Christmas is over. And a very different Christmas to boot. I am back in Norway, probably the most quiet and peaceful country in the world. Back to snow and ice and winter darkness. Back to a place where catastrophe and tragedy are strangers to most and familiar only to the few. The contrast could not … Continue reading A Hundred Thousand Bethlehems
Red Cross
The Earthquake in Nepal. Looking back
It is April 26th. As I watched the evening news last night, it hit me: It's been a year since the great catastrophe that devastated parts of Nepal, the small country clinging precariously to the foothills of the Himalayas. The earthquake (or rather quakes) left one of the poorest countries on the planet in an impossible situation. Unfortunately, it is … Continue reading The Earthquake in Nepal. Looking back
THE PHILIPPINES AFTER YOLANDA – PART 3
Part 3 (link to part 1 and part 2) After the first ten days I feel more at ease. Things that looked exotic and strange to me a week ago seem now familiar. The days pass in a predictable pattern and we don’t get called out at night anymore. We usually set up our surgeries the day before which … Continue reading THE PHILIPPINES AFTER YOLANDA – PART 3
THE PHILIPPINES AFTER YOLANDA – Part 2
Part 2 - Work (read part 1 here) My first night has been warm and humid. My only cover is a sheet and even that is too warm. My pillow is soaking wet from my sweat. The team before us bought in ventilators with one of these miracle machines placed in each tent and they give … Continue reading THE PHILIPPINES AFTER YOLANDA – Part 2
THE PHILIPPINES AFTER YOLANDA- PART 1
Part I - Arrival Three years of waiting have come to an end. It was in november 2010 that I started my Red Cross training and I have been a delegate, ready to be deployed as a surgeon for two and a half years. I have completed online courses, have lived through seven days of … Continue reading THE PHILIPPINES AFTER YOLANDA- PART 1
Journeys in Medicine 