When Epidemiologists Travel

 

It was time for Kaefer to travel to Malawi again. She does this every year when she and a colleague from her team teach students two short courses in public health at a university in Mzuzu. This was her third trip to one of the poorest countries on earth and like every year she was looking forward to it.

They flew with Kenya Airways from Amsterdam to Nairobi where they had a layover of a few hours. Kaefer had to take a picture of the plane's wing - do you see all the duct tape? It reminds me of the planes of Egypt Air that I took back in 1996; they looked very similar.

However, they arrived safely at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi and were welcomed with a joyful Karibu (welcome).

There were many signs put up by the Kenyan Ministry of Health.

Now, here are two epidemiologists on their way to teach courses in public health. How do you think they spend their limited time in an airport in Africa? Well, of course they have fun taking photos of Ebola warning signs - what else?

The way Ebola spreads as well as the signs and symptoms of this disease were depicted very vividly.

You get all the information you need.

Thank you to the Kenyan Ministry of Health for still believing in science.

Our two epidemiologists eventually got on their connecting plane to Lilongwe, Malawi. They were very lucky to see Mt. Kilimanjaro from above without any clouds hanging over it.

After a stopover in Nampula, Mozambique, they safely landed in Lilongwe and took to the road to Mponela where they stayed the night (it's a long drive from Lilongwe to Mzuzu). Kaefer shot her first African sunset of this trip, surely eventually followed by many more.

With these faces on the signs I'm joining Nicole's Friday Face Off.

Art from the South of Africa

In one of her first "Sunday in the Art Room" posts, Nicole wrote about some pieces of art she has that are from African countries . So today I want to show you a few pieces of art that my daughter brought back from South Africa and Malawi, a country in southeastern Africa.

The mugs on top are from South Africa. Through UC Davis, Kaefer did an internship in Cape Town in 2018. There she found the two mugs on the left - the elephant one is hers, the girafe one is mine. Both are broken, unfortunately, and when she moved to Germany she left the elephant mug for me. Both mugs now house my watercolor brushes and charcoal and graphite pencils. The mug on the right she bought for me in 2024 when she returned to Cape Town for an epidemiology conference. This one I use for my morning coffee - I am very careful with it because I don't want it to break as well.

The fabric elephant is also from South Africa. I have always loved the joyful colors of fabrics from African countries - the colors are actually a bit more brilliant in real life than in the photo. It usually sits right next to the mugs on my lazy Susan so that it doesn't feel lonely...

Art can be practical as you can see here:

Akshar is a heavy duty cement manufactured by Shayona Cement, Malawi's largest local cement manufacturer. Cement is filled into very strong sacks  and bags, and from these shopping bags are made with a strip of beautifully patterned fabric on top. I use this bag for my weekly shopping trips to Trader Joe's and as a you would expect from a cement bag, it can carry a lot. Recycling at its best!

But Kaefer also brought some paintings from Malawi where she goes every year for work for a couple weeks. This is one she gifted to us and I like it so much. She has three more in her home in Germany, one from the same artist as the one above. Unfortunately I wasn't able to find any information about the artist. Here are Kaefer's paintings, decorating her living room and kitchen.

All of these beautiful or practical pieces are for SITAR.