Gizo Week 2

It’s been quite rainy this week- apparently we are experiencing a “tropical low”. It’s actually been a nice break for the crippling heat, although not so great for down time in the sun. Getting more into the swing of things at the hospital! I saw a lot of patients on my own in outpatients on Monday (obviously checking with the Drs before making any solid plans!) A retired surgeon, who had worked at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara, came over to run a list of some of the more complex surgeries that the Drs here in Gizo are unable to do. He seems to be quite a big dog here! He apparently goes on “tours” running clinics and fixing loads of peoples problems as he goes. Some of the more interesting surgeries I got to observe were a skin graft and an open appendicectomy. There was also an interesting case of man who had got some coral stuck in his foot! I was lucky to bump into Hannah (a friend from my year at Bris Medical School) who had brought some patients over from Munda, where she is working! Later in the week we had more visitors, two Obs and Gynae doctors from Honiara. They’re going to be doing some surgeries next week so we joined them in the “screening clinic”, deciding who would go on their list for next week. I spent a day in emergency department seeing the new patients coming in, which was great practice, although again frustrating/ challenging given the limited resources, eg. lack of reagents for certain tests or the man who runs the lab disappearing for a solid 4 hours. Gizo labour ward is always pretty full, so this has been a good way to revise my obstetrics knowledge- I’ve been taking some of the post-natal ward round and saw a delivery, although this was unfortunately a still birth. It was quite difficult to be part of, especially given the matter of fact manner about it. I think perhaps still births are given less gravitas here than in the UK as they are more common- another reminder of the cruel contrast between healthcare here and back in the UK.

Evenings have been spent reading “Lonely Planet South Pacific” for my future travels, doing yoga to downloaded “Yoga with Adriene”, hula dancing (this week was Clare and Caitlin’s last class!), trying the local bar/ restaurant, PT109, and seeing what culinary delights we are able to rustle up. The options for food here are limited. The market seems to sell only bananas (ALL the bananas), papaya, pineapple, cassava, green beans, pepper, aubergine, squash, tomatoes, potatoes. The carb options here are potatoes, rice, tapioca, cassava. There are a couple of Chinese-owned shops selling miscellaneous other stuff. We found some wholewheat pasta, which was a TREAT. We also bought a coconut only to find we have no idea how to open it- any suggestions would be very much appreciated! There are tons of stalls for “betel nuts”- the locals chew these red nuts, which give them a bit of a high and are also known to suppress appetite. It has taken a bit of getting used to- firstly everyone has a red tinge to their teeth which is a little creepy, secondly you can be happily walking along the street only to hear a horrible gurgling and spitting sound of someone right next to you casually spitting onto the ground, finally this leaves red fluid spattered everywhere on the streets as if there has been a mass slaughter of the town. It’s also terrible for health, increasing risk of oropharyngeal cancer.

We tried a new resort, Oravae, this weekend which was very special. A bit further out from Gizo and surrounded with little islands and a view across to the dense trees on the uninhabited coast across on the mainland. They had a traditional canoe that we took out winding between the islands and touring the various reefs, had a lovely lunch over the water, went for a swim and snorkel. We saw loads of fish- highlights being a lionfish, giant clams and about 6 reef sharks. It was lovely chatting to the couple who owned the place, as they have been here for a long time and could tell us a lot about the change they have seen in the area. We also met their adorable 2-month-old granddaughter.

I attended church for the Palm Sunday service, which was quite a spectacle. There was a vibrant parade with palm leaves and glorious singing in harmonies. It was so uplifting to see all the locals dressed in their very finest colourful clothes, singing their hearts out. Comically, some of the hymns were accompanied by an electric keyboard on that setting where you play a chord and it elaborates it in a certain style along with a drum beat, then you can press “intro” or “outro” for a little play-in/out. The hymns were rather catchy and I did my best to sing along! The structure of the service was actually surprisingly similar to Guildford Cathedral, where I was a chorister! Afterwards I had a wander and got some fish and cassava for lunch that had been cooked on hot stones at a stall. My laptop decided to have a bit of a mare, so I spent some time online-chatting to apple support to fix that (amazing that they can help me sort the problem even somewhere this remote!) I then sat on the pier, which is much quieter on Sundays, to read my book, people watch and admire the sunset.