working life

working life, originally uploaded by mattcotham.

Mukinge is a very out-of-doors kind of hospital; perhaps not as much as
the mud huts that David used to work in with MSF, but I enjoy the
exposure to the wind and rain and sun on my daily rounds. Most ER's at
home have few or no windows -- they were usually added on as
afterthoughts on the ground floors of hospitals and I suppose that the
presence of a window would make sick people uncomfortable, although I
never really understood the logic of that. But here, I can sit out on
the steps outside of ultrasound while I'm waiting for the nurses to
bring a patient for a scan and enjoy the sun on my face for a few
minutes in the middle of my day. Or I can dodge the drips on the
walkways when the rainstorms suddenly hit around 2pm, dancing around the
puddles on the walk and feeling the spray from the gutters on my arms.
It's nice, it keeps me in touch with the outdoors, and it gives some
variety to my day which is sorely lacking at home.