Packing Advice

Looking back at how I packed for Malawi, there are things I am proud of and others that I would change if I could go back in time.

5 things I did right

- Taking clothes I like to see myself in. It's easy to fall back on stereotypes about Africa and its dress codes. Yes I was going to Africa, but no I wasn't going to a 6 month safari trip. Don't pack your suitcase with beige trousers, white shirts and army-green hats, unless that's just your regular style.

- Physiotherapy things. I took with me a little pocketbook that I could consult whenever I was in doubt. Taking my uniform was also handy, I wouldn't have wanted to wear my daily clothes to hospital every day.

- Sports gear. Why wouldn't I? I used my trainers every week. Football, tennis, jogging, Zumba, mountain climbing...

- Medication. Although I (thankfully) didn't use a fifth of the pills I took, it was comforting to know they were there. The few times that I needed them were enough to make them worth it.

- Electronic appliances. Thank GOD for technology. My iPod, my phone, my laptop.

5 things I regret

- Not taking a hoodie. We all know Africa's climate is warmer than most of the world but believe me, it gets chilly.

- If you don't wear it at home, you won't wear it at all. There were some items of clothing that I thought might be handy and appropriate for daily wear in Malawi, even though I'd never worn them in Lisbon or London. Waste of space given that they were never worn during my 6 months.

- Thinking that I won't find anything in Malawi. I must have thought I was going to the end of the world where nothing can be purchased. I packed useless things like notepads, pens, envelopes, shampoos, toothpaste, paperclips, etc.

- Kindle. Exchanging books with friends was more fun than I anticipated. Not once did I open the Kindle I took with me, and yet I always had an endless supply of books to read.

- Forgetting the little things that make me a little happier. Did my Malawi experience make me less materialistic? Maybe. Nevertheless, there are tiny superficial things that make you feel good about yourself. A pair of heels. Make-up. Nail polish. A nice watch. A fancy dress.

No doubt I'll still make mistakes next time I pack..

I am grateful; therefore I plant a seed.

Someone once told me that when you visit a place you should only take photos and leave footprints. I agree, and (almost) did that. On the morning of my flight I decided to thank Malawi for all the beautiful memories it provided me with. What better way than planting a tree?

It was a special moment, and I recommend it to everyone. It was my way to say thank you, and I almost heard the world thank me in return (forgive me, I'm a little sensitive today).

I'm sorry I didn't see your true beauty, Maputo

It's so interesting how your view on things change over time. Going back to my first posts ever, I didn't really paint Maputo as a beautiful place. In all fairness I had just arrived from Europe where the grass is green, the birds sing and the butterflies smile... A few days ago my friends in Malawi would say "You're so lucky you're staying some days in Maputo before heading home! Such a great place!" I raised an eyebrow everytime and thought, "That's not really how I remember it."

Nevertheless, I am fascinated at how my perspective of this city has changed after living 6 months in Blantyre. When I landed in Maputo yesterday I couldn't believe how many pavements there were. And street lights that worked! The next day we went to a shopping centre (a shopping centre!) and I couldn't believe how clean and civilised it was. The shelves at the supermarket fully stocked, and so much cheese! Oh how I miss cheese.

It's been good spending some days here. But I think I'm ready to go home now. If I can't be in Malawi I'd rather just be sent home to mum and dad.

4am and I decided to start packing.

These past 2 weeks have been an emotional rollercoaster. People reminding me how soon I'm leaving ("Oh my god, you've only got 9 days left!!"), goodbye dinners, farewell parties, departing gifts and a lot of love. It'll be hard to leave this place. Curiously enough, most people look me in the eyes and say "You... there is no way you'll be leaving Malawi for good. You'll be back one day, you'll see."

Quite honestly, I like to hear that. I'd love to come back one day, but not just yet. It's time to open new doors and start a fresh phase of my life- and the world is at my feet! So many things I want to be doing. So for now I have left my footprints in this country and will surely keep in touch with the good friends I have made.

Back to packing!

Sharing is Caring.

My last post referred to a not-so-nice experience within the community. This current entry may come as a bit of a contrast but it is something that I can't help noticing and am proud to write a post on.

