Friendly Faces

Posted on by ac36

Having been back in the US for almost a week now is a bit…disorienting is putting it mildly.

I miss St. Gabriel’s so much! That hasn’t changed in a week, and I don’t think that this ‘homesickness’ will dissipate anywhere in the near future. But what a little bit of time and space has given me is perspective on what I truly miss the most about life in the hospital and in Malawi.

 

What’s super convenient is that what, or rather who, I miss the most also serves to illustrate the most important advice I can offer to future interns:

Respect the amazing people who work at the hospital, and make friends when you can!

 

Previous intern blogs have taught me that the roster for each ward can change on a dime; rapid staff turnover is a huge issue at hospitals throughout the developing world, and St. Gabe’s is no exception. With any luck, however, most (or at least some) of these friendly faces will be around to enrich your experiences at St. Gabe’s, both personally and professionally.

Kathy and Janet are two of the first people you'll meet at St. Gabe's. As the hospital's secretaries, they'll be your go-to people, especially while you're getting your bearings.
Kathy and Janet are two of the first people you’ll meet at St. Gabe’s. As the hospital’s secretaries, they’ll be your go-to people, especially while you’re getting your bearings.
Dr. Mbeya is the hospital Director, and one of the most knowledgable people around! He's done so much to ensure that we can learn and contribute.
Dr. Mbeya is the hospital Director, and one of the most knowledgable people around! He’s done so much to ensure that we can learn and contribute.
Duncan is in charge of equipment maintenance at St. Gabriel's. He's also one of the friendliest faces you'll see each day!
Duncan is in charge of equipment maintenance at St. Gabriel’s. He’s also one of the friendliest faces you’ll see each day!
Flora is an electrical engineer and along with Duncan, she helps the hospital equipment run smoothly, even with St. Gabe's limited resources.
Flora is an electrical engineer and along with Duncan, she helps the hospital equipment run smoothly, even with St. Gabe’s limited resources.
Alex Ngalande is your inside man for palliative care and the FCCU. He always greeted us with a giant smile and his signature "no problem!"
Alex Ngalande is your inside man for palliative care and the FCCU. He always greeted us with a giant smile and his signature “no problem!”
Bright Mlenga is a clinical officer extraordinaire and our closest friend in Malawi. He's got a great sense of humor, and if you shadow him, you'll get an inside look at everything from surgery to some crazy wound care.
Bright Mlenga is a clinical officer extraordinaire and our closest friend in Malawi. He’s got a great sense of humor, and if you shadow him, you’ll get an inside look at everything from surgery to some crazy wound care.
Collins is one of the FCCU staff people who is trained in Morphine Tracker. He's sharp as a tack and has an incredible can-do attitude!
Collins is one of the FCCU staff people who is trained in Morphine Tracker. He’s sharp as a tack and has an incredible can-do attitude!
Matilda (left) cleaned Zitha House for a great deal of our time in Malawi- she's the sweetest, and has even helped me with pronunciation for some Chichewa lessons. Now she's working as a nurses' aide in the hospital. Mary Kaminga (right) is a nurses' aide in the FCCU, and she was also one of our Morphine Tracker students! I've never met anyone who wanted to learn as diligently as she did!
Melinda (left) cleaned Zitha House for a great deal of our time in Malawi- she’s the sweetest, and has even helped me with pronunciation for some Chichewa lessons. Now she’s working as a nurses’ aide in the hospital.
Mary Kaminga (right) is a nurses’ aide in the FCCU, and she was also one of our Morphine Tracker students! I’ve never met anyone who wanted to learn as diligently as she did!
Happy is a wonderful man who's in charge of the hospital incinerator. He is also wonderfully friendly- we have had great conversations, met his family, and visited his home as his friend!
Happy is a wonderful man who’s in charge of the hospital incinerator. He is also wonderfully friendly- we have had great conversations, met his family, and visited his home as his friend!

There are tons of other people who we didn’t get the opportunity to take pictures with, but the moral of the story is that the staff of St. Gabe’s have really made our experiences during this internship special, and hopefully our friendships will endure in the forms of memories and lessons learned.

 

P.S. Second lesson I’ve learned from looking at these pictures: by Malawian standards, I’m practically a giant. Being a 6ft Caucasian woman has definitely gotten me innumerable intense stares.

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