Overdue

Hi all! So my blogging for the month of November has been sub-par. Mostly that’s because up until two days ago I have basically been without a laptop. I hate computers, and they must hate me too because mine has virus-ridden and unworkable for the past few weeks. Luckily, I found an IT person at UCT who was willing and able to help me – my entire hard drive had to be wiped clean and rebooted. If I were home, the problems could have been much more easily taken care of I’m sure. Unfortunately, I probably won’t have a chance to upload any more pictures onto the blog. Enough complaining about my computer though.

I’ve also been sick with sinusitis once again, having had a migraine which lasted for over a week before seeing an ENT specialist. I was absolutely miserable but am feeling better now, in time to enjoy the last couple of weeks in Africa. Until next Friday though, I won’t be able to completely relax because two final papers are due – one group project on Nigeria and one research paper on Myelomeningocele. I am really thankful to him and my TA, Eboni, for being so concerned with me while I was sick. Prof was the one who referred me to the ENT surgeon and on Monday in burns surgery, he shouted across the OR to me (in front of a large number of surgeons, nurses, and professions) to ask about my health. Needless to say, I felt very special. It makes me smile just thinking of the care and compassion such an incredibly talented and renowned doctor showed a meager American intern. It is fairly ironic and inappropriate, however, that we talked about my sinus problems in such an awful setting.

My next topic is very substantial and it’s something that I really haven’t let myself feel the full effects of. Last Tuesday, in accompanying Prof to the clinic in Khayelitsha which he visits every week, I saw a woman give birth. Without going into the details, it was quite amazing – mostly because the woman received no drugs for pain, was not hooked up to any sort of monitoring machines, and there was no fuss made around the event. She virtually received no outside attention (apart from the stares of 3 foreign students) and there was nobody present to offer encouragement. I certainly had nothing to say, especially since I don’t speak Xhosa. The sister who delivered the baby was very kind and experienced, though; she obviously knew what to do when the mother was ready to push. Over 6,000 babies are born in that particular clinic every year, in a space holding just a few beds. During delivery (which was so unexpectedly fast), the baby’s cord was wrapped tightly around her neck. I was scared, and even more so when she didn’t start crying for a couple of minutes after being born. But she was fine and absolutely adorable, with a lot of hair. She also looked very old for a newborn. When I asked the sister what the baby’s name was, sister looked at me like I was crazy; her response was that the mother had no right to name her daughter. I was stunned. Consistent with cultural tradition, the custom is for a mother to take her child home where the family and community members decide upon a name together. But the mother has no individual right to name her baby. I feel like that concept wouldn’t really go over well in the States. What was also eye-opening about the visit was the sister’s asking the other students and me if we had any children. Needless to say, she was very surprised when we told her we hadn’t and asked why not – I said there was no rush! But girls rush having children here. In South Africa, a pregnancy out of wedlock is not viewed as a mistake (as it often is in the United States). Rather, pregnancies are planned and young women who become pregnant do so to prove their fertility and worth. The Western idea of women having children after marriage and after beginning a career (something that I support) is very much founded in sexual equality, which is still not present in this country.

A quick mention of one patient who came into the Neuro Clinic at the Red Cross yesterday; I sat with Dr. Padayachy while he saw patients. Rita is 13 years old, 2 weeks post-op brain surgery. She took a taxi to the outpatient clinic on her own. Dr. Padayachy said that she was from Ethiopia and there were some familial issues; he asked her if she was taking her TB medication and ARVs (anti-retro virals for HIV). I can’t imagine being 13 years old and facing all of those things on my own. Kids grow up fast here.

I hope to have another chance to write at least one last blog. But next Friday is the last day of the program (and also when I get to meet Archbishop Desmond Tutu, which is so exciting). On Saturday the 5th, I fly with four other UNC students to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe; I’ll also set foot in Zambia and visit Botswana. Yah!

Struggles

First a funny story. Yesterday I was in ward D1 when all of a sudden I realized that the noise level had gone up significantly and the hall was filled with professional people and cameras. It was a little chaotic and I had no idea what was going on. After some man signed an autograph right next to the table where I sat, I asked a boy walking past if he knew why all the people were there. He just shrugged his shoulders. Finally, I found out that a really famous cricket player was visiting and that’s who was signing the autograph. On the front page of today’s newspaper there was a picture of this renowned athlete and the little boy I spoke to! Typical me to be so oblivious.

