Healthcare and Humankind

It is safe to say that the week’s end does not bring about the intending rest and relaxation but more typically brings about business and potential adventure. As the fifth week of my African adventure comes to a close there was certainly no exception to this trend.

After finishing up with the kids at Sparrow on Thursday, Simone and I looked ahead to Friday and I began to prepare myself for my first day of shadowing at Helen Joseph Public Hospital in Johannesburg. For our first day, Simone and I jumping in head first and making up the time that we had lost because of the health workers strike. The morning started with sitting in Dr. Thapelo Maotoe, the supervisor of the Right to Care: Themba Lethu HIV Clinic of Helen Joseph. With Dr. Maotoe, I received my first glimpse of the physician-patient relationship held between an HIV Clinician and their HIV positive patient. While the patient situations were pretty routine and relaxed for the day, it was hard not to feel a welling up of emotion for the personal struggle being taken on by each of the HIV patients. Their entire lives have been transformed by their disease and I they must walk such a thin, regimented line to make the most of their situation. Dr. Maotoe was very kind in explaining each patient situation to us so that we could gain the most of the experience, but as he said, with every patient you must just work the pieces of the puzzle out over time to get a clear picture.

For the second portion of our day, we were given the privilege of attending Ward Rounds with several of the doctors at the hospital. The our session, we visited two different wards and I was put face to face with patients suffering from HIV and renal failure to MDR TB and liver dysfunction. Needless to say, it was very powerful to be in the presence of doctors brainstorming their method of attack for each patient’s problems, especially since so many of the disorders have been ones that I have only read about. The day provided me with a great first taste of the South African healthcare system and I look forward to spending time each week learning and experiencing more.

Having finished another long work week, Simone and I decided that it was time to embark on our weekly adventure. This week we choice to examine the rich human history associated with Africa which led us to the area known as the Cradle of Humankind at Maropeng and the Sterkfontein Caves. At Maropeng, an incredibly designed museum human history (below), we ventured through the fascinating displays discussing the creation of our planet, the development of humankind, and the history of life. The exhibition started with an exciting underground river boat ride which acted as a sort of recreation of the planet’s formation by the four elements (Earth, Air, Water, and Fire). At this, we made our way through the many displays, examining the evolution and extinction of different forms of life and fossils from some of the oldest know hominid (human) descendents.

From the architecturally beautiful and informative Maropeng, Simone and I ventured to the Sterkfontein Caves where we were able to go deep into the underground caves where many of the earliest human fossils have been found. This was truly my favorite part of the day! Never before had I experienced the beauty and thrill of being meters below ground, seeing the wonders of the natural world. Our hour long tour took us in to great stretches of caves and so particularly fun squeezes (below). Thank goodness I have been going to the gym! All and all, it was great day of fun and discovery!

Wins julle was hier (Wish you all were here in Afrikaans)

Mike

One Month Down

Greetings all! I must apologize for the lateness of this most recent blog entry. It has been a crazy last week or so. Part of the reason for the craziness is that my computer is currently dead. The problem seems to be with either windows or the hard drive but regardless of the exact issue this has been very frustrating and quite inconvenient. Thankfully, we have been able to track down a Toshiba shop where they are currently working on the issue and have informed me that they are able to honor my current warranty. Right now I just have to keep my fingers crossed, hope that things won’t take too long, and be very gentle as I use Simone’s computer.

But of the last week, I am happy to say that not everything I have to report is of the negative nature. Simone and I have been getting along well at Sparrow Village, bonding with the kids and helping to make their days more exciting. The South African teacher’s strike has just been surrendered as of this Monday and today is the first day in over two weeks that the kids are back in school. While the strikes were on, we found ourselves doing our best to get the kids in an academic and creative mind set. Some of the highlights have been leading the kids in a drawing contest for the annual holiday of Spring Day (pictured below), and helping several groups of kids organize performances for the upcoming Heritage Day celebration. Every year, the children of Sparrow put together various cultural performances that bring to life the rich background and culture of South Africa. I look forward to posting pictures in two weeks from the celebration but until then I am happy to share a glimpse of the fun time we are having with the kids (below).

Beyond working at Sparrow, Simone and I have been busy going to the gym, working on medical school secondary application, and planning out our activities for the rest of the trip. Our most recent adventure was to the Johannesburg Zoo where we spent hours taking in the exciting sights of elephants, rhinos, hippos and many, MANY incredible animals (below). So far it looks like we are set to have a new adventure every week so plenty more to come soon!

As always, I hope that you all are doing well back home and I miss you all! It is hard to think that we have been here for over a month already but no amount of time can make me forget any of you back home. I am hoping to send out some emails to everyone soon but please feel free to drop me a line if you have some time! I would love to hear what is new and exciting with all of you!

