Gugulethu Day #3

For the fun and exciting stuff:

I had another great day at Gugulethu and am getting to know everyone in the program much better.  After a long day at the CHC a few of us went for a run which ended up being super short since we ended at the grocery store which is only a few blocks away.  We are hopefully going out to a bar tonight to hear a live band play.  I am told that happy hour is from 10-11 and the drinks are two for 1…aka about $1 for 2 beers since the conversion rate is so great.  We also bought a bottle of hard cider to try so I’m hopeful for that.  I am really really hoping to get to the local café tomorrow night so that I can write more and potentially add some pictures.  Until then, hope all is well!

More in-depth at Gugulethu

Last night I was finally able to go to bed early but ended up journaling for quite a while and then couldn’t fall asleep.  However, once I did I was out cold—literally!  The alarm came way too early at 7am so the snooze button was hit right away.  The bus driver arrived and we boarded for another day at Gugulethu CHC.

Today we were assigned placements around the clinic.  I jumped at the opportunity to work in the Trauma unit and was ready to be thrown to the wolves so to speak.  Right away we were shown to a child that had severe burns over most of her face from porridge spilling over her.  The shacks that many South Africans live in contain small heaters on the ground used for both warmth and cooking.   These are very easy for young children to grab hold of or have kicked and accidentally spilled on them.

The sister in charge spoke with us regarding our intentions at the clinic—many of the staff members believed that we were all medical students and were unaware of our backgrounds.  Since I am a public health major the sister thought that I wouldn’t be interested or that it would not benefit me to observe and work with the trauma patients so she hummed and hawed over where to put me.  To be honest I was pretty upset since I wanted to work with the trauma patients and observe/ take in the medical equipment available to them and learn how they perform so many procedures with such little technology.  I was told later on that they use x-rays to examine everything since they lack MRI and CT machines.

I eventually made my way to the pharmacy where I packaged bottles of olive oil, which is used to clean ears.  While the job itself wasn’t exciting or difficult it made me realize that every little bit of help does make some difference.  Everyone in the small pharmacy was running around frantically to get everything done and without our help they would have been even more stressed.

The healthcare system here has so many different aspects too it and a much more holistic approach to medicine—they do what they can with what they have for the most part. 

I believe that tomorrow I am being placed in the family planning unit and will be working with the woman in charge of pregnant patients recently diagnosed with HIV but still have a low CD4 count.  They use public health interventions and discussions to find ways to lower the spread of HIV and inform these expectant mothers of certain precautions.  The health promoter will also hopefully be on site.

Gugulethu Community Clinic: Day 2 South Africa

Today was an amazing day from beginning to end.  I woke up to the train passing by our apartment (it is very loud and right behind us but this is a good way to get up on the early mornings).  I made myself a bowl of oats in the microwave with a scoop of good old wegmans PB—I promise not to go on a huge tangent of the food but I am so happy I brought PB and that they have pretty good PB in the grocery stores because it is quick and easy protein.  South African time means that 7:30 means around 7:30 aka probably more closer to 8 but my roommate, Melissa, and I were still ready on time. 

We were picked us as a group and taken to a local school in one of the townships.  There we met our professor/ teacher for the term, David, and were introduced to the local principle and children.  Though we are not actually taking classes or working at this school it was a great way to meet the local children and interact with them.  They were so excited to see us early in the morning and performed dances and songs for us.  This was beyond hilarious because they played songs from the USA and asked if we had met the artists (including Lil Wayne and Rhianna).  When we went to leave they all gave us huge hugs and thanked us for visiting.  Such a great way to start the morning.

We were then driven to the Gugulethu Township Community Health Clinic (CHC). The head nurse, or sister, Mama Maboseala described her goals within the CHC and how they relate to those set by South Africa.  She described her definition of health as the exact definition used by the WHO, which made such a great connection to our studies here in the USA.  She showed us the facility that we will be spending the week in and we were exposed to the trauma, maternity and HIV/AIDS wards.  We met a lady that had given birth 20 minutes prior to us arriving and she was so excited to show us her new baby.  We later went to class in a nearby meeting room for a few hours.  The only downside was that it was absolutely FREEZING.  Thankfully we were able to stop at a mall quickly and pick up gloves scarves and fleece jackets along with some yoga pants (everything I took out at the airport)!

