The College of Medicine is featured on the back of a 100 kwacha bill. How cool is that?

July 22- 31: I was introduced to the University of Malawi College of Medicine Department of Ob/Gyn on Monday, July 22. Fortunately, Dr. Luis Gadama picked me up that morning, drove the short distance to the hospital and led me to the department, because it would have taken much wandering around the hospital before I would have found my own way.

Weekday mornings at my new department usually begin with the morning report, where the registrars (similar to residents in the US medical system) present the more complicated patients and what happened to them during the previous day. Morning report is held in a large, empty classroom and on that first morning, I couldn’t follow the presentations well. My ears are not yet trained so that I can understand what is being said with a Malawian accent without close concentration. Even in good conditions, my age means that I have less than perfect hearing. On top of that, the room was large and echoey, so it was an embarrassing struggle for me as I tried to figure out what was going on during the presentations.

(It has gotten easier since then. I know that I need to sit close and facing the presenters and I have admitted to my confusion so that most people are kindly speaking up and visually checking in with me to see how well I am following what they are saying.)

After morning report, the on-call physician “rounds” with the registrars, and a plan is discussed at the patients’ bedsides. My attempt to orient here means that I have been following along with the rounds and am trying to absorb as much as possible about standards of care and treatment options. When the medical students return to the Medical School in late August, bedside teaching rounds will be one of my responsibilities and there is so much for me to learn before then! I hope to write about some of the medical issues later on, when I better understand the what and why of the Malawian system. For now, I am trying to see as much as possible and studying the Protocols and Guidelines.

My assigned house is next to the guesthouse where I had been staying, so my move on July 25 was several short walks, dragging suitcases and bags. Dr. Gladys Gadama had advised me on what to buy and helped me pick out the best values during an extended shopping trip the day before, so I had a few things to furnish my three-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom home. The house had been vacant for a while and repairs were still in progress when I moved in. I am working on getting the house in order and more comfortable, in anticipation of visitors!

My house, kitchen and front room

Professor William Stones and his wife, Shirley, have been very kind and taken on the role of helping me figure out Blantyre. They have lived here for 5.5 years and so can advise me on practically anything. Since they are also expatriates, I’m not embarrassed to ask them questions about things that my Malawian colleagues might not realize are confusing to me. They also convinced me to join Facebook, since that is how the expat community communicates here in Blantyre and I’m on the lookout for inexpensive furniture and interesting community events. If you are on Facebook, I apologize in advance for not being a good Facebook friend. (I am enjoying seeing your photos, though!)

Shirley Stones (L) shows off her avocados from her tree, with Kathy Beach.

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