There has been so much to do just simply to get to Malawi. Combine all of our packing (not just clothes, but medical devices as well) with various forms and protocols to follow and you get a wonderful range of emotions from nervous to pure excitement. Having only two weeks to prepare for my internship at the Polytechnic in Blantyre, Malawi, it’s hard to really find time to stop and think about the journey I am about to embark on. To give a little background; I will be working at the Polytechnic University with three other Rice University students. Our main project is repairing Oxygen Concentrators, but we will also be getting feedback on six medical device prototypes and developing more needs to begin working on next year.

 

As I sit on my plane from London to Johannesburg it all finally starts to sink in. Soon I will actually be in Malawi, equipped with six devices that we have been prepping. Soon I will finally meet the wonderful Malawians I will be spending two months gettting to know. Soon I will be able to show the students at the Polytechnic the device I have been working on to get much needed feedback to work on improvements. I don’t know exactly what this two months has in store for me, but I do know that I cannot wait for this opportunity of a lifetime to start. I am so lucky to have my sponsors and Rice 360 supporting this wonderful internship. The next time I write I will finally be in Malawi.