© 2002 British Journal of Ophthalmology
COMMENTARY
Commentary
I went; I saw: I was never the same!
Series editor: David Taylor
Ophthalmology Department, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London WC1N 3JH, UK
Time spent training in developing countries
Keywords: training; overseas
As our small plane approached Kismayu airport, Somalia, my more experienced colleague lent forward to the pilot and said "if they start shooting at us, turn back." They didn't but, when we landed, the plane was quickly surrounded by angry looking, young Somalis bearing Kalashnikovs. It was then I realised that Casualty at Moorfields wasn't so bad after all. A shouting match developed between their leader and the Médecins Sans Frontiéres escort sent to meet us, in Somali—unfortunately my Somali is not all it should be. The shouting got louder and louder and I got tenser and tenser, until suddenly huge smiles broke out and the leader thumped my colleague on the back: "Don't worry he said" grinning "Shouting is part of our culture."
That trip was part of a three month placement in the eye unit of the Christoffel Blindenmission (CBM) supported Presbyterian church hospital at Kikuyu, Nairobi,
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