Carol in Malawi

All Packed Up And Ready To Go

2009-05-10T12:05:00.003Z

Three days to go until I fly home. Sometimes I think I have been here for years other times it feels like I have just arrived. The College gave me a lovely tea party and traditional gifts. I am going to friends for a farewell diner to night, more Malawian cocktails, and Harry keeps hiding in my case. Out of the 14 of us who arrived together, 3 went home early, 4 of us are leaving as planned and 7 are extending their placements. The last few weeks have been busy saying goodbye to people, giving away my belongings and packing up. One of my colleagues is moving into my house so she is happy to keep some of my belongings and inherit the chickens.

Luckily I will miss the elections, all the volunteers have been advised not to go out, even to work, around election time, I would see that as a holiday opportunity. There have been a lot of political meetings and a little unrest. There has also been a lot more crime, some of it very frightening. So its good to go before anything else happens.

Even the last few days here have continued to challenge me in some way or another. The bat with the 30 centimeter wingspan in my bedroom during the night was one challenge I could have done without. I also had my power cut this week for non payment of bills. I had thought that I had paid my bills but I was told I had false receipts. Some things are much simpler at home but there are lots of things I'll miss, the relaxed attitude, the students, some colleagues, fellow volunteers, the holidays, the African skies, the beautiful country, the lake and much much more. However, there is so much more to look forward to at home and I'm more than ready to return. First stop will be a shoe shop then M&S for wild Atlantic salmon and Madagascar prawns, home to the cats and a long awaited for bath, oh and perhaps a bottle of champagne!

Saved From Hell

2009-04-26T07:08:00.003Z

My last African adventure, to Kenya, was a exceptional experience. I saw everything I wanted to, had excellent accommodation any my own private guide. The pinnacle of the trip was my hot air balloon ride over the Maasi Mara. We lifted off in time to see the sun rise over the savannah and eventually landed just before we crossed into Tanzania. We were then taken for a champagne bush breakfast, right up my street, I was half cut drinking champagne by 08.45 and had to start on the orange juice.

The trip started off at Lake Nakuru where the water looked pink from a distance. The pink was the flamingos. Although most people visit there to see the birds the animal wildlife is prolific too. I saw my first rhinos and colobus monkeys there. I also saw lions, buffalo, baboons, different antelopes and many more animals. When I went to bed that night I found a hot water bottle in my bed, clearly they didn't know I was Scottish and quite hardy, however it was appreciated, although I was less than 40 miles from the equator, I was high up and it was chilly at night.

I saw an archaeological site marked on the map close to Nakuru and asked the driver to make a detour there. It was an added bonus to visit this 5,000 year old site where evidence of a settlement, hill fort and burial site have been excavated. It was very similar to sites in the UK.

My next stop was Lake Naivasha where I had a boat trip, to see more wildlife and where "Out of Africa" was filmed. I had planned to got to Hell's Gate to see the amazing rocks and canyons, which made people think it was the gate to hell. However it began to rain quite heavily and I decided to give it a miss. I spoke to some people who went that afternoon and they were caught in flash floods and mud slides and had to scale the canyon walls to get out. Maybe spending too much time at the Naivasha Country Club drinking wine and eating was not such a bad idea.

The last part of the trip was to the Maasi Mara. My luxury cabin looked out over the plains of the Mara, I think I was up graded. When it has been dry the Maasi herdsmen are allowed to graze their cattle on the Mara. My first night there there were herds of cattle close to my cabin. The draw back was the hyenas howling in pursuit of the cattle and the Maasi herdsmen banging metal plate and yelling to chase the hyenas away. This happened several times overnight. The next night was a lot quieter but I don't think I would have heard anything after my balloon trip, champagne breakfast then my six hour safari followed by a massage, a shower then cocktails and dinner. Hot water bottles were also provided there.

The Maasi Mara was everything I hoped for. I saw where the wilderbeast cross the Maasi river to the Serengetti, the wilderbeast are already massing on the Mara. I saw cheetah, including one with her cub, a lion with his kill eating his fill before he would let the lionesses have a share, hyena, jackals, bat eared foxes, ostriches and many many more animals and birds. It was a fabulous trip. On the flight home, from 36,000 feet you could see Lake Natron in Tanzania with pink all round its shores from the flamingos.

On my return to Malawi there was more wildlife. My neighbour was having his garden cleared and 2 green mambas appeared and were killed outside my house. They are so deadly even the animal loving Rastas kill them. Shoes, the land crocodile, is also back.

I've just been on my last trip to the Lake for a VSO meeting. The Lake has risen so much, from the amount of rain, that it is threatening property. I could not swim because of the wind and the waves. I took the car to a garage on the way to the meeting because of a rattling back door only to be informed there was nothing wrong with the door but that I had "no shocks". They were wrong, I had a big shock when I was told how much it would cost to replace the shock absorbers. I had to leave the car for repair. The car was repaired but it also had added mileage and lack of fuel when I picked it up. At least the rattle has gone and the car is safe to drive.

I've now less than 3 weeks in Malawi. Although I'm really looking forward to coming home it will be a difficult time saying goodbye to so many people who have given friendship and support over the last 2 years. 2 new VSO are taking Harry. I know she will be well looked after but I will be very sad to give her away. I'm trying to give away all my belonging to the most appropriate people. It is very difficult because everyone wants everything. The chickens are laying so well now it would be pity to make a meal of them when others can benefit from the eggs after I have gone. I'm buying goats for local people who have helped me so they can have some sustainable form of income after I leave. I'm also continuing to support education for orphans after I leave.

Hopefully my 2 years here has done a little to help. For me it has been a fantastic professional personal experience. Although the role I thought I was coming here to do did not really exist I have been able to use my skills and knowledge to support the college and students and community in different ways. I never thought I would end up working in a mental hospital in Malawi and it is where I feel I have made the biggest impact. I have recently done some in service for the college tutors, I've worked on collating presentations, articles and guidelines to make an electronic package to support the teaching of the nursing curriculum. The diabetes project, which was funded by the Dunfermline and West Fife Diabetes UK group, has been a great success. My work with Children in the Wilderness was an added bonus that I had not envisaged. I've funded an internet project in the college and funded and secured resources for the college.

At times I've found it difficult to recognise my achievements here mainly because the pace of everything is so slow here. We are used to being very productive and working at a fast pace in the UK so when the pace slows we think we are doing nothing, in fact we are really fitting into the culture. I've seen people as lazy when they are just behaving in an acceptable manner in Malawi. So its nearly time to quicken the pace and get back to UK productivity and expectations.

I've had my exit interview, police check for my certificate of good conduct, reference and I'm waiting for my ticket home. I think the flight has been changed but in Malawi you are never quite sure until you have the ticket in your hand. I'll have a busy 2 weeks packing and partying, with most of my energy going into the latter. I hope everyone at home is well. I could not have survived my 2 years without all the support, letters, packages and phone calls from home. See you soon.

Running Out of Shoes

2009-04-05T09:00:00.003Z

Its definitely time to come home. I'm down to my last pair of sandals, which have holes in them, a pair of flip flops and my wellies. All my clothes are dirty looking and have holes in them, because of the grit in the water, and I've nearly finished watching all my DVDs.

It looks like the college will be closing on Wednesday because we have not received any more government funding. Its an opportunity to have a last African Adventure before I come home. I'm off to Kenya for Easter week to visit Lake Nakuru, Hell's Gate Park (I hope they let me out) then on to the Maasai Mara and the Serengeti. If the weather is OK I hope to do a hot air balloon safari, its got to be the ultimate way to watch wildlife. I've had great difficulty getting dollars for my trip, none of the main banks have any. How can a country run out of dollars? Could someone be stashing them for their own use. As always my volunteer friends have helped out.

After my return from Kenya I'm meeting up with friends that came to Malawi with me. Some are extending their contracts, others are travelling or going home. It will be the last time we all meet up. At the end of that week we have a nurses meeting at the lake. I think there will be lots of swimming and sundowners. Then it will be tidying up and packing up for home. Its all coming to an end very quickly.

I'm getting lots of papaya from the garden and more eggs than I can cope with from the chickens. I had planned a few chicken curries before I left but I think I'll give the chickens away. I'm buying goats for the people who have helped in and around the house so that they have a sustainable form of income when I leave. I'll have to get someone else to buy them or I'll end up with barren females.

The diabetes project continues to meet obstacles but we have been awareness raising through drama which has been hysterical. We have been rained off, stuck in the mud, coincided with funerals and many other things that are beyond our control and an example of how difficult it can be to work in Africa.

I hope everyone is well at home. 6 weeks and counting down.

9 Weeks and Counting Down

2009-03-15T11:27:00.002Z

Where did all the time go? At times coming home was very much in the future now I have my flight booked and its coming round quickly. I am travelling home on 15th/16th May so I'm making the most of the next few weeks. I have started giving my things away so hopefully the final packing will be easy.

College re-opened as planned 2 weeks ago , we closed the following day for a public holiday! However, since then we have been up and running . If we do not get more funding from the government we will close again on 8th April. Its a worrying time for the future of the college and the staff, although the local staff appear to be less concerned than me. There has been a lot of attention on the May elections. The leader of the opposition has been charged with corruption, court proceedings are pending. So there has not been much attention paid to the plight of the nursing colleges or the nursing students. Information is not readily forthcoming so its a matter of wait and see.

The rains are continuing to fall. The storms seem less severe but the rains are prolonged and heavy. The roads turn into rivers and the gardens are like ponds but its amazing how quickly it dries up again. So many people have asked me for my wellies.

A lot of produce has been washed away from the garden but the papaya are nearly ripe and I should have some more tomatoes soon. I've had a regular supply of eggs, my cholesterol is probably sky high, and the first of my chicks born last year are now laying. I have new neighbours who have 2 small kids. They were initially afraid of their azungu neighbour but now they are used to the whitey next door.

My diabetes project kicks off next week after a lot of planning. We were waiting for the students to return to involve them in the project but with the uncertainty regarding how long they will be here we have had to use other staff. It has involved going out into the bush to remote health centres to negotiate the project with the village chiefs. The project has been warmly welcomed and its really exciting getting it off the ground. Erin, out Peace Corps volunteer, has been an important asset in the project.

We had a St Patrick's Day party last night and most Fridays we have a dinner in Malosa. The other exciting development was the opening of a coffee and cake shop in Zomba. They sell the best cake in Malawi and it is becoming a regular meeting place for us. Lots of volunteers are going home in the next few weeks so there will be lots of sad goodbyes. We come to depend on each other a lot here when we don't have our family and friends from home. So we have an excuse to eat lots of chocolate cake.

Harry is doing well and has reacquainted herself with one of her kittens that belongs to our new neighbours. As usual she stands back and lets any cat that visits eat her food.

I have a busy few weeks ahead as the countdown continues.

Still Idle

2009-02-20T13:53:00.002Z

Six weeks on and still no funding for the students. Unfortunately every week we are told it will be next week so it is difficult to make travel plans. We only find out at the end of the week that we will not be required the next week. We have been informed that the college will open on 2nd March but we have had so many promises I really don't know what will happen. I'll just have to put it all down to training for retirement. I have never had so much time off work, I could get used to it.

I returned from the lake after the building I was in was hit by lightening. I thought I might be dreaming when I saw a fork of lightening, accompanied by the most amazing cracking noise, in my bedroom. The next morning I found out that lightening had blown a hole in the back wall, windows had smashed and all the electrics were blown. The noise of some of the storms this week has been frightening. I lie in bed listening to the crashing thunder, which makes the house shake, and the sound of the rain. Even when there is no thunder the rain is so loud it awakens you and stops you from sleeping. Some of it is exciting but sometimes its scary.

I had another visit to Lake Chilwa to see the flamingos, which were hiding, last week. It had been so wet we had to wade through the mud, sometimes up to our knees, for 20 minutes to get to the lake. I was unsure if the smell was animal shit or human shit but I was assured it was both. My feet are nearly raw with scrubbing them. As always the tranquility of the lake made the exercise worthwhile.

Although we have not had any students and we are unsure of future funding we have been interviewing for this year's intake of students which is always entertaining, so I'm not really idle all of the time. I have also been negotiating with VSO to get a finishing date. It looks like I have another 12 weeks here so countdown is about to begin.

