Well, I made it to the mainland. We rode the ferry over on Saturday afternoon in the extreme heat. After the journey over, we thought we were just going to pay the extra $5 for first class (inside with AC), but we managed to get the residents rate since we've been working at the hospital which is only good for economy class. The ride wasn't too bad though. We thought we were getting a nice cool breeze with a little spray from the sea, but soon we realized we were getting covered with salt. When the water dried there was a fine white powder all over us and our stuff. Now we realize when we thought we were so sandy at the beach, we were mostly just salty the salt doesn't brush off as well as the sand). From the dock, we took a taxi to my hotel, and I said good bye to my fellow travellers headed back to the US that day. I managed to get checked in and find dinner before dark. I guy from a safari company was at the hotel, and I talked to him about setting up a safari. It's really had to tell if they are legit companies or not, but he did have several options for me, and the hotel recommended him as an operator (and they have his business card out front). But I guess I'll find out for sure how good of a deal I got when I start (or don't start) the safari on Tuesday.
Today, I mostly wandered around Dar es Salaam. I went to the Botanical gardens (pretty garden, but mostly just a park), and then I went to the National Museum (also interesting, but glad I only paid the student price.) I also wandered by a huge cathedral, but I didn't go in since their services were just ending though. Most places were closed today since it's Sunday, so there wasn't a lot else to do. I'm figuring out that Dar us Salaam is a lot less Muslim than Zanzibar is.
Sorry this is a pretty unexciting post, but I probably won't have internet for the next week since I'll be on safari and staying at camp sites (yes, I'll be camping in Africa!) Hope all is well at home!
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
Voted off the Island
Well, we are leaving the island tomorrow. I am a little sad to leave, but excited for the next part of my trip. We bought our ferry tickets today and managed to get the resident rate (1/3 of the international rate), and we'll leave tomorrow afternoon.
There's not really much to tell about this week because we were taking it easy for the most part. We did a lot of shopping and laying around on the beach. It was a pretty good week in the hospital though. I was a little worried at first because more medical students showed up (so there were 7 students on pediatrics). But I figured out that if I followed the interns instead of the foreign attending, I got to to do a lot more (and I avoided frustration with the very slow attending). With the interns, they would have me examine the patient and tell them what was wrong and what to do about it. If they didn't know what to do, they would ask me instead of looking for the attending. It made me a little nervous at first (especially since any history had to be translated), but then it was a lot of fun. (It was like I was really practicing medicine!)
Well, I hope everything is going well at home, and I'll let you all know how the ferry and the bus go in Dar es Salaam.
There's not really much to tell about this week because we were taking it easy for the most part. We did a lot of shopping and laying around on the beach. It was a pretty good week in the hospital though. I was a little worried at first because more medical students showed up (so there were 7 students on pediatrics). But I figured out that if I followed the interns instead of the foreign attending, I got to to do a lot more (and I avoided frustration with the very slow attending). With the interns, they would have me examine the patient and tell them what was wrong and what to do about it. If they didn't know what to do, they would ask me instead of looking for the attending. It made me a little nervous at first (especially since any history had to be translated), but then it was a lot of fun. (It was like I was really practicing medicine!)
Well, I hope everything is going well at home, and I'll let you all know how the ferry and the bus go in Dar es Salaam.
Monday, February 20, 2012
To Paradise with a Chicken
We had an amazing time this weekend! On Friday we drove to see the cottage hospital in Makunduchi. It's a really nice little hospital in a little town in the southern part of the island. After our tour, we drove down to the beach there. It was by far the best beach we'd seen so far. Then on the way back we got pulled over because we were riding with Zenyie's driver who doesn't have a permit to carry tourists. After some explaining that we worked at Mnazi Mmoja, they let us go. But they didn't say anything about us having 4 people in the back seat and 1 in the hatch back.
