WEEK V: Barriers

My last short stay is a return to Zamalek. Some friends have gone to the Northern Coast and are so generous to let me stay at their apartment! On the one hand, of course, I’d like to go to the seaside, too, but on the other hand, I don’t feel like doing anything much, organizing anything more, as some computers like to put it, the system is used to capacity (or so the annoying phrase on my laptop would translate). While I never understand, why this means that nothing works anymore, that is more or less the way I feel. But as I have the time to do nothing except for some chemistry, it does not feel as bad as it sounds. In the course of shopping for food or going to some café to use the internet, I take some more walks around Zamalek. I still get lost at times, but I usually stay oriented by now. And this is also true in other contexts.

After these many changes the second half and more constant part of my stay begins as I move back to Heliopolis to stay with my host family with whom I also spent my first two weeks in Egypt in 2009 and start my internship at Ain Shams University Specialized Hospital.

Specialized indicates here that patients pay, so the standard is quite high and it is not overcrowded.

No, it's not a space shuttle, it's the logo of Ain Shams University Specialized Hospital in the yard

I get a culture shock nevertheless and am surprised by that, though none of the factors were unexpected. It’s a combination of ICU patients, language barrier and, to German standards, a lack of security, the latter mainly characterized by different disinfection routines. Having to get used again to the sight of patients in critical conditions and with multiple tubes leading in and out was to be expected in any hospital, I never worked on ICU before. The language barrier is not so much of a surprise either, but I underestimated the paralyzing effect it has on me during the first days. I work mainly with the nurses and even though I mainly assist some who speak more than five sentences of English, the very limited communication feels suffocating until I get used to it and they to me – and I also learn at least some more Arabic.

Otherwise I get the impression that there are relatively more people working here than in a German hospital, and that there is constant communication going on between them. But that, of course, may also just be the impression of the literal outsider. I don’t have a language barrier with the doctors as medicine is taught in English here. Egyptians start college at 16 or 17, so I meet many doctors of my age who started working two years ago. Like everyone else they are extremely helpful and always ready to explain things to me and I am happy to meet some new friends!