The Internet project that I have been involved in and funded has grown from strength to strength. Last year it became clear that to get the most effective Internet access we would have to work with other organisations and find a wealthy funder. We have now achieved both and hope to have a satellite system within the next few months. We will share it with the hospital, the secondary school, the ecumenical college and the diocese offices. Not bad from small beginnings and a project leader that it pretty retarded when it comes to computers and the Internet(that's me).

The garden is looking great just now with all the rain and sun. Unfortunately some of my smaller plants have been washed away. The mango season is over but the papayas are nearly ripe. I have plenty of eggs despite the chickens having another dose of the pox. Harry is happy and spends most nights hunting and sleeps during the day.

So another 84 sleeps until my release, counting down and looking forward to coming home.

Bad Case of Bed Bugs

2009-02-01T11:31:00.005Z

Three weeks on and still no work and no sign of the college opening. I wish I had known how long it would be when I returned from home or before I returned then I would have delayed coming back. We only know from week to week therefore its difficult to travel very far. So unless they can be more specific about when the college is likely to reopen we have to stay in Malawi. That's not such a bad deal with the Lake, so here I am chilling out at the lakeside wishing I was working, well not really wishing I was working. Unfortunately I was bitten by bed bugs at my first stop. I think I managed to leave them there but I have tracks of bites on places that only get exposed in bed. It could have been worse.

My case eventually turned up 4 days late. The haggis were intact. The party line from the butcher was not to eat them but 3 brave souls, including myself, took part in a clinical trial to see how sick we could become with unrefrigerated haggis. Not one symptom between us so the Burn's supper went ahead, haggis, stovies, cranachan, tablet, cheese and oatcakes. We had a brilliant night. There were Scots, English, Irish, Americans, Canadians and Dutch at the party. Everyone took part in reading Burns and in Scottish country dancing in the garden. I think it was the best party we have had here. Roll on St Patrick's day.

The battery in the car finally gave up life in a busy market town where I had stopped to buy vegetables. I had difficulty making my self understood but some enterprising kid went to get help, probably his big brother. A few minutes later a clapped out car came speeding up and 3 guys got out like Miami Vice wielding a shiny spanner, that they had probably stolen for the exercise. Before I knew it three pairs of hands were about to remove parts of the engine, a tropical storm began to drench us and local vendors were taking the opportunity to shove garlic, onions and every other conceivable vegetable in my face hoping that I would buy them. At least I could see the funny side and had been in Malawi long enough to know what was happening. I shut the bonnet, not caring about the hands in the engine which were removed before there was any damage done to the engine or fingers. A couple of phone calls and half an hour later a friend arrived and jump started the car. We bought a new battery the next day.

The rainy season continues. Watching the storms across the lake at night is like watching a laser light show. There can be several storms in different places at one time. When the storms get closer the whole lake appears to light up, and the wind whips up the water, its quite spectacular. However they don't do much for a good night's sleep they awaken you and keep you awake. Good job I don't need to get up for work.

I plan to stay at the lake for this coming week and return to Malosa at the weekend. Hopefully the college will open. We should be really busy with exams and marking. If there is no funding I think we will still be busy because the week commencing the 17th we are interviewing for the next intake. We have to set the entrance exam and the interview questions. I've never been off work for so long. I suppose I could look at it as training for retirement. I could get used to it.

I hope everyone is well. Keep in touch.

Where Did All The Time Go?

2009-01-14T07:53:00.014Z

I can hardly believe that I was at home for 3 weeks. It was over in a flash. It was great to spend time with my family and friends, apologies to those I did not manage to see. I really enjoyed the freezing cold with the beautiful winter sun and frost. Powmill was lovely. Its quite surreal being back in Malawi. I was sweating from the second I got off the plane. Its really humid here and we have had some fantastic storms since I returned. Unfortunately I still don't have my biggest piece of luggage with everything that I needed to bring back, including my antimalarials. There are 5 haggis and cheese for our Burns Supper in the case, I think the haggis will be alive and running, hopefully not all over my clothes. Never mind, we can make stovies. South African Airways are not in the least helpful in locating and delivering my luggage.

My long flight was delayed. Before take off they decided to de-ice the plane because it had been on stand all day. Too bad they didn't decide to do it earlier in preparation for the flight. Then the gangway door was stuck to the plane and eventually there was a team of engineers trying to release it. There was a camera on the tail of the plane, we could see everything going on including the 6 car loads of people trying to release the plane from the door, or the door from the plane. I think it was eventually brute force that won the day. The entertainment did not finish there the finale was me fall unconscious, not with alcohol but I really should not have taken temazepam to help me sleep. Its not the first time that I have created havoc on a plane and probably won't be the last. They might have put me in 1st class to recover but all I got was a glass of water on the jump seat. I didn't come clean about the cause of my fainting but said I had a touch of malaria.

I had a great welcome back to Malawi, I was met at the airport by Sussanah, my car share, Erin, Peace Corps, and our new medical student. We had a cheese and wine that evening, minus the cheese in my case, and the next night Kwok, our established medical student cooked a fabulous Chinese meal for us. Harry was pleased to see me and the chickens are doing well, its eggs for tea tonight. The maize crop was about 2-3 feet high when I left its now over 6 feet some of it is about 8 feet. Everything is very green apart from the tap water which is brown.

You always have to be prepared for the unexpected in Malawi, public holidays are announced the night before and people turn up for work only to find there is none. I've returned from the UK to find that the government has withdrawn funding for nurse training and the college is closed. It is probably just a cost cutting exercise and funding will return soon allowing the college to re-open but we don't know when. If its an extended period of time it leaves me in difficult position. No job here, no job at home until June. I might just have to travel, it would be good to see Namibia, Botswana and Madagascar. Hopefully it will be resolved by next week.

Keep in touch, I'm on my last lap and its all the support and contact from home that has kept me going.

Awesome

2008-12-19T13:50:00.002Z

What a week! Cape Town has it all, theatres, restaurants, bars, mountains, beaches, museums something for everyone. I've had a very busy week from the time I left Malawi. What I had not realised was when I changed my ticket to come to south Africa 10 kgs was taken off my baggage allowance. I managed to get away with it in Malawi but I don't know what will happen here.

Although I could have done with more time in Cape Town I'm really pleased that I visited Johannesburg. I did a city tour, a visit to Soweto and the Hector Pieterson museum. It was a really interesting trip, Soweto was not what I imagined, Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu and Winnie Mandela all have houses there. You see kids out playing in the street unlike the rich white areas where people live behind high walls with electrified fences round the top. However, the illegal townships are worse than I imagined.

The bus trip was comfortable but I slept very little. From 5 in the morning I enjoyed the journey through the Karoo and the wine lands then on into Cape Town. It was a good option and a way of seeing some of the country.

Cape town is fabulous. It may be expensive to fly to from the UK but its inexpensive once you get here. I'm staying in a newly refurbished 4 star hotel in the city centre with an excellent restaurant for 5 night for just over the cost of a room in a Travel Lodge in central London for 1 night. Taxis, meals and the theatre are about 25% of the price at home. The wine, of course, is excellent. I have turned the air conditioning in my room as low as possible to acclimatise before I come home. The weather here is great much cooler than Malawi in the high 20s and low 30s. There is also a cooling breeze from the sea.

I did a bus tour the first day and went up Table Mountain. Its magnificent and the views are spectacular. I walked round the top which consists of a sandstone pavement similar to the limestone pavement in the Lake District. The sandstone has been eroded and sculpted by the environment giving it its own micro climate and flora. I went to "The Ultimate Talent Show" the first night which was show of young African talent. All the performers were disadvantaged and from deprived areas. Most of them had never been in a theatre before let alone performed. It was full of raw energy and talent, a most superb evening's entertainment.

On Wednesday I had a helicopter trip round Cape Town, over the mountain and over the peninsula to the Indian Ocean. It was a bit bumpy due to the wind buffeting it. I was the only passenger, Cape Town is suffering from the economic slow down and lack of tourists. My trip to Robben Island was cancelled because of the high winds so I had a chance to visit the V & A Waterfront. That evening I went to see the Cape Town Ballet perform Christmas Classics, another excellent evening.

Thursday was a busy day with visits to the Cape of Good Hope Castle, which is really a fort, the District Six museum, which tells the stories of forced evictions, the Holocaust Centre and the afternoon tea at the Mount Nelson Hotel, their
Gleneagles. No lunch or dinner so I could make the most of afternoon tea. I went to the ballet again to see the Nutcracker, another great evening.

Today I've had a trip round the peninsula. First stop was to see the penguins at Boulder Beach it was fabulous to see these amusing birds in their natural environment. I then went on to the Cape Point Nature Reserve. I saw eland, tortoises, ostriches, seals and other antelopes. I had lunch at Cape Point and climbed up to the lighthouse then had a visit to the botanical gardens before returning to Cape town.

I feel I've only scratched the surface of Cape town and would love to come back sometime. I think there may be some reasonably priced trips from the UK after the 2010 football. I've still to visit the wine lands, have sundowners on the beach, visit the National Gallery and go to Robben Island, to mention but a few.

Its packing and early night tonight. Home Sunday, see you soon.

All Packed Up And Ready To Go

2008-12-12T06:03:00.003Z

South Africa here I come, then home in a week. It can't come soon enough. I've been looking forward to my trip home for such a long time. My luggage is overweight mainly due to all the rough stones that I collect here, unfortunately there are no precious stones in my collection. Arrangements have been made for my chickens and cat. I'm desperate for the cold wind, ice and rain. The rainy season has started here, about a month late, so its a bit cooler when the rain falls and for a while after that. However its still too hot for me and the humidity is a killer. I've woken up a few times with my bedroom floor flooded, especially under the bed. It took a while to find where the water was coming from because the rain had stopped by the time I found the flood. It was coming in the window. None of the window frames fit properly so there are gaps where the water gets in. Its not everyone that has a water bed in Africa. When there is heavy rain fall it can flood the holes that snakes live in. We had a huge green mamba in the garden which my neighbour was chasing and trying to kill. I kept out of the way.

I spent another week doing the Children in the Wilderness holiday. There were no pythons in the rooms this year only scorpions, huge ones. There was also an assortment of the biggest, hairiest spiders that I have ever seen. Getting there was an interesting trip. I got a mini bus to the nearest town then a bike taxi for the last 15 kilometers, its a good job these African lads are strong. When we got to the river the guy had to carry the bike over and I had to wade through this fast flowing, muddy water up to my knees wondering what was lurking in it. The kids had a ball on camp. Some visitors flew into the safari park in a private plane, a small Cessna, so we did a trip to the airstrip to let the kids see a plane. I remembered when I was a kid how excited I got when I saw a plane. In the west we forget that more than half of the worlds population has never seen a plane. The kids loved it. However I'm glad I wasn't the next passenger after the kids had played with the wing flaps and propellers and put their dirty fingers all over the windows. The animals were as entertaining as before. Watching the monkey's play outside the chalets was a real treat, the baboons were not so attractive. Its quite strange going to sleep listening to the various animals outside your chalet and not being worried about the elephants and hyenas in close proximity. The chalets only have a 2 foot stone wall, the rest is constructed from plastic mosquito netting so there is not much to keep the animals out.

I know my husbandry skills, or lack of them, have let me down here but my confusion has increased. I've had another chick hatch but I've not had a cockerel for about 3 months. Maybe my chickens are having visitors I don't know about. We cooked one of the chicken last night and had a Christmas meal before we all go off on holiday. I had all the Christmas decorations that people sent me up, coloured lights and a decorated baobab tree. We never got as far as the pudding so I'm taking it to work later today.

We have recently had a few deaths from cholera in Malawi and the fear is that we will have an epidemic like Zimbabwe. VSO phoned to tell us not to shake hands with anyone and remind us to boil all our water. It may have been more helpful had they ordered the vaccine a few weeks ago, there is none in the country at present. I continue to be greedy with malaria and have just finished treatment for my 6th episode, the last 3 within 4 months. I'm a bit fed up with it but just think how bad it is for local people who don't have the rapid access to diagnosis and treatment that I have. At least local people have some immunity by the time they are adults but so many people die from it especially children. Someone died behind my house this morning. He was working in his garden when he was attacked by bees, they covered him completely and nobody could do anything. I spoke to his brother who told me that dying this way was a miracle. He did not appear to be upset. Maybe it is some cultural belief that this is some sort of special death. I only hope he is dead and not in shock because they bury them pretty quick here, within 4 hours of death if they are a Muslim, no one needs to be certified dead or have a post mortem. No one morns if someone is killed by lightening, which happens surprisingly frequently here, because it is believed that God had taken the spirit but it will be sent back. I would prefer happier miracles but his brother was happy enough!

