Along the Watchtower

As part of the orientation to join MSF I was invited to participate in a rather intense orientation session in Toronto in January.  There is no way to teach someone all they need to know about humanitarianism in two days no matter how intense.   The scope was broad and the level of depth was rather impressive for the time provided.   They packed thirty of us from all walks of NGO life into the office on Spadina Avenue and put us through the paces. The group was roughly half medical, nurses, doctors, pharmacists, epidemiologists (who are also docs) and half non-medicos, logisticians, engineers who specialize in water & sanitation, human resource officers and administrators led by a superb and very experienced staff.

I was thrilled to share the “Welcome Days” experience with my very good friend Michael, now an esteemed medical officer of health in Saskatoon.   After living together in Nairobi for a summer eleven years ago in medical school we have been kindred spirits since.  Perhaps the bond was forged on cross-country misadventures in northern Kenya enroute to utopian Lamu or trekking back to Nairobi from Lake Victoria by means of dozens of mutatu minibuses.  It was a great surprise to join together at the orientation around the corner from his first apartment in Toronto.

I remember at one they showed a promotional video depicting the work set to All Along the Watchtower a la Jimi Hendrix.  It was hard not be inspired.  We were going to kick ass and save lives.  On the flight just as Gibraltar passed on my right en en route to Bangui via Casablanca the same ballad came across my headphones.  In the context of being one of the very few physicians in a country of 4 million people I am considerably more apprehensive about what awaits.

To paraphrase the verses originally penned by Bob Dylan- I hope there isn’t too much confusion, few reasons to get excited and that I am able to get some relief.