It's all nearly over! Sad times :( Currently sitting in Gecko Lounge in Cape McLear with a certain tall dark shaggy haired boy from Scotland making the most of my last 2 days of sunshine in Malawi! I'm so sad to be leaving (have had various discussions trying to figure out how I can get round coming home...turns out I kinda have to!). My last 2 weeks were very fun though.
Lake of Stars music festival last weekend was absolutely amazing. Lots of African music (cue lots of mzungus trying to do black dancing), lots of malawi gin and not alot of sleep (I saw sunset and sunrise on the Saturday!). Completely gorgeous setting on the lake though and wicked people....was an ace weekend.
I also went to Zambia on the token safari that must be done when in Africa. As soon I crossed the border you could notice the difference between the countries. Zambia is a lot more lush and clearly has more money than Malawi. However, the roads are awful...3 hours on a dirt road in a jeep was not the most fun I've had since I got here. The end result was amazing though. The campsite was right on the river so we could see hippos and crocodiles from our tent. Also elephants and giraffes walked right through our camp (and it had a swimming pool which was like the best thing ever!). We went on 4 drives in total and I saw pretty much everything apart from a leopard! I definitely want to steal a giraffe and take it home!
Things I have learned since being in Malawi...
1. Don't buy a toyota corolla (and definitely don't drive it to cape mclear)
2. Don't get ill in Malawi cause the healthcare is so shit you'll probs die from a cold
3. That it is possible for you to tan/burn/stay white all on the same body...quite skill!
Zikomo kwamberie for reading peeps!
Ruthie x
Monday, 25 October 2010
Friday, 15 October 2010
Bye bye hospital
So my time at the hospital is up! In the last week I've been in surgery - highlights include removing a massive cyst the size of a football from a womans ovary, resecting a pussy bowel and assisting on some caesarean sections (yay babies!). The surgery is unbelievable though - the gowns are all stained as are the drapes, to scrub in they use a bar of soap and the autoclave broke on Wednesday so there was no sterile operating equipment! Apart from that the procedures are the same apart from they are happening in a baking hot theatre - sweat was literally dripping off me when i was scrubbed in! I'm really sad to be leaving the hospital though, especially obs and gynae but its made me want to do developing world medicine so I'm sure I'll be back!
Other happenings...went to Nkhata Bay last weekend, absolutely stunning place at the North of the Lake but it was soooooooooooooooo hot I almost melted. Managed to properly burn my shoulders and back though whilst retaining snow white legs...it really is a talent.
Today I'm headed off to a music festival at Lake Malawi called Lake of Stars and I am pumped!!!!!!! Theres supposed to be about 3500 people there so not quite as big as t in the park but at least its going to be sunny!!!!!!!!!
Other happenings...went to Nkhata Bay last weekend, absolutely stunning place at the North of the Lake but it was soooooooooooooooo hot I almost melted. Managed to properly burn my shoulders and back though whilst retaining snow white legs...it really is a talent.
Today I'm headed off to a music festival at Lake Malawi called Lake of Stars and I am pumped!!!!!!! Theres supposed to be about 3500 people there so not quite as big as t in the park but at least its going to be sunny!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, 7 October 2010
A whole year older than when I left Scotland
On Monday I officially became old. Sad times. What is not sad was spending the day on the beach lying in the sun and then all my malawian friends taking me out to dinner and buying me a massive chocolate cake...officially friends for life haha!
Now that I'm on Obs and Gyn things are totally different to they are in medicine. Its a brand new maternity department called the Ethel Mutharika Wing. Its absolutely massive but although its brand new the resources are still majorly limited (an emergency caesarean section which in the UK would take 7 minutes takes 30 here). I'm absolutely loving it though mainly because I have fallen in love (professionally!!) with the registrar - Ibe. He's from Nigeria and I generally follow him about like a puppy all day long wishing I was actually him (well black and a an obs and gyn god!).
Things I've achieved in my time on obs and gynae
1. Drained a huge amount of green pus from an abscess in a womans abdomen (and had to wash it off my crocs...win!)
2. Resuscitated a 32 week gestation newborn baby and it survived
3. Fallen in love with my reg.
On the tan front the arms are definitely less white than before but the legs are most definitely still ghostly. Bad times.
Now that I'm on Obs and Gyn things are totally different to they are in medicine. Its a brand new maternity department called the Ethel Mutharika Wing. Its absolutely massive but although its brand new the resources are still majorly limited (an emergency caesarean section which in the UK would take 7 minutes takes 30 here). I'm absolutely loving it though mainly because I have fallen in love (professionally!!) with the registrar - Ibe. He's from Nigeria and I generally follow him about like a puppy all day long wishing I was actually him (well black and a an obs and gyn god!).
Things I've achieved in my time on obs and gynae
1. Drained a huge amount of green pus from an abscess in a womans abdomen (and had to wash it off my crocs...win!)
2. Resuscitated a 32 week gestation newborn baby and it survived
3. Fallen in love with my reg.
On the tan front the arms are definitely less white than before but the legs are most definitely still ghostly. Bad times.
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