Jina langu ni Amanda...mimi ni mwanafunzi

Fall is finally arriving and it's been a busy few last weeks of summer. Many of my oldest friends are expecting - here are some pictures from some recent baby showers. I can't wait to meet Fairley's little girl and Benjamin's little boy. They are set to arrive next month!

Can it really be fall? It feels like school started just yesterday but already my cohort and I are busy with literature reviews, conceptual models, logic models, Stata data analysis frustrations, papers, research....the list goes on. My second year of graduate school is starkly different than the first year. Classes are much more intense and I can see how we are building off our foundation courses from last year. Dare I say I really am becoming an advanced public health professional? It sure feels like I am on the right road!

Here are some fun shots of my public health friends and then some....

Today at lunch, my friends were talking about what they are thinking of doing next year. Some want to continue school - aiming for nursing degrees, other graduate programs and even PHD programs. I know I want to continue my education but I feel that I want more working knowledge under my belt before taking a beat to go back to school yet again. But what will I do after May? Stay at my wonderful company in North Carolina or move on to the unknown? Continue working for an NGO or embark employment under a donor or multilateral agency? I didn't have this question mark looming over my head after graduating from undergrad - I knew I was going to move to London and just figure it out there. It worked out fine but I can't just escape across the big pond for a "once in a lifetime" adventure at the age of 31. In all honesty, I don't want to go out and look for a new adventure - I want to settle into these comfortable shoes of my career that is global public health. I love it and it feels so good to know I love what I do (except maybe Stata).

This week some of my IntraHealth colleagues are in Kenya presenting the PNA results to the stakeholder groups. I am so envious. Not only do I want to be back in Kenya, I miss that team and I really like following thru on my work such as this awesome assessment. Soon I'll connect with my colleagues and hear about the next steps for the assessment!

Speaking of Kenya, let me introduce myself in Kiswahili.

Ninaitwa Amanda. Ninatoka Oxford, NC. Kwa sasa nina ka Chapel Hill, NC. Mimi mwanafunzi wa UNC-CH. Mama ni Linda. Sina kaka wala dada. Mbwa langu ni London. Ninasema Kiingereza, Kifaransa na Kiswahili (kidogo). Sisemi Kirusi! Ninakula chakula cha nafaka kwa chakula cha asubuhi na ninanywa kahawa. Kweli!

If you speak Kiswahili you'll probably laugh but if you don't, you'll think I'm one smart blogger! :)

Until next time....

Italian canals and root canals

This week my dentist is in Italy. I know this because I have experienced the most intense toothache or any type of ache ever in my life. While my dentist has surely been enjoying gelato while gazing at architecture from Venetian canals, I have been in agony. But thank goodness another dentist in the office was available to see me not once, but twice this week! Though not as lovely as a gondola ride, I got my own "root" canal (a bit cheesy but I couldn't resist). Today I am sore, but very grateful to be on the road to tooth recovery!

This experience reminds me of how fortunate I am to live in a community with access to quality healthcare - which includes quality dental care. So many of my fellow global citizens are not so lucky. It is important for us to remember that our teeth are an important aspect of our health. From early childhood caries to advanced gum disease, if we do not take care of our teeth and gums and our children's teeth, our quality of life can be greatly affected. I learned this lesson first hand this week.

A Quote

"The most common language is neither English nor Spanish nor Hindi. The most common language is silence - the language of the world's poor and marganilized women." (Indira Gandhi)

Did this strike a chord with you as it did with me? I have been focusing a lot more on gender and human rights in my public health studies lately. I have also been taking on some gender activities at work. It isn't an impossibility that I will will include gender as an aspect in my Masters paper next year. From compulsory steralizations to workplace violence to forced prostitution, women have stigmatized and denied a say in their reproductive health and their basic human rights for centuries. I know this subject is pretty dour but there are so many stories of hope and persaverence. Women around the world are truely amazing. If you live in the Triangle, check out Nicolas Kristoff at UNC on September 14th and at Meredith College on September 20th. Kristoff co-wrote "Half the Sky", which I have blogged about already. It is a wonderful book all about women, who "hold up half the sky".

