Am now resorting to the internet cafe to check my emails, as the internet in school cannot access all my email accounts. Basically anything that needs log-in cannot be accessed. Can't be helped, cos I need to check my emails! Yet the internet cafe keyboard is really atrocious. Cant type. All the keys are hardened.
Yups, but the internet cafe here's ok, faster speed than school and quite affordable – 1500 shillings (about SGD1.50) per hour, with bonus of 10 mins, so its about 70 mins. Hmmm, but yups, don't think i'd check up on other people's blogs as much, cos its really difficult to get the net. Ha those in Kisiizi has better internet than us! They are on MSN almost everyday! Ha to think we're still in the capital city while they're in the more rural Kabale hahahaha interesting.
Back to sharing what I have been up to these days.
SCHOOL – started school, got to know the locals, talked to patients. Got the hang of stuff, basically saw cases quite similar in Singapore, except that the differential diagnoses were starkly different. Fever = malaria until proven otherwise. Quinine is given liberally to patients with fever and neurological symptoms. Young patient with hemiplegia or stroke like picture is ISS (immunosuppressive state, ie HIV) with suspicion of HIV vasculitis / CNS lymphoma / toxoplasmosis; Meningitis picture, think always of cryptococcus and indian ink. And I guess MBBS examiners will be so happy to come to the wards here. They do not have to list cases.. Almost everyone has like huge stuff. For eg, a hemato pt asked me to check on him, then one hand on the abdomen the diagnosis is out ha hepatosplenomeg +++ etc etc. But of course, the neuro signs are just comparable with our NNI haha.
Got to know many of the locals, am surprised my memory for faces & names were actually working that well. But yes, probably when I go back to Spore, my defunct memory will surface again. Here, I actually talk more to nursing students than I did the whole 4 yrs of my med sch. Ha, probably they're more friendly here? So I taught them a lot of stuff, like reading ECG and CT scans but yups me not very good at these myself! Ha JL taught some of them (haha she actually rem the wrong name and contacted the wrong person... so embarrassing... but as usual hahahahaha.) computer skills, like Microsoft Word, cos they do not have a computer, do not even know how to switch on one but need to use it for literature review (!?!!) Ha high expectations ah! Sigh, perhaps I've come from such an advance place I behave like a goon. So I usually watch certain things first before doing... Ha like for eg taking blood sugar... Spore one is put it in and it will switch on by itself. So I put the stick in, then waited and waited. Then realised it did not switch on... haha Then the nursing student was looking at me like I was some goon. Ha but yups i found the switch and on and did everything all over again. Things like this la... you get the idea.
But of course, have seen more deaths than I had. Could not take it at first...Felt exasperated. Cos these were many patients who deteriorated quickly cos the diagnosis was not made in time. Why? Invx not done OR they had no $$ to pay. Invx not done can be due to absurd reasons like NO GLOVE (cos it gets locked up some where even though there is, only sister gets it...) or sterile set (erps... tink it happens only in my ward... cos JL's ward has chlorhexidine too... mine really deficient. tink its the system) or the intern didnt feel like it.... wow.... so its pushed to the nxt day. And ya so patients go off like this: was conscious on first day, LP / other invx not done, so 2nd day semi conscious, 3rd day unconscious (btw, a lot of my patients are on the ward but unconscious and no one really asks the big WHY... take it as stroke causing unconsciousness) then need oxygen, so they get sent out of the ward to the common corridor where there is only one oxygen tank... and the intern will say almost 100% of patients who went to the oxygen area never made it back... I was like !?!?!. Oh wells. There is no crash cart everything. You get the idea. Basically its quite exasperating for me. Teaching not really that good... would have preferred the NNI teaching! Ha so its just the experience and self study, not so much that of learning. But yes i do learn about toxoplasmosis malaria tetanus (the spasms are triggered by noise!!!) etc which I have never heard of in my life. Here it is like if you do not know whats a ring enhancing lesion on CT, its criminal!