Ek sal met julle later praat (Talk to you all later in Afrikaans)

Mike :)

P.S. I had wrote a blog entry for August 31st that never got posted because of my computer problems. If my hard drive does not get wiped then I will hopefully one day post the lost entry...will see...

A Close Encounter with Some of the Locals

As I head toward the end of week three, Simone and I were eager to take on a new adventure. With the hospitals still on strike, we were left with a free Friday and endless possibilities. After some researching the night before, we set our sight on an early morning trip to the Lion Park, a mere 25 minute drive south of Joburg. Today I was going to do something that I would have never expected I would do in my life…walk calming into a pen with a dozen juvenile lions!

The Lion Park was set up with three main attraction areas. The first area that we headed off to was the Lion Cub Pens. Here we were met by some of the cutest, laziest lions, basking in the morning sun. With it being a non-holiday Friday morning, there was hardly anyone at the park as we were wandered around and took pictures of the lions, cheetahs, and hyenas. Before long we made our way around to the entrance of the lion cub pen where we could go in and enjoy playtime with the sleepy little cubs. As I walked into the double gated fence, reading all of the warning signs around me, I wondered if I was making a wise decision. I can honestly say that I did! We were able to do right up to the wandering cubs and pet them. Simone and I made our way around the pen, making new furry friends. Some of the cubs were a little on the feisty side, one going as hard as biting a little whole into Simone’s shorts! My guess is that that cub felt she looked tastier that I did :) It is hard to describe how exciting yet anxious I was around the cubs, but I was able to break down and get some pretty cute pictures with some of them (below).

After the lion cub pen, we made our way over to the main wildlife fence that put us with in arms reach of giraffes, ostriches, and zebra. For a bit of change we were able to by some food pellets and we gained quick popularity amongst the animals. Most of our time with spent feeding the one giraffe, which quickly became my favorite animal at the park. The gorgeous and HUGE animal devoured the treats straight from our hands (below); leaving a rather slimy mess on our hands I must say! I was truly a once in a lifetime experience…

After a short break for a picnic lunch that Simone and I have prepared, it was off to the next to portions of the park: the self-driven safari game drive and a drive through the adult lion park. Piloting our little manual Toyota, we drove into through the safari were we were surrounded by springbuck, wildebeest, zebra, ostrich, and main others (below). Putting our way through the game drive, we made our way to the main attraction…the adult lion pens. We made a way through three highly gated pens and before we knew it, we had the company of several different packs of lion right outside our car doors. Many of the lions allowed us to pass by as they rested, but others became more curious and scouted out our teal hatchback with great curiosity (below). While I knew that the car door would protect me…I did not want that aspect of protection to be tested!

What a day full of memories! The experience is one that I will surely never forget!

Wat ‘n dag! (What a day! in Afrikaans)

Mike

Getting into a Routine

Just as it goes back home, Simone and I have been doing our best to get into a routine over here. This has put me into quite a situation. I am happy to be adding another post to my blog but sadly I feel that my everyday life over here is not always the most interesting thing to document. Though things have been pretty low key as of lately, here is a brief update of what has been going on.

Thankfully, at the top of the list, Simone is no longer sick! We kind of lost a week there where we mostly stuck around the house so she could recover, but it was all worth. At the same time, even though I was not sick, I think it was good for me to have some downtime. It is easy to get caught up with the idea that we need to be running around doing something every minute of the day but that’s not a very realistic mentality. We were able to enjoy some little trips to some surrounding shopping malls and the great thing that we have discovered is that almost everything is roughly 10-15 minutes in any direction. Benefit of living in the city for sure!

Since Simone’s recovery, we have made our way back to the gym and back to Sparrow. We have hit some unexpected snags though. One major snag is that for the last two weeks, the public school teachers and the hospital workers have been on a pretty major strike. This has left of unable to go to Sparrow some days (many due to safety reasons). This has been a bit frustrating but at least we know that we will be here for the next four months and the strike will only go on so much longer. What is really sad are all the school children and hospital patients who are being neglected due to the strike. Some of the footage we have seen on the news has been terrible but I am keeping my hopes high that everyone will get their priorities straight soon!

As the days move forward, Simone and I are just trying to work through medical school secondary applications and plan our day according to what we are given. I want to say thanks to everyone who has sent me a comment or an email so far! I can’t tell you how much it means to me to hear from each of you. I must say, South Africa is a beautiful and lively country, but nothing makes me forget about home and all of you that I care so much about! Hope you hear more from everyone soon!