I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone over the next few weeks. No one is allowed to give me any stress or I may have a relapse of malaria, so if I play golf I have to win. I have to get new clubs when I'm home because someone stole my clubs from the garden hut. Little did the theives know not only were the women's clubs but they had been cut down for me. So if someone tries to sell clubs for a shorty you'll know where they came from.

If I don't see you before have a great Christmas and New Year. I can almost taste that south African wine already.

Too Hot To Handle

2008-11-17T17:59:00.004Z

We are anxiously waiting for the rains. We've had a few showers but not the real rains. Local people have planted their maize and unless the rains come soon their seeds will rot. Erin, our peace corps volunteer, records the temperature in her house, she recorded 370 C (98F) before bed in her bedroom and 480C in the afternoon. We are all exhausted with the heat. Hopefully the rains will come soon.

I've finished at the mental hospital. One of the last activities I did with the students was to show them "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest". When I tried to get them to identify some of the issues they thought the biggest problem was that the staff had made the mistake of not orientating the patient to the ward! Here was me thinking I had helped them to understand mental illness. Clearly I over estimated my ability.

The mental hospital has the same problems this year as last year. The patients all have hair and body lice, the clothing and bedding are full of lice, the meat disappears between the kitchen and the wards, patients are over sedated as a control measure and ECT is still done without anaesthesia. However, its still my favorite place where I have made the most impact, even if the patients think the most important thing is to orientate the patients to the ward.

I'm now back in college and planning a diabetes project. Diabetes UK West Fife have raised £500 to improve the lives of people with diabetes in Malawi. I met with all the local village chiefs to discuss diabetes awareness raising in the community and got resounding approval for the project. It is a very special piece of work being funded by patients at home.

The eggs that I doubted would hatch did hatch and I got 9 new chicks. 2 new chicks were pecked to death by their mother for misbehaving. 2 of my bigger chicks died from the pox (chicken pox I presume not the clap). 1 chick has disappeared. probably stolen. It had been so dry that the veg in the garden has not been doing to well. I've had bananas from the tree and the mangoes are ripening nicely, my sweetcorn is ripening and should be ready soon and I have fresh eggs every day.

Harry the cat is doing well and catching most of the big spiders but she missed the scorpion that I found in the kitchen. Erin has tarantulas in her house but I've not seen any here. The mail has been very slow. It took 4.5 months for an airmail parcel sent in June to reach here. I've had very few letters and my weekly newspaper is more often missing than not. I had malaria again a couple of weeks ago, the treatment is as bad as the symptoms. We had a VSO meeting at the lake at the end of last week. I stayed on for the weekend and spent hours in the water. I went snorkeling round Lizard Island the swam back to the shore. We went swimming in the morning around 6 and at 5 in the afternoon till dusk. We have to get out of the water at dusk incase hippos and crocks visit the waters edge.

The college have decided to close a week early to allow the students to get into the Christmas spirit, I think we should adopt some of their customs at home. I've booked myself a trip to Cape Town the week before I come home. I'm spending 1 night in Johannesburg and hope to visit Soweto then I'm going to travel to Cape Town by bus so that I can see some of the country. I've booked a trip to Cape Point, a visit to the penguins on Boulder Beach, a helicopter flight over Cape town, a boat trip to Robben Island and a seat at the "Ultimate Talent Show". I plan to go up Table Mountain, visit 2 museums and hit the shops. Not much chill out time but I've a long flight home to relax on.

Next week I'm doing the Children in the Wilderness camp again. I'll just have to suffer another week of safari and enjoy watching the crocks, hippos and elephants from my chalet. Hopefully we won't have ant pythons in the bedrooms like we did last year. So life in Malawi continues to fly past. I'm still making the most of it but really looking forward to being home for Christmas and then home for good in 6 months. I hope everyone at home is doing well. I'm looking forward to catching up over Christmas. Keep in touch.

Hysterectomy on the coffee table

2008-09-23T09:56:00.002Z

Not me the cat. Poor Harry went under the knife when the VSO vet visited. Gordon works with the dairy farmers in Malawi and was working close to Malosa. We struck a deal, Harry's hysterectomy for dinner, bed and breakfast, can't be bad. Without consent Harry was anaesthetised, tied to the coffee table and had her uterus, tubes and ovaries removed and put in the domestic waste. The coffee table was placed on the dining table and thankfully it was too high for me to assist in the operation. Debbie acted as scrub nurse and I shone the light on the proceedings. Harry was quite dopey after it but back to her normal self within 24 hours. I also stole her babies and distributed them to cat lovers. I was really gutted when the last one had to go, I kept it for an extra week but knew I had to do the last dirty deed and give it away.

The poultry farming is going well. I now have 10 chicks from the first 2 clutches of eggs and one of the hens is sitting on another clutch. In a couple of months there will be a lot of chicken on the menu. I'm assured, by the boy who helps with the chickens, that this clutch will hatch but I'm not so sure. I gave away the cockerel because he was standing on the chicks and killing them. I'm told because he was there they eggs will hatch. I'm not sure of the biology of this but time will tell. My knowledge of animal reproductive health has failed me on several occasions here and may continue to do so. I still think its dodgy having fertilised eggs when there is no cockerel!

I've just has another great holiday with Jane and Mary Jess. We stayed in Malawi and it was a great opportunity for me to visit some of the places that I had hoped to see. We spent some time at the Lake where we chilled out, swam and snorkeled. We went on to Luwawa Forrest and visited the rose quartz mine, walked in the Forrest and relaxed. After that we came to Malosa for a few days. We visited Lake Chilwa and were taken out on the lake by someone from the wildlife and environmental society of Malawi. I did not describe the trip properly to Jane and Mary Jess. They thought that we were going to a marina and getting on a motorised boat. I missed telling them the bit about bad roads, dangerous bridges, walking through the fields and eventually wading out to a wooden boat. We were punted through the reeds to the lake, the boat was leaking and the bailing equipment was poor. I don't mind my feet getting wet but its when bits of dead fish and fish scales are sticking to my ankles I object. I could have kept on the wellies that the fisherman lent me but I was more concerned about the number of foot infections I could contract than of the bits of dead fish. However it all added to the ambience and the Malawi experience. We spent a night at Zomba Forrest Lodge where the famous chef who cooked for the Queen Mother works. Its reputedly the best food in Malawi and I wouldn't argue with that. We went on to Satemwa tea estate where we stayed in the old colonial house. Some of the rooms were bigger than my house. Again we were well catered for. We were invited to the owners house for drinks and I had to get someone to drive the car back, after 1 gin I knew I couldn't drive. I had another gin and then speaking was almost beyond my capability. We spent a morning in Blantyre and then went on to Liwonde national park and stayed in Mvvu Lodge where we were totally spoilt. We saw a great variety of birds and animals. We had hippos and crocodiles in the river below our patios. The first night we were kept awake by elephants putting down branches and eating the bushes round our chalets and the second night one walked within 3 meters of us having an alfresco dinner. The holiday passed very quickly, as they always do, but we did a lot and really enjoyed it.

I had malaria again before the holiday. I was really washed out after it. I'm not looking forward to the wet season when the likelihood of malaria is greatly increased. I've decided to come home for a holiday at Christmas and I look forward to catching up with a lot of people. I am really wishing for snow, wind and sub zero temperatures, real Christmas trees and open fires. When I return I'll only have a few months of my placement left.

Thanks for all the comments, letters and cards. I hope everyone at home is OK. Keep in touch.

Another Fab Holiday

2008-08-09T09:02:00.003Z

I'm still recovering from nearly 3 weeks with my nephews, Joe, Allan and Kevin. We had a superb holiday and I think we were all knackered at the end of it. If saying goodbye to friends is bad its worse saying goodbye to family, that is the downside of having visitors. However my next visitors arrive in 4 weeks and I'm really looking forward to seeing them. I'm planning that trip at present and hope to spend all the time in Malawi.

When the boys arrived we went to the Lake to one of the more lively places, although it was only us and a VSO friend and her Dad and his friend that were there. Meeting the others was unplanned but great fun. We went snorkeling, watched the fish eagles and the boys jumped off the boulders at Otter Point into the water. It was Kate's birthday so we had cocktails, I had to tell the barman how to make them, and birthday cake. The place we stayed was Cape McClear which was where Livingstone set up his first mission in Malawi. They had to move from there because of the malaria.

We went to my home after the Lake where we had a BBQ with other friends and the boys sampled the delights of a Malawian night club "G String". I acted as chauffeur that night. We returned to Lilongwe, our departure point for a trip to Zambia. David, a fellow VSO, and his sister came on the trip. Although I did almost the same trip 6 weeks before it was a totally different experience. We were camping or staying in basic chalets this time and the food was not as good but it was 35% of the cost of the other trip so no complaints. The road journey is long and hard but worth it. We saw most of the animals that we wanted to see and had an action packed time a Victoria Falls. 2 of the boys did a free fall jump from 6,000 feet, 2 of us did a microlite flight and we all nearly died rafting down the Zambezi. Of course we were not rafting at the point we nearly drowned we had been thrown from our raft and were being pulled down into the whirlpools, even being caught under the raft was preferable to the whirlpools. We had booked a helicopter to take us back which flew inside the gorge and zig zagged above the river. That night we went on a boat safari that was a bit more sedate.

On our return to Malawi we spent another night in Lilongwe then returned to Malosa before the boys had to leave. It was all over too quickly. I've been back at work for a week, I thought that the students were going to the mental hospital last week but it has been delayed for a week, so I'll be working there for the next 3 months.

The flights to CapeTown from the UK over the festive period are crazy. I think Jean and I can make other holiday plans when I get back at less than half the price. That will also have the advantage of including my other school mates. So I'm re thinking Christmas and the New Year, the sales are very tempting, I dream of a real shopathon.

The kittens are over 6 weeks now and absolutely gorgeous. They are making for the door every time it opens. They can now climb up onto the chairs and may be able to get out of the window. I have become part of the apparatus in the playground that my living room has become. They scatter any paper that they find, that includes clearing shelves, the paper is great for playing with, they play fight all the time then all crash out simultaneously.

My poultry farming is not so good, how could it be when I initially bought cockerels as opposed to layer? Some of the eggs have hatched but the cockerel has been damaging the eggs by standing on them and killing the chicks by standing on them. I don't think he means to he is just trying to shag the chickens. I have tried to separate them. I had 4 live chick yesterday but only 1 this morning hopefully there will be more.

I received 3 boxes from home, 1 had taken 10 months and 2 had taken 9 months. There is still one missing from last July. There were seeds in one of the boxes so there is a lot more planting going on. I am very happy to share my harvests with people but recently most of the veg has been taken before I get a chance to sample it, hopefully that will change.

I'm still working on the Internet project in the college. It would help if I was not so retarded in that area but it would appear that I am best informed in the college. I keep trying and the college keep hoping. All the letters and cards from home keep me going. I really appreciate all the contact. I hope everyone is well, keep in touch.

Hakuna Matata

2008-07-14T16:56:00.003Z

As you can see my language skills greatly improved by seeing the the Lion King. This was about the only phrase I knew in Kiswahili when I arrived in Tanzania and the only other word I picked up was "Jambo" which is nothing to do with Hearts football team but means welcome. We has 3 nights in Dar Es Salam which is a great big dirty, busy port and city, much as I expected. We had 5 nights in Zanzibar which was amazing. We spent sometime in Stonetown and the rest of the time on Kandwa beach. It was a bit like Mozambique Island but on a much larger scale. It has a similar history with the slave trade. We went on the spice trail which was really interesting. We visited the slave caves where they hid the slaves once slaving became illegal. We went snorkeling on a coral reef and lazed about on the beach. We shopped till we dropped then we revived ourselved by drinking cocktails. Our plans to travel back overland did not work out so we spent an extra day there and flew back. I'd love to go back to Zanzibar sometime but I don't think I will be able to fit it in before I finish in Malawi.