K ENOUGH OF SCHOOL
ENTERTAINMENT – First weekend when I reached there, I was brought around alot... covered in the previous posts. then first week Thursday, another Sporean-Msian (the same one tt brought us to church on the 1st weekend) treated us to dinner, where we met other fellow Sporeans... about 10 of us... we ate at this place in atas (yes, their definition, not ours) Garden City, in the City Central, at the eatery called Spurs Silver City. Basically its a atas South African restaurant. Yups, foood was ok. Then 2nd weekend was boring, studied then went to the biggest pentecostal church KPC (mentioned in previous post) and bought lotsa souvenirs. Ha. 3rd weekend... Went to Uganda Museum, though the Bradt guide gave it a really low score but i had so much fun at the African village. It is those african village houses (mud + straw) kind of the different tribes... took lotsa photos there. Had intended to go to Kasubi tombs on the same day, but we actually overstayed in the museum so much that there was no time to go down there. Kasubi tombs was given a higher rating... haha never mind, we still have time. Then the next day we went to New Redemption church. We were brought there by this Ugandan pastor whom we met on the airplane. There we witnessed a church wedding!!!! Then he treated us to this atas cafe (erps... didnt quite catch the name... but tt place was packed with foreigners... so you know how much the grading is) the food was alright... ha but it was nice. Then he brought us to his house and his office.
FOOD – haha usually i'd have bread and jam / peanut butter plus mocha (milo plus nescafe) for breakfast, local food (matoke ie steamed bananas etc ) for lunch and cook dinner myself with the oven! Ha so yups its nice! And bowel movement has been rigorous, cos the local food is high fibre (ha no not much vegetables, but imagine your whole plate is steamed bananas….)
SPIRITUAL – Ha, hmmm am thankful for the Lord for laying the path in Uganda so smooth... we keep on meeting many people who takes us around... if there was no one to show us around, i think we'd get lost and leading a very un-entertaining life haha. Don't have much plans, but guess might be going to all the tourist attractions in kampala and entebbe.
Got to pray for a patient. Other than that, haven really done much. My initial motive for this trip was more of a spiritual one than a medical one... Wanted to see life as a mission doctor, see things in a mission hospital, to talk to people about my Lord. But things had not been what I had expected, as there was a huge change of plans due to the situation in Kenya... Haven done much of these, just going around to different churches and see see look look. But yups, I know God has it all planned for me... in fact the way I found myself in Uganda was almost something that was so smooth and unexpected. So keeping my eyes open, my heart open. Just know that in everything I do, I do it for Him and He will shine through, no matter how little or much i feel I have done. Yups.
ENVIRONMENT – AIR ETC – yes, its really dusty here, especially on the roads. the first few days we thought we were going to get asthma and get black lungs after 2 months! Ha really appreciate our garden city so much! Air is really considered very clean in Spore. So will not complain when i get back! Ha Getting muddy shoes to the wards is really like the norm... at least no one cares... try getting one into the wards at our hospitals... think you'd get screamed at. Ha and they have really red soil here... everywhere it is... Temperature here is like Spore. but humidity really nice!
anw... dun seem to be able to upload photos... really slow k so cya all
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2 comments:
Hey, glad that you are having fun over there. Anyway, how's the capital over there like? In terms of infrastructure and stuff? And any problems communicating in Eng? Haha, quite curious to know more about Uganda. Anyways, take care!
Erhm I would say that things are rather primitive. Yet, the basic infrastructure are all present. They have attractions, museum, government buildings, embassies... all of which a capital should have. But the roads are atrocious - full of potholes. Sometimes you'd travel on a car you'd feel nauseated. You "meander" your way through the roads to avoid the potholes which are HUGE! On the map, the label "sporting ground" is actually slums. But yes, definitely the capital is more advanced than other cities. And the term "super market" is more like the neighbourhood minimarts we have in Spore. They do have one or two hypermarts in the most atas shopping centres. other than that, you get most of your stuff from the roadside or markets. but i guess its generally safer than the surrounding countries like Rwanda. And only rarely (not that common) will you see beggars, or child beggars asking for money and say they're hungry...
but you'd feel like a superstar if you go there, cos every tom dick harry will stare at you. some will approach and talk to you, even if you're in the midst of something like when im in the wards doing my stuff. all sorts lah
Contrary to popular belief, only some speak English, at least amongst my patients. However, in the shopping centres, government offices, tourist attractions, there are no language problems. You can get around quite ok. Not much problems.
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