On the wards..

So I went to the medical school on Monday and did admin stuff.  I started on the wards today.  It looks like the elective will be pretty relaxed.  I'd say it will mostly be ward rounds and out-patient clinics.  I doubt that I will be taking many histories, because while most people speak English, when they are sick they tend to speak in Maltese.  The team are nice.  I got to take some bloods this morning. The Mater Dei hospital is brand-spanking new and very impressive.  It is very hot here, so the air-conditioned hospital is a welcome break.   Emma and I went to Sliema this afternoon.  It's a tourist hot-spot and so has some of the tackiness that comes with it.  The waterfront is stunning though, with great views of Valletta.  I still can't get over the buses.  They are all yellow with an orange stripe.  They can be up to 60 years old.  On many of them you don't push a button to stop the bus, you pull a cord that runs along the roof.  You can actually see the piece of metal attached to the cord hit the bell at the front of the bus. They feel perfectly safe though, because  the buses never reach any great speeds on the Maltese streets.  The Maltese have an Irish attitude to road crossing, but unfortunately the driving is pretty awful so one must exercise caution!