When I arrived in Mali at 9 PM, it was completely dark out, and still incredibly hot and humid. I drove ‘home’ to the GAIA house with wide eyes, absorbing as much as I could during my first hour in Africa. Over the next few days, I did not become more accustomed to my surroundings; commonplace daily activities, such as shopping in the “marches” for dinner, never ceased to provide me with stories to bring back to the house. I have been working with Jared Meshekow in Dr. Daou’s office at Chez Rosalie to organize patient data that can later be used for research purposes. The existing forms are being compiled into Lab Tracker, a program that tracks patients’ reactions to certain drugs, marking their effectiveness against AIDS in the body. During my next three weeks in Mali, I hope to provide the clinic with a reliable organizational system that will benefit them in the future and learn as much as I can about the Malian culture as well.
Ali Bicki
Moses Brown School ’07