A group of us then went on an exploration for internet and groceyr stores.  We found Coco Wah Wah which is a local café that offers 100 mb of free internet—bring on the coffee, that hopefully isn’t instant (ew!).  We also explored and bought a few simple groceries from Woolworths which is a more upscale organic type grocery store which is supposedly comparable to mark and spencer in London so potentially a slighty lower end of whole foods but very upscale for South Africa.  They carry nicer vegetables and fruits plus soups and prepared foods—oh and nutella and yogurt! Pick and Pay, potentially a Tops type place, carries wine and we got some great South African selections.  I purchased a Chenin Blac for 25 rand which equals out to less than 3$ US.  To be honest it tasted REALLY good.  Later we went back and ate with two of the girls on our trip and had some of our wine. The evening was a great way to end such a long day which was both emotionally challenging and physically tiring.

Favorite Moment: The children at the local school—they were so extremely happy and excited to see us and take pictures with us!

First Two Days

I finally have internet and am able to write a little something, sadly internet is pretty expensive (something they hadn’t told us) so I am unable to post a lot of pictures from my apartment. 

Yesterday we arrived and were pretty shocked at the differences between South Africa and America.  Within the first five minutes I was already homesick for my own bed and house.  Things are so much different from where I grew up—most South African housing doesn’t have central heating so we were provided with small space heaters to stay warm.  We met the rest of the group, they’re all so friendly and eager to get to know each other.  Our RA took us on a tour of the part of town that we are living in and later took us to dinner at a BBQ place known as “sticky BBQ fingers”.  On the walk I was thrown off by the Minibus taxis that frequently drive down the street yelling at you to get in for a ride to Cape Town or other areas—they are so loud and obnoxious!  Another big difference is the timing.  People work at such a slower pace than everyone in America. We were told that dinner would be 20 minutes away and we ended up walking for an hour or so—we were told that this is VERY common.  Later on we all met up to talk and get to know each other more and then went to bed.  I wasn’t able to shower which was upsetting but then today I was able to get a towel and feel so much better.

Today we went to two townships—the first being Langa, one of the oldest (if not the very oldest) township in Cape Town.  We mingled with some of the children and learned about both their cultural and historical backgrounds.  Our tour guide was very informed and knew so much about the rich history and diversity amongst the groups.  We later went to Gugulethu, which is another township about five minutes from the other one.  This is where we will be spending the week in the local community health clinic—we will be assisting and observing the medical staff.

I will hopefully be able to post pictures and more soon!

Favorite Pre-Departure Breakfast

If that doesn't look delicious I don't know what does.  Dutch Baby Pancake  with fresh fruit and candied bacon.  Breakfast of champions, let me tell you.  Hopefully everyone on my trip doesn't think I'm a freak because of my strange obsession with food photography and health food.  

I honestly did quite a bit of searching around for what to bring on the plane with me--last time I flew I realized that plane food and I do not have the best relationship.  hence my excitement of Justin's almond and peanut butter packets! Squeeze some of that into some oatmeal and voila, amazingness.

My mom made me this breakfast when my grandparents came up the other day to say goodbye.  I couldn't resist spending a morning with all of them AND having my favorite breakfast.

okay enough of that.  I leave tomorrow--I cannot believe it.  That would probably explain my spastic posts today since I am beginning to enter the phase of slight freak out. Honestly pretty good for me since I didn't realize how fast the summer would go by before leaving and whelp, its almost here!

I will definitely be posting tomorrow as I sit and wait in JFK, hello 4 hour layover! So, stay tuned and bare with me while I spend a day traveling and crossing the atlantic ocean from upstate new york all the way to cape town!

Home Sweet Home

With my time at home quickly dwindling away I made sure to make the most of every last second.  Yesterday Brendan and I went to Grimes Glen in Naples, NY.  This is a great place to hike and walk up to an enormous waterfall that towers above.  I brought along my telephoto camera lens to work on some shooting prior to leaving for South Africa and thought i'd share some shots from the day:

Photo Credit: Brendan Ewing

Photo Credit: Brendan Ewing

I'd highly suggest checking out Grimes Glen and the surrounding NY area.  It honestly is a hidden treasure up a dead end road that you would miss on any casual drive through the small village.  While there I would also go into Monica's Pies (prior to entering Naples) and pick up some Concord jelly and Grape Pie!

