Two years ago, I volunteered to go to Rwanda on a teaching mission with the Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society International Educational Fund. It seemed like a good time to go, I am pretty secure in my career and my kids are grown up and less dependent on me and my wife. Plus it was two years away, lots of time. Now it's less than two weeks before I set foot in Kigali and I am excited and a bit scared. Okay a whole lot scared.
I wasn't one of those people who did electives in Africa during medical school. Nor was I one of those people who trekked all over the place. When I finished my internship, I remember wanting to do something like that. Life intervened. I became an anaesthesiologist, got a family, house, mortgage, dogs. I donated money to Oxfam and MSF. A few years ago out of the blue, an orthopedic surgeon asked me to come to Ecuador with him. I didn't even think twice. I was really nervous about that too but once I got down there I loved it.
I have been on 5 medical missions to Ecuador so I should be ready for this. Ecuador is a different kettle of fish. That is a 50 person mission, mostly Canadian staff doing total joints under spinal. Very important, difficult in its own way but totally different from what I am going to be doing.
I have gradually been getting ready, there are the vaccinations, the visa, booking the flight and the post mission vacation. There is of course buying all the personal supplies; it's not like I can just buy what I forgot at Canadian Tire on arrival.
And there is the teaching. I got my assigned topics about a year ago. I could see right away I was going to have to do some reading. Fortunately in Deus Ex Machina fashion Dr. Patti Livingston sent me power points of all the topics I have to cover. I wasn't really sure whether I should be grateful or insulted.
This blog is mostly so I can post some of the hundreds of pictures I will probably take and write a diary of my experiences. My wife did give me a really nice journal but my writing is pretty messy and I type just about everything now. I will try to use it though.
A lot of people when they travel write about the strange food, the large insect they found in their room or the horrifying taxi ride. I am going to try not to do that but I probably will. I am by nature sarcastic, I hope I don't offend anyone, especially our Rwandan hosts.
I wasn't one of those people who did electives in Africa during medical school. Nor was I one of those people who trekked all over the place. When I finished my internship, I remember wanting to do something like that. Life intervened. I became an anaesthesiologist, got a family, house, mortgage, dogs. I donated money to Oxfam and MSF. A few years ago out of the blue, an orthopedic surgeon asked me to come to Ecuador with him. I didn't even think twice. I was really nervous about that too but once I got down there I loved it.
I have been on 5 medical missions to Ecuador so I should be ready for this. Ecuador is a different kettle of fish. That is a 50 person mission, mostly Canadian staff doing total joints under spinal. Very important, difficult in its own way but totally different from what I am going to be doing.
I have gradually been getting ready, there are the vaccinations, the visa, booking the flight and the post mission vacation. There is of course buying all the personal supplies; it's not like I can just buy what I forgot at Canadian Tire on arrival.
And there is the teaching. I got my assigned topics about a year ago. I could see right away I was going to have to do some reading. Fortunately in Deus Ex Machina fashion Dr. Patti Livingston sent me power points of all the topics I have to cover. I wasn't really sure whether I should be grateful or insulted.
This blog is mostly so I can post some of the hundreds of pictures I will probably take and write a diary of my experiences. My wife did give me a really nice journal but my writing is pretty messy and I type just about everything now. I will try to use it though.
A lot of people when they travel write about the strange food, the large insect they found in their room or the horrifying taxi ride. I am going to try not to do that but I probably will. I am by nature sarcastic, I hope I don't offend anyone, especially our Rwandan hosts.
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