Malawians open their hearts to those around them and are always willing to help. I work with people whose wages don't exceed 15,000MK per month (approximately €70 or £60) and I have learnt not to underestimate the amount of people this money sustains. The wife/husband, the children, the mother and father in law, the cousins... Plus, raising their salaries is not going to increase the amount of maize they place on the table; it just extends the list of people needed to support.

Every other week there is someone in the hospital who has a child, has a death in the family or is getting married. No chance, it's always happening. The reason I know this is because a staff member will come around the hospital with a sheet of paper and an envelope. People donate money (approximately 50cents or 40pence) and sign it off. I don't think I have ever given anything, my excuse is always the fact that I'm a volunteer and don't really have money to be giving off every week. Or maybe "Who's Chipirilo? The guy sitting in the corner of the laundry room who sews buttons on the uniforms? I've never even spoken to him in my life."

But those aren't real excuses, and nowadays I just tend to run away out of shame. I'm a volunteer yet I spend more money alone than most staff members who have to share out their wages amongst their extended family and perhaps neighbours who are in a state of poverty worst than themselves. And who cares if you don't know who Chipirilo is? He's in need of money so the logical and caring thing to do is help him.

I haven't posted a photograph in a while, here goes me with my colleague and patients:

Dear Samsung, you caused me trouble.

This week something happened which has made me very uncomfortable and to some extent incredibly sad.

A couple of days ago I was in Physio room 1 working on the computer with my phone on the table. I left to see a patient and 3 mins later realised I had forgotten the phone in the room- I quickly rushed to grab it but to my disappointment it had vanished. Peter (fake name), the physiotherapy assistant, was leaving the room just as I was going in, so I asked him if he had seen my phone. "No, what phone?" he replied, looking rather awkward. He rushed to Physio room 2, and when he came out I questioned him again. "Really, Peter? But you were the only one in there after me... you haven't seen it?" He denied it again, and for some reason could not keep still and was rushing about far too much for it to be considered normal behaviour.

He was uncomfortable. I was uncomfortable. I didn't want to accuse anyone (after all I hadn't seen anyone take my phone) yet my instincts are generally pretty trustworthy. I started asking people around the rooms if they had seen it anywhere, and a few minutes later Peter walks up to me with my phone and says "I found it. You left it in Physio Room 2." And walks away.

He knows I wasn't in Physio Room 2. He knows that I know I didn't step foot in that room. I wasn't quite sure how to react, and I still don't know how to be around him. He is a close work colleague and someone I get along with incredibly well. So let me make it clear- there is no point in feeling hurt about this, because it was nothing personal. It was just a desperate measure, an easy way to make the equivalent of his monthly wage. Although the politically correct thing to do would be to report him, I don't see how that will make things better. I think I will approach him and explain that I'm disappointed but ready to forgive him. Will it stop him from stealing in the future to be able to feed his 2 year old child? Will it make a difference to his morals? Probably not. It's just another example of the impotence that we have towards facing the challenges in Africa.

Not just Physical Healing

Let me tell you why I will miss my job. At CURE Hospital we are a family. Every day I pretty much manage to greet every member of staff in the hospital- the pharmacist, the cooks, the doctors, the cleaning ladies, the guards... It's a cosy atmosphere whereby I feel comfortable and at ease at all times during the day.

From 7:30-16.30 I am a privileged physiotherapist. Let me enlighten you on my daily activities:

- Paediatric Physiotherapy: this part of my job is fascinating. I get the chance to treat and play with children with the most beautiful smiles I have ever seen. I am being exposed to conditions and diseases that I have never even heard of before coming to Malawi. There are several children who do not need physiotherapy, nevertheless, I still find it fascinating to understand what they are going through. Most cases are congenital (they are born with it) or due to infections during childhood. At times the story behind the injury is a sad one: one little girl, aged 2, was forced by her own mother to place her hands in boiling water after having stolen a handful of peas.

- Adult Physiotherapy: being able to partake in this kind of work is good to keep my Western skills. The adult patients I treat are all able to pay for the treatment they receive and have problems that are seen in a hospital/clinical setting anywhere in Europe.

- Translation: being able to speak more than a language has come in handy. Phone calls with patients in Mozambique, translating brochures and leaflets into Portuguese, or being an interpreter in a medical appointment. We have patients coming all the way from the neighbouring country Mozambique to be seen by our doctors.

- Journalism: maybe I'm sugar-coating it a little bit. I haven't actually done journalism as per say, but I wrote an article about physiotherapy for the hospital magazine!