Harry gave birth to 4 beautiful kittens. She is a great mum. They are nearly 3 weeks old, their eyes are open and they are just about standing. I will never forget, as a health visitor, being invited to sit down in a house but being warned about the sofa because "the dug gave birth on it", I was really disgusted by it. So where did Harry give birth? On the sofa, but not before I put plastic and old news papers on it. I didn't have the heart to move her once her contractions started. I watched her labour from begining to end. Watching her eat the placenta and after birth was a bit nauseating but it saved me cleaning it up. I've been so taken with the whole thing I think I'll let her have another litter.

I eventually got 2 laying hens, Thelma and Louise, as of this morning, they had 17 eggs between them. My remaining cockerel has been doing his stuff and, within the next month, I hope to have some lovely little chickens for the kittens to play with. The good life continues, the garden continues to produce lots of veg and herbs. The weather has been much cooler and we have had some wind and rain recently. I love it. The sun and heat is fine at the beach and lake but its very tiring working in it.

Mumbo Island was everything it promissed to be. A tropical island paradise 10 km off the lakeshore. We had sundowners on sunset boat trips, coffee brought to our tent in the morning before breakfast and excellent food. The only mammals there are otters and we saw plenty of them. The tents were luxury walk in affairs, fully furnished with balconies on stilts over the lake complete with hammocks. We spent our time kayaking, snorkeling and swimming. It would all have been very healthy if we had not enjoyed the food and booze so much.

I'm really excited about the next couple of weeks. The boys are arriving on Wednesday. I'm driving up to Lilongwe tomorrow to meet them off their flight. We are then going to the lake for 2 days then to Malosa for 2 days before we set off on our trip to Zambia. We are going to South Luangwa and Victoria Falls. I'm looking forward to going again and seeing the animals and the Falls 2 months on. The water level will have dropped and the Falls will look different and hopefully this time I will be able to raft on the Zambezi. Last time the water level was too high. The vegitation will be different in South Laungwa and it will be easier to see some of the wild life. Working in a college has its advantages with long holidays.

When I return to work I will be teaching the students in the mental hospital again. So I have plently to look forward to. Despite all the fun and new experiences I'm having I still miss everyone at home. I really appreciate all the contact from family and friends. I hope everyone is well. Keep in touch.

Over the Half Way Mark

2008-06-20T13:07:00.002Z

I can't believe I've been here over a year. I'll soon be on count down to home but I've lots to pack in before that.

I've been living quite quietly for the last few weeks. 2 friends from the north came to visit for a few days and we had a few meals with other VSOs and I had another trip to Lilongwe. The most exciting thing was getting caught speeding. The police were using a camcorder, the same as mine, and some other machine that allocated random numbers to passing cars. I was pulled over and told that I was doing some excessive miles per hour. I probably was speeding but not doing the mileage they claimed so I felt that complete denial was the best policy. Unfortunately it didn't work and they told me I was being charged then they told me I had been charged. I missed the getting charged bit and I was told that I had to go to court the next day. After asking a few people what I should do I decided to ignore the whole thing. Apparently I missed out the bit I should have done, that is bribe the police officer. They have not come looking for me yet and hopefully they won't.

I'm still busy in the college. It closes in 2 weeks for the holidays. I'll be off for a month then I'll be doing 3 months in the mental hospital, my favorite place. It is almost mid winter here with temperatures in the low 20s during the day but cooler in the evenings and cold overnight. I need to use blankets on my bed and sometimes have to wear a light fleece in the morning. Its a bit like a good summer at home. The garden continues to produce lots of fruit and veg. Most of it goes to local people. I'm trying to find a mate for my remaining cockerel which is harder than it sounds. Harry looks like a pack horse with her extended abdomen. Her head looks too small for her body. I think she will deliver soon, its over 8 weeks since I caught her at it in the garden with Debbie's cat so anytime now.

We are going to try to book our trip to Zanzibar tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to all the seafood, the spice trail, seeing round Stonetown and swimming in the ocean. Its only 2 weeks until we go and before that I have my trip to Mumbo Island where I want to do a lot of snorkelling, swimming and chilling out. After that its the boy's trip and back to Zambia. I'll need another holiday after that!

Everyone at home will be getting ready for their holidays, I hope everyone has a great time. Its great hearing from people at home all the comment, letters and cards are really appreciated and help to keep me sane, well almost. Keep well and keep the comments coming.

What A Holiday!

2008-05-27T06:54:00.002Z

I've just had one of the best holidays ever. After meeting Alli and Kathy at the airport we went to the lake where we drank champagne, swam before breakfast, snorkeled off an island, watched sea eagles diving for fish and caught up on lost time. From there we headed back to Lilongwe then left the next day for Zambia. Our lodge in the Safari park was luxurious. We were spoilt from beginning to end. Our chalets looked over a lagoon which was drying after the rains. There were zebra, impala and hippos wandering about on the dry areas. We had visiting frogs and bats in the chalets which we had to remove before bed, except the one Kim found in her bed at 2 am! We saw lionesses and their cubs eating a buffalo kill, a leopard, a male lion, giraffes, zebra, hyena, buffalo, and many many more species of animals, reptiles and birds. One morning we had a bush breakfast, a slap up breakfast served in a beautifully setup dinning room in the middle of the bush. Our guide, Richard, was superb and very knowledgeable. He could find animals from hearing a distant roar. Each game drive was different from the last and provided yet another insight into the bush, wildlife and way of life in the remote areas we visited. The spotter on the night drives had also been trained in pouring gin and tonic, or was that tonic and gin? The result was we saw twice as many animals as were there. Another highlight was sitting in a Jacuzzi then having a massage in a spa built out over a hippo pool with open views. The food was excellent and we were joined every morning at breakfast by the monkeys trying to pinch the food.

From South Luangwa we went to Victoria Falls, what a sight. The road journey was long and uncomfortable but it was worth it. We climbed down to the boiling pot where the falls drop to, and explored the other walks and paths around the top of the falls. We did a boat safari on the upper Zambezi and an elephant safari one morning. Kathy was mugged by a baboon who stole our nuts that we had left over from lunch. The elephant safari was a very special experience. All the accommodation and food was great and I'm looking forward to doing it again with the boys in July.

The trip back to Malawi proved to be every bit as eventful. The brakes failed in the car and we were involved in an accident. Thankfully no one was hurt. The upside was that we were flown back to the border and escaped an 8 hour drive. We had great fun back in Malawi and managed to pack in a huge amount. Alli had done some fundraising and we visited the projects that are going to benefit from the money. The visits gave a great deal of insight into the difficulties that people face here as well as the great determination and commitment of local people. One of the highlights of our time here was a boat trip on Lake Chilwa to see the bird life. We also walked up Zomba Plateau, visited the market and had friends round for dinner. All too soon it came to an end and we returned to Lilongwe via Salima on one of the most beautiful roads in the country.

My saddest day here was seeing Alli and Kathy off at the airport. However, I'll soon have more visitors and there is plenty going on to keep me occupied. Its out for drinks tomorrow for David's (fellow VSO) 30th Birthday , a big party on Saturday, other VSOs visiting for 3 days next week then back to Lilongwe to pick up Susannah, my care share mate. So life goes on at a fast pace. Harry definitely looks pregnant and keeps climbing in and out of boxes perhaps looking for a place to give birth. We ate two of the chickens when the girls were here. The garden continues to produce but I think most of it goes to the locals. I hope everyone at home is well keep the comments coming.

Return from the north

2008-04-25T13:15:00.002Z

I had a great professional visit to Mzuzu, albeit with ice cream stops. It was enlightening to see how things can be done in Malawi. We are definitely the poor relations in the south of the country. The facilities in the mental hospital are better than in some units in the UK. It is funded and run by St John of Gods in Dublin. They fund everything from drugs to masters degrees for their staff. No sign of lice and it even smelled OK. The central hospital was also amazing. It was built and run by the Taiwanese but they have recently been asked to leave Malawi since the Malawians have become chummy with the Chinese. They took some of the equipment and their bonus scheme with them and I believe it is going down hill already. The university was interesting although I believe their degrees are at a much lower level than degrees in the west.

I visited Livingstonia which sits at the top of a spectacular road with fantastic views. The downside was having to camp at a very rustic campsite. There was an eletrical storm, not the best time to discover that your tent leaks, I was woken up by a warthog grunting and sniffing round my tent, the composting loo was not composting and the bushes were preferable to the flies escaping from the loo. Like most things here I put it down to experience. The following day we went to the beach, this was my first introduction to sand snakes, 3 foot long and almost pretty. The snake that came from the engine of the car and slithered over the windscreen before attempting to come in the driver's wiondow was not pretty. It was an immature black mamba, about 6 feet long and very dangerous. Not a scream emerged from my lips, a few sweary words and jings, crivens and help ma bob were the only sounds uttered. Thank God for therapy. I think it must have got into the engine at the campsite and eventually tried to escape. I'm glad it didn't try to escape via the foot pedels.

I also visited a rose quartz mine and bought some lovely quartz. I think it may be too heavy to get home. My final weekend was spent at Kandy Beach where we had a VSO meeting. It was a really beautiful setting on the lake and had an excellent resturant. It was another snake experience. I think I'm attracting the wildlife. I've seen two rats in this internet shop this afternoon, there were baboons in the college this morning and I have a new species of insect in my house, I think it may be a type of scorpion. I have this irrational belief that my mosquito net will protect me from everything so I don't worry about the creepy, crawley, slitheries at night. In reality it has not even done a decent job in protecting me from malaria so why I think it will protect me from everything else I don't know.

I returned to letters and cards and lovely packages from Jo, Jean and Judith. I've scoffed the chocolate, drunk the tea, read the articles, and enjoyed all the lovel pressents. I have been very spoiled by friends and family while I have been here.

The student intake that had been postponed until September has now been changed to next week. This is quite surprising since things usuallly take longer here and don't get brought forward. We have 96 students starting on Monday. I'm doing the psychology lectures which I hope to make a lot of fun as opposed to the dry facts that they have been fed before. It is the subject that most students fail but I hope to change that by making it a lot more practical so that they know how to apply it in their work.

One of my cockerels made an escape attempt this week. They must know that they are destined for the pot. I've asked a local to try to get me some layers and hope that it works out better this time. The garden is still producing, I have more corn coming up, the gem squash is looking good, the root veg is developing and I'm still harvesting the cape gooseberries. The herbs smell and taste superb. Harry has been overtly sexually active in the garden again. I've told her to keep away from the Tom next door but she continues to idolise him and his worms.

Its only 2 weeks until Kathy and Ali visit then its off to Zambia on a luxury safari and a trip to Victoria falls. I'm really excited about having my first visitors from home. I can taste the sundowners already. 6 weeks after their return my nephews are visiting, another Zambian trip and more time at the lake. 6 weeks after that Jane and Mary Jess are visiting when I hope to see more of Malawi. Until then its work but it should be fun with 96 new students.

Thanks for keeping in touch. Keep the comments coming.

Visiting The North

2008-04-09T08:09:00.002Z

Our third year students have just graduated and the intake for the new first years has been delayed for 6 months so I'm using the time to do a professional exchange visit. I'm visiting the University in Mzuzu, the central hospital and the mental hospital and catching up with VSO friends. The university is the only place where they train students to degree level, a bit different from degree level in the UK, and where they train registered nurses. The drive up to the north was fabulous, the road goes through the Viphaya mountains and forests. It got much cooler the higher up I drove which was a pleasant change. The smell of the forest was superb.

The college graduation ceremony and dinner had to be endured. It was one of the most dull evenings that I've spent in Malawi. However some other people took advantage of the fact that most staff were at the function and took the opportunity to empty the hospital safe, steal the wages and break into a house and steal the TV and DVD. The phone lines that were stolen 4 months ago have still not been replaced but we hope to have the satellite Internet link up and running soon.

Last weekend we had a regional meeting at Mulangie in the very south of the country. It was a beautiful setting at the bottom of the highest mountain in Malawi. It had the added bonus of an ice cream shop on the way. This weekend I'm staying in the north and going to Livingstonia for the weekend. At the end of next week we have a peer group meeting on the Lake. I hope to do a bit more exploring at the beginning of the week.