Then on Saturday we got up early to take the Dala dala to Kendwa which is supposed to be one of the nicest beaches, and it was definitely the best. It felt like paradise! And on the dala dala, the lady sitting next me had a live chicken in a cloth bag on the floor in front of her. At one point I thought it died because it looked like someone sat on it, and it squawked, but when she got off the bus it squawked a bit more. We spent the entire weekend sitting on the beach and swimming in turquoise clear water. We stayed in a dorm room with 10 beds that only cost $15 dollars a person which included breakfast the next morning and evening entertainment. It was a lot of fun! We rode up with one of the German students, and we met 5 British students up there that had rented a car to drive up (driving on the Left side of the rode comes naturally to them I guess), so it was nice to have a big group to help watch our stuff. The 2 British guys did get their wallets stolen, but they did leave them sitting on the beach alone when they went swimming at night.
We also had an eventful ride home on the dala dala with our first car accident. Our bus was going fast and there was a really slow dala dala in front of us, so we tried to pass the other bus, but we clipped the back corner of it and broke off our side mirror. Everyone was yelling about how it was the other buses fault for driving so slow. Then about 30 min later, a women collapsed in the front of the bus. Since Travis was the closest, he headed up to see what was going on. We think she was having a seizure, and he was checking her pulse and breathing when she came to and started to attack him. Another man grabbed her until she calmed down, but Travis got pretty scratched up and lost his sunglasses. This whole time the bus is still flying down the rode and making stops for people to get on and off. Right after the lady woke up, she tried to jump off the bus at a stop, so they had to hold her back to keep her on. They finally got her calmed down and sat in a seat, and then 30 min later, when we got to her stop, she got off the bus and went on her way alone. That made us all a little nervous, but she seemed ok as she walked away, and there really wasn't much else we could do.
Well, I have to go back to the peds floor to round now, so I hope everyone is still doing ok at home. I hope to be able to keep you updated after I head to the mainland this weekend, but I'm not sure how the internet access will be, so I'll try my best.
Then on Saturday we got up early to take the Dala dala to Kendwa which is supposed to be one of the nicest beaches, and it was definitely the best. It felt like paradise! And on the dala dala, the lady sitting next me had a live chicken in a cloth bag on the floor in front of her. At one point I thought it died because it looked like someone sat on it, and it squawked, but when she got off the bus it squawked a bit more. We spent the entire weekend sitting on the beach and swimming in turquoise clear water. We stayed in a dorm room with 10 beds that only cost $15 dollars a person which included breakfast the next morning and evening entertainment. It was a lot of fun! We rode up with one of the German students, and we met 5 British students up there that had rented a car to drive up (driving on the Left side of the rode comes naturally to them I guess), so it was nice to have a big group to help watch our stuff. The 2 British guys did get their wallets stolen, but they did leave them sitting on the beach alone when they went swimming at night.
We also had an eventful ride home on the dala dala with our first car accident. Our bus was going fast and there was a really slow dala dala in front of us, so we tried to pass the other bus, but we clipped the back corner of it and broke off our side mirror. Everyone was yelling about how it was the other buses fault for driving so slow. Then about 30 min later, a women collapsed in the front of the bus. Since Travis was the closest, he headed up to see what was going on. We think she was having a seizure, and he was checking her pulse and breathing when she came to and started to attack him. Another man grabbed her until she calmed down, but Travis got pretty scratched up and lost his sunglasses. This whole time the bus is still flying down the rode and making stops for people to get on and off. Right after the lady woke up, she tried to jump off the bus at a stop, so they had to hold her back to keep her on. They finally got her calmed down and sat in a seat, and then 30 min later, when we got to her stop, she got off the bus and went on her way alone. That made us all a little nervous, but she seemed ok as she walked away, and there really wasn't much else we could do.
Well, I have to go back to the peds floor to round now, so I hope everyone is still doing ok at home. I hope to be able to keep you updated after I head to the mainland this weekend, but I'm not sure how the internet access will be, so I'll try my best.
