Second letter from Malawi
Dear All
30th August 2009-08-30
Hope you had a great grand opening of the pub on Saturday.
Ruth and I were thinking of you. I went to see Ruth and her Ruthin mates on Sat am at the village of Nessa. Set amongst tea plantations on the slopes of a large mountain of 9.000 feet. Very beautiful. They had already started building the new school room, the lads doing the heavy labour, plus some local men and the girls painting the old single school room watched by a crowd of village children.
The local men wanted paying but Llyr, leader and farmer from Cerrig, declined saying they were all voluntary, but they are feeding them at lunch.
The week has been great as far as teaching is concerned but I am fed up with getting up at 6.30am Work starts 7.30 to 5 pm so a long day [for me now]. The vice principal of the medical school, whom I had met the previous Friday as he wanted me to see 2 men with male infertility, had a massive intracranial bleed on Monday, only in his late 40s.Shades of my past. He died on Friday with fixed dilated pupils, so brain dead. He was buried today in his home village north of the country so everyone a bit shell shocked especially the OBs and Gynae as he was their professor.
After the burglary last week we had an exodus of the visitors fom the guest house. The Canadian girl went on Sat, the Tanzanian lad on the Sunday with the US family Eugene the microbiologist Leaving me and Chris from Bradford rattling in the guest house. A suitcase was found by the police with the hair straighteners, sheets from the beds and Chris’ running shoes obviously discarded by the thieves. No sign of laptops mobiles cameras or passport. The guard dogs are back and heightened security The college of medicine has appeared embarrassed by the break in and are doing their best to be as nice as possible. I asked if we could be rehoused in the posh hotel for free in the centre but NO JOY!!.
Thanks Srini for the flash disc with the teaching on the anatomy is especially useful. These students are bright as buttons and very good at presentation , 2 surgeons have tried to get me to operate this week but I went to theatres and watched behind them giving support. I meant it when I said I would not operate again. Any how I now don’t think my eyesight is as good as it should be. Loads of pathology sitting in the beds with carers sleeping under the beds, one young man with a fungating ca of penis (?) spread to his groin nodes {Photo available!!!!} At least 4 to 6 times a day the dead are wheeled on trolleys [covered] down past the department of surgery with the mourners and up to 50 carers from the rest of the ward on the way to the mortuary.
The singing is wonderful ,haunting and truly melodious, all a bit upsetting Everyone stops, bows and I even put my smokes out.. PS you can smoke in bars and restaurants here but not in the hospital, which is good and I really am so used to the UK I now don’t mind. My last week coming up, Ruth has brought me out enough smokes and a large bottle of Famous Grouse so I am happy.
See you in a week.
Christine