Dr. Nat's Journal

Back when my parents were at primary school, a large emphasis was placed on the 3 R’s – reading, writing and arithmetic.

In more recent years, a second set of 3 R’s (which all actually start with the letter R this time) has been introduced. Reduce, reuse and recycle is the modern mantra taught to encourage social responsibility through waste management.

The 3 R’s are meant to be a hierarchy, in order of importance. Hence, we should start by reducing what we use, followed by reusing, then recycling.

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After spending a long weekend in South Luangwa, I have now seen where Will spends his time working here in Zambia, and I am quite jealous. Whilst the hospital has its charms, the spectacular natural wilderness that is Will’s workplace is on another level.

Being married to a wildlife photographer means that going on safari is not something new for me. However, this time, as Will drove me through the main gate into the national park in our own vehicle it felt very different and exciting.

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To be a good wildlife photographer, you need to have a lot of patience. Patience for the animal to move into the position you want, or for the sun to get lower in the sky, or for the elusive creature to finally show itself.

To be the wife of a wildlife photographer, you need to have a lot more patience than that. Patience for the photographer to come home! Wildlife typically avoids humans. Therefore, wildlife and wildlife photographers are usually found in remote locations far from civilization. Spouses of wildlife photographers are often found alone at home!

I am currently home alone in Katete. Will is with the animals of South Luangwa.

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Doing shift work is tiring, with nights and weekends taken up traipsing around wards tending to the sick. However, one of the positives is that you really appreciate a weekend off when it comes around.

Last weekend was busy for me, with a 36-hour shift from Saturday morning to Sunday night. This weekend was also busy, but in a different way.

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Although we are a long way from home, our weekend had parallels with that of a lot of people in the UK.

The last weekend of August in London sees crowds of people flocking to the Notting Hill Carnival to dance, drink, eat some jerk chicken and jostle through crowds.

On the same weekend in Katete, crowds of Chewa people flock to the Kulamba festival from all over Zambia, Mozambique and Malawi to dance, drink, eat some dried fish and jostle through crowds… as well as pay homage to Paramount Chief Kalonga Gawa Undi and give thanks for a good harvest.

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Until today, I’d only ever owned one type of car, the reliable, easy-to-park and incredibly girly Renault Clio! I’ve had 3 lovely Clio’s in my time, and I’ve loved them all dearly. However, I have become the owner of the antithesis of a Clio… Will and I now own a Toyota Land Cruiser, and it is a beast!

However, my Clio shouldn’t feel too betrayed, because it was clear from Will’s big grin and boyish excitement when we collected the car that the Land Cruiser is really his.

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It is fairly easy to romanticize the idea of an African house… for example by painting a picture of Karen Blixen’s house in your head, and then putting yourself on the porch in a rocking chair, listening to a gramophone beside your very own Denis Finch-Hatton! It is also very easy to do the opposite and conjure up images of a dark, dusty hut filled with more bugs than you can shake a stick at.

Well, we have moved into our new house, and although there is no gramophone, it is closer to my romanticized version than my nightmare one. After only two nights here, I know it is one of those houses that I will remember fondly forever.

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As the wife of a wildlife photographer, I know that holidays do not mean relaxation. When Will and I travel, we are usually busier than ever. Sunrise and sunset provide the best light of the day and therefore cannot be missed! During the ‘bad-light’ hours, it is important to get familiar with the sights in order to decide where to spend sunrise and sunset.

On our first night in Zambia, we slept solidly for 13 hours, waking at 9am. When we did wake up (no alarm set!), we took our time before ambling to get breakfast. It means that although I am in a strange, new country, I am not on holiday. This is something different…

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Will requires a haircut once a month. If he waits any longer than that, he ends up with clumps of hair sticking out in the wrong directions. I can always tell when he has breached 4 weeks because he permanently wears a baseball cap, even at dinner.

For the past two weeks, Will has not been seen without his baseball cap. However, on this occasion, the delay has been my fault.

We have been waiting until I finished work so I could go with Will to Tony’s Barbers to watch and learn. You see, in Zambia, I will be Will’s barber.

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I am female, and I am a junior doctor. This can only mean one thing: I love making lists!

List-making is a hugely beneficial skill when you are about to up-root your life and head for rural Zambia. However, the sheer amount of stuff that I need to do is really putting my abilities to the test.

To give a flavour of the kind of things that need doing before departure, I have complied an A-to-Z of what I have been up to lately:

Read on…