Samoa So Far!

Talofa Lava my friends
after not really writing to anyone for just over a week..i decided i missed you all too much and decided to create a blog. Not sure how it will work but ill try and update it once a week.
Feel free to skip it lol....as prob not v.interesting..but is just in case for some pple who may be bored.
excuse any typing errors as keyboard v.stiff and all the letters have been rubbed off!
write where to start...
hmm..and apologies in advance for the waffle..but those who know me well...know this is the case!
i am here with my friend from medical school
we got to Samoa after about 40 hrs of travelling...was v.long!
i was kept amused on the first 11 hr flight as now on Virgin Atlantic they have like video on demand so you can choose from about 25 movies and can pause, play them whenever you want. they also had games like who wants to be a millionaire..i got 500,000 one time, shame it wasnt real money lol!
so for 11 hrs i stared at the tiny screen lol!
then we had 8 hrs to waste in LA..that was ever so slightly boring but we made it onto the next flight.
10 hrs later we arrived in Samoa..local time 5.30am..and got picked up by someone from our accommodation
Accommodation is nice. We have basically a hut for 2 of us. Has an entrance with a few wooden benches and a tv which has one fuzzy channel..dont see the point of the tv lol!
then have a bedroom....double bed each. we then have own bathroom with shower, toilet and sink
every morning/eve i brave the shower...there is only cold water. Same as in Mexico last yr..but still takes some getting used to. Have to control the old breathing when trying to wash my hair lol!
would love a hot shower lol.....
there are 9 other huts..and then a main dining area with a kitchen. So we can cook stuff using their utensils etc!
everyone at our accommodation are medical students. There are about 6 from Leeds, 2 from Kings, 10 from UCl and 3 from Australia. No one else from BSMS suprisingly!
They are all v.nice but its hard..as they have come in big groups. It seems certain unis come here..especially London ones....as there are laods of other pple at the other accommodations from Kings...so they are a group of probably 20 or more!
right.so thats accommodatin dealt with.
We went into hospital on our second day here..after half recovering from the jetlag!
we were told it was a very basic hospital..so were slightly nervous as to what to expect.
it is an open plan hospital in a square. We registered with the head of clinical medicine, and he told us to start on general medicine as it didnt have many students on at the time.
There are so many medical students here..that everyone says it is a big problem. They accept everyone that applies...as cynically from me, they do want our money..but that is fair enough.
So far we have been on a few ward rounds and been to one clinic. It is quite a big medical team with about 5 doctors...then us..so we all try and fit in cubicle. its easier here than in UK as they dont tend to be as concerned about privacy..so rarely shut the cubicle curtains.
Havent done much practical stuff yet...as not much to do on medicine..as so many doctors..but apparently on the other rotations you get to do more. However everyone out here are final year students so we are most clinically inexperienced! I wouldnt feel comfortable doing many procedures and have to be c areful with blood taking etc as different equipment..and not like there are sharps bins everywhere! However hopefully ill get a go at that soon, as i did come here to gain practical experience. However i dont want too much repsonsibility and be out of my depth as it would become dangerous. A and E is full of med students and gets very busy. we might do some of that in last week, when have a better idea of the hospital.
So yeh so far done some ward rounds. They start at 8.30am and go on for about 3.5-4 hrs....
for the medics....they have swopped critical care around. HDU is their top level care, and ITU is the next step down...whereas in UK, ITU is for the most critically ill.
Seen a variety of diseases from dengue fever, typhoid to lots of heart failure. So many of the patients have heart failure and IHD. Today also saw about 6 patients with bad renal failure. L:ots of people have heart murmurs so have listened to quite a few hearts. I dont know if i need to get a new stethoscope as i find it very hard to hear murmurs. Also sometimes hard to hear the heart as the pts are so short of breath all you can hear is them breathing really rapidly. But heard a few heart murmurs so far. One lady in clinic had chronic myeloid leukaemia but she cant afford treatment so just having palliative care. She had splenomegaly (large spleen), which even i could feel lol!
