Kilema - Week 1

This is the second baby that we watched being delivered. He was the exact weight of the previous two babies combined, 4.7 kg.

Helping warm the twins after their delivery.

The first babies we saw being born. Twins! One boy (2.3 kg) and one girl (2.4kg). Very tiny.

This is one of the medical wards at the hospital where we spend our mornings doing rounds.

Ramy and I after climbing the hill near near our house. There are such beautiful views of the surrounding villages and all rolling hills in the distance.

This is a view of the hospital on our way up the hill by our house. The white building in the centre is on the hospital grounds, and our house is to the left side of this picture.

Ramy took this photo of us climbing directly up the side of the hill/moutain near our house. It is something to do around our house, and is our "training" for Mt. Kilimanjoro.

This is a photo from the market about 2km from our house. Lots of bright coloured dresses, and many different fruits and vegetables for sale.

Ramy, Aliya and I doing our laundry one day on the porch of our house.

Our first view of Mt. Kilimanjaro while here in Kilema. Apparently we are climbing that in less than a week!

The entrance to Kilema Hospital, where we will be spending 2 weeks in total shadowing different doctors in different wards.

Hi Everyone!

Sorry it has been so long since I updated. We have not had reliable access to internet, so I have not been able to send many messages since we arrived. I have been working on updating this blog for the past three days, and finally have been able to get some pictures up! We have been here in Kilema for about one week now, shadowing different doctors throughout the hospital. Kilema is about one hour and thirty minutes east of Moshi, and the hospital is hidden away in the slopes of the hills. There is not too much to do here, as there is not really a town with shops or anything like that. There is a market on Mondays and Thursdays, which sells lots of delicious fruits and vegetables which is nice. I really like that it is so quiet and peaceful here - it is a nice change from living in the city. Ramy, Aliya, and I have had lots of opportunities to chat, do laundry, read, and watch movies. Our days are usually busier in the mornings, followed by more relaxed afternoons. Morning report starts at 8am, and rounds begin at 9:30am. We have seen lots of interesting medicine while on rounds - things we would be unlikely to see at home in Canada. We take lots of opportunities to ask questions, and try to learn about the different issues that are faced here.

The hospital here tends to slow down a lot in the afternoon, so some days we have found it difficult to find work. We have gone to clinics and the lab, and also to the Operating Theatre to watch different minor and major procedures. Minor procedures can range from cleaning and dressing a wound, to removal of different growths on the body, to casting. Major procedures are things like caesarean sections. While here, we have already seen two c-sections, one of which was the delivery of twins. Things here are so different from that in Canada, but it has been great to see how things are done. All of the doctors are so welcoming, inviting us to different clinics or surgeries so that we can get as much experience as possible. Hopefully over the next week we are able to continue to see lots of interesting things, and learn more about medicine here in Tanzania. I will try to update about Kilema again, likely near the end of the week. Next week Ramy and I will be climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, so keep us in your thoughts for that!