Cape Maclear & Italian Pasta

Last weekend we went to Lake Malawi to Cape Maclear to relax a bit and celebrate a farewell, as the first two are leaving again. It's really fantastic here, but it's a strong contrast to what we see in Phalombe. It's basically Malawi's tourist hotspot (but there's not even a supermarket here, no electricity either, the bar runs on a generator, all in all Cape Maclear consists of a few straw huts) and as a result, the culture is somewhat lost. Someone is constantly trying to sell you something, I'm getting a pair of shorts tailored to measure for about 8 euros (probably totally overpriced) because my swim trunks didn't survive the mountain climb. The nice thing is that everything is quite cheap: you pay about 4 euros for a dinner with a drink and dessert in a restaurant, and a night in a straw hut with showers and even a pool costs 5.60 euros. Time passes quickly and on Sundays we drive back to the hospital, where we have to deal with power outages or water shortages every day, or both, so we almost only cook over the fire and for the shower I cut holes in the lid of a 5-liter canister.

Meanwhile, a kind of everyday life has set in, we can integrate quite well into the clinic, examine the patients and discuss the cases together with the clinical officers. We visit a kindergarten and bring frisbees and every day children come by and want to hang out with us.

There is officially a doctor at the Holy Family Hospital, but he hasn't been here for six months because he is on some further training. Apparently, the status of the hospital is now so bad that an outreach is necessary. Once a month, doctors and surgeons from the 70km away Zomba Central Hospital come here to see the difficult patients and last Friday it was time again. We are excited and join the doctors, and are surprised how well medicine can work in Malawi. The local clinical officers know about the common diseases, but they don't have the broad overview of medical training. The patients are brought in and for the first time we also see patients with cancer, including a lymphoma and another cancer in a very unpleasant place on the man. It is very interesting and we resolve to examine the patients even more closely from now on. Unfortunately, no surgeries are performed because there are not enough infusion solutions available.

On Sunday we attend the service of the local Catholic Church, which dates back to colonial times. I really like the service, even though I don't understand anything. Apart from the liturgy, you could think you're in an international charismatic community in Germany, the mood is so good. Although I can't sing along, I follow the other worshippers and dance a little, no one laughs at me, which is already a great success for me. After the service, a white woman comes up to us, who introduces herself as an Italian doctor. She works here in an NGO (Non-Governmental-Organization) for a few days and invites us to eat with her. She cooks real Italian food and I remember how good pasta can taste. We talk a little more and exchange numbers, and she wants to come to the hospital on Monday and help us with an HIV patient. It's a very pleasant afternoon and with the coming week I'm already starting the last quarter of the internship.