Jenny Levine and her new friends in Malawi. The experience gave her “a new appreciation for life.”
When I found out about the new Global Pharmacy Scholars (GPS) program at my school, I knew I had to apply. The GPS program was created so that fourth-year University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Eshelman School of Pharmacy student pharmacists could spend 1 month on a rotation abroad. I was excited to step outside my comfort zone, travel, and learn about pharmacy in another part of the world. When I found out that I received a scholarship from the program to travel to Malawi, I was thrilled. I expected my parents to be against the idea of their oldest daughter traveling to a third-world country for an entire month, but when I broke the news to them, they asked, “Did you say you’re going to Maui? Can we come?”
A new world
After numerous orientations, meetings, and workshops to learn the local language of Chichewa, I started to feel prepared to begin the journey from North Carolina to southeast Africa in August. But, during one of our orientations about safety, I felt like we covered “the 100 ways you could die in Africa.” I then entered a stage of anxiety about the month ahead.
After about 30 hours of traveling, I stepped off the plane in Malawi, jetlagged and excited, and breathed in the dusty, cool air. I thought to myself, “Wow. I made it to Africa.”
As my fellow classmate and I drove from the airport through the capital city of Lilongwe, we saw straw huts, raw goat meat hanging up in the hot sun, children selling roasted mice on sticks, women carrying heavy buckets of water balanced on their heads with babies strapped to their backs, and groups of people just sitting under trees in the shade on the side of the road. I thought to myself, “I am definitely not in America anymore.”
Leaving the comfort zone
During my 4 weeks in Malawi, I learned so much about pharmacy, life, and myself. I experienced a completely different way of living and thinking that forced me to be flexible and adaptable. These are skills that only come with leaving your comfort zone behind and keeping an open mind.
During my time at the nearby Kamuzu Central Hospital, I witnessed health care being delivered in some of the most surprising ways. Perhaps the most shocking was entering the burn unit and seeing burn patients receiving care while laying on top of cardboard placed on concrete floors. The hospital was clearly overcrowded, but it could not turn away patients in need, so this was their solution. It made me reflect on what a stark contrast this is to hospitals back at home.
This was similar to my experience at the oncology ward. These patients received chemotherapy infusions in some of the most uncomfortable conditions. There were approximately 15 patients all in one hospital room. Many were side-by-side on hard benches, attached to I.V. poles. Yet they were all quiet and smiled at me as I spoke with the nurse in charge of their therapy. It was clear that they were appreciative of the care they received.
Fresh perspective on life
Driving to the airport at the end of the month, I looked at the same scenery with a different perspective. It was clear that for people in Malawi, their lives were all about basic survival, but they also did not have the stress and other issues that accompany what might be called “first world problems.” Some people may think of those in third world countries as “unfortunate” and feel sorry for them for the things they do not have. I quickly realized that these people are still happy for the things they do have.
As I reflect on my global pharmacy rotation in Malawi from my comfortable couch in my comfortable apartment, I realize that it was not so much pharmacy knowledge that I gained while in Africa, but it was the experience as a whole that taught me to appreciate life for its most basic qualities. You do not need the latest smartphone, tablet, or fancy car to be truly happy. If you make time to appreciate the moments of laughter with a friend, a hug from a family member, or the warm sunshine on a beautiful fall day, you can be just as happy as the people of Malawi are.
It is no coincidence that Malawi is nicknamed the “warm heart of Africa.” After my time there, I can truly say that they have given me a new appreciation for life.