I sure miss having internet available at all time

Just thought I'd pop in and tell you that I'm still alive, and make sure you don't forget me!

I'm still in Tanzania, having only 4 weeks left until I have to go back to cold and dreary Norway

I really love it here, although I have my "I hate this place!"-moments - they usually don't last long. And mostly I experience them at the hospital where I work.

The hospital lack practically everything when it comes to equipment, something which makes the job very frustrating. In addition, most of the "doctors" are not doctors, but have a two year long medical degree, but still do everything you expect doctors to do (including surgery), and some even don't seem to want to learn. For instance, there are a lot of malaria here, and most patients coming into the emergency room (where I now work) are tested for it. All text books say that if the test comes back negative, you should not treat for malaria, because the probability of a false negative test is so low. But these people do anyways. And prescribing an additional two or three broad-spectrum antibiotics, "just to be sure". And when I suggest to them that they should trust a negative result, they just say that they have always done it this way, and will continue doing so. Sigh!!

It's tough sometimes working in the emergency room. Last week we had a patient dying while waiting for x-rays - having first wasted time on stitching up a superficial wound when it was evident that he had internal bleeding (even x-rays would be waste of time - he should be going straight to surgery). But they don't have access to emergency surgery here, so you do what you can do, and crosses your fingers and hope for the best.

But enough of hospital stuff - the country is lovely, and the people are really amazing. They are so friendly, so welcoming. Some are annoying, but the majority you've just have to love. I will really miss this place when I go home!

Today a bunch of volunteer workers visited two different orphanages here in Dar es Salaam and did medical check ups on all the kids. It's amazing to see the happy faces of the children, even though they live under conditions that are so far from the western standards that we are used to. Luckily, we didn't find much serious - some rashes and lots of dental caries was all we got. Especially it was great to have no positive HIV tests!

And so life goes on here - now off to my nice bucket shower, have my fingers crossed for no electricity cut-off while I'm the shower, as showering in candle light is not recommended. Especially when you have to go out of the shower to get the candle.

*waves goodbye for now*