We stepped off of the Malawian airplane onto the tarmack and I was immediately greeted by a smiling face ushering me off the plane stairs and onto the tarmack. Looking out to my right, I saw miles of grassland until the land met the mountains. Never in my life have I stepped off of a plane and seen such untouched beauty. There was something so pure about it. The airport was a simple one room building with one baggage claim, a ticketing booth, and dozens of kind faces ready to help us. And, they all love to have a good time. After watching us take pictures for ten minutes, an airport employee approached me and asked if he too could take a picture with us. At first, I thought he was being serious, and then realized he was joking and I laughed, embarrassed. Here is to embracing the touristy-ness! 

Since leaving the airport, from our drivers to my mentors at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) where I will be working, we are always met with encouraging words and kindness. So far, we have been able to take a tour of QECH. We were given a tour of the maternity ward and neonatal ICU where I will be spending most of my time and met some of the nurses and doctors. The nurses and staff were eager to hear from us and I am so excited to learn from them for the next seven weeks. 

We also toured the Polytechnic University in Malawi where some of my fellow interns will be working and we met multiple university students. They were smiling from ear to ear as we asked questions about their studies and they asked us about Rice. One student answered all of our questions patiently, and after a few minutes sheepishly admitted that he must get back to studying for his finals which are going on right now for the Malawian students. I can’t wait to hear more about their studies and lives as students here. 

We are slowly settling into our home at the Kabula Lodge. Our home has an incredible view of the mountains and because of the clear air we get to see a full sky of stars every night. We took our first group trip to the grocery store and it was surprisingly so interesting to browse the rows of foods and find similarities and differences between US and Malawian grocery stores. After buying food and coming home, still exhausted from traveling this past week, I made the most gourmet of dinners: a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and Parle-G biscuits. My mom would be so proud. Let’s hope that this weekend my cooking improve as we continue to explore, learn, and immerse ourselves in this incredible country. 

Warm Wishes- 

Sajel