The garden continues to flourish, I've more sweet corn, beetroot, carrots, tomatoes, cape gooseberries, onions and peppers coming up. The herbs are great and I'm also allowing a local lad to grow veg in the garden for his family. I keep threatening to eat my cockerels, especially at 5 in the morning, but I can't bring myself to do it. Harry is doing fine. I thought that she was pregnant but I think she must have aborted again, thankfully not on the door step this time. We have a VSO vet from Canada who is going to bring his kit to the house and operate on her. I've not had any more floods in the house. We are back to having lengthy power cuts most evening and I'm perfecting cooking on charcoal. I'm getting really excited about my first visitors arriving and our trip to Zambia.

I hope everyone at home is well. Keep the comments and letters coming.

Back to the Lake

2008-03-18T13:43:00.002Z

Life has been surprisingly normal, or maybe I'm just getting used to running mud in place of water, which sometimes has the added bonus of worms in it. Just what you want in a shower. The mud acts as a really good exfoliant, I'm sure some people would pay a lot for mud showers. I could set them up as a side line when I get home. No more floods in the house or aborted kittens and no eggs from the cockerels but I can't bring myself to cook them, yet.

The college has been busy with more exams, the marking is nearly complete and we are about to finish for Easter. We have booked a house on the lake for the holiday. I have just found out that the Diocese has a house that we can use so we are giving it a try. I've been assured there are no hippos or crocodiles there. Just a house on the beach complete with house staff.

I've planned a trip to Mzuzu in the north to visit the health faculty in the university and the hospital. It will be interesting to see how different they are from St Luke's. The weekend before that we have a meeting at Mount Mulangi, which was postponed from earlier this month, then after that I have another meeting at the lake. We are still trying to book our trip to Zanzibar but flight are expensive just now and we have been advised to wait until the price comes down. We are considering going one way overland either by bus or train to see a bit more of the country but it will depend on how long the trip will take.

The college has had to delay the starting date for the new student intake by 6 months. This is to have the entry date in line with the government hospitals. That means we will be operating at half capacity for 6 months but at least it gives time for professional visits and developing the IT in the college. We still don't have phone lines. The phone company want the college to provide security for the lines which they can't do. We are just about to get a satellite link for internet access with the Scottish Executive grant so we should be online in the foreseeable future.

I hope everyone at home is well. Keep in touch, Carol

Fundamental Problem With Chickens

2008-03-04T08:04:00.002Z

For weeks I've been cursing the cockerels that live behind my fence, they waken me every morning competing to see who is the loudest. My neighbour thought it was my hens making the noise, which I strenuously denied, and then realised that might be the reason why there were no eggs. When I checked out where the noise was coming from I realised it was my hens, or what I thought were hens! I don't think I will be getting many eggs but I should get a few good meals out of them. Local people are still trying to tell me I have some hens.

The rainy season is nearly over but not quite. 4 inches of rain fell the night before last, it was an amaizing storm. We have ventured to the lake for the last 2 weekends now that the roads are a bit better and we are planning another trip at easter. We are also looking into a trip to Zanzibar in July.

Work has been very busy with interviews for potential students and exams for existing students. I have had hours of entertainment marking papers. I probably wrote as much rubbish in my papers when I was a student. We have more exams coming up and I have been given the task of setting and marking the psychiatry papers.

My ballcock continues to give me problems with more flooding and water damage in the house. I'm almost sure the cat is pregnant again, I hope it works out this time. There has been no more signs of rodents in the house but the monitor lizard is still around at times eyeing up the chickens.

I can't believe that's 9 months I've been here only another 15 to go.

Ballcock Problems

2008-02-13T08:05:00.003Z

I've had an eventful fortnight. The ballcock on my water tank failed and flooded my house. The ceiling in my hall is caving in and my wellies have come in really handy. My kitten was defiled by the cat next door and aborted 3 almost full term kittens. I'll probably have to adjust my perceptions of her sexual behaviour having seen her rolling about in the garden this morning inviting all the local toms to sample her services, maybe she is not so innocent. I did go to the so called vet only to find tht it was more of a butchers than a vet and the practitioner was not trained.

I was informed that there was a crocodile in the garden trying to get my chickens. The locals believe that there are land crocodiles. They think that they just don't make it to the water and spend their lives on land. In fact they are huge monitor lizards and have a liking for chickens. I have seen it in the garden and I've called it shoes. If the chickens don't start laying soon it can have the chickens and I'll call it shoes and handbag.

I've got malaria again third time lucky, hopefully its the last. The rainy season is coming to an end so there should be less mosquios around and less malaria. Debbie next door has had it 3 times as well. There is a lot of it in the area.

I suspect a rat has raided the cat food in my larder. The bags were ripped open and food eaten. If it wasn't a rat it was something quite large and I really don't want to know.

4 Christmas parcels have arrived this month. Thanks to Lesley, Jo, Jean and Elsie. Its been great having an extended Christmas. I still put the cards and decorations up when they arrive. Some of the parcels have taken nearly 3 months by airmail. My surface mail has still not arrived. We have quite a good system here of sending mail home with friends and getting people to bring things over for us. Its a lot quicker and safer.

I'm as busy as ever socially and now that the rains are lessening we are planning a trip to the lake at the end of the month. We have a VSO meeting at Mulangie mountain the first weekend in March and we hope to have another trip to the lake at Easter. Time continues to fly and my first visitors from home will be here before I know it. Jane and Mary Jess, who went down the Grand Canyon with me, have also booked flights and are vising in September. Its going to be a very busy year.

The students have ben sitting exams and we have been marking the papers. Its an education in itself. Some of the questions are as flawed as the answers. I have had to refuse to mark some of the papers because of the misinformed questions. Its a real concern for me but does not bother the tutors. You can tell by the questions and marking guides that there is no real understanding of mental illness. However it was the diabetes question that really upset me.

I hope everyone at home is well. Keep in touch.

Trip Home

2008-01-30T09:46:00.000Z

Just returned from a whirlwind trip home. I had a week in London with John then a week at home. It was all a bit surreal. Apologies to those I did not manage to catch up with. I had malaria again before I left but had just about recovered by the time I got to London. We had a great time there. We went to Kennsington Palace, the Jewel Tower, King Tut's exhibition, the original operating theatre in St Thomas Street and lots more. We also went to the theatre and cinema.

It was great catching up with friends and family and planning trips with people who are coming out to visit. My biggest trauma when I got to London was forgetting my VISA pin number it cramped my style a bit. I was told that shopping is really difficult after returning from very poor countries and having so little choice and access to goods. I'm pleased to report that I had no difficulties in that respect my ability to shop and spend money all day has not diminished. I nearly dislocated my shoulders carrying back goodies to enjoy over the next few months.

The rainy season continues here. The rain is more persistent, it is still heavy but not as bad as before. It is more prolonged and instead of flash floods it is like living in a swamp. My roof is leaking and everything feels damp. We only have another couple of months of rain them 6 months of sunshine. The damn at the reservoir that we get our water from burst so despite all the rain we have been unable to get water at times. Maintenance are trying to get water from the river but we get so much silt and rubbish in the water pipes they block and burst. The water is so muddy and gritty at times you can't use it.

Harry, my cat, is doing well. She is very skinny compared to my cats at home. She is now eating the geckos that she kills then vomits. My chickens are very fat but still not laying. They will be for the hotpot soon if they don't come up with the goods. I'm looking forward to getting back into work next week. I'm in college this week working on ward objectives for the students. We still don't have phone lines in Malosa so we have to come into Zomba to use the Internet. My social calendar is filling up. I was out for dinner within an hour of returning. It was lovely to have company that evening. I would have been pretty miserable on my own after returning from home.

I hope everyone is well. Keep in touch Carol

Happy New Year

2008-01-05T11:07:00.000Z

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year.

Mozambique was all I hoped for and more. The Isle of Mozambique was beautiful, our Christmas meal was superb and we spent Christmas day on an uninhabited desert island called Goa, no we didn't go to India. After a few days on the island we went to Pemba a busy costal town where all the flights and dhows for the Quirimba archipeligo leave. We stayed there for 3 days then flew on a 6 seated plane, over the archipeligo, to the island of Ibo which is in the Quirimba national park. We stayed in a luxury lodge where we were utterly spoilt and spent a fortune. The pilot refused to pay the landing fees on the return trip because there were too many bushes growing on the grass runway. We went snorkling on a wreck and off a sand bank in the ocean and had a cultural and historical tour of the island. We returned to Mozambique Island for new year and went to a party night then had a relaxing new years day. The journed back by road was beautiful. We took a different route to see other parts of the country. Some of the buildings damaged in the war are still standing in ruins, burnt out and marked with bullet holes and shells. The landmine teams were working to clear mines. When we stopped for a break we could not walk far off the road because of the mines. It was a fantastic trip made all the better by an abundance of excellent seafood.

On my return home there was no power. It returned for 3 hours then a tree fell on the power lines and we have been without power since then. The phone lines have not been replaced. so its much as I'm used to here. We are well into the rainy season. Within 10 minutes of the rain starting the garden is like a pond and the paths and roads turn into rivers. My wellies have been well used.

Its back to work next week. I'll be based at t Luke's for a while. Thanks for keeping in touch and thanks for all the kind Christmas parcels and cards.

Access At Last

2007-12-24T12:08:00.000Z

Made it to Mosambique Island, which is quite surprising having filled the car up with parafin which they call petrol here. It made for an interesting morning and we drew lots for who started the car first. The road into Mosambique was very poor, lots of sliding on mud, avoiding pot holes and having to go off road to avoid broken down vehicles.We had to have an unscheduled stop on the way to Nampula and had to stay in the local whore house which was the best accommodation available. The smell of the toilets brought tears to our eyes.

We had difficulty getting accommodation on Mosambique island and had to book into the 4 star hotel which costs all of £18 per night. So I continue to struggle. The island is not very busy it just has limited accommodation. We were swimming in the Indian Ocean by 6 am and collecting beads and glass from ship wrecks. We have booked Christmas dinner tonight in a lovely resturant and then we will join in the local festivities.

The 2 weeks on safari with the children was good but no one told me that pythons could get into the bedrooms. It was the room ajoining mine thankfully. I think the therapy is still working as I went to see it without any problems. I watched the crocodiles every morning on the opposite bank of the river, I got a shock when I saw one on my side of the river about 10 feet from my door and I watched the elephants and hippos playing in the river in the afternoons as well as going on 6 game drives where we saw many different animals. I also looked after the kids and staff and they have asked me to do it again next year. The other thing I did not expect was that instead of the lovely food that the centre is known for they made local dishes specially for the children which were not to my taste. We also had to eat without cutlery African style. So it was nsima everyday and other unappetising dishes. We broke down in the bush when we were escorting the children home. We had to wait sometime for help and the guide that was with us was dressed in drag to amuse the children. It was quite bizzaire to be stuck in the bush with a guy in a dress and wig surrounded by dangerous animals.

My other unexpected excitement was when lightening got very close to my house and it filled with red then my mosquito net light up like a Christmas tree. The net continued to glow for a long time after the near strike, other people´s light bulbs blew up and the principal´s DVD player blew up. It was during the storm that the telephone lines came down and were subsequently stolen. So life continues to be full of surprises.

Most VSOs go away for Christmas so we have already celebrated with friends in Malosa and Matawali before everyone headed for their holiday destinations. We will head off to Pemba then on to some of the more remote islands in a couple of days and continue our Mosambique experience.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and happy New Year. Keep in touch and thanks for all the lovely cards and parcels.

Merry Christmas

2007-12-21T11:41:00.001Z

Internet access is non-existent at the moment. (JB is posting this blog entry for me). All telephone lines to the College were brought down during a recent thunderstorm. Some enterprising people took advantage of the availability of copper wire lying on the ground, so it may be some time before I can post a full update on my recent activities. Thanks to all for your support this year. Hope you have a good Christmas, and best wishes for the New Year.

2007-11-30T13:56:00.000Z

The good life continues with more garden produce and my chickens growing bigger, but still not laying. My cat is still fending off sexual advances from the cat next door and I can't find a vet to dress her. The Malawians think dressing cats is going against nature and no one gets it done. I may come home with 10 kittens.

All the students are in college just now so there is no clinical work to do. I've negotiated sometime off to do some work with "Children in the Wilderness" a charity set up to work with orphans. I'm doing 2 weeks camp with 11 - 15 year olds in the safari park. They get a lot of education on health, the environment and conservation. It sounds a really good charity that supports local children. They follow all the children up after camp and find them sponsorship for education if they need it. They need a nurse on camp so I jumped at the chance. Its a really good way of working with the community as well as working with the students in college. The bottom line is I have 2 weeks in the best accommodation in the best safari camp in the country. The down side is I'll have 48 children to look after and alcohol is banned.

