Hot season and Emma goes back to work

Hi everyone

The last few weeks of my maternity leave were during the hot season here – the colonials used to call it ‘suicide month’ as the heat can be unbearable. In Blantyre it reached 39-40°C in the sun at midday and over 30 in Joshi’s room. Despite that he coped amazingly, drinking loads and sleeping through the hottest bit of the day with the help of the fan. The best way to cool off we found was to visit our friends Peter and Ellie MacPherson and jump in their pool – there is not much more fun to be had on a Friday afternoon and Joshi loved it. Thanks guys :)
Due to lack of fuel and cash flow we have spent the last few weekends in Blantyre braai-ing and seeing friends. This weekend was the firework display at the sports club - the whole of middle class Blantyre in their finest dancing to local music and watching some hairy fireworks some of which fired at 90 degrees into the crowd. It seemed as far from Guy Fawkes and freezing damp English fireworks as you could get.

Ruth, Helena, Ellie and Emma cool off with Zoe (2yrs) and Hanna (5 yrs)

Joshi is nearly 7 months and is growing like a bean pole. In the picture below he is playing with  friends from mother and baby group – both girls are 10 months old and he is the same size as them! He is not missing me at all when I go out to work as he loves Patricia his nanny and they have a wonderful time playing together. She has so much energy to playing imaginative peekaboo even when it is really hot! Joshi is eating all sorts of things now, and making an incredible mess each time. Thanks to Gill we can throw him in the paddling pool after lunch which helps keep him vaguely clean. He is so sweet and chatty and loves running around in his walker and playing with Gavin’s phone. He is so strong and every day his hand eye co-ordination gets better and better.

Family news

We are totally thrilled that Michael asked Julie to marry him in South Africa last week, and are so happy for them both. Gavin is looking forward to meeting his sister-in-law to be in New York at the weekend. Mazeltov to you guys!

Back to work

Just as I was dreading going back to work in the hot season the rains have started and everything has cooled down and greened-up – the garden is looking amazing now. I have been bumped out of my posh air conditioned desk while on maternity leave and am now in a converted shipping container while the new building is being finished grrr. Work so far has been ok, I am going back slowly and did my first ward round today in the hospital – I think I managed to do some good I hope. My trial set up is going ok so far, and we have appointed a study team and the A&E has finally opened at last, 8 months late exactly, so we should start in December all going well.

My office is behind the mango tree on the left

MLW main offices with new building in the background

Flame trees in the car park at work

Despite the heat the Blantyre dialysis unit opened its doors in October and dialysed its first patient, which is an amazing achievement for Gavin and the hosptial. So far the unit is operating well and kidney patients now have the option of Government funded dialysis without travelling to or moving house to the capital. Gavin is also travelling to the US where he is presenting his UK research work to a very prestigious conference and we are very proud of him, although I don't envy the 19 hour flight from Joburg to NYC, I do envy the cheese he is going to eat!

 

Local politics

Politically things here seem to be on a slow downward spiral. The shortage of forex continues, but we managed to get diesel this weekend, the first for 2 weeks in town. Everyone is stockpiling and fights in fuel queues are becoming common place now. Our landlord nearly got beaten up in a diesel queue recently and in a typical example of market forces everyone is stockpiling and the black market is flourishing. All the bits of the economy that are fuel dependent are struggling and the main forex earner, tobacco earned less this year than last. Bingu’s brother has not managed to persuade any donors to restart direct government aid. Soft drinks are now scarce, even coca cola, and the bottle plant is prioritizing beer over soft drinks – when the beer runs out we are really in trouble! While all of this is going on the reserve bank is building a 45million kwacha (about 180 000 pounds) swimming pool for the governor’s mansion, the president is on holiday in an undisclosed location, and the president’s wife said ‘the fuel crisis does not affect ordinary Malawians as they are too poor to have cars’ – our very own African Marie-Antoinette me thinks.

Update: fuel prices just got hiked 30% across the country this week to increase revenue to the govt - but no promise to use the money to increase the supply.......

More soon

Lots of love

Emma, Gavin and Joshi J