More Reflections

When I think about writing a blog post I always feel like I don’t have much to say. I guess since I’ve been living in Malawi now for 22 months there isn’t much that seems newsworthy. Yet when I take a step back and consider my “average day” from a distance I realize how blessed I am and can see the little things that make life enjoyable here. It also helps me remember why I am here and what my purpose is. So I wanted to just share some highlights from this past week – little things or big things that I have enjoyed or noticed and been challenged or blessed by…

Sabbath – drove to Mt. Mulanje with Cristy, Anthony, Ashwini, & Kelly. We met Ben there at the pizza place. Above our table there was a swallow’s nest with a mama swallow coming frequently to fill the giant yellow mouths. Cristy got a photo. We had ice cream with chocolate sauce! The mountain was beautiful as usual but this time with many trickling waterfalls down the face because of all of the rain. Anthony and I went hiking to a big waterfall with a pool and we jumped in the cool water – it was beautiful. As we left the sun was setting and it started to rain so on one side was the mountain hidden by a rain cloud with a rainbow arching over the top, the brilliant green of the tea fields was amazing contrasted with the gray clouds and the dark green of the mountain in the fading light. On the right side the sun was setting with gold, pink, and yellow. I didn’t know which way to look to absorb the breathtaking beauty surrounding us. Neither photos nor words do justice.

Monday – back at work with a busy day – catching up after “skipping” Sunday. In the afternoon I met a group from the USA with an organization “physicians for peace” traveling around Malawi looking for partnerships where they can send medical professionals to assist with training and teaching. I gave them a tour and talked with them about Malamulo and what we do and see here and what the needs are. Who knows what will come of it but we are always happy to have people visit and find ways to assist if possible. Wrapping up my day two officials from the SDA church came into my office to discuss some “concerns”. I seem to be an innocent by-stander in a disagreement so am just trying to be polite and answer the questions as best as I can. I won’t explain it all here but I just hope that the differences can be worked out. It is difficult to work here at times when it seems like the efforts to improve efficiency of processes is blocked by those who wish to be in control.

*skip a few days*

I’m back with some more time to write some reflections about my current work. Last weekend was Easter and I had another lovely day driving to Zomba. There is a plateau there and we drove up to a lodge about half way up. The view is beautiful – I can’t describe it. Anthony and I met Cristy and Kelly who were staying at a small lodge way off the road. It is in a beautiful location and we enjoyed the peace and quiet for a couple of hours. Then we drove up to the top of the mountain and had a late lunch before driving back to Blantyre and on to Makwasa.

I have to be honest reading what I’ve written sounds like every day is ideal and beautiful. This is NOT the case as is true with any job. The other day one of the senior lab technicians came into my office to tell me that the machine that does CBCs was not working and they had called the technician. When I asked him if regular servicing had been done he said, “No, it was supposed to be serviced at 10,000 tests and it is at 14,000 now”. He said this with a snicker. I have to say the lab is a constant challenge to us and once again I expressed my concern – in a strong way – that it is NOT ACCEPTABLE for them to ignore maintenance like this and that they are the only ones who know when these things need to be done. I told him that they need to take responsibility and come to administration with a quotation, deadline, and request for what is needed. They can’t just mention it and then give up. He said, “well I thought the head of the lab had taken care of it” and I explained that yes – maybe you thought that and he may have thought you were taking care of it but then NO ONE does anything. This is the problem, I explained, in that good communication does not happen so things are overlooked.

UGH!! Only 6 more weeks until we have a new couple from the Philippines coming to take over the lab and help turn it around. Cristy and I cannot wait for that to happen because over the past 2 years that Cristy has been here she has been unable to make much of a difference in the way the lab operates. It is like a walrus (as my friend referred to obstacles) in our path to good service here. Part of the challenge is the two senior lab techs are close to retirement and have worked their ENTIRE career here at Malamulo – almost 40 years! The saying “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” is SO TRUE! They are both wonderful gentleman, but…

So today is Friday and I’m “off” of work. I am heading into Blantyre later. What does this mean? I plan to meet our dentist at 11am to look at a potential house for her to move to in Blantyre (nearer her office, her daughter’s school, and freeing up a house here on campus for us), then I have to take some paperwork to our clearing agent for two 40 ft. containers of medicines and supplies that are on their way to us (donations), then I will be able to go grocery shopping, eat some lunch, and probably post this blog on the internet. I might stop and see a friend or two but then will need to leave in time to stop at the big vegetable market on the way back out to Malamulo.

For the past month we’ve had a FP resident here from Pennsylvania who is Indian by origin. She has been cooking up wonderful Indian meals for us on Friday evenings so today is her last day here and she is planning to come and cook again. Last Friday we had 13 people here and the power was off all day! THANKFULLY we just purchased a gas stove and were able to hook it up in time to start cooking for the crowd. Tonight we won’t have as many people but we are looking forward to the evening with friends, good food, and welcoming the Sabbath. Thus the important stop at the vegetable market on the way home this afternoon!

Life here is never boring – for sure! The other day one of our nurses asked me if I was a Jew! I was confused at first and wondering if she was asking about my religion (sometimes people think I’m not SDA since I don’t attend church every week) so when I clarified she said, “no, there are so many races in America and I was wondering if you are Jewish”. Haha – I said no and explained that I’m a mix of German, English, and Danish. That satisfied her but as I said – it’s never dull and you can never be sure what question will come up next! Until next time…