Brazil Day 3

I'm getting quite a few visitors to my site at the moment.  I know that there are people from the FAPI University and the Titanium Fix company taking a look as well as friends and relatives of the other members of the group.  The others seem curious about what I have to say so I know they are looking too.  I guess they want to know what I am saying about them!  Dierdre gave me a kind of nonverbal Irish warning this evening so I am definitely going to have to watch what I write.  Anyway welcome to all the new visitors to my website.

I had a lot of trouble getting the site working this morning for some reason.  I still don't understand why but re-writing the whole of day two from scratch seems to have done the trick.  What it does mean is that I have spent my time fixing it instead of writing today's instalment. I have quite few things to report such as the spiders, snakes and scorpions which are likely to appear any time from the drain in Victoria's shower and the events of the day.  However I'm tired and going to bed now so for the time being here is a picture of my team and Nadeem doing the hands on course this evening.  Surgery on patients starts tomorrow.

Margaret, Aalok and Me.  Nadeem after a long day and Mohammed hiding in the background again.

UPDATE FOR DAY 3

Raj has told Vicky that the cover on the drain in her shower is to stop spiders, snakes and scorpions from making their way into the shower whilst she is in it.  She should therefore keep the cover on at all times even if the water level reaches worrying levels.  Good advice I think.

The day started with a trip to the factory where the Titanium Fix implants are manufactured.  Again we were made very welcome and were shown the machines which shape the implants.  They start with imported titanium rods and the machines are basically sophisticated computer controlled lathes which turn the rods into the required shapes.  There is then a final preparation area where sterile conditions are maintained in positive pressure rooms.

So that's how they make implants !  The Titanium Fix factory

We had an hour or so to kill after that so spent it in a large shopping centre. Most of the blokes gave the centre a quick tour and then sat around in the lounge area.  Some of the the girls got some shopping in and Fez and Arminder made a thorough investigation of the off licence.  Poor Raj has been suffering with a kind of hay fever like illness so he slept in the van. I hope he gets well soon so that he can make the best of the course.

Karen and Margaret get some shopping done

After that we headed for the temple of all that is meaty for lunch again.  This was good because the later arrivals missed it when the first group to arrive went on the first day. I was prepared this time and didn't peak too early.  I gave the skewer of chicken hearts a miss on this occasion. 

"Look how many plates I can hold !"

I was sitting next to Luiz from the Titanium Fix company who is married to Kelly, one of the course tutors.   He is a very interesting guy.  He used to be an officer in the Brazilian army until he had to retire through injury.  He taught me some Portuguese phrases to get by with.  Brazilian Portuguese is significantly different from the European Portuguese that I had heard before.  They don't really have the "sshh" sound that you hear in the European language.  Luiz has never been to England but he has heard that everyone stops for tea at 4.00. I didn't have the heart to disillusion him.

Luiz tells Nadeem the one about the Englishman, the Irishman and the Brazilian

Once we arrived at the University we again began with a lecture on some basic principles from the Dean, Prof Palhari.  This was simultaneously translated by Kelly.    They are making sure that we are thoroughly prepared in all aspects and I feel comfortable with that even if a lot of it has been repetition.  Then suddenly the whole thing became more serious and we began to discuss the details of the surgical procedures we will be carrying out.  This came late in the day but I think everyone realised that we were getting close to beginning the serious business of actually placing implants on patients.  We then split into our working groups and placed implants on models using the Titanium Fix system.  My working group is with Aalok and Margaret. I am very happy with my group.  All three of us want to help each other to do well and I think we have already begun to work as a team.

We're off to the University in a few minutes.  By the end of today the group will have placed at least one implant on a patient.  Margaret is first.