It's not all about me.....

These last two weeks I have had people all over the world say to me what you are doing is amazing, you are truly inspirational. Friends, family, friends of friends, old clients etc.  I started to think is what I am doing really that amazing? Working in a job that has so much diversity, interacting with amazing clients, hearing and seeing new things and enjoying a new and challenging culture. Is it really that inspiring? Is it not just me having finally bit the bullet and not worried about finances, what the future holds and just grabbing an opportunity that had come knocking and run with it and enjoying life?  Then I said to myself 'Beth it's not all about you!'

This weekend I listened to a sermon that discussed this 'selfie' world we live In. Where we look for the best photo that week and filter it to suit what we want the world to perceive we are like instead of actually being who we are. We look for the number of 'likes' to see how popular we really are and how 'awesome' our status can be even though we've edited it a few times to get it just right.  It got me thinking this isn't about me at all. It is about the people on my journey. It's about the NGO work they are doing, the music they're creating, the projects they are calling awareness to. So I thought I'd share this time their links to their amazing journeys and so here are the links....

Landirani (African Vision Malawi) : www.africanvision.org.uk

Initially a family run NGO that now has multiple projects on the go within the Lilongwe region.

George Kalukusha Music (check him out on Facebook)

Born and bred Malawian with a great voice

Mizu Foundation (check on Facebook)

An organisation raising funds for other charities within Malawi

There is Hope (thereishopemalawi.org)

Organisation supporting the disabled with in the Dzaleka refugee camp 

Lilongwe Wildlife Centre (lilongwewildlife.org)

Game reserve rescuing animals that are being poached or harmed

Flood Church let girls be girls campaign (www.floodchurch.com)

This list goes on without my selfies this time. Completely unedited.

Experiences...

Interesting cases and children with personality make my week each and every week I continue to live in Malawi.

These past few weeks have been no different.  I thought I would share a few of them with you as I acknowledge that I could never go back to a 'normal' clinical position again!

Firstly a young girl of 12 had Van Ness surgery or rotationplasty.  This surgery is usually performed when the individual has had a tumour of the lower leg. The ankle and foot are then reattached backwards so that there is a more functional knee joint.  My mind took a while to get around this one!

Another child comes in every 4-6months (sometimes earlier) for bilateral symes (through ankle) prosthetics.  He had the amputation as a toddler and is the most active little boy we have seen.  It is great to see his prosthetics getting so much use.

We have seen multiple burns these last few weeks too.  Some as a result of chintenji (or cloth) catching on fire whilst they are burning their maize, others from candles being left on in the house, others as a result of having epilepsy and falling in the fire.

Each day something new, interesting but most of all inspiring.  The challenges many of these individuals and their families face in their communities, we in the Western world can't even contemplate.

As I quickly approach my birthday this week I reflect on the opportunities I have had in these last 12 months.  I would never thought I would have this opportunity to do what I'm doing and I'm so very grateful.  This is definitely an experience I will be talking about til I take my last breath.  Even the small things like learning the language and the culture and being able to share these experiences with my very inquisitive nieces.  Sharing some basic greetings and food stories (some I'd like to forget about) gets me thinking about the life I have chosen to create and how many more experiences are yet to come and to share! Bring it on!