Xavier Nursing Student Maria Hill Shares Her First Day in Malawi as a Member of The 2017 VIP Medical Team

Greetings from the beautiful country of Malawi!
Our first full day was filled with organization, team collaboration, prayers, and meeting new people. We began our day, at least I did, to the rooster calling bright and early. The first half of our day we unpacked all of our generous donations and organized them. Then the wonderful Malawian medics arrived where we all met, got to know each other, talked about the clinics we will be at, and became friends with one another. The people of Malawi are such warm spirited people who make you feel incredibly welcomed. I have shaken more hands in one day than I have in a year. The friendship and relationships here are beautiful and easy to create with the joyous people. The second half of our day we were humbled with the opportunity to visit the government hospital in Zomba. It is difficult for me to describe what I saw because it is an experience you have to see with your own eyes to understand. The hospital experience was eye opening and humbling to be apart of. It was amazing to see how universal medicine is. For example, a lot of the equipment was the same such as yellow disposable stethoscopes, IV tubing, and saline bags. It was truly an unforgettable experience that I am grateful to have had the opportunity.
I also had the joy of meeting a large group of children who were walking home from school. They absolutely LOVED getting their picture taken and then seeing the picture. The smiles of the Malawian children and Malawians in general is contagious.
There is a positive atmosphere here filled with love, laughter, and joy. I am looking forward to our first day of clinic tomorrow and the rest of the trip!
Thank you all for the prayers, support, and donations!
Maria Hill
BSN Nursing Student from Xavier University