Days 1 & 2

Day 1—Arrival to Malawi (10.26.08)
The overnight stay in Joberg was somewhat refreshing. We got to exercise, take a nice long shower, and eat a meal that was average, but sure beat airplane food. We both crashed pretty early, and slept OK, but definitely could have used more sleep. Upon checking out Sunday morning, we were greeted in the hotel lobby by the hotel staff who had joined in chorus to sing wonderful, traditional songs. Sadly, I arrived during the last 2 minutes of the performance, and was only able to capture a photo of the group as they walked away, still in chorus. What a way to start a Sunday morning!!
We made it to the airport and through customs with plenty of time to spare. Eri and I hung out at the coffee shop nearby our gate and talked, practiced out Spanish, and shared observations of the journey so far. The flight to Malawi was smooth, and the plane was a beautiful mixture of black, white and asian individuals, and it made us curious why everyone on the plane was going to Malawi. Upon arrival, Perry Jansen and John Hamilton, the two clinic directors, greeted us and escorted us into town. Riding along the road, you pass numerous native Malawians on the side of the road—some riding bicycles, others farming small plots of land, others waiting for the mini-bus, and many just finding a cool place in the shade. We passed a few factories, one local school, and off in the distance, we saw some low-income housing projects and a Mosque, which, by the way, you can hear the call to prayer from our hotel in town. During the drive, Perry and John filled us in on the latest Partners in Hope/Partners in Malawi (PIH) projects, what they had in store for us, and how excited they were for us to join them. In fact, John mentioned that they had even been reading my blog, and that’s actually how he recognized me in the airport. We dropped Perry off at his place in Area 3, and got to stop in and meet his three kids, two dogs, and two mice. It was a very peaceful Sunday afternoon at the Jensen household, as the temps were held down by the light cloud cover, the ceiling fans were casting a nice breeze, and the house smelled like fresh brownies—Mrs. Jensen was baking angle food cake from scratch for Erin’s upcoming birthday—felt like home!
We visited for only a few minutes, and then made our way into town, to the Kiboko Town Hotel, where we will make our home for the next 3 weeks. The hotel has a hostel feel to it, but definitely a bit nicer. It is filled with foreigners who are here for various different reasons. I met one Brit who was at the bar, drinking a pint, and watching the Chelsea-Liverpool match (a great match, by the way). John helped Eri and I check in, and after unpacking, we went on a brief walking tour of the Old Town area near our hotel. John helped us locate the local grocery stores, banks and a few restaurants. We returned to the hotel to settle in for the evening. Eri and I are staying across the hall from each other, at the back end of the hotel, which is a comfortable place to be. My hotel room is also comfortable, with a day bed, a round trundle chair, and two twin beds. It does have a few windows, but there is precious little breeze here currently. The room also has a ceiling fan, which spins very fast, but doesn’t move any air! So the room feels quite stagnant—I’m going to the store to buy a standing fan just to have some air on me.
After resting a little while, and watching the Chelsea-Liverpool match, Eri and I went downstairs to Don Brioni’s for dinner. We had a nice table outside on the porch, where a nice breeze kept the bugs away and kept us cool enough. We met the owner, Brian, who is an ex-pat from Great Britian, who moved to Malawi ~19 years ago, and has run this bistro for about 11 years. The food was alright—there was enough garlic in my cheeseburger to make it palatable. As it turns out, there isn’t much beef around as the country just experienced a Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak.
After dinner, we retired to our rooms and relaxed. I watched more soccer, while lying perfectly still to stay cool. I then had to use my knot-tying skills to close numerous holes in my mosquito net over my bed. I certainly felt the fatigue and jet lag today, and after realizing that my luggage was broken into at Johannesberg, I was struggling to stay positive about the trip ahead. I’m confident, however, that some rest will do me good, and help me see things in a different light tomorrow.

Day 2—Orientation (10.27.08)
After getting a fair amount of rest last night, I felt well today. Had a nice breakfast at the outside café, with eggs and delicious fruit cocktail of mango, banana, melon, and papaya. Then it was off with John and Eri to the bank to cash our traveler’s checks in order to pay the hotel. We had lunch with Solomon, our Malawian Clinical Officer (CO), John, and Perry, where we learned more about PIH, it’s history, and about healthcare in Malawi. We then took off for orientation at PIH. We were greeted by very friendly staff, including a large hug by Anna, one of the favorite nurses; her smile and laugh light up the room. We got a quick intro to both the Dalitso (fee for service general medicine) and Moyo (free HIV clinic), as well as the numerous outreach programs that PIH helps coordinate and/or lead. After an emergency appointment for hypertension, we went off to Perry’s house for a nice dinner with several of the clinic physicians and clinical officers. We all had a very nice time, but I was definitely ready for a shower by the end of the evening after the constant “glistening” while walking during the day. Now it’s off to read a bit, try to cool off after the shower, and then call it a night. Tomorrow is a busy day, with a group of us heading to Nathanje, an outreach clinic outside Lilongwe.