Saw a pt with infective endocarditis last week. That was really interesting as he had many of the signs that we learn about in textbook but never see. Apologies..non medics...for this waffle. He had Janeway lesions, splinter haemorrhages, thrill, mitral stenosis.
trying to remember anything else...hmm
One patient came in as he ate a poisonous fish. He gave some to his dog who died..but he survived which is pretty miraculous! dont think he will be doing that again
i found out today that patients pay 4 tala a night for their stay in hospital. that is about 85p. It sounds nothing to us, but for some very poor people here, its a problem. They arent allowed to leave hospital until they have paid so many have to get money somehow off family and friends.
just a bit more medical stuff....They have many of the Western diseases over here. Most patients have diabetes, heart disease, kidney problems etc and many of the Samoans are very large..to say the least.
one of the Drs wrote in the notes the other day that a lady patient had a distended abdomen, then wrote in brackets...(mostly fat!)..which i thought was quite rude..but luckily pts dont read the notes
Lastly, i felt really sorry for a lady about 40 yrs old. She was diabetic and had septicaemia for 3 weeks! There are so many healers here that most pts will go to a healer for herbal treatment before coming to hospital. However then by the time they come to hospital, it means that there condition is a lot more serious! she had a septic foot and was unconscious...now she is in hospital..she has been put on Abx...and fingers crossed for her!
aside from medical stuff
it has been the Teuila Festival here this week in Samoa. It is the biggest festival of the year..and has been really good as to be honest there is not much to do in Samoa in the evenings. There are one or two bars..and like one bar/club but the men here wont leave white girls alone....so we don;t like going in, unless in big group.
so for the festival seen lots of Samoan dancing etc
i realise this is like a dissertation..but as i did third yr..and didnt do one..this can be it instead...if any of you are still alive..i suggest a coffee before you continue reading!
last night went to an outdoor festival sponsored by Mcdonalds! Going back to teh size of some people here...some do eat Mcdonalds x2 or more per day!
anyway..we were sitting in the crowd..and near the end..this comedian/compere...asked if there were any tourists here. As you do..we tried to hide behind the v.short grass...UNSUCCESSFULLY!
somehow...out of thousands of people..he had spotted us white ones in the audience..and asked us where we were from. Being quite far back..and with so many people looking at us. i forgot to say..it was also live on tv..and there were 3 cameras pointing in our direction. it was in my pac a mac lol..as had just showered..as lots of raining showers here lol!
everyone was staring at us..so i thought if i shouted England they would leave us alone..however he couldnt hear me from the stage..and none of my friend were saying anything. he then beckoned me up.....i didnt go at first..but then he kept talking to us..with everyone looking
so in a moment of complete bonkerness! i thought if i go up and say England in to the microphone..i could then go back and sit down and he would leave us alone. however when i got to the stage..he beckoned me up onto the stage..just me and him on the stage in front of thousands of samoans and live on TV
by then i couldnt get out of it! he then asked my name etc..how many kids i have..if i had come to Samoa to find a lover!
he then asked if i wanted to learn a Samoan dance..i said no as quick as flash..but suddenyl the music started blaring and he started dancing and i had to copy him. I cant dance anyway..let alone the Samoan way..so in front of all these people..i ahd to copy him and attempt to dance. the whole crowd were roaring hysterically..and as the phrase goes..i literally wished the stage would follow me up. he also kept telling me to look up into the camera..as obvviously i was staring into my shoes!
eventually the torture ended...probably as the Samoans had got a stich from laughing so much at a white person trying to do their dance
and i went back to my friends highly embarassed!
today in the hospital...two girls passed me in the corridor...and pointed at me..and started chatting as they were obviously there last night. i dont want to be a local celebrity..lol..and random people recognising me...
im not exactly the best representative from England of how to dance..they probably think everyone in the UK is as bad as me...sorry Gordon Brown lol!
anyway..i promise next blog wont be as long..but been nearly two weeks..so bits to catch up on
now the weekend
we are going to the Miss Samoa Pageant tonight.....supposed to be very cheesy..but didnt think we should miss it!
going to go snorkelling this weekend..but stay in the town Apia, where we are. If you all think Samoa is ideallic beaches..you are wrong lol! We are in APia, which is a town..there are no beaches....it is by the harbour..so can see the sea..but have to go about an hour for a sandy beach.
I think next weekend we are going to go and stay in a beach fale (hut) in a place called Lalomanu...which is supposed to be idyllic with stunning blue water!
i hope everyone is well
missing you all lots
keep writing to me. Email or facebook
check this whenver your bored..but dont know how much ill update it!
Lots of Love from zillions of miles away!
Sarah xxxx