Yesterday marked my 2 month anniversary here in Zambia, so you could say the moving jitters are over. I've been settling into my duties at the hospital, which are wide and varied, ranging from ultrasound to obstetrics to nutrition. I did my first solo amputation a few weeks ago before I left for the village to improve my language skills and get a taste of the culture. Starting next week, WMM has sent out a travelling surgeon for a month to help me and others improve our surgical skills, so I should be in the OR a bit more over the next few years. The medical work is a mix of struggling against diseases that are too advanced to do much about, preventive care and malnutrition, and tropical disease. We are in the middle of malaria season here and see quite a few sick children pretty regularly.
I and the hospital will be going through a fair amount of transition over the next few months as three of our docs leave, and we get two new ones for the next year. It's a bit weird to graduate to the person who's been here the longest after only 2-3 months, but that scenario is common in all walks of life in Africa because of the HIV epidemic and people leaving the country for opportunities elsewhere, in addition to the usual reasons people move jobs. Thanks for all of your prayers and thoughts over the past few months; we have gotten a little relief with our financial situation, although we still suffer from chronic shortages and crises of basic supplies like IV fluids, tape, bandages, etc. The nursing shortage has gotten a little better as we have come through the holidays as well.
Personally, I've been enjoying my time. My personality has been a good fit for the culture here, and some of the frustrations of African life don't bother me very much. On the other hand, I will be glad when the communication situation improves -- the satellite internet folks are coming today to help set up more equipment, so we draw closer to a modern communication system. As people get more used to me, there have been more petitions to help out with things that the hospital or others need -- helping a man raise the tuition funds for Bible college, trying to raise money to buy a supply truck for the hospital, organizations to help out HIV orphans around the area, etc. It's difficult to have wisdom about where to help. As I have mentioned before, Africa, because the need is so great, can quickly overwhelm your personal resources, and I'm learning discernment on how to help. If there's anything any of you would be interested in helping with, let me know.
I put a picture of me and my poking stick with the kids from my host family when we were out fertilizing the fields. I hope that you are all able to keep up with the blog (www.mattcotham.blogspot.com); I've been intermittent about postings because of the spotty internet access but it gives a good picture of what life is like out here. If for some reason you can't get on and you'd like me to send you the postings by email, let me know.
Wishing you all the best for 2007. I'm still getting Christmas cards in the mail -- thanks for all of your support. I found out I passed my written boards, so I will likely be coming back briefly to take the oral boards at some point for the next year -- perhaps we can get together if the stars align.
Matt
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