More adventures
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| Riding a bike on a gravel road while trying to take a picture of yourself is not so smart. |
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| Travis, Sarita, and I in the mongrove trees. |
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| Paradise |
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| Dala Dala |
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| Sunset in paradise |
Monday, February 13, 2012
Dala Dalas, Dhows, and Bicycles
We survived another eventful weekend! On Friday night, we stayed in Stonetown for the Sauti za Busara, a huge concert with traditional bands. One lady that sang was somewhere around 100-110yrs old, and still really good. Since that lasted late, we slept in the next morning with plans to go to the beach that afternoon.
So we headed out to find a Dala dala (public transportation) around 10am. Dala Dalas are either a van that gets very crowded or a small semi with a partially open bed with benches around 3 sides that gets even more crowded. On the first ride, I learned really quickly that you should not move over for someone if it's going to put you in the corner. I got stuck in the corner curled up in a ball with my feet partially under Sarita, until she and Travis let me stretch my legs out over theirs. It took us 3 hrs to get to the beach (that's really only 1hr away), and the tide was out. So we rented a Dhow which is a wooden sail boat to take us out the the reef to snorkel for a bit. Well, that took 1.5hrs to get out there, and no one gave us the same answer as to when the last Dala dala went back to town, so we didn't get to stay long. The dala dala back wasn't as bed because I avoided the corner, but it was still quite crowded, and we got really dirty from the dusty roads.
On Sunday, we started out a little earlier and got a closed dala dala. So we thought it would be less crowded, but you can always fit more people in a dala dala. We went out to Jozari National Park to see the red monkeys that are native to Zanzibar. That's where the bicycles came in. Since we didn't have a car there with us, they gave us bikes to ride a couple miles down the road to see the monkeys and the mongrove trees. We could get within about a foot of the monkeys, so we got some really good pictures. (I'll put some up later). Then we walked for about 45min back down the road because we'd seen a sign for a butterfly farm. It was cool, but it was a long hot walk.
Well, that's all for now, the internet cafe is closing, so they're going to kick me out soon. Hope everyone is doing well at home!
So we headed out to find a Dala dala (public transportation) around 10am. Dala Dalas are either a van that gets very crowded or a small semi with a partially open bed with benches around 3 sides that gets even more crowded. On the first ride, I learned really quickly that you should not move over for someone if it's going to put you in the corner. I got stuck in the corner curled up in a ball with my feet partially under Sarita, until she and Travis let me stretch my legs out over theirs. It took us 3 hrs to get to the beach (that's really only 1hr away), and the tide was out. So we rented a Dhow which is a wooden sail boat to take us out the the reef to snorkel for a bit. Well, that took 1.5hrs to get out there, and no one gave us the same answer as to when the last Dala dala went back to town, so we didn't get to stay long. The dala dala back wasn't as bed because I avoided the corner, but it was still quite crowded, and we got really dirty from the dusty roads.
On Sunday, we started out a little earlier and got a closed dala dala. So we thought it would be less crowded, but you can always fit more people in a dala dala. We went out to Jozari National Park to see the red monkeys that are native to Zanzibar. That's where the bicycles came in. Since we didn't have a car there with us, they gave us bikes to ride a couple miles down the road to see the monkeys and the mongrove trees. We could get within about a foot of the monkeys, so we got some really good pictures. (I'll put some up later). Then we walked for about 45min back down the road because we'd seen a sign for a butterfly farm. It was cool, but it was a long hot walk.
Well, that's all for now, the internet cafe is closing, so they're going to kick me out soon. Hope everyone is doing well at home!
Friday, February 10, 2012
Prison Island
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| The view off the front of our snorkeling boat. |
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| One of the giant turtles. |
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| Baby giant turtles with my foot for size comparison. (No I do not have tiny feet) |
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Orion's Belt
Still doing great here in Zanzibar. We went snorkeling yesterday (very cool, but not as cool as diving), and we visited Prison Island (built to be a prison, but then used for quarantining during the plague in France). Now the island is home of the giant tortoises (over 100, pictures to come) and a tourist resort. Then today, we tried out the market to try to cook some for ourselves. Unfortunately the hot plate we finally got from our land lord is in all Chinese, and we haven't been able to figure it out. Hopefully tomorrow we'll have better luck.
