Time for some work

How privileged I am to arrive in a new country and immediately be welcomed into the hearts of people's homes & lives. I've often thought one of the most special things about being a doctor is sharing in the greatest and most fundamental events of other's lives. Both the start of life and the end. I go from being a total stranger to someone privy to deepest secrets and intimate family times.
Two days in and I have waited at the bedside of an old dying man, sat on the floor of a 'mud' hut with the grieving family bereaved of their 23yr old granddaughter, examined people on their mat floors and driven miles along bumpy red dirt tracks.
It is a beautiful countryside, full of orange trees, coconut palms and the steep rise of the Eastern Usambara mountains. I have quickly learnt to shikamoo (respectful greeting to your elders) and finish a consultation with polle (sorry for your problem/troubles/ill health).
It is tempting just to keep being driven round the fascination of village life...chickens, goats, children toing & froing from school but I have promised my self to sit in on the various clinics so that I know what is on offer in the hospital and how things run. They are very keen to put me to work in the hospice and I think it will suit my skills well.