Rachitic rosary

Life here is very simple. I’ve been getting up before 7am everyday and go to bed earlier as well. The roads are unpaved, and when you are driving, you have to slow down from time to time to let donkeys, dogs, roosters, cows, pigs…you name it, to cross. Interestingly they recently put on some speed-bumps on the road (see picture), but as a matter of fact, with sand road like this you really cannot drive too fast. People I have met so far are all very nice. I still could not recognize local people very well, partially because I have met so many people these days. I remember the first day I had an awkward encounter of forgetting a colleague I just met about 20minutes before. Food is the only thing I have not got used to yet. There’s no meat in the little market here. Although I have heard that they have live chicken, I don’t know how to handle it anyway. So I have been practically a vegetarian since I got here.

I spent my Saturday morning in the hospital again following rounds at the pediatrics wards. I feel like I’m learning so much everyday just by seeing all these cases. Today I saw a malnutrition baby with rachitic rosary, which means bead-like bumps present at the junction of ribs and cartilages. It is often seen in children with rickets (Vitamin D deficiency).

Tonight we had some friends over and cooked dinner at my house “Cheetah est”. Among them, there was an girl who has been volunteering here for two years teaching at a local high school, and a nurse who was here working at the hospital for about an year, a couple medical students and a Zambian researcher in the lab. After dinner, we all watched the US versus England football game.It was a relaxing day overall.

I could not upload pictures due to the slow internet. will upload later!