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.

A Weekend in Paradise

One of the greatest things about being in Malawi is the ease at which you can pop into a stunning scenery.

Last weekend myself and the family I am staying with had a spontaneous weekend in Pemba, Mozambique. We were the only ones in the cosy lodge. There was nobody else on the beach. The water was warm and crystal clear. We had cheap, fresh fish and sea food. I should probably stop before you start hating me too much.

Grand Theft Auto.

So I had the interesting experience of being able to DRIVE in Malawi. I was quite nervous when I entered the car, for I have been a passenger for the past months and have seen how dodgy things can get on the roads.

It was initially comforting to realise how wide the lanes are in Blantyre. This was a short lived feeling, for I soon realised they are wide in order to accommodate the cars, the parked cars, the crazy minibuses, the insanely dangerous overtaking that goes on, the goats, the dogs, the cats, the pedestrians, the queues for fuel and the men selling samoosas.

It was great fun driving around in such a chaotic city, I felt like I was in a video game. Reaching a crossing with traffic lights that don’t work really tests your awareness and your ability to decide whether or not accelerating will put your life in danger. Every time you stop the car in traffic you get offered enough fruit in 2 minutes to be able to make a fruit salad then and there.

I miss driving. Maybe Santa will get me my own car for me to drive around in Malawi.

Just do it.

Remember my post with the newspaper article? This morning I got invited by Zasher, my footballer patient, to go to Kamuzu Stadium (the only stadium in Blantyre) to watch a football match. I discussed this with my friends, who strongly advised me not to go. Here are some of their reasons:

1. "Kamuzu Stadium has been deemed by FIFA as a having an unsafe infrastructure. In other words, it could easily collapse at any moment."

2. "Just you and your patient?! But you don't even know him."

3. "During busy matches, the stadium can SERIOUSLY overcrowd." The official stadium capacity is 32, 000 but in October 2008 it is estimated that 60, 000 gathered inside to watch the Flames, the Malawian National team. Nice n' cosy.

4. "Are you sure you want to do that? It can get pretty hectic in there. Yesterday one of the teams that played is now banned because hundreds of their fans invaded the pitch during play with missiles and everything."

5. "You're crazy."

So I decided to go.

The first thing I thought was, What can I wear that will not make me stand out? I put on a pair of jeans and a plain t-shirt. That should do it, easygoing and discreet. I wonder if wearing a bracelet and ring is too much? I then stopped and realised: it is definately not a bracelet and a ring that will put me on the spotlight. No matter what I wear I will still be a 22 year old Caucasian female amongst a predominantly male environment of low to middle class Malawians. Get over it.

I'm so glad I went. Zasher's pass entitled us to the VIP area of the Stadium (I'm still not sure what differentiated it from the rest of the seats) and I had a great time with him and his friends. And most importantly, I didn't feel unsafe at any point. Escom United beat Moyale by 2-1, and I left the match happy because I didn't really care who took the trophy home.

Beat you this time, MALARIA!

I guess being in bed for 3 days with 39ºC fevers, headaches, joint pains and your body expelling the food you ingest in all forms is part of the experience of being in Africa. Well, been there done that.

Don't know know what it was. But now I'm better! And I get a souvenier ticket to say I got a Malaria test done. I guess it's not as cool if the test was negative but oh well.

I also leave you with a picture of the flying ants which have now come out, it's their season to shine.