A week after I return from camp I'll be off to Mozambique for a couple of weeks. We are meeting tomorrow to finalise arrangements. It sounds as if some people are pulling out. However, others are still committed and it should be a lot of fun. I got my visa yesterday.
The rains have been coming and going. It got very dry again but we have had more rain over the last few days and when it rains it rains! It also got very hot but thankfully it is a bit cooler now. I had an interesting experience one night when I woke up being shaken about on the bed. It took a few seconds to realise it was a small earthquake. I suppose that's what happens when you live at the bottom of the rift valley.

I spent last weekend at the lake. We had sundowners then watched the moon rise over the lake and in the morning we were swimming before 5.30, after sunrise. Its one of the best chillouts imaginable the only worry is crocodiles. The only worry in Mozambique will be sharks. I think I prefer the crocodiles.

I've had 2 lovely packages from Rhona and Angie. Many thanks for thinking about me and sending on goodies. Letters on their way. I'm still waiting for my shoes and loads of other things that have been sent surface mail. I won't have internet access for the next couple of weeks but hope to get access before my holiday. Keep in touch.

Big Thanks To Saline Ladies

2007-11-08T08:22:00.000Z

Many thanks to the golf girls who raised funds for the children's ward. I've still to buy the toys next time I get to Blantyre or Lilongwe. The toys will be really appreciated. Unfortunately I'm not allowed to take photos of the children in hospital or I would post some photos on the blog.

Time has been flying and access to Internet has been diminishing. We have had a lot of power cuts and I'm not in Zomba as regularly now that I'm working at St Luke's. I'm settling in there and I've been doing some in-service training in the hospital. I've also been asked to teach diabetes in Zomba College.

The wards are scary places and I'm reluctant to teach there until we have agreed procedures and treatment protocols. I'm trying to get the college and hospital to work together so the students can actually provide the care and treatment that is being taught in college. Unfortunately the hospital practice is very different from what is taught. It's too easy for staff to blame lack of resources and staff shortages for bad practice. I've got the matron and the college to agree to a meeting to agree best practice. Hopefully we will make some progress over the next few months. Things do not happen very quickly here.

I'm now the proud owner of 10 chickens. They are 6 weeks old and should start laying in 10 weeks. 10 was the smallest number I could buy. I'm lucky if I use 6 eggs a week so I'll have plenty surplus. The garden is doing really well. I've had 1 courgette, lots of beans and beetroot from the vegetable patch and lots of herbs. Most of the other plants are doing well. Its amazing how quickly they grow here.

The kitten is out most of the day but I have to keep her in at night because of the feral dogs. The cat next door is making sexual advances towards my kitten so I'll have to get her "done" in a couple of months. She has tortured and killed quite a few geckos and insects. Some of the ants here are about 2 inches long and some of the bees are over 1 inch so they provide excellent hunting for the kitten.

The rainy season is threatening. We have had some very heavy showers of rain and fantastic electrical storms but it has still to start in earnest. I can't wait to get into my Thomas Pink wellies. It gets really hot before the rain and some nights its been unbearable. I don't think it helped having malaria. Thankfully it was not bad because I was taking antimalarials. I was quite shocked when I had a positive slide. I think I was more shocked than unwell.

The car farce has still not been resolved. It has left me not knowing whether to look for another one or not. However I hope it will be resolved soon. I went to the tea estates last weekend with 5 VSO friends. We stayed in a lovely 1970's colonial house and had 3 house staff, including a chef, looking after us. We were totally spoilt in a most fantastic setting. The day we left we went to Mulangie mountain, which is the highest in Malawi, and swam in some of the river pools. We found a cafe that sold ice-cream and hot chocolate sauce, ecstasy! I've also been to the top of Zomba plateau and gone to Chinjie's Hole where lepars and criminals were thrown (dead or alive). It's a 60 foot hole on the plateau that leads to a cave system. The dead bodies were washed down the valley in the rainy season hence the village at the bottom being call dead man's village.

I've mastered making bread and chocolate cake in a pot on the hot plate. Who needs a Neff oven and hob? Me when I get home. My language tutor has definitely done a bunk so my language skills are as bad as ever. My boxes have still not arrived. I've worn holes in my sandals and I'm still suffering from shoe withdrawals. Apart from that all is well. I've had some more lovely cards and letters. I really appreciate all the contact from home. Keep the comments coming on the blog.

New Golf Rules

2007-10-17T09:56:00.001Z

Had my first game of golf Malawi style. I played with men's clubs and had a caddy carry them round for me (when you find your ball the caddy automatically picks the ball up and re sites it for you in a better position). The golf course is not quite like home, the fairways are like the rough, the bunkers are full of saw dust and the greens are called browns and are full of sand. You don't go into the real rough because of snakes but the caddy goes in! You have to avoid the people wandering through the course and lying in the shade reading. The naked men washing in the river can put you off a bit but otherwise it was an OK game of golf. I did not humiliate myself as I often do for the first couple of holes, the ground is so hard the ball goes for miles. I might make golf a regular event if I can find a regular golf mate.

The music festival was a bit surreal, sitting on the beach or swimming in the lake listening to live music. The camping facilities were not the best but that's music festivals. We had a good time but I won't go next year. I have another couple of weekend trips planned to the tea estates and another safari. I still don't know what is happening with the car but hope to know soon. Making Christmas holiday plans is difficult not knowing if I will have the car or need to hire one.

I'm finishing at the mental hospital this week and I'm glad to say I have not got used to some of the sights, sounds or environment. I hope never to accept that level of care as normal. I will be on another big learning curve when I start at St Luke's next week. I really enjoy teaching the students and there was a huge difference in the student's results during my time at the mental hospital. Hopefully I can achieve similar results at St Luke's.

We seem to be having a lot of religious holidays its great being in a country where you get all the holidays. We had Id last week and we have a day for prayers this week. I'll give the prayers a miss and go to the pool instead. My kitten is getting bigger and has made a few spider kills at home. The gecko and cockroach count has gone down but I've not found any remains and I have made snake excluders for the doors. My garden is looking good with loads of veg coming up, I'm also growing cape gooseberries and melons. I will probably buy my chickens this weekend. I delayed getting them until after my holidays.

I've just about reached melting point. I don't know exactly how hot it is but I believe this is the worst month and the rains should start in November. I'm really looking forward to seeing the rain and the skies during storms. I've seen mini tornadoes and dust storms.

Keep the comments coming its great to hear from everyone.

Holiday Update

2007-10-04T16:58:00.000Z

Visited Liwonde Safari park since last post. Saw elephants, crocodiles, monkeys, baboons, gazelles, kudu, antelopes, hipos, water monitors and much much more. We had an afternoon safari, gin and tonics by the river as the sun set and then a night safari. We went back for dinner, which was superb, then returned to our chalets for G&ts, it was a bit of a bummer, we could not get to the second chalet for more glasses because of an elephant eating the leaves of a tree outside the chalet. It was one of life's magical moments sitting drinking G&T with friends watching the wildlife a few feet away. The next day we had a boat safari, we saw amazing birds as well as the hipos, more elephants and crocodiles. I had another week at the mental hospital before leaving for holiday. I do work during the week.

I'm on holiday with Rachel, fellow VSO and good mate working in Zomba, and Saray and Nieves, friends of Antonio fellow VSO, from Spain who both lived in Edinburgh. Saray still lives there. We camped at Cape MacClear, the only spot on the lake where you can see the sunset. It was a beautiful setting, a good camp site and of course fantastic weather. We camped there for 2 nights, the second day was my wedding anniversary, I missed a very important person but had a great day. We got a boat to an uninhabited island where we snorkeled with very colourful fish, had our lunch cooked for us by the boatmen, watched the fish eagles dive for fish. We have been cooking gourmet meals on camp fires and having sundowners every night. A rat visited us at dinner on the second evening but kept at a respectable distance. We drove up to Nkotakota where we camped in the dark. A baby snake slithered over my foot on the way to the loo but apart from mosquitoes we had no other visitor. When we woke the next morning we realised we were in paradise, no other campers, our own beach, staff gathering our firewood, the perfect chill out. We have driven up north to Mzuzu today, the largest city in the north. We are staying with Kate, fellow VSO, so real beds tonight. Tomorrow we are setting off for the music festival where we will be camping on the beach again.

I've 2 more weeks at the mental hospital to look forward to on my return then I'll be working at St Luke's. I've written to the car owner but not had any contact from her. I have had to put the car through its safety check and pay for insurance to keep it legal. So I don't know what the outcome of will be. Keep the letters and comments coming. Its great to hear from everyone.

The Therapy Worked

2007-09-21T07:44:00.000Z

Saw a live snake for the first time within a metre of my front door. It was a small snake but it was still a snake. I watched it with curiosity as opposed to freezing or yelling as I would have done in the past. So my therapy sessions and snake handling have had some effect. There were other people there and they asked what kind of snake it was but all snakes to me are the same kind and it begins with F. So much for trying not to swear in Malawi. I've done quite a bit of swearing this week. The car I bought and paid a lot of money for turned out to be 11 years old and not 7 years old as the seller informed me, the mileage is lower now than it was on documents 3 years ago so jings, crivens and help ma bob did not quite fit the bill. I think I need more therapy! I'm actually trying to stop the sale but its difficult when the seller is now in a different continent. Anyway I'll enjoy it in the meantime.

I've got my furniture and I'm ready for visitors if anyone wants to come and stay. The accommodation is basic but adequate. The garden is coming on really quickly. All my herbs are coming up and the rest of the seedlings are doing nicely. My chicken house has been built and is waiting for occupants. I've had a garage built. If the car goes back I might keep goats in it. If I get a recipe for gin I might even be self sufficient soon.

I'm going on safari this weekend, a day and night safari. It should be good fun. I hope to get some of it on video. Next weekend I leave for my weeks holiday. I'll be going to the lake and finishing at the music festival the following weekend. I'll get my chickens when I come back. I had 2 lovely parcels this week, more Earl Gray tea and tissues from Jane and a lovely windchime, candles and tissues from Dianne. My boxes from home have still not arrived. I'm only just surviving without my shoe supply. I was informed that they could take up to 6 months by the post office in Zomba. I've been really lucky getting visitors from the UK to bring me stuff over that JB has sent to them. I got Molton Brown toiletries and things for the garden and house brought over and I'm seeing someone next week who is bringing some more things. So I am actually managing very comfortably with my little luxuries from home.

Harry, kitten number 2, is thriving. Its difficult getting cat food so he has mince everyday. He eats more meat than me. He is really enjoying the furniture and uses it all as part of his personal assault course. His favourite piece of equipment is my mosquito net. He loves climbing on it but I'm scared he'll rip it. He thinks its even better fun having me chase him or catch him when he comes into the bedroom.

I'm still illegal, no visa or work permit and VSO still have my passport. I hope I don't have to come home in a hurry. I'm at the mental hospital for the next month then at St Luke's. Teaching in the general hospital may be dull after the mental hospital. Unfortunately when the students are doing their psychiatry other students are doing their community placement so I can't do both.

I got a private language tutor but he didn't pitch up this week. Maybe the stress of teaching me is too much! I even did my homework so I wouldn't appear to be a complete idiot. I'll see if he is brave enough to come back next week. I did warn him that languages were not my forte but I don't think he realised how bad I was. He is a language teacher at the private secondary school so if anyone can help he should be able to.

I may not have access to the internet until I return from my holiday. Keep the comments coming. I've sent some mail home to everyone who has written to me, well to everyone whose letters have arrived.

Illegal Again

2007-09-08T09:09:00.000Z

Sorry for not being in touch. Internet access has been poor. I spend ages trying to post blogs but I've failed miserably in the last couple of weeks. Its just the way things work, or don't work, in Malawi. I sent a CD with the photos to JB and he posted them for me. The Internet is so slow here it would have taken me a month to upload them.

I spent a whole day with a journalist from the Scotsman. It was a good fun day. There has been a 3 day feature in the paper this week and I got a 1 sentence quote! there was also a photographer with her. I've never been so photographed but I told him he could only used the photos if he made me look 5 foot 9 inches and 9 stone. Clearly he failed and didn't use the pictures.

