[June 8, 2010]
After 5 months of project preparation, 4 weeks of planning and packing, and 40+ hours of commute (including a layover and short rest in a Yotel in London), I’ve finally arrived at St. Gabriel’s Hospital in Namitete. Whew!
So far, I feel like I’ve only had a glimpse of Malawi: A car ride from the airport in Lilongwe to the St. Gabriel’s campus showcased the beautiful landscape and terrain. A trip to the major supermarket, Shoprite, in Lilongwe presented the bulk of my food supply for the summer. The drive up to the hospital entrance displayed the neighborhood goats, chickens, and bike taxis for transport. A wander into the village market introduced me to the curious and friendly people of this culture. And St. Gabriel’s? Well…
On our first official day, Jasper and I met with Sister Annie, the head nurse of the pharmacy, who took us on a mini tour of the hospital before ending up at the ART (Antiretroviral Therapy) Clinic for our first assignment: counting and packing pills that would be distributed to HIV/AIDS patients. – Perfect! Here was a great opportunity to test out our pill-counting device!
Little did we know, the office already carried two previously donated digital scales (with weighing boats to match), so we actually ran a little comparison test. Using similar ‘measure to desired amount-tare-fill to accurate read’ techniques, we found major differences in use. The digital scales had greater weighing capacity, greater carrying capacity, and, after multiple trial runs, better precision and accuracy. Unfortunately, our diamond scales were not equipped to handle the size and high count of pills necessary per packet. So, it’s smaller weighing and carrying capacity served as a disadvantage. Alas, the problem with the digital scale was proven by the dead battery at the end of the day, so a point to our diamond scale for that criteria!
After finishing a carton of the medicine, it was time to close up and my mind was seeing spots approximately the size of the pills we just packed…
With perfect timing, soon after we got back to the house, Liz and Yiwen arrived from the airport. We had a really laidback evening, and after some home-cooked food (which still has a lot of room for improvement) and good company, I was exhausted and ready for my mosquito-netted bed.