At midnight, I couldn't enjoy the view I normally love when landing at African airports, but as soon as I exited the plane, that smell was in the air, that bite, that subtle combination of sweet yet stinging burning garbage, vastly open spaces, and in this case, a thick and heavy fog shrouding Kigali's lovely hills. And I'm back.
Except that Kigali is unlike the other African places I've been. Even on the drive from the airport to my guesthouse in the dark, I could see it plainly. I could see, there were lights! I could see the hills, and the valleys, and the roads that connect them. There were wide, nicely paved roads, connecting to other nicely paved roads. Fairly tall and modern buildings. Plants and trees everywhere. A beautiful, clean, spacious, airy guesthouse, overlooking a golf course. In the daylight, it's even greener and more beautiful.
As I walked around King Faisal Hospital's neighborhood today, and then downtown this evening with one of the interns showing me around, there was this sense of, calm. Despite the hustle and bustle of the downtown commerce, the evening's last shopping, the commuters heading home, everything just moved along calmly. People greeted each other often on the streets. Cars moved carefully. People walked with purpose yet politely. Nobody approached me, or called out to me. Even the minibus driver wasn't hawking anybody, and made sure I got out at the correct stop.
My first day at King Faisal Hospital included joining in on morning rounds (lasting till 2 pm!) with no less than 4 residents and 6 interns, a cardiology lecture, a range of patients including 25 year old with recurrent chronic headaches, two strokes, a 60 year old with massive ascites vs. massive ovarian cyst (her weight was so big she almost broke the CT scanner table and the study was incomplete), lung cancer, metastatic breast cancer, a few patients with underlying HIV newly diagnosed, and a spinal tap performed by me within a few hours of entering the building, to rule out cryptococcal meningitis on woman who seized during our lecture.
The residents are lovely and welcoming. The attendings teach with that old fashioned flair. They expect you to know EVERYTHING. Do you remember the formula for oncotic pressure? You don't?! Better go look that up, medical school wasn't THAT long ago.
.JPG)
It's going to be an interesting six weeks.
Except that Kigali is unlike the other African places I've been. Even on the drive from the airport to my guesthouse in the dark, I could see it plainly. I could see, there were lights! I could see the hills, and the valleys, and the roads that connect them. There were wide, nicely paved roads, connecting to other nicely paved roads. Fairly tall and modern buildings. Plants and trees everywhere. A beautiful, clean, spacious, airy guesthouse, overlooking a golf course. In the daylight, it's even greener and more beautiful.
As I walked around King Faisal Hospital's neighborhood today, and then downtown this evening with one of the interns showing me around, there was this sense of, calm. Despite the hustle and bustle of the downtown commerce, the evening's last shopping, the commuters heading home, everything just moved along calmly. People greeted each other often on the streets. Cars moved carefully. People walked with purpose yet politely. Nobody approached me, or called out to me. Even the minibus driver wasn't hawking anybody, and made sure I got out at the correct stop.
My first day at King Faisal Hospital included joining in on morning rounds (lasting till 2 pm!) with no less than 4 residents and 6 interns, a cardiology lecture, a range of patients including 25 year old with recurrent chronic headaches, two strokes, a 60 year old with massive ascites vs. massive ovarian cyst (her weight was so big she almost broke the CT scanner table and the study was incomplete), lung cancer, metastatic breast cancer, a few patients with underlying HIV newly diagnosed, and a spinal tap performed by me within a few hours of entering the building, to rule out cryptococcal meningitis on woman who seized during our lecture.
The residents are lovely and welcoming. The attendings teach with that old fashioned flair. They expect you to know EVERYTHING. Do you remember the formula for oncotic pressure? You don't?! Better go look that up, medical school wasn't THAT long ago.
.JPG)
.JPG){kind=link}
No comments:
Post a Comment