The conference on the lake was really good. It was brilliant to hear what other volunteers are doing and it was very motivating. Apart from that the sundowners went down a treat and the lake and swimming pool were very inviting. The transport didn't turn up on the last day so we had to spend and extra morning by the pool while we waited for another bus. So life remains tough.

I think the college think they have won the lottery getting a Psyche nurse. They haven't let me out of the mental hospital. Its amazing how quickly I've got back into mental health and I'm really enjoying it. The students are appreciative of the support and input that they were not getting before. We only have students there for the next 6 weeks then I'll have to go to St Luke's to the medical and surgical wards. I'm thinking of writing a procedure manual for the students so if any of you have anything like that and can send it to JB electronically he can send it out to me and I can go swimming in stead.

I'm still without furniture and a car. The person I'm getting them from has delayed her departure so I still have 2 borrowed chairs, a bed from the college and a mattress from Debbie, that doesn't fit the bed, and 2 cardboard boxes turned upside down that are now giving way under the strain of my clutter. I should get the car and furniture at the end of next week but I'll wait and see. I've been let down so many times I'll just take it as it comes. I've had a fence built round my house and that went to plan. The guys turned up a 5 every morning and the noise woke me up, well you can't have it all ways.

For the second time I'm an Illegal in Malawi. VSO have not got our work permits or visas. We wrote to them when we were illegal last time and they got us another 30 day visa but that has now expired. One of the girls is going home for a couple of weeks and is worried about getting back into the country. So if I'm deported you'll know why, a bit different from a colleague of mine. I've booked up for the Malawi T in the Park, a 3 day concert on the lake. There will be artists from all over the world and it should be great fun. I'm going to take the week off and do a bit travelling in Malawi. Apart from that we plan to go to Mozambique for Christmas and spend some time on the beach but I'm sure I'll do a bit more travelling before then.

Keep the comments coming. I love hearing from everyone and once I get my furniture I'll be ready for visitors.

Visiting Monkey

2007-08-26T19:13:00.001Z

Livingstonia on the Lake

2007-08-26T19:12:00.001Z

Lake Chilwa

2007-08-26T19:11:00.001Z

Mandela Falls

2007-08-26T19:09:00.001Z

Trees at Chilema

2007-08-26T19:08:00.001Z

First House

2007-08-26T19:06:00.001Z

View From Plateau

2007-08-26T19:04:00.001Z

Motley Crew

2007-08-26T19:03:00.001Z

Sunrise on Lake Malawi

2007-08-26T19:00:00.001Z

Sunrise From Plane

2007-08-26T18:55:00.001Z

Good News and Bad

2007-08-20T13:13:00.000Z

I'll give you the bad news first. My lovely wee kitten died when we moved house. I found her dead behind the fridge. I'm not sure what happened. She had been happy and full of life, exploring the new house. She may have got an electric shock. I was gutted and for me it represented life in Malawi, short and sweet. Malawians have lots of children, if one dies they have another one. True to form my house girl brought me another kitten on Friday. I had not decided to have another one but the decision was taken from me. This one, Harry, is very cute and is probably about 6 weeks old. He is very well behaved at present and is already practising his hunting and killing techniques. We are becoming good friends and I'm trying to make the house as safe as possible.

I moved house on Monday, I got a bed from the college, a matress and 2 chairs from Debbie, my neighbour, and I should get my furniture in a couple of weeks. I've bought crockery and cutlery and other bits and pieces but my star buy was a wooden toilet seat! Last weekend I managed to buy 2 ply toilet paper so I'm sitting in the lap of luxury, perhaps I should have put an "H" in sitting. The other real luxury I got was bacon. I've not seen it before or since then and I'm still salivating at the thought of it. Still no shoes from home but I live in hope. Back to the house its a 3 bedroomed house with a large garden. I've managed to clear most of the overgrown areas and I'm going to get a fence built round it. I've planted my herbs in pots, bought a hose and sprinkler and hope to get planting soon.

I've been continuing to work at the mental hospital and later this week I have a VSO meeting at the lake. I know its a tough job but someone has to go to the lake.

Keep in touch.

Getting on with the real job

2007-08-11T08:10:00.000Z

I've been back in Malosa for a week. My house was not ready, as predicted, so I'm still with the monkeys, goats and hyenas. I picked Mati, the kitten, up on sunday and she has taken over the house. She is a scruffy wee thing, who lets you know what she wants, its usually food, and she has a real killer instinct. She tries to kill my feet everytime I move them. She has already been treated for worms and needs treated again, she was infested before I got her so life for cats is not dissimilar to life for patients in Zomba Mental Hospital.

I've been trying to support the students doing their psychiatric placement. Zomba has the only state mental hospital in the country its quite different from any hospital I've ever visited. If you have read "Papillion" you may have some idea of the hospital by comparing it to the prison in the book. The patients come in on temporary treatment orders but they are renewed all the time so its like having a permenant section under their mental health act. They are working to a 1948 act. If you don't have lice when you come in you soon will. The matresses are all infested and the washing facilities are poor, no hot water or baths. Clean clothes are at a premium and the drugs are very limited. Electro convulsive therapy is given without anesthesia. The level of violence is high, theft is rife and there are not enough beds but you can always sleep in your lice infested matress on the floor. Enough said about the hospital.

Our last week in Lilongwe was interesting, there was more focus on education and food security. I've been picking up gardening tips and husbandry skills so as soon as I get the house I'll get going. I've been told I can move on Monday but I'll wait and see, I've been let down so many times. It was like Christmas when I got back from training. I got 5 letters and 1 box and a package. It was great to hear from everyone and I am replying to all letters. Look out for the paper made from elephant crap. The box and package were full of little goodies from JB. Unfortunately 4 other boxes, with shoes in them, have gone missing. You can imagine how distressing that is for me to have missing shoes! I'm sure they'll turn up sometime.

I'm about to try out a resturant for lunch. In Zomba you have to use the word resturant loosely. However I'm going to a good hotel for a meal on Monday with VSO staff, a journalist from the Scotsman and a film crew who are doing something on the Scottish Executive link with Malawi. So look out for something in the Scotsman on my placement here.

Keep the comments and letters coming you are keeping me sane and I'd hate to end up in Zomba Mental Hospital as a patient.

Local Culture

2007-07-29T08:33:00.000Z

The first week of training is over and we have been having a really interesting time finding out more about local culture, politics and the health service. 80% of the population live in rural villages and below subsistence level. Unemployment is high and some people who work do not get paid. There is quite a bit of political unrest and parliament is not sitting just now because of the problems.

There are local jobs and responsibilities for the boys in the villages, unpaid but rewarding. If your brothers wife dies you get his wife, whether you want her and her children, or not. This wife inheritance is common. Not the sort of legacy we hope for in the UK. If your wife does not conceive within the first 6 months of marriage you let the village chief know and he sends someone round to roger her until she gets pregnant. If your husband dies someone is sent round to roger you before your husband is buried to free the spirits. When the girls are told how to behave when they get married some comes round to make sure they know all the tricks of the trade. Once children become adolescent they are moved out of their family home into a house for females and house for males. The males have to prove their manhood and regularly break into the girls house at night. The girls are taught to be submissive so not complaints are made. There are lots more similar practices. Maybe the locals are a bit too knackered to work.

Most of the Malawians that we meet are very welcoming and charming. One of the girls has already had a marriage proposal from one of the less charming locals. He said "white bitch I sex you and marry you". Too bad he used the M word and spoilt it. We were entertained in a nightclub last night by the locals who stutted their stuff for our benefit. A benefit we would have been happy to live without. I have progressed from the local gin to the local beer "kuchi kuchie" its OK and cheaper than carlsberg. We have also founch an ice-cream shop here where they dip the ice-cream in melted chocolate. There are a few places for luxuries here but not near most of our placements. I never thought I would consider ice-cream a luxury.

We had a day at the beach yesterday so life remains taxing but we tolerate it well. We did actually have a really busy and interesting week and we have the same again next week. I continue to humiliate myself in the language lessons, despite being in the remedial class. I am trying to convince myself that it will all fit into place when I'm immersed in the language and culture, well maybe not all the culture. I can understand somethings in context but there are a few of us who are struggling in the classes.

I'm looking forward to finally getting into my house, and kitten, when I get back to Malosa. Keep the comments coming, its great to hear whats going on in the other world.

Lots Happening

2007-07-23T11:42:00.000Z

Keep the comments coming its great to hear from everyone. Too bad about Tootsies, I suppose it was predictable. It sounds like you had a great holiday Karen let me know more as you remember more about it.! Thanks for all the goat recipes, I've not got round to them yet but will.

I've had my first mail from home. I was so excited opening it. I know other things were sent earlier but haven't arrived. The post is very erratic here. Jane sent wonderful earl gray tea and wee face creams. I was like a kid at Christmas opening it. I am assured that it can take anything up to 3 months for mail to arrive. The odd thing is I get my weekly news paper from London and it only takes a few days to get here. I keep it for Sundays and read the local papers during the week. They can be quite entertaining.

I've finished my orientation so I should get my registration through before I leave the country. I can now work in the college and hospital. I'm in Lilongwe just now for 2 weeks training with VSO. So I'm looking forward to catching up with all my VSO colleagues and having a few sundowners in the hotel next to ours. The hotel we are staying in is run by Muslims and is dry, no luck there.

I'm in the process of moving house. I've packed everything and should move into my new house when I get back to St Luke's. Its a 3 bedroomed house with a large garden and is only 5 minutes walk from the college and the main road. I'll be able to get the garden going and plant my veg. I'll also be able to get a couple of chickens and hope they don't eat all the veg. I found an amazing amount of mouse shit on the shelves and in the drawers in my house when I was packing and I did have something black scurrying round my feet one night when I got up to the loo. I had thought most of the noises during the night were from the animals outside including my night guard.

I'm getting a kitten when I go back. He/she is called Mati (short for Matawali a village close to Zomba). He/she is the scruffiest kitten I've ever seen but as long as he/she kills the vermin we'll get on just fine. I'll miss my wee house up the hill with the goats, monkeys and hyenas but it will be much better living beside other people and being closer to work and the road.

I was eventually abducted from the road leading to my house and dragged into the church by one of the choir ladies. There was a choir practice and they wanted to sing for me. It was absolutely beautiful, no organ or piano just wonderful singing. I was terrified in case they asked me to sing! The priest has continued to stalk me and I eventually came clean and told him that his understanding and my interpretation of non-denominational were different things and that I really was not about to join the church.

Because of the transport problems and always having to be home before its dark I have decided to buy a car. One of the other volunteers is leaving at the end of August and I'm buying her car from her. So there will be no stopping me then. Petrol is very expensive but it will be good to get out more and see more of the country and catch up with some other people here. The swimming pool should open next month and I'm looking forward to that. Its getting hotter again but the locals still think its cold.

I know some Brownies wanted to keep in touch and become involved in supporting people here. I've asked in the hospital and it would be great if they could knit squares and sew them into blankets about 1 meter square for the nursery.

So all is well here and its great hearing from everyone. I don't know if I'll get back to the Internet before I leave in 2 weeks but I'll keep you posted when I can. Enjoy the summer rain and keep in touch.

Food Cravings

2007-07-11T11:54:00.000Z

Having managed without chocolate, wine and meat for 6 weeks I cracked and bought a chicken. I thought it was worth risking African tummy again and I've always got the immodium at hand now. It was the best chicken I've ever had. Once the smell of roasting chicken came from the oven I could hardly contain myself and wait for it to cook properly. Its the best meal I've had since I've been here. The chicken curry I had on the 2 following days was not bad either. The next step might be goat. I'm trying to convince myself it will be like lamb. I'll let you know. Its bacon butties I really miss.

I was offered a new house. Not quite what I was expecting. Outside loo, shower and kitchen and on the other side of the wall from the mortuary which would have given me plenty opportunity to share every one's grief. Life is hard enough here without that so I rejected it in writing and was offered a decent house within 2 days. I can't move in for a month but that's OK. I'm really looking forward to getting my garden going and growing and getting some chickens. I don't know if I'll be happy about putting my own chickens in the pot but they better watch out if I have a midnight munchies. I've also had a kitten offered and I should be able to get it after my next course in Lilongwe. So I'm getting organised and should soon be really settled.

