14/3/12 - Back to life, back to reality

My trip back home was a little bit longer than planned. I felt when I came home that I was very exhausted, and needed some time off from work. And it was good! I’m back now with some new energy!

Who would have thought?

The story of my grandma has not yet ended, she survived the battle, but in a fair condition. Now she has been offered a permanent place at a nursing home for old people, and we are happy that she won't be sent home, cause she is very mentally and physically impaired.

Back home I did different things. Trying not to spend much money, and I managed quite well, I of course stayed for free, I ate for free, and I don’t think my budget is suffering yet. I spent the most of my time in Bergen, with my mom and dad, but I also saw some of my friends, I missed them a lot, and I also went to Finse a couple of times to see Mike, I guess its not until you meet someone again, you really know how much you miss them. That was very nice! I was actually a bit nervous when I was going to see him! I also met his friends and colleagues there, a lot of nice people. And it was nice to see Merete again! But Finse didn’t show itself from its best sides when I was there. I have never been in so many snowstorms, and of course I was feeling colder than everyone else, I came from Malawi! Even Mike was laughing at me, he doesn’t have any problems with the temperature now.

To top up a little bit in my account, I took a few shifts in my hospital, in the ward I have been working in for the last nine years. It was so nice to see the people again, and to work as I’m used to again.

I am now back in business in Malawi, and things are even worse than how I left it. Its like things have just fallen apart since I left, they don’t give a shit, or they don’t care... I don’t know. The place is in a mess, people seem to be more lazy then before, and they have given three nurses time off (leave) when we in general are short off staff! Imagine! So my first day at work was hell, we were two nurses at work up till eleven, a long operating list, and a lot of things out of stock. It was a bit frustrating... But my second day was better, we were more people and not so busy.

The country is going to hell...

The government here is so messed up, I don’t even know where to begin with the different problems. The one that we see, that is most visible, is still the shortage off fuel. The two weeks before I left for Norway, it was actually quite good, there was fuel most places in the country, and no lines at the filling stations. But since I left, and also before (I think I have told of this earlier), there is empty filling stations, and if there is a rumor that there will be fuel coming, the lines from the stations goes for kilometers!

And you can hardly find foreign currency here, and they say that a lot of companies and shops have to close soon, cause they don’t get the currency to buy the things they sell or do, and they go bankrupt.

The World Bank and different other donors are trying to help the country, but they put some demands for the president, and he is a man that doesn’t like being told what to do, so he actually told a lot of organizations and donors to what? Go to hell... Charming guy. He definitely doesn’t want whats best for his country and people, only for him self. He has the biggest mansions, I don’t even know how many, and his private jet, and all his cars, and all his trips abroad to go shopping and enjoy life. While his people is starving and suffering in all kinds of ways back home. How can anyone have the conscience to do that?

There are some organizations here that have set a deadline today, for something drastic to happen and improve here, and there are some meetings going on as we speak, but it will probably take some days before we know anything. I am not too optimistic about it all...