http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/PointCareinMalawi/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from PointCareinMalawi en-us Tue, 08 Dec 2009 03:11:19 +0000 Tue, 08 Dec 2009 03:11:19 +0000 A lot has happened since I last wrote. The project has progressed local colleagues have come and gone the weather and environment has changed and as always I have learned new things.The project is progressing by leaps and bounds. We started with visits to 9 communities in November but after a fair bit of research into local prevalence rates many visits with village chiefs coordination wit http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Malawi/Central/Lilongwe/blog-385511.html ldquoMwalira mvula mwalira matoperdquoSince I last wrote here in Malawi wersquore in a New Year and a new season the rainy season. Itrsquos the second month of the rains that will likely continue through until May. Malawi is looking beautiful. The countryside has changed so much so quickly and everything is lush and green. These are the rains that many have hoped for over the past s http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Malawi/Central/blog-365754.html In the first 2 weeks we have visited 9 villages counseled and tested 258 people of which 9 were HIV positive performed 47 CD4 tests on new and previously diagnosed patients referred 6 people for ARV treatment and distributed CPT to 9. The conditions resources staffing setup patient population education and attitude has been different everywhere. We have been pleasantly surprised wit http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Malawi/Central/blog-341973.html This time i'm just going to let my pictures tell some of my stories..... http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Malawi/Central/blog-340931.html I have been quite amazed to find out how aware Malawians are of the term 'CD4 count'. They even have a name for it in Chichewa Chitetezo Cha Mthupi. They know what the number means for them and they know that same number off the top of their head. CD4 counts are difficult to obtain in Malawi and the locals here consider themselves very lucky that they can have a CD4 test at St Gabriel's for http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Malawi/Central/blog-335466.html ldquoSouth Africans are good at building housesrdquoI am very pleased to be able to say that several weeks of working with a local Clearing Agent and the Malawi Revenue Authority MRA have paid off. Our project truck has finally been lsquolet gorsquo and we were able to bring her home last night. One additional thing that resulted from all of this bureaucracy is that I spent so much tim http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Malawi/Central/Lilongwe/blog-330677.html ldquoWell officer this is a little unusual isnrsquot itrdquoToo many events have happened over the course of the past few weeks for one entry so I am breaking up my latest news from Malawi into a couple of chapters My good friend and excolleague Todd is over visiting from San Diego for a few weeks. He is helping me a lot with work more of that in the next entry but we had a public ho http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Malawi/Central/blog-326024.html Life on Malawian TimeI would call it African time as a lot of people do but thatrsquos quite a generalization so Irsquoll call it Malawian Time as even the Malawians call it this. I have been experiencing more of this than usual recently so thought Irsquod write a little bit about it. I have so far spent one evening and two days in Lilongwe working on picking up my Temporary Employment http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Malawi/Central/blog-321207.html I told my mum and dad I had a little surprise coming for them and all would be revealed with this entry. Well I know I did introductions last time but I have to do some more. Could we please give a warm welcome to Terry and Heather Simon or Telly and Heathero as they are known to the locals. Yes mum and dad Heather and Terry for those of you who don't know them you now also have Malawian c http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Malawi/blog-315982.html First I'll introduce myself Dzina langa ndi Joanna Raeside ndimachokera ku Scotland. Ndili ndi zaka 29. Ndidabwera ku Malawi mwezi wasanu kugwira ntchito ku PointCare. Ndimakhala ku St Gabriel's Hospital ku Namitete. Ndikufuna kuphunzira kuyankhula kuwelenga ndi kulemba Chichewa. Pang'ono pang'ono.... My name is Joanna Raeside. I'm from Scotland. I am 29 years old. I came to Malawi in May to http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Malawi/Central/Lilongwe/blog-313583.html The motto of the Coat of Arms of South Africa is Ke exarrake written in the Khoisan language of the Xam people. It means Unity in Diversity or literally diverse people unite. I guess it's really quite appropriate then that this country was chosen as the location for PointCare's annual training and development programme and for the meeting of employees based all across the African con http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/South-Africa/Gauteng/Johannesburg/blog-299660.html Today I am pleased to announce a new addition to our project team our driver Harold Chaponda. Harold is from Chileka just down the road from the hospital has quite a few years of experience working as a driver and maintenance guy for a car hire company has great English bonus and lists chatting with friends and taking nonalcoholic drinks amongst his hobbies. Sitting in on the intervie http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Malawi/Central/blog-291897.html The first picture this week That would be me on top of Mt Msololo the highest mountain in the Dzalanyama range. I mentioned these mountains in my last entry. Back then I was on outreach seeing them in the distance. What can I say I had to go there I spent last weekend in Dzalanyama forest reserve with my two new housemates Irish medical students. The scenery was absolutely stunning http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Malawi/Central/blog-287679.html I guess Aubrey wasn't as there were quite a few comments made about his hair before we set off this morning. I felt bad because at first it was just the two of us waiting for our truck and he asked me if his hair was ok as he hadn't had time to comb it. To me it looked absolutely fine. There's hardly any of it after all. Hilda matron appeared and the first thing she said was Aubrey you di http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Malawi/blog-282242.html ldquoThat Leopard is a Charm Sisterrdquo this is what my colleague Aubrey said to me when I questioned the dead leopard that we passed. We were in a local market in Waliranji village having just finished an outreach clinic there. This is just one of the many disturbing myths that people here seem to believe. Another example is that if you are HIV positive then sleeping with an albino will http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Malawi/Central/blog-277704.html Cocopina sweet tea TV bars specials smells the 'different' sweat smell in the hospital the smell of shakeshake the smell of roadside food chips donuts fish the smell of fresh produce tomatoes avocadoes bananas pineapple unfortunately no mangos yet the music Lucius Banda has been blaring out of the local 'cinema' the loud noises of insects at night and of birds in the morni http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Malawi/Central/blog-276168.html Hi For those of you who don't know me and weren't following my previous blog www.travelblog.orgbloggersintoeastafrica having recently returned from an incredible 9 months in Africa performing voluntary work I am happy to have found a job that is enabling me to return there and continue in the line of work that motivates me. This Saturday I am off to Namitete Malawi where I will be w http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/Scotland/blog-273102.html