Orientation continues but I've only a few days left. After the Lilongwe course I should be able to get on with my job. I tried to use the new Internet cafe last week. The first place in Zomba to have WiFi unfortunately its slower than dial up and I didn't manage to log into my web page. I've also visited Blantyre where they have a couple of good shops that almost fool you into thinking that you are in Europe and you can get ice cream in an almost decent cafe.

Many thanks for all the kind offers of sending things out. I think I'm OK just now. JB has sent several parcels, all containing shoes, but they have not arrived yet. Once I'm properly in post there may be things that I'll need for work. Thanks too for all the comments its great to hear from everyone. Hope Tessa gets on well. Keep in touch.

New Venue for Dunfermline Locality Meetings

2007-06-27T10:23:00.000Z

On my way back from a VSO meeting in Senga Bay. I think we should consider it for our locality meetings. No pool but a 365 mile long lake to have a swim in before and after the meeting as well as at lunch time. Beautiful sandy beaches, complete with waves and not a crocodile in sight. It had the added bonus of being warm and quiet. Too bad about the balharzia!

It was good to meet all the other nurses and find out how they were managing in their placements. The issues seem to be the same everywhere so there is lots of peer support and understanding. Back to the real world tomorrow and the continuation of my orientation.

If anyone wants to write, letters should get to me at:

St Luke's Hospital
Box 21
Chilema
Zomba
Malawi

Mail takes about a month but it should get here. Sorry I'm not managing to get into my email. I hope everyone is well and enjoying the Scottish summer

Never Leave Home Without Immodium

2007-06-23T11:02:00.001Z

The Spanish tummy does not have a look in with the African tummy. I'm looking on it as part of the experience, a part I could well do without. Apart from that its been a good week.

I survived my first week's orientation in a paediatric ward. There were 60 beds and through out the week the number of children ranged from 201 and 240. 3-4 to a bed, very ill children mostly malaria and associated problems like meningitis, anaemia, febrile convulsions and pneumonia. The other main problems were TB and HIV. 40% of the children born in the hospital are HIV+ve. There were a lot of children with burns as well. Most of the families cook in doors over open fires with no ventilation leading to accidents and chest conditions later in life.

The nurses have to improvise all the time. They use giving sets to administer 02 and suction tubes for NG tubes. They don't have the right size if needles or cannula. Its horrible seeing a baby having a huge cannula put in their wee veins. They run out of drugs and equipment half way through the day and just accept it. If a drug is out of stock they don't think about using an alternative and although they improvise there appears to be a lack of initiative.

The ward staff welcomed me with open arms were so helpful all week and appreciated my input. I know I'll never question why I'm here. Some of the nursing practice is questionable and since I'm only doing orientation just now I'm not in a position to try to change things. There is little in the way of infection control but since most of the children are on massive doses of antibiotics it helps. There are no such things as nappies or rubber sheets on the beds and most of the beds are burst with the stuffing coming out so you probably get the picture.

When all is said and done the Malawians are such happy people with a wonderful capacity to laugh. They accept their lot and get on with it with dignity. We have a lot to learn from them. I've not had any more unwanted visitors to the house as far as I'm aware. The priest has threatened to visit later this afternoon so I've told him I'll be out late. I'm looking at another house later today so maybe I'll get something more permanent sooner than I thought.

I'm off to a VSO meeting for the first 3 days next week and the I have 2 days in the HIV clinic. I can't believe that will be my first month in. Thanks again for all the comments its good to hear from everyone. A special note for Sara "Tell your Mum its OK for you to visit".

Two Weeks On

2007-06-16T10:46:00.000Z

I'm in another slow internet shop. Dial up was never this slow at home. I'm learning a lot about Malawi things take a long time, the intention is good but things just don't happen when they should. They love paper work, in triplicate if possible, and lots of lengthy procedures for simple tasks.

My house was not ready for me so they arranged temporary accommodation but it wasn't ready for me so I had to stay with another volunteer. I moved into my temporary house yesterday. It has two rooms, kitchen, loo and bath. I spent a day cleaning it and it looks OK now. For the first time since arriving I have been able to unpack and put my cards and photos up. I've had 2 visitors the priest and a rat. The monkeys make a hell of a noise on the roof and the goats crap in the garden apart from that its OK. It will be 2-3 months before I get into my house for the rest of my placement. I can't get a phone put in until I'm there so my access to the internet is limited.

Everyone around has been very welcoming. The locals, particularly the children, stare all the time. It took me a while to realise its because I'm white. I sometimes entertain them by trying to speak Chichewa.

I'm in Zomba to go to the market. Its about 20 miles from where I live. The local transport is particularly dodgy. Its all mini buses the size of a transit van if your lucky they squeeze in 15 people including the driver. Sometimes the windows are missing. They stop for fuel at garages when they have collected enough money or if they get stuck the buy it in old cooking oil bottles from the side of the road. As well as 15 people they carry livestock, crates of empty bottles, anything dangerous goes.

I'm having to get used to BO and other offensive odours. The people here are so poor deodorant and soap are the last things on there shopping lists.

Starting 4 weeks orientation next week to register with the NMC here. It took lots of paperwork to arrange it.

I've not been able to answer any email on the shorty address but will try next week.

Thanks for all your comments it was really good to read them.

Made It

2007-06-03T15:24:00.000Z

Arrived with all Luggage in tact. Staying in Lilongwe for a week to try to get the basics of the language and do some registration for working and living here. We were brought into town to an internet and telephone cafe. The internet is slower than I ever remember it and they have run out of phone cards. We are all a bit tired after the journey. We are quite a large group of volunteers from Canada, Usa, Holland, Spain, Nigeria and the UK. I don't know if I will manage back again or have to wait for internet access at my placement. I got a photo of the sunrise from the plane it was quite spectacular. Its has been a really pleasant day with a temperature of 22C and a gentle breeze. the locals think its cold!

Last word Before I Go

2007-06-02T08:22:00.000Z

Well I always have to have the last word!

The hardest bit is coming, withdrawing from chocolate and alcohol, fitting in the rest of my shoes and trying to remember what I've forgotten.

I may not have internet access for a few weeks but I'll update the blog as soon as I can.

Thanks to everyone for their kindness and thoughtfulness. I've packed my cards and gifts and I've all the wonderful memories of the leaving dos.

Speak to you soon

Carol

More Food and Fun

2007-05-30T21:17:00.001Z

Angie and Elaine, I never failed to impress

them with my admin skills! Jenny, Anne and Natasha "the Organisers"

thanks girls

Another Do!

We had yet another lovely celebration for my trip to Malawi. If ever there was a good multidisciplinary meeting we had one today. There was someone from every department in the building. The highlight was Lesley singing she even did an encore. The goodbyes continue, it does not get any easier. I've had so many lovely cards, I'm going to take them all to Malawi and read them in my time of need. More presents too, everyone has been so thoughtful and supportive. Many thanks to everyone.

The A team

2007-05-28T19:44:00.001Z

Meet the others going to Malawi to train nurses:

Kate on the left, a real nurse tutor from Brighton University; Ally next to me an A&E and AIDS nurse; Clare, tropical diseases nurse. Apart from Kate who is the real thing when it comes to teaching the rest of us have a teaching course and a great mix of experience.

Ally and Clare have been placed together near Thyolo, the tea plantation area. they have had to sign the pledge, no booze, no jewelry, no make up. Kate is going to the university in Mzuzu. Which all means I'll have plenty places to visit.

More Thanks!

2007-05-28T18:56:00.000Z

From scalpals and sunblock to a chicken husbandry book and reading glasses the list goes on of very generous and useful gifts that I have been given to help me on my way. Lunches and dinners, drinks and desserts, it does not stop. I'll end up having withdrawals when I get to Malawi.

Rhona gave me the whip round on Friday. It was exceptionally generous. With the whip round and the money Fiona gave me I have purchased a camcorder. Its the best piece of technology I have ever seen. It has an "easy" button. Once its set it does the rest for you. Sony must have had me in mind when they made it.

Many thanks to everyone that has sent cards, donations and gifts. They will all be put to good use in Malawi. This photo was taken by Jan a photographer from the Alloa Advertiser. He kindly sent a couple on to me. thanks Jan.

Where am I?

2007-05-22T14:15:00.000Z

Click here here to see a map of the area I will be living in. I'll be about 25 miles from Zomba, 2,000 feet up mount Molosa at St Luke's Hospital. I'll also be 30 minutes from Zomba Plateau and Liwonde National Park in the other direction.

Picture This

2007-05-22T14:08:00.001Z

Some photos from the night out. We had alovely meal, good company and a few wines. We had to, its in the job description. thanks to all the girls and james for coming along.

I've had my 15 minutes of fame. It was really only 15 seconds on Central FM. I was interviewed about going to Mallaway so they had to edit most of it out. Now the photographers are queuing up to take my picture. I had to put them off today because I didn't have make up at work. I think at least one is coming tomorrow and that could be particularly dodgy because its my night out tonight. the Fife courier, The Dunfermline press and the Alloa times all want to do something on me going. News must be short this week! NHSfife are also putting something in their newsletter.

This is me! Well it was me down the canyon in2005. It demonstrates what it feels like just now. Jumping into the unknown. 11 days to go, 7 leaving lunches/nights out that I know of and I've still not decided what shoes to take. I hope its like sitting an exam, you get all hyped up and anxious about it then you realise you can only do your best and chill out and get on with it. I think I'm due for the chill out. I'll keep you posted.

Thanks

2007-05-22T14:03:00.001Z

I know that going to Malawi for a couple of years is a bit different. I could never have imagined the support that I was going to get from friends, family and even complete strangers. I'd like to thank so many people who have helped me on my way. JB my husband has been there all the way with me through the application process, the ups and downs and the packing and unpacking, the shoping, the paperwork and the goodbye dos.

Fiona a GP from Leven who I had never met before contacted me to offer support. She also sent a very generous cheque to purchase something to take to Malawi. Ann and Dave Hatton gave me money to purchase gardening tools and seeds to plant a garden. James and Ileene Anderson gave me information and support with medcines that I might need when I'm away. Rhona has really supported me with time off for training and preparation. Elsie bought me a wonderful backpack. Spencer got me a laptop for teaching in Malawi. And of course Mike for setting up the website. The list goes on. I have been given so many things to take out such as blood pressure monitors, stethoscopes, fob watches, memory sticks, pens, torches, tool cards. I've also had extra training from colleagues that will be very useful. There's too many to mention. All support has been really appreciated, all the good wishes and cards mean a lot. I think its often easy to forget how many good people there are around but they are there all the time.

So a great big thanks to everyone!

Carol vists Calecom for Tutorial

2007-05-22T14:00:00.000Z

Who thought I couldn't setup a website? You were quite right. Mike O'Donnell set it up for me. Mike, otherwise known as Lesley O'D's husband, has been providing a service for the girls in room 101 for sometime. I should add that this has been encouraged by Lesley. Any IT problem we had we asked Lesley, if she couldn't answer she would phone Mike who never let us down. So a big thanks to Mike. Not only has he set this up for me he has used a system that I could use after 30 minutes. He is going to back it up with an idiots guide which also shows how perceptive he is. Mike is director of Calecom in Dunfermline.

My New Home

2007-05-15T18:09:00.001Z

This is not a picture of my new home but there is nothing wrong with dreaming. I'll post a photo as soon as I can.

I've been told that I'll have a house in the hospital grounds. I should have basic furniture provided and VSO give a grant to purchase necessary household items. I should also be given a fridge and water filter. I'm really looking forward to seeing it and getting settled. If everything else is tough having a nice wee home will bring some comfort.

In Preparation of Departure

2007-05-15T11:54:00.000Z

Most of the preparation has now been done, although it dosen't always feel like that. I've done my training with VSO, I've had my jabs, I must remember to start my anti malarials at the weekend, and I've got my flight tickets. My packing has been done and redone and no doubt will be done again. I've sold my car, got enough antibiotics to last a lifetime and I've got the house turned upside down with things all over the place.

I've had my psychotherapy to address my snake phobia or should I say my ex phobia. I'm working through my goodbyes, which is probably the hardest part, and I'm think about tidying my desk at work. I'll have to invite people into the office to see it when it is tidy or no one will believe me.

I've still to do odd bits of paper work including ordering my newspaper and organising insurance. I think I'm getting there.