On to heavier matters. There are good days and bad days. My mindset and attitude about my being here in South Africa usually determines how my day goes. Recently, I’ve been having a more difficult time thinking positively. In regards to the Red Cross, what I’ve chosen to write about on my blog has naturally been my most exciting and meaningful experiences. But sometimes I sit at a computer for a large portion of the day and basically do nothing. I have my two projects and my research paper (as well as a paper on Nigerian oil for one of my classes) to keep me busy this month, but I can’t help but to think that my work at the hospital is completely not contributory. There’s already been so much research on burns and myelomeningocele published, so many journals written – what’s the point? What am I even doing here? There has to be some reason, right? Before studying abroad, the other students and I were told by Vernon himself (program coordinator in Cape Town) not to anticipate being able to make much of a difference at all. He said that while we will most likely have an effect at our internships, we won’t solve the problems of Africa and we certainly won’t save the world. Realistically, I knew that was true and I tried to leave my lofty expectations at home. Here’s the thing. I can choose to feel useless and unworthy and be stuck in overwhelming helplessness and laziness, or I can take one day at a time and find a way to keep motivated. I must realize that I’m abroad to learn about a part of the world I would have never known or understood otherwise, having not actually lived here. My purpose is not to change people’s lives, but rather more simply (and selfishly?) to learn about the people of culture of South Africa and to allow that to expand my worldview, broaden my knowledge, and open my mind to new and different ideas. But that leads me to question how I’m supposed to take what I’ve experienced and use it/how I am to change. For instance, am I supposed to witness and ponder the extreme disparity of wealth and poverty in this country just to come back home to my comfortable, middle-class life? There is no middle class here. I can’t think like that, though; I can’t decide how something is to affect me as that is completely counter intuitive. Instead of my usual planning and analyzing, I must live and absorb and maybe NOT think so much.

These issues are what I’m struggling with every day. I know that I am extremely privileged to travel to South Africa, and while I might be brave for going so far away, that does not make me a noble person for being here. I wanted to clarify that point. While I’d love to be able to say that my being here has made a difference in somebody’s life that is almost always an unknown. In general – anywhere. I am just a girl trying to learn about this place, because that is all I can do.

Thank you for continuing following by blog!

excursion run-down

I returned Saturday from Johannesburg (or Jo-burg), which is the largest city in South Africa, having spent five days there. Unfortunately, that was too long because there wasn’t a whole lot to do and my group had a quite a bit of down time in our hotel. We were nicely invited to two braais (or barbeques) at the homes of some friends of our UNC professor, Dr. Lee. The local cuisine is creamed spinach, mashed potatoes, pap, a traditional bean dish, and different meats including lamb, beef, sausage, and chicken. People drink a lot of juice here. At one of the homes we visited in a township, I spoke to some really interesting people; it is worth noting that many of the neighbors there were surprised to see that a group of white students was (a) invited to this braai and (b) led by a black professor. I was asked (not for the first time) if I knew Oprah. It seems to be that people seriously associate anything on television with being American, which is unfortunate since so much of TV is not representative of America.

I did some shopping at two markets, Bruma Lake and Rosebank, where vendors come and sell hand-made jewelry and crafts. It was extremely overwhelming and the vendors were sometimes pretty aggressive – one was good enough to show me a bathroom and then proceed to wait for me outside (of course then I HAD to buy something from him, right? well, I did). Turns out, I could improve on my haggling skills; it’s really hard to tell if I’m getting a good deal or still being ripped off. We visited Soweto, which is the largest township outside Jo-burg and home to about 4 million people, and visited the Mandela House and the Hector Pieterson Memorial, site of the 1976 Soweto Uprising when police took fire on innocent students who were peacefully protesting Afrikaans as the language of instruction in schools. Hector Pieterson, a 13-year old boy, was the first victim of this violence. I really enjoyed the Apartheid Museum in downtown Jo-burg, but unfortunately we didn’t spend enough time there.