Baby times three and all about me!

Labor day weekend has come and gone, all too quickly! I spent some quality time with friends, family and myself. It was nice to have some time to reflect on the past few days in which I attended a three day workshop for my MCH Leadership Consortium training. The workshop was all about me - each attendee focused on themselves and their unique, natural qualities that make them a good leader. The trainees used the standby MBTI as well as some other personality and style indicator type tests. I am a proud ENFJ (not a shocker) and scored pretty high on the FIRO-B. In short, I am a people person who is intuitive, likes to make plans and is outgoing, enthusiastic and friendly. There are about 20 pages of reports that go into more detail but all of this "me" stuff will help me learn how I work best as a leader. Pretty cool stuff.

I have to say that I am so inspired by the wonderful people involved in the MCH Leadership Consortium. This experience is kicking off to be one of my best grad school experiences so far and I feel so privileged to have been accepted to participate in this training and learn from my instructors and my distinguished cohort. We come from all different backgrounds at UNC and beyond but I feel like already, we have a supportive foundation in each other. Pretty cool stuff!

Let me end this blog by telling you about the wonderful journey I made Sunday with my mother to meet three very special little boys - Austin, Currin and Lee McLamb (see photos at top). They were born July 14 - two months early. These little guys are identical triplets and are too precious! Austin and Currin are getting adjusted to life at home with big sister Lilly and Lee is still in the NICU fighting away intestinal bad guys. He is doing well though and like his brothers, has captivated my heart. Elizabeth, their mother, is one of the bravest and most extraordinary women I've ever met. She has the best attitude and is a strong and loving mother to her four children. "Lizzie" and I went to high school and college together and she is just so amazing, I want to get the girl on Oprah! You can read all about them at Elizabeth's excellent and well written blog - http://multiplemclambs.blogspot.com

YOU can help Malawi!

If you are still with me on this blog, you care about public health and perhaps my thoughts on public health. Please visit my blog on IntraHealth's site to see what I'm currently working on - a partnership with GlobalGiving to raise funds for tuition for health workers in Malawi. I know when you hear fundraising you think big bucks but in this case, small donations or microdonations are gleefully accepted. Even better, all of your donations are matched! So you if you give $50 - it's like giving $100! It's an easy, innovative solution to helping train a critical cadre of health workers in a country with a serious shortage of healthcare professionals.

Check this out immediately!

http://www.intrahealth.org/page/small-sums-incredible-impacts-microdonation-challenge-to-support-health-worker-education-in-malawi-

So why Malawi? Here are some facts:

- For every 1,000 live births, 120 children under the age of five will die. In the United States, the probability is that only 8 out of 1,000 children will die before the age of five.

- It is estimated that between 700,000 and 1.1 million people in Malawi are living with HIV, or 11 to 18% of the population. This is among the highest HIV prevalence rates in the world. Only 34% of women and 41% of men in the country have knowledge of HIV prevention methods.

- Malaria is a huge problem for Malawi's population. An estimated 3 million people are treated each year. Malaria is the main of morbidity and mortality, especially among young children and pregnant women. Malaria has long been eradicated in the United States.

- Only 54% of births are attended by skilled birth attendants.

- Life expectancy is 53 years compared with the global average of 68 years

By increasing qualified human resources in Malawi's health sector, skilled resources will be on hand to help treat malaria, HIV and TB. Children under five stand a better chance of receiving care if they suffer from pneumonia or diarrhea. Pregnant women and families will have greater access to antenatal care and family planning counseling. Clearly, training more healthcare workers in Malawi will lead to a healthier population.

If I've already persuaded you to donate, here is the direct link:

http://goto.gg/6215