After all the confusion of the evening meeting yesterday, today started with a little frustration as no one was quite sure what to prepare for, for how long, or what to expect from the day.

Waiting to head out
Breakfast was quick, and then the entire group of the Helvetas veterinary agents, the vet group from the Ministry and the 5 of us from VAST, clambered into the same small 4×4 and headed into the mountains to three different vaccination posts. Unfortunately the roads haven’t gotten any better and we were all sore and bruised from yesterday… sigh.

Helvetas had poultry (Newcastle disease) and swine (classical swine fever) vaccination clinics set up in 3 different areas. We were working at the furthest one and then of course took the longest, so everyone else finished up their clinic early and had to wait for us.

We ended up setting up and running a regular clinic – treating 142 animals altogether in 4.5 hours. Unexpectedly, the ratio was somewhat similar to last year: way more horses than anticipated, a few pigs,

lots of cows and an insane number of small ruminants. Our teaching workshops will actually be tomorrow morning and Saturday morning.

We also have another health clinic tomorrow afternoon, and since we did not anticipate what we are doing, we have to make some adjustments… always good to be flexible!

It really is a good thing we are all able to roll with the punches, and that we all like each other. By now the frustration would have caused some bloodshed otherwise!

Right now we are all starving… meals have been at awkward times and so we have not been eating properly (no one’s fault!)… so are daydreaming about food. Always a bad choice right before bed.
Anyway, hope that everyone is doing well!
Lots of love,
TRAJ