South Africa: Less Than a Week

It is official, I leave in less than a week!  I honestly cannot believe how fast the past few weeks have flown by. From working and meeting up with friends to packing and making numerous lists of items to buy and bring with me, I am beyond ready to celebrate my departure and arrival in Cape Town.

I still don't think that the trip itself has hit me yet which is surprising since my living room is currently being taken over with suitcases and backpacks along with my trust peanut butter.  Call me crazy but I need that stuff to live, that and oatmeal.  Packing has been such a challenge but something that I need to work on if I am going to be a world traveler as a side job. 

My essentials include peanut butter, oatmeal, a journal, trusty book to read on the plane, ALL of my stomach meds (haha), work clothes, pillowcase, things that remind me of home etc.

Yesterday I added to this list with a new maxi dress and jean jacket.  Okay so maybe the jean jacket is a bit outdated but I swear they are back in style and look great with a maxi dress...I tested this theory out today and actually got quite a few compliments!  Can you say goodwill $20 for a like-new gap jacket? I can!

I also went and picked up this book at Barnes and Noble:

I was contemplating between In Defense of Food by Michael Pollen and another book called Why We Get Fat which discusses the issues of food in America but I decided those were too technical or "rant-y" for me.  Healthy Tipping Point seemed like a good easy read that takes you through clean eating, exercising and mental success--a little self help-y but i'll let you know how it goes.

I also picked up a new moleskin journal to write down more personal thoughts and experiences.  I figured that this blog probably won't be online for the rest of my life and I wanted something a bit more concrete that I can look back on down the road when I am older.

So let's start the countdown, less than 4 days since today is halfway over.  I am so extremely excited to meet everyone on my trip and have the experiences of a lifetime. 

South Africa: A Little Background

I wanted to start this section of a blog as a place for me to share my adventures with friends, family and loved ones back at home while I am off experiencing all that Cape Town has to offer. This is the opportunity of a lifetime and I plan to share my greatest moments here as a way for me to remember and a chance for you to keep up with me while I am gone for six weeks.

A brief history on how I came to choose Cape Town:

While I was attending HWS for freshman and sophomore years of college I had dreamt of studying abroad in some lovely european city with easy access to numerous other cities--a way for me to see ALL of Europe in one semester so to speak--isn't that every students dream while studying abroad?

I applied to three programs in the fall of my sophomore year (an Honors program in Maastrict, Netherlands; Galway, Ireland; and Copenhagen, Denmark).  I was accepted to the honors program and decided that it would be the most academically rewarding program and a special opportunity for me to represent HWS.  However, I did not feel the excitement I was hoping to feel upon receiving my acceptance letter.

Since I ended up transferring to UR this past fall I gave up my spot on the Netherlands program--a decision that took much consideration since I have ALWAYS known that I wanted to study abroad.  I was left with the excitement of starting at a new school but also serious confusion over if I was missing out on a major part of college and letting go of one of my biggest dreams.

Come this past winter I knew that I had to go abroad.  The travel bug had bitten again (not to sound completely ridiculous) and I decided to apply to an internship program in London, England where  I would expand my work in public health by working with local hospital administration.  I was dead set on studying in London and told everyone I knew that I would most likely be going. While applying I came across the IES South Africa program and on a whim decided to apply as a backup.

By the time I had finished both applications and awaited a reply from the abroad office, I had this instinctual feeling that I belonged in South Africa not London.  My acceptance letter came a day or so later and I can remember the feeling of joy, excitement and the strong desire to go up and yell to every person I passed that I was accepted--this was the feeling I had always thought I would have and I knew at that moment that I would accept South Africa despite my acceptance to London.

So here I am, one month out from boarding a plane to South Africa.  I am beyond excited (though I'm sure you know this already) and cannot wait to pack, board and arrive!

For further posts on South Africa please refer to the upper section of my blog labeled, "South Africa 2012"