Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?
So sang one of Zanzibar’s famous residents....
I started medical school at the beginning of the month. Well, technically I’m continuing medical school but it’s been 4 years since I’ve had to think about things from a clinical perspective and the night before I started I had the same “night before the first day of school” butterflies in my stomach and the Sunday evening “I haven’t finished everything I so diligently planned to get done this weekend” anxiety.
A friend asked, “You’re back to the real world tomorrow?” and my first thought was “Real world? What do you mean real world?” Every day of my life is in the real world. I know she meant medical school, and the realities of medical school, but I didn’t like the implication that what I had been doing the last 4 years somehow isn’t the real world chafed me.
Reality is what we make it.
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'Muli bwanji' is chichewa for 'how are you?' I hope to let my family and friends know how I'm doing through images and descriptions about my work and experiences in Malawi. "Habari Gani?" is kiswahili for 'what's going on?' or, literally, 'what is the news?' As I move on to other projects in East Africa I hope to continue to keep my friends and family updated on my work and life over here!
About Me
- Lillian
- Chapel Hill, Lilongwe, and Stone Town
- I am a fourth year graduate student working on my PhD in Epidemiology. I spent 2 years in Lilongwe, Malawi working on research related to HIV testing and HIV treatment outcomes. I am currently located in Zanzibar on the island of Unguja working on family planning.
Where is Malawi?
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Frequently used acronyms
- AIDS = Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
- ART = Antiretroviral treatment
- CDC = Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- HIV = Human Immunodeficiency Virus
- HTC = HIV Testing and Counseling
- MOH = Ministry of Health
- NAC = Malawi National AIDS Commission
- PLWHA = People Living With HIV/AIDS
- STI = Sexually Transmitted Infection
- UNC = University of North Carolina
Disclaimer
The opinions and positions I write about are mine, and do not represent those of the University of North Carolina, UNC Project, or the country of Malawi.
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3 comments:
I always hated it when law school professors (or any professors) would say "when you go out in the real world..." Same implication. It doesn't really make sense.
THANK YOU.
I had a much more developed thought, but got really tired, but it was along the same lines. At Harvard people would always complain that it wasn't a "real" college and in Malawi certain groups of ex-pats would say that Malawi wasn't the "real world". Neither made sense to me. In the first situation it was because they felt like they were missing out somehow because they didn't go to a school with a big sports/party scene. In the second situation it was a choice not to make it "real" life.
Lillian: you're great. I miss you and our very real lives in Lilongwe. Hope things are going OK. I've had a very slow transition back to school (altho amazing time spent with family & friends since I got back). Officially starting again on Monday and crossing my fingers that I'll fall back in love with Ob/Gyn and my future will be clear. :) Best wishes. If you ever want to chat, call me: 607-351-8380.
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