- Surgeries: I get to watch as many as I wish. All I need to do is approach one of our 6 surgeons, ask them if they are doing any interesting procedures that morning, and jump on the wagon. Tomorrow I will be watching my first amputation- a child got bitten by a snake and now the leg has to be removed.

- Supervisor: I may be cheating by putting this in the list just yet. In 2 weeks time I will have a 2nd year Physiotherapy student shadow me around the hospital. It's odd to think that a few months ago I was playing the role of the student. Suddenly I am expected to be a responsible professional fully capable of teaching and supervising another human being. Quite exciting.

I'll miss it.

What a morning.

Before writing about my hectic morning I should probably give you some background information about the topic in hand. A few months ago Roddrick, our cook, was diagnosed with an advanced stage of HIV. It isn't anthing shocking here in Malawi, for at least a third of the population is affected by it. He was admitted into hospital for two weeks to recover from his miserable health state- and believe me, public hospitals here are worst than you can imagine. Matresses on the floor with 3 people on them, insect infested corners, lack of medicines, unbearable smells. Nevertheless, he returned home (he lives with his family next door to us) but was still on bed rest and unable to return to work.

So it's been 3 months of nursing him at home, ensuring he is taking his medicine and accompanying him to the clinic. This morning Paulo (my adopted "dad") and myself were off to take him to an appointment. As we waited in the car, one of his kids came to tell us that Roddrick was not in a state to walk. I quickly rushed in his bedroom and it took me less than 5 seconds to realise that he needed to go to hospital as soon as possible. He had a pulse and was breathing, but other than that he was most likely in a coma or septic shock.

"We need to call an ambulance", Paulo said. We looked at each other and both thought the same thing. Are there even ambulances in this place? A few phone calls later we realised that there might be an ambulance available in the hospital, but because of fuel shortages it wasn't operating. And anyway, there are no paramedics to assist him in the ambulance so it wouldn't have made a difference. So we decided to take him in the car.

As I went back to his bedroom, the family's blank faces weren't promising. I got closer to Roddrick and quickly checked for vital signs- none at all. I couldn't believe I was actually having to pronounce someone's death.

It felt surreal to see this all happen, to have to deal with all this and not even be able to properly speak to his relatives due to language barrier. So many things were running through my mind. Roddrick's wife died 2 years ago, leaving him to take care of his 4 children aged 7-15. What will happen to them? Where will they live and will they be able to attend school? And where does Roddrick's body go? Where do we get a coffin from? How much does a coffin even cost? As the morning painfully dragged itself, the answers to these questions were slowly revealed.

I've decided to share this with not only because it was an experience for me, but because it's a part of life here in Malawi. No matter how shocked I am, I should realise that this happens every single day. What a morning.

Hello blog, I've missed you.

Happy New Year!

It's been a good while since I last posted. I've essentially been away from home for almost 3 weeks-probably the best 3 weeks since I have been here. Let me give you a brief update:

17th-18th December: Rising up to 1800m, ZOMBA was Malawi's capital until 1974. Up in this plateau the weather is cool, the scenery is green and the main entertainments are walks, horse riding, eating, quad bikes, photographing and sleeping. It's the perfect get away.

19th-21st December: I can now tick off MOUNT MULANJE from my to-do list. However, I loved it so much I have un-ticked it so I can do it again and re-tick it. The 4 hours of intense mountain climbing (some points required hands and knees vertical crawling) were definately worth it once you get up there. The best views I have seen, no electricity or phone signal, no toilets, cooking in the fireplace, sleeping bags on the floor, drinking water from the stream. I could've stayed up there a whole week.

22nd-26th December: There is no better way to spend Christmas day other than swimming in MONKEY Bay, Lake Malawi. 35ºC, snorkling, eating fresh fish. A different Christmas, but only the family was lacking from this perfect day.

27th-29th December: Boat trips and drives around LIWONDE NATIONAL PARK spotting elephants, crocodiles, waterbucks, impalas, hippos, birds. Incredible park.

30th December-2nd January: Back to the Lake, but this time NKUDZI Bay and CAPE MCLEAR. You can't get enough of water skiing, boat trips and riding around in the back of a pick up truck. New Years Eve was incredible and spent in the company of good friends.

Next stop: Zimbabwe.