First Look at the Land Cruiser Project
Today, April 27th, the idea was to have someone from the hospital who is very familiar with all the ambulances come and get a first view at the new Land Cruiser project. I’ve been working on making lists of things that will be included with the Land Cruiser and noting the few things that need fixing, which is very little. Someone needed to be familiar with all of that, and this was the first run at it.
Happy Megawi’s Test Drive
Happy Megawi came by, and I can’t think of a better person to see this through — it certainly makes for a happy ending. Happy wanted to try out the Land Cruiser, so we did a little tour of the surroundings. He was very happy with the way the car was running. We got at least the first go at that, and it’s to be followed up with another review when we get more things in place.
The Blue Book Misunderstanding
I ended up at the hospital and met with Steven again, only to find out that my Blue Book idea was a nice try but no cigar. The Blue Book in Malawi is essentially the vehicle registration card — not the Kelly Blue Book value I had been researching. While I did get some information out of the research, it turned out to be redundant at this point.
Steven’s Trip to Lilongwe
Steven decided that instead of emailing all the information, given the time pressure and my desire to leave, he would go to Lilongwe himself to deliver the rest of the information personally. This approach was better than emailing because he could confirm they received the documents and get immediate answers.
Meeting Hospital Leadership
I got to meet Agnes, the main administrator and Steven’s boss. I also met Salvador, who is the medical director, and even got to see Dr. Vincent Moyo again — this time we were able to shake hands. These were good encounters that made the overall picture more complete.
Waiting on the Malawi Revenue Authority
Later I found out that Steven had done what he said he would do, but we’re basically missing a key person at the Malawi Revenue Authority who knows all the ins and outs of this process. So we’re in a bit of limbo getting things completed. Patience is going to be key here, and I’ll likely be here longer than I originally intended. But we’re in Africa — you go with the flow.
Staying Fed and Moving Forward
I kept making more emergency food, and it works — it keeps me fed. Thank you so much for coming along.
