Already almost a month since my last update, when my first urology ‘camp’ had been just about to start – a pretty intensive week. In the end there were three visiting urologists of whom one operated and the other two assisted. In three and a half days they treated fourteen patients. Today the last patient was discharged home. I was responsible for managing the program so that the visiting surgeons were allotted the relevant patients to make the most of the time available. I also did my own ward round each morning before we operated. The operations themselves took a long time. I had originally thought that I would be able to learn how to do some of the smaller procedures (for those in the know: ‘How do you repair a hypospadias?’) but I have learned above all that it’s much more complicated than it seems. But the real benefit for me is that I can now distinguish much better which operations are simple and which are complex.

Something else: Last Saturday I turned 45. My father had decided that it would be a good opportunity to come over and visit me. Wonderful. His coming also meant that I couldn’t really ignore my birthday. In the end I had a pretty big but also relaxing celebration. I held a BBQ in the field near my house and invited all the overseas workers and about 25 Bangladeshi people – all in all about 60 people came.

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It went really well (see photo): everyone came with a salad or a dessert, and someone else grilled all the meat. The weather was perfect. The afternoon had been really hot, but by the time the party began the sun was setting behind the trees and it became really pleasant. The celebration finished off nicely with a camp fire. I felt right in the centre of things but without the stress of having to organise a big party. And now of course I don’t really need to throw a party on my birthday for the next 5 whole years. :-)

Next week I’m planning to travel with my father to a project in the south of the country where I worked in 1998 and 1999. But because things here in the country have recently become rather unsettled, we are not sure if it will be safe to travel at all. At the moment we’re planning for the whole trip to go ahead, but with the proviso that we’ll need to call it off at the last minute. I’m really looking forward to seeing how the project has developed, particularly as I was involved in the opening of the hospital there. I’ll keep you updated.