Let the crazy begin...

Dearest friends and family,

Welcome to my blog and first formal post from Kitwe, Zambia. I realize this has been a bit of a long time coming, but with any wireless luck I will have an opportunity to update you all on a weekly basis from this point forward. In this first account I would love to introduce you to this country and town in much the same way I have been introduced...baptism by fire!

In the course of a very short amount of time I have had the chance to soothe a newborn thickly wrapped in worn wool and left unattended under a warmer. I've looked into a SCBU incubator, (pronounced "scub," or Special Care Baby Unit - akin to our own NICU) to find not one, but two premature babies, one of whom was only 28 weeks old. I've assisted in the placement of an NASG (Non-pneumatic Anti-Shock Garment) for a woman in active shock (determined by an elevated pulse, decreased blood pressure and significant blood loss). I've registered over nine cases of women placed in our study for some degree of obstetric hemorrhage (from miscarriage, incomplete abortion, ectopic pregnancy, or post-partum hemorrhage). ...And I've finished four glass bottles of Coca Cola, made with real sugar (more soda than I've had to drink in the past six months), spent nearly one hour getting my water to boil for rice before realizing only one burner would get hot enough to actually cook with, finished three books and BBQ'd a whole chicken, some other unknown meat and sausage for my entire host family and their friends (the burnt bits were the best, but perhaps so delicious because I could be confident every bit was completely cooked).

These are among only a handful of adventures and new experiences that have combined to create my new reality. Who knew I would ever become so skilled at bathing in just two inches of water, or that I would so covet my extraordinarily thin, but incredibly quick-drying towel from the US Marine Corps souvenir shop?! Despite the rather overwhelming nature of cultural adjustment, I am finally beginning to settle in and am truly grateful for the opportunity to be here. So here's some background information and day-to-day detail:

For those yet unsure of my exact role here in Zambia, I am working with UCSF's study of an anti-shock garment used for obstetric hemorrhage. Formally, we are the NASG Project and a program of information can be found on the LifeWrap website at www.lifewraps.org. My specific title is "Research Supervisor," although with intern status as it relates to financial incentive. My job is to track and document all cases of patient entry into our study. The qualification for entrance is garment placement, so any woman put in an anti-shock garment at either the hospital or at a local GYN clinic can be registered in the study. With her consent, of course, we can evaluate and use all data gathered once she is given the garment "treatment." As with any study, there are specific protocol for all aspects of garment placement and removal, which we must abide by, so my other particular role is to ensure the best possible adherence to study requirements. Thus far this has proved to be the most difficult part of my job. For a hospital that is severely understaffed and lacking in all forms of resources, it is excruciating to get our midwives to consistently take vitals every 15 minutes, and often even impossible for them to do so.  QUICK FACT: I recently learned the Lusaka Hospital (located in the capitol city of Zambia and arguably the best resourced hospital of the three in our study) is technically required to employ at least 106 midwives in their OB/GYN wards. However, there are currently only 34 midwives working for the hospital, which has no further plans to hire additional staff, as they're not available. Needless to say, I have already gained so much perspective in my time here.

As for my day-to-day I spend each morning and afternoon in the wards, which accounts for much of my exercise here, as they are located on all levels and sides of the hospital. I also spend one to two days per week visiting clinics in the surrounding districts to check for new cases and to restock study supplies. Nights are spent with my books and continued, if hesitant attempts to cook on my single burner. I might even try for spaghetti tonight, although I'll likely end up with noodles and eggs. With that in mind, please feel free to post any simple recipes with a low ingredient count. Ironically, the one Real Simple magazine I brought featured all slow-cooker recipes. Still, considering the speed of my "little stove that could," I might just be able to use that chicken-pot-pie recipe.

Alright, this has likely been enough to read in one sitting. So I will sign off with a farewell until the next chapter.

Know that you are all in my thoughts and prayers, and I am missing you dearly. So in the words of the Avett Brothers song playing through my head phones just now,

"I and Love and You."