While there is a good amount of construction going on here in Cape Town, the amount of preparation for the World Cup in Johannesburg far exceeds it. One stadium is being built in Cape Town and at least two are being built in Jo-burg. They’re building roads and adding and expanding the public transportation system as well as the airports…

Okay, so now the most exciting part of the trip: Kruger! Whatever disappointment there was in Jo-burg and despite the 6 uncomfortable hours in the van, Kruger National Park made the whole thing worthwhile. Unfortunately, we only got to spend one full day there and the weather was terrible for game-viewing. It was cold and rainy but despite that, I sincerely enjoyed the whole thing. There were 7 of us plus our guide (who was excellent) in my game vehicle and we were very fortunate to see a lot of animals, including four of the Big Five: buffalo, elephant, rhino, and leopard (no lion). I also saw zebra, giraffe, wildabeasts, kudu, impala, guinea fowl, two warthogs, and a few monkeys. The elephants were probably my favorite; it was unbelievable how close they came to our vehicle. All of the animals were truly remarkable and beautiful.





























































Fun Facts: Elephants have 29,000 muscles in their trunks alone. They eat between 800 and 1500 pounds of feel each day, more when the vegetation is not very nutritious (more sticks, less leaves?) and spend 23 out of 24 hours a day eating. They don’t sleep, because they can’t afford to stop eating, and live up to age 65. Elephants go through about 6 sets of teeth in their lives and die of starvation when their last set wears away. They have a keen sense of smell but terrible eyesight, only able to see a few feet in front of them. Female elephants are pregnant with a female for 22 months but with a male for 23 months. Young elephants and females stay together in a pack but males travel alone. They are very intelligent creatures, and I thought looked very wise.

Random: In South Africa, “now” as in “I’ll be with you now” really means later, or soon, like “I’ll be with you in a moment.” Instead of “what’s up?” people here greet you by saying “how’s it?” Like in Blood Diamond! That was on TV and seeing it while actually being in Africa was a different experience because I can identify with some of the things I didn’t before. There are actually a few scenes shot in Cape Town! Oh, and if you think the commercials at home are bad, just watch a few here. Nothing good is on TV.

A little more on the Red Cross...

I haven’t written too much about my internship, and since I do spend 4 days a week at the hospital I thought it would be a good idea to elaborate on what I’m doing there. First, I have two projects that I am responsible for. My main project (which I am turning into a research paper/final paper for the study abroad program) is under neurosurgeon Dr. Padayachee; I am doing a risk factor and clinical assessment on patients with myelomeningocele, a form of spina bifida. Currently, there are only two babies with myelomeningocele at the hospital and I’ve already interviewed their mothers, so now I must go through medical records of past patients in order to collect information. My second project is under Dr. Rode; he wants me survey moms of children with burns resulting from kettles and to research kettle companies, looking at possible problems in manufacturing. I really like watching surgery, but my favorite part about the Red Cross is volunteering on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. My sports watch and name badges are always a big hit. Many of the kids don’t speak English, but kids are kids everywhere and it isn’t a problem; we play and I talk to them in English and they talk to me (or just don’t) in either Afrikaans or Xhosa. It's hard interacting with the older ones because most of the donated toys we bring up to the wards are geared towards younger kids. They all must get so bored during the day, and their parents too. It's not like hospitals in the US where there seems to be a good system in place for providing children with entertainment, as well as resources for parents and spaces for them to wander about.

Last Tuesday in the oncology ward, I let one little girl – who had to have been no older than 4 years old – draw on my hands with marker. She was quiet and shy, and I wasn’t doing a good job of making her happy, but I’ll always remember how she used one pink marker to poke and jab at my left wrist, in a spot comparable to that on her own wrist where an IV line was secured with a bandage. I’m fairly confident in the fact that she was mocking what she experiences every day – the administration of drugs in an IV. How pensive and naïve and too knowing she was, all at the same time. On Thursday, I volunteered in the burns ward and felt much more useful. This ward is always crazy and over-crowded and kids roam the hall; they’re fun to be around because usually they’re playful despite their injuries. Generally, children in the other wards are sick and seem much sadder. They are all so brave though. The highlight of playtime in the burns was me comforting a crying girl (burns covering her chest and back and legs were bandaged). I didn’t expect her to let me pick her up but she held onto me for a while and think she just needed some attention and human contact.

On a different note, it’s HOT here! Sunday, twelve of us crammed into a taxi (typical) and rode to a beach nearby. On Saturday I visited Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, which was absolutely beautiful. If I were a bird or a flower, my home would be Kirstenbosch. This weekend, we're leaving for a week-long excursion to Johannesburg and Pretoria and Kruger National Park, where I’ll embark on actual game drives!

Still in love with South Africa.