Hikes, waterfalls and babies

We went to Majete wildlife reserve with Clare and the med students, it was a lovely wee safari, saw lots of antelope and their cousins. We had breakfast in this elevated hut watching two hippos dance around each other, which was very entertaining. Plus I had bacon for the first time in months and proper coffee so it was a very good day. The elephants in this park have been chased (by poachers etc) so chase cars when they get too close. We got too close so got chased by a bull elephant which was fun and a bit scary. After the visit to the park we went across the road to this lodge that has an amazing infinity pool over looking the river, we took heaps of underwater pictures and basically acted like a bunch of kids, you would think we had never been in a swimming pool before.

The following day me and Lynsey headed up to the waterfalls which are about an hour up Mount Mulanje. We had to get a minibus to the base which I think was the worst minibus journey so far, I had an eight (or so) year old on my lap, while I was twisted and jammed behind this man while clinging onto my bag, the girl was light(ish) but had all her weight on my left leg so I had absolutely no feeling in it when I got out. It was a great first impression on our guide-me dragging my leg behind me and trying to get feeling back into my arms. After regaining full function we set off, it was pretty steep and I didn't particularly enjoy the walk but the waterfall was amazing. It was so refreshing to jump into cold water after a hot sticky walk. We did a jump off a high ledge which was pretty terrifying and left my arm with a really weird mark (like a bruised burn) from when I hit the water. We later found out that the pool is 60m deep and a witch (no joke) lives at the bottom. Completely put me off returning (more the depth than the witch but who knows what is at the bottom).

I was on labour ward for a week which was a very interesting/intense/boring week. My first day was scrubbing day so I got stuck in and scrubbed one of the rooms from top to bottom (literally) and missed two births as no-one bothered to get me. I then missed another one while I was on lunch. The following day there was a woman in labour and the baby was breech (bum first), I was thinking this would be really interesting to see, the baby then was all tangled (it's hand was by its bum) so it became an emergency c-section, which in turn became an emergency hysterectomy as there was a massive bleed. It was the woman's 11th child which always leads to complications. The next day there was no-one in labour, so we discussed Scotland and Malawi, it was very enlightening. I saw another c-section too (again her 11th child). Many children here are born with extra digits which are just tied off with string. On my last day, when I had almost given up hope of seeing a normal delivery, I saw one and then immediately got called to another. I caught the baby and delivered the placenta (definitely don't want kids for awhile) it was such a fantastic experience and not something I would be likely to do in the UK.

That Friday was pizza (of course) and there was a new arrival in the form of Max, a med student in the Navy. On Saturday the med students had a wee farewell gathering which was good, there were a few locals there and it was nice to see them outside of the hospital. On Sunday me, Lynsey and Max headed up the mountain.

It was horrible, we climbed to about 2400m in four hours, it was so steep. My lungs felt like they were on fire, I even had a sharp pain above my right collar bone, obviously that part of my lung doesn't have to work that hard normally. My fingers also got all swollen and puffy. I'm surprised my running shoes survived the trip and didn't cause any broken ankles. It was worth it though, when we reached the plateau, it looked and felt like we were in the Scottish highlands or the English countryside, the landscape was amazing. We reached our hut which was great, albeit a bit like a cottage in a horror movie, we had an attic room and a large fireplace. We sat listening to music and chatting by the fire for hours. We got up early and headed to Lichenya pools, which is basically a natural infinity pool above the clouds, I don't think I have ever had such a spectacular view. We then headed back down the mountain which wasn't as bad as the climb, although I had some fluid in my knee (it's handy having a med student about) which was quite unpleasant. I am so glad I made it though, even if we didn't go to the summit (3001m). My legs are still stiff and sore, and it's not something I will ever forget.

I have had my final week on female ward, I am going to miss the laughter and bad jokes, especially Nalles' and Phamoli's as it is so contagious. I'm going to miss the samosas from the canteen and the lunches spent at Shyreen's house. I have learnt so much here, professionally and personally. I will hopefully be back one day. 

Now to relax and enjoy the rest of the trip, many exciting things await.