We're also going to go to Machenduche tomorrow to see a cottage hospital. There are several of these around the island for people who can't get to the main hospital. Last week, one of the doctors from there visited the peds department at Mnazi Moja (where I work) and invited us to see his hospital.
I am still seeing a lot of interesting cases in the peds cot wards and in the NICU. (sorry to not give too many details, but I feel that I should follow the same privacy rules as in the US). Today in morning conference, we were going over the deaths in the last week; there were 10. The main doctor asked me how many deaths there would be in the US in a week, I told him there might be 1-2, and they would probably be from cancer or trauma. Here many kids die of sepsis (infection in your blood), dehydration, and pneumonia. We have all of those problems in the US, and some die for them. But I think in Zanzibar people wait longer to go the hospital, and there are limited resources at the hospital, there is a higher mortality.
It's nice when I feel like I'm on the other side of the world (which I know I am), I can look up and see Orion. The easiest constellation for me to find at home is straight up in the sky when we are walking home in the evenings. And then I don't feel so far away.
We're also going to go to Machenduche tomorrow to see a cottage hospital. There are several of these around the island for people who can't get to the main hospital. Last week, one of the doctors from there visited the peds department at Mnazi Moja (where I work) and invited us to see his hospital.
I am still seeing a lot of interesting cases in the peds cot wards and in the NICU. (sorry to not give too many details, but I feel that I should follow the same privacy rules as in the US). Today in morning conference, we were going over the deaths in the last week; there were 10. The main doctor asked me how many deaths there would be in the US in a week, I told him there might be 1-2, and they would probably be from cancer or trauma. Here many kids die of sepsis (infection in your blood), dehydration, and pneumonia. We have all of those problems in the US, and some die for them. But I think in Zanzibar people wait longer to go the hospital, and there are limited resources at the hospital, there is a higher mortality.
It's nice when I feel like I'm on the other side of the world (which I know I am), I can look up and see Orion. The easiest constellation for me to find at home is straight up in the sky when we are walking home in the evenings. And then I don't feel so far away.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Finally some Pictures!
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| The Bathroom/shower in our hotel the first night. (Sorry I don't know how to rotate it, so you'll have to rotate your head) |
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| The view coming into Zanzibar from the ferry |
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| My bed with the mosquito net hanging over it. |
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| Garden by our apartment that we walk through to go to the hospital each day. |
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| My Zanzibar Pizza cooking at the night market. (Today I got Nutella and banana Pizza) |
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| Amazing view from the Indian restaurant that we unfortunately won't be going back to. |
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| Cats at the night market - basically equivalent to squirls in KS |
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| 2 person bike (also holds 3). Everyone has the racks on the back (like what I carried my violin on). Except they carry people on them. There's often a 3rd person sitting on the handle bars or right in front of the driver. |
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| Another picture of the Night Market - great place for a cheap dinner each night! |
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Under the Sea, under the sea, do do do do do do do do do do, Under the sea!
I am now a PADI certified scuba diver (that means I can scuba anywhere). We finished our last course today. It was amazing to be swimming with the fishes in the Indian Ocean, and we got to see a school of dolphins! It's such a cool sensation to be so far underwater and know you're not going to die. They took us out yesterday from Stonetown (where I'm living) for 2 dives, and then today from Mtembe (about 1hr bus ride). Today was much better with a visibility of about 20meters. And both days we had a delicious lunch on the boat of samosas, other fried food that I'm not sure on the name, chipate (flat bread), and fresh pineapple, mango, and oranges. We did get a little bit fried yesterday even though we put on tons of sunscreen, so we were extra careful today. We'll see how I feel tonight after it has a chance to set in.
Yesterday after we'd been home about 30 min, the power went off (for what we thought was the daily 1hr no power time), but then it was still off this morning. So we had a hot and sticky night! We're hoping it's back on by the time we get home tonight. (you can't really tell about the power when you're out because many businesses have generators.)
Well, now I'm ready to start my second week in the hospital, and working on plans for what I'll do the last 2 weeks I'm here.
Miss you all!
