A few days ago, Simone and I said goodbye to Sparrow Village and the wonderful children and staff that treated us so well these last few months. Due to the flipped season on this side of the world, the kids academic summer break began at the beginning of December. After our long sessions of exam preparation, we were able to spend our last days at Sparrow, organizing activities for the kids. All activities came to a culminating point on our last day, we Simone and I organized a huge Scavenger Hunt around the whole village. The children really seemed to enjoy themselves and it seems that the event may become and annual activity. Our time ended with heart felt goodbyes and thanks, but Simone and I both knew that experience of being at Sparrow Village is one that will never truly leave us.
Along with finishing up at Sparrow, Simone and I made our last trip to shadow at the Themba Lethu HIV Clinic at Helen Joseph Hospital this past week. After spending the majority of the day shadowing with Dr. Andrew Ndekera, Simone and I made one last trip through the clinic and hospital. It has been a very eye-opening experience to see the first hand battle against HIV in South Africa, as well as seeing the struggles of international health care systems. As Simone and I prepare for our medical education to begin in May, I will look forward to reflecting on our time at Themba Lethu and using what I have seen and learned to drive me to make a difference in both domestic and international health care.
With our work behind us, Simone and have filled our last days with as many adventures that we can and I am excited to say that much of time has been filled successfully. Two days ago, we started our morning with a three hour drive north of Johannesburg to Sun City. Here at Sun City, we were able to taking in the sights and sounds of one of Africa's most renown epicenters of entertainment. While we were able to enjoy the atmosphere of the incredible palace, entertainment center, and water park, our purpose for being at Sun City was much more exciting than flashing lights and beautiful decorations. We had a date with elephants.
Located on the premise of Sun City is the Pilanesberg National Park, which is home to numerous wildlife interaction experiences. Of these experiences, Simone and I had booked a two hour elephant interaction lunch, where we were able to feed, pet and dine along side six gorgeous African elephants. Needless to say the experience was breathtaking. Standing face-to-face with the larger land mammal in the world, Simone and I hand feed five adult elephants and enjoyed the company of a adorable 20 month old baby elephant. It was hard not to be intimidated by the size and power of these gentle giants, but the intelligence of these animals as we feed them put our minds at ease. Simone did have an especially close interaction with one elephant as she was accidentally knocked over by the bull of the group, but thankfully she was fine. In the end, it was truly a once in a life time experience!
Being back in the business of the city, Simone and I have been busy taking in the wonders and excitement to be found in downtown Joburg. Yesterday, Simone and I made a trip to the South African Brewery (SAB) World of Beer. Rated as the number one tourist attraction in Joburg for 2009, the SAB World of Beer featured a 90 minute tour, discussing the history of beer from ancient Egypt, its development through the ages, and its current manufacturing process. The tour was not only informative and interesting, but interactive as we were physically moved through the different eras of beer development and it's own history in South Africa.
At the end of the day, even with all of my adventures, I am still very excited to come home to my family, friends, and way of life in America, but I am very glad to say that our time here in South Africa has been life changing. With six days left before we head to O.R. Thambo Airport, we plan to squeeze in a few more adventures while we are packing up our bags. Hope to blog one more time before our big flight!
Tot volgende tyd (Until next time in Afrikaans)
Mike
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