well. Besides, basically all the children’s back-to-school expenses had been settled and so I didn’t really need to run around as much as I had to in December/January.
I did visit Azimah at the beginning of this month, but since she didn’t want me to visit her at home, I met up with her elsewhere in town.
I also met Asiah when she came to Ipoh for her blood test, but then again, it wasn’t a house visit. As a matter of fact, I have never visited Asiah at her home before. The last time I and 2 other volunteers went to visit her at her hometown, we met her in town, not at her home.
I met up with Halimah at the hospital, again not a house visit. While Halimah and her husband do not mind us Buddies visiting them at home, I have yet to do so. Halimah, along with Azimah, are my latest clients and I went to visit Azimah first as I consider her case more urgent. For the moment Halimah needs to come to Ipoh quite often for her appointments before she delivers her baby, I will probably only visit her at home after she delivers.
Other than the above, all other contacts with the PLHIV infected/affected families were either by calls or SMS.
Mrs K sent me a text message during the CNY break, asking me when I’d be visiting her at her new place. I had been keeping a distance from her ever since she tried time and again to borrow money from me, and I think she knew I got rather pissed off with her. I am only monitoring her children’s school bus fares, which are banked in direct into the account of the bus operator.
Shila too sent me a text message even though I am not her buddy… asking me if I was busy and if I had started work (after the CNY break). The moment I told her I was already at my office, she replied, “Tngah kerja. OK x nk gnggu.” Obviously it wasn’t any serious matter – she just wanted to chat with somebody. I have introduced the PLHIV women to each other, and told them to exchange contact numbers so they could call/SMS each other whenever they feel like chatting with somebody. But I guess sometimes they don’t get the replies from their felllow PLHIVs due to “habis credit”, so they end up contacting me instead.
Today Rosnah’s SMS came in – informing me of her new phone number. Sigh, why lah these people like to change their phone numbers so often? I bet most of the contact numbers of our PLHIV clients that are kept in the files at our centre are no longer valid! I personally have been using the very same number ever since I first started using the hand phone more than 15 years ago. The only change made was the change from 010 to 019 (the earlier one didn’t use SIM card) but the rest of the 7 digit numbers had remained the same.
Anyway, I intend to visit Lin and send this month’s supply of groceries to her before my office trip this Friday, so that will probably be my only house visit for the month.
There are quite a number of clients whom I have not contacted for quite some time – Ifa, Sha, Ani, Nuri, Suhaila, Maria amongst them. I’d better call them up to find out how they’re doing… but I think I’ll wait until I come back from my trip.
What about Yah? Oh forget it, I’d have to wait for her to call me – she changes phone numbers as often as she changes her clothes! (Ok, ok, I’m exaggerating of course, but really, every time she calls it’d be from a different number…)
Since I will be away during the last weekend of this month, I’d better make the necessary arrangements to deliver this month’s supply of groceries to Lin’s and Sofie’s family. Chances are I’d deliver the items on weekdays. Which is not really a problem for Sofie, as she’d be home most of the time. The problem is delivering the stuff for Lin, as she will be at her goreng pisang stall almost every day. The groceries cost a total of RM300 – a whole load of things, which, if I deliver to her stall, she’d have problems taking them home on her motorbike.
Usually I’d choose a weekend if I need to visit Lin at her home. She usually goes to her stall after 11 am, so I’d be able to catch her at home if I visit her in the morning. If I visit in the afternoons, I usually go straight to her stall. I don’t want her to close her stall just because I want to visit.
So how? Looks like I still need to deliver the items on a weekday, so maybe what I can do is to get the items from the minimarket during one of the weekdays next week (they usually only open after 9.30 am) and deliver the stuff early morning the next day before I go to my office. Lin’s house is about 20 – 30 minutes drive away.
As for Sofie, I’d probably send her stuff after I come back from my Kuching trip.
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On another note, the date for the HIV talk at a private college here in Ipoh has finally been fixed. Eventually, when the student in charge called me, he said it’s on the 5th of March, then later he called and said they’re rather flexible on the dates but want the talk to be held in the morning. I had asked if it is possible to hold the talk in the afternoon, but according to him, there may not be many students around if it’s held in the afternoon (takut tertidur dengar ceramah kot?). Finally we decided to hold the talk in the morning of 9th March. He requested that the talk be in Bahasa Malaysia, but since the powerpoint presentation that I have specifically for youths is in English, I will use the English slides and give the explanation in BM. Or speak my usual Manglish… as long as the message gets through, I don’t care!
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My fellow volunteer who’s the coordinator for client’s welfare has managed to get a letter from the Welfare Department, addressed to the hospital director, asking for Halimah to be exempted from paying for hospital charges. Hopefully with that letter Halimah and hubby will no longer be given the runaround the next time Halimah needs to be warded. And hopefully I no longer need to “bail” her out whenever she’s discharged but the nurses won’t let her out of the ward until they see the receipt.
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I’m done with all my reports for the coming AGM. Yaayyy!! I had given a deadline to all the respective coordinators to get their reports ready by our board meeting next week. Hopefully all the reports will be ready by then as I want to read through everything before we get our part time staff to compile everything and make enough copies of the annual report for distribution purposes.
Remember the 20K grant we got during Ramadhan last year? We’re supposed to send a report to the Yayasan after 6 months. Well, the 6 months will be up in March. So yeah, we need to get the reports ready soon!
There will be no board meeting next month as we will be having our AGM. No committee elections this year, so I hope to make it a short meeting just to adopt the reports. Then we can just makan-makan! After all, AGMs are for makan-makan, right?
Huh? No?! I thought AGM is short for Aku Guarantee Makan? Isn’t it?!