Yesterday after we'd been home about 30 min, the power went off (for what we thought was the daily 1hr no power time), but then it was still off this morning. So we had a hot and sticky night! We're hoping it's back on by the time we get home tonight. (you can't really tell about the power when you're out because many businesses have generators.)
Well, now I'm ready to start my second week in the hospital, and working on plans for what I'll do the last 2 weeks I'm here.
Miss you all!
Friday, February 3, 2012
Jasho!
Well, we've almost made it through the first week without anything too bad happening. We did wake up a little sick this morning but are feeling better already. (apparently the street market food isn't bad, but the nice Indian restaurant is, so we're going back to the street market tonight). The rest of the food has been amazing! Last night I had Zanzibar Pizza which is a thin dough with a filling made from chopped onions, egg, meat (ground beef), and mayo(more like Big Mac sauce), but it was all delicious (also comes in Nutella and banana).
I have seen a lot of interesting cases in the hospital too. Some of them are really sad because there isn't anything we can do for them here. There is a wide variety of patients, doctors, and students. I am definitely learning a lot, and I'm able to teach a lot. The week I've been with 2 Australian students in their 5th year (out of 6 undergrad medicine years), 1 Zanzibari student in her 3rd year in China (out of 4, but she hasn't had any hands on experience yet), and 1 from Germany in his 3rd (out of 4 yrs who also hasn't had any hands on either). It's a lot of fun to be able to teach! But it made me a little nervous when one of the attendings asked when I graduated, and then told the intern doctor he could ask me questions because I was close to enough to being an MD anyway. So far we've been working mostly in the mornings, so we've had the afternoons off to explore the city.
We went to the Old Fort (pictures to come), and we started a scuba class! Today we were diving in the pool and tomorrow and Sunday we'll be in the ocean. I did have some second thoughts when we were first in the pool, and I remembered that I have a fear of drowning. But after 4 hours in the pool of going through safety training (including taking off your mask, taking out your regulator/air source, and having your air shut off and transferring to your buddy's air), I'm feeling much better. I'll have to let you all know how it goes after this weekend! (And there will be pictures coming I promise! I just keep forgetting to bring my cord)
I also had to do laundry for the first time without a washing machine (I'm very spoiled). We do have a spinner, so we washed our clothes in a bucket and then spun them and hung them out on the balcony to dry. I'm not sure who clean they really are, but at least they smell like soap instead of jasho (sweat).
I miss you all, and I promise, I will get some pictures up soon!
I have seen a lot of interesting cases in the hospital too. Some of them are really sad because there isn't anything we can do for them here. There is a wide variety of patients, doctors, and students. I am definitely learning a lot, and I'm able to teach a lot. The week I've been with 2 Australian students in their 5th year (out of 6 undergrad medicine years), 1 Zanzibari student in her 3rd year in China (out of 4, but she hasn't had any hands on experience yet), and 1 from Germany in his 3rd (out of 4 yrs who also hasn't had any hands on either). It's a lot of fun to be able to teach! But it made me a little nervous when one of the attendings asked when I graduated, and then told the intern doctor he could ask me questions because I was close to enough to being an MD anyway. So far we've been working mostly in the mornings, so we've had the afternoons off to explore the city.
We went to the Old Fort (pictures to come), and we started a scuba class! Today we were diving in the pool and tomorrow and Sunday we'll be in the ocean. I did have some second thoughts when we were first in the pool, and I remembered that I have a fear of drowning. But after 4 hours in the pool of going through safety training (including taking off your mask, taking out your regulator/air source, and having your air shut off and transferring to your buddy's air), I'm feeling much better. I'll have to let you all know how it goes after this weekend! (And there will be pictures coming I promise! I just keep forgetting to bring my cord)
I also had to do laundry for the first time without a washing machine (I'm very spoiled). We do have a spinner, so we washed our clothes in a bucket and then spun them and hung them out on the balcony to dry. I'm not sure who clean they really are, but at least they smell like soap instead of jasho (sweat).
I miss you all, and I promise, I will get some pictures up soon!
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