29 July 2012
Hey all!
Kathleen has been sick since Thursday, and now Rahul is feeling ill as well! I’m sure this is not how they imagined their last week and first week of work would be. So without a doubt we will be staying here in Blantyre instead of going to Mt. Mulanji.
I hadn’t realized it, but for a few days there has been a water strike going on in Malawi; I thought it strange that the water wasn’t working in the women’s restroom at the hospital, but had not realized it was something affecting the rest of the hospital let alone the whole community. I think some things may be getting resolved because we had water in the hospital today.
This Friday I did CPAP checks as usual (Rahul ended up going home early because he wasn’t feeling well), then I went on a hunt for the Head of Obs & Gynae but to no avail; this week is just probably a bad week to try to get any meetings arranged because it’s exam period for all of the medical students…I’ll try again next Monday.
After lunch the day got pretty eventful…I don’t think I should go into the specifics on my blog page so I shall leave it at that; but family and friends feel free to ask me about it when I get home!
On Saturday Rahul woke up feeling much better, however, not the same luck with Kathleen’s fever. So we went to Blantyre Adventist Hospital up the road from Kabula…completely different from QECH! The doctor wasn’t able to pin-point what exactly she had, but said whatever it was is flu-like; he gave her some meds so hopefully they’ll kick in soon.
Sunday
With love,
Bridget
“We’re kind of like boys…we talk about sports, [we] have big feet…”
–Kathleen amidst her delirious, feverish state
What I’m glad I brought:
Shoe laces and bungee cord – Used to hold my 2 heavy check bags together when wheeling around the airport and served as a clothesline when I got to my living area
A bottle with milliliter markers on it
Laundry detergent
Nail kit – with tweezers, nail clippers, nail filer, nail scissors
Shower caddy – I hate putting my personal items on the floor
Shower shoes (flip flops)
Long socks – bedbugs can’t bite thru them
Small container of safety pins – I used them to hem torn bags, hang wet clothes, other misc. things
2 ½ weeks worth of underwear and socks
Flash light
Laptop
What I’m glad Kathleen and Rahul brought:
Debit card – I brought my credit card instead…definitely bring a debit for withdrawals
Big bottle of hand sanitizer
Sandwich Ziploc bags
Dish soap
For my parents—I promise I’m eating:
For breakfast: PB&J with banana sandwich / banana in oatmeal
For lunch: leftovers from previous dinners / chicken and cheese sandwich and strawberry and cream ice cream (Kips)
For dinner: leftovers from previous dinners / stir-fried rice and soup