dreaming over the ocean

two days a week, I spend my day at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, here in Blantyre.  QECH is the largest referral hospital in Malawi, with approximently 1100 beds, spread out over a massive land area.  It is interesting, because, apparently, when they were designing this place, it must of thought it would be unwise to go "up" in building, so they just went a single story... so, it is perhaps the most sprawling hospital that I have ever been in. Have I ever mentioned how much I am a big fan of public health care?  Think what you might, but I think that health is a human right~  not something that you should have to pay for.  and, that is why it thrills me that I get to be doing my  clinical rotation in a public hospital in Malawi.  I was even a patient there, during my week of explosive diarreah.  and, I when i was brought there, I was asked "Are you scared?"  um... no? they do have qualified doctors and nurses, right? (yes) they ...

WOW...  1 month since I left Edmonton, too travel over the ocean to this strange and distant land.  To fufill something that frequently happens in my dreams. to do something that I have never done before. And, you might think... you might think that I would have the time to update my blog and tell you all about everything that is going on here and the sights i see and the food i eat and the people i talk to. and, honestly, I probably do.  but, sometimes, it is hard to decipher what I want to write.  What is meaningful, both for myself, and for my readers. (if there are still any out there!) so... where to start?  First off, to say, I guess, that I LOVE being here.  There is something that just settles so right inside of my being.  something that makes me have this deep rooted peace.  I don't know Malawi very well, and my time being here is SO different from every experience that I have had in any other African nation.  (on that note,...

There is something about African sunsets that, in my opinion, are unmatched in the world.  Now, I have never been everywhere else in the world, but, one thing I do know... sunsets here kick any Canadian sunset. I think it is probably how you can almost directly look at it and the sun is this radiant light, which, if you turn away (or blink) at the wrong moment, will suddenly disappear... when it nears that horizon... watch out.  it will disappear in seconds.    That magnificent reddy, orange, pink, purple, radiant circle of light. Tonight, as I was sitting tonight reading my book, watching the sunset, I thought about big A Africa.   you know the one.  the one where there is this continent of unknowns, and there are either wild animals running rampant, or civil wars where people are having their limbs lopped off with machetes, or people who are all the same, or disease is ravaging everyone, and every person is part...

Ohhhhhh… where to begin?!   I guess it is with the thought that being comfortable in “Africa” doesn’t necessarily feel comfortable to me.   And, I will get more to that in a bit.   I arrived in Blantyre (Malawi… if you haven’t read my recent posts) on Friday night.   School “officially” started last Thursday.   In those two days, I managed to register with the nurses council of Malawi and get my research proposal together to submission to the College of Medicine ethics review board.   And drive to Blantyre.   And. That. Is. All. One of the common things that people talk about when being in Africa, is the different concepts of time.   Time doesn’t necessarily run the same way here, but sometimes it does.   And, so, I tend to take the outlook of “be ready on time, but prepare to wait.”    Pretty much, that way of thought gets you by, and you are consistently reminded to be patient.   Moving to a new c...

It has officially been one week since I have stepped foot on this continent, and I am happy to be here.  (Sometimes, though, i just have to remember that!)  :)  It has not been a problem remembering that when I was in Stellenbosch/Cape Town, with people I know and things to do. but, when you arrive to "The real Africa" things are a little different.  Life is slower.  You arrange things as they come up.  Especially when not much has been arranged for you.  I was thinking that I would be arriving here to have a little bit more news (from McGill/our main contact at the College here) than what I actually have.  but, not really surprising, if i think about it.  How would they know more than what i would know?  So, as I got in an email yesterday: "it seems like McGill is McGill.  and Africa is Africa.  and you are in the better of the two." I was indeed reminded that I was in Africa yesterday, when i "hurried" my lunch so tha...

it is 3:25 am.  I went to bed at 10.  5hrs sleep is not enough. unfortunately, it is 7:35 in edmonton, which... is not sleeping time. ugh. so, i will write a quick update, hopefully to put myself back to sleep.  I guess I can start by saying that this blog is going to take vast turn in subject matter.  For, over the next 4 months, i will probably barely touch anything triathlon related. Oh sure, i brought my (now very old/used) running shoes.  I have my bathing suit, swim cap and goggles.  but.  as if i am going to get the chance to do anything close to training. for I have arrived.

Today, I had a *Great* day.  I swam biked and ran like it was the last race of the season.  Oh wait.  It was. the. last. race.  And, suffice it to say, i had a good ol' time racing today, despite the fact that from about 1km into the run, i wanted to die.  i wanted to throw the towel in and curse Alberta provincial parks for their challenging forest trail systems. so, i wasn't going to really write a race report.  but, as i started writing, it has just flowed.  I will also grace you with photos that my chum took, with a bit of a teaser of how each leg went. also, a link to my Garmin files.  which, btw, is the first time racing with the 310xt , which i should've gotten back in may.  I LOVED racing with it, and the super great soft heart rate strap.   however, one thing is forsure... looking at my files really shows me how much i have to work on.  UM.  hello variable heart rates throughout a race!!! i need to learn h...