Well I guess that is all for now. I image as we get through the weekend, I will have more interesting things to write about. Until then I have attached some photos that I have taken while trying to complete Simone’s Culture Hunt List. For those of you who don’t know, as part of my birthday present, Simone made me a list of various things I need to see/accomplish while in Africa. She is such a sweetheart :). Below you will see Number 6 – Have a South African Beer, and Number 33 – Find Heinz Ketchup.

Tot volgende tyd (Till next time in Afrikaans)

Mike

Bring On The Kids

Since our big game park weekend, the latest adventure that Simone and I have been dealing with has sadly been illness. Simone has been battling the flu for the last three days so that has left us a bit sidelined. But to help us from getting cabin fever, we have been trying to take little trips to new places. I’m still not a huge fan of city living but one perk is that every place of social interest is typically only ten to fifteen minutes away. As a starter, we have been visiting many of the numerous shopping plazas and trying out the different South African restaurants. This has been very hopefully at making me feel more at home in Johannesburg.

With a bit of the week behind us, today was a day that I was both looking extremely forward to and very scared of at the first time. After several much needed flu recovery days we were finally ready to start working with the kids at Sparrow Village. Thankfully, our skills with the manual transmission have improved to the point where we can navigate the highway and traffic well enough to get us back and forth to volunteering. Having the driving obstacle overcome relieves a lot of stress for me but I was still nervous about how I might find myself working around the kids at Sparrow. Little did I know, I was about to jump in head first to the experience

As Simone and I made our way to the study center (pictured below) we were informed that most of the children did not have school today due to a recent teachers’ strike so rather than working with the average dozen kids at a time, the study center was packed with almost all of the children of the Sparrow Community. We made our way in and were introduced to Stacey, another American volunteer. Stacey was quick to introduce us to the children and give us the simple overview of the situation. The room head children of every age and grade and if they were in need of help; all we needed to do was look for a raised hand. Doesn’t sound too bad… Of course as soon as we were introduced as new tutors from American, hands began shooting up all over the room seeking our help.
At first sight of all the kids, I thought that I was in way over my head. Simone was heading off in one direction to help a group with her much sought after Afrikaans knowledge, but what was I good for. Thankfully, I had the kids on my side. Bright-eyed and smiling, several young students lead me over to their desks to assist with their assignment. Before I had enough time to question my abilities to help, two young girls, Jackie and Lunga were talking through their assignments and I was helping them to unravel where they were stuck. It felt so good to see their happiness when I was able to push them along to solving a problem or answering a question. It was a great achievement for them, but I don’t think they knew how much of they had done for me.

Soon enough, the kids were finishing up most of their assignments and leaving for the day. The once filled study hall was emptying out and Simone and I were straightening things up when we noticed a little shy boy who had wandered in nervously clutching his notebook. Little Simon, was there to practice his counting and writing his letters. The innocence of Simon (pictured below) and the smile on his face as we helped him to write his own name melted my heart. It was this moment—this little boy—that made me recall what this trip was all about. All I can say now is bring on the kids. :)
Hoop julle almal is goed! (Hope you all are well in Afrikaans)

Life On The Game Farm

What a weekend! The last two days have been like I have never experienced. Saturday morning we woke up at 4:45 AM (that was pretty awful I have to admit) and made our way to the Mabula Lodge and Game Resort. Here I got to meet Simone’s Aunt, Uncle and cousins who were visiting from Canada. It was definitely and international event! After settling in at thatch-roofed guest house, we took in the sights of the beautiful African wilderness [pictured above] as we grilled up (or braaied as South Africans refer to it) some boerewors (a very popular South African sausage made of chicken and pork) and some delicious lamb chops. In true South African style, all of the food was braaied over and open charcoal and wood fire. If this wasn’t a great enough experience, dining with us were some guest whom before this weekend I had only known from the Lion King. The entire time, there were countless horn-bill birds, warthogs and even a few monkeys [pictured below] that wandered around the area.

After lunch, we went to a hike around the park to take in the sun and the sights. Several of the walking trailed were closed off because the bull elephants were in heat and we were happy to follow such warnings which would prevent what would be a most unpleasant elephant stomping. As the day wore on, we packed up and moved to the Mabalingwe Game Resort about 20 km were our group would be saying for the night. At Mabalingwe, we were met by even more beautiful sights, accommodations, and wildlife, including impala and nyala. Here, the warthogs and monkeys were even more friendly…or bold if you would like to see it that way. One pesky monkey snuck through cracked open door and we had to chase it out of the house. Sadly before leaving, it pooped on Simone’s bed!

Sunday afternoon we made our way back to Johannesburg to start up the week and though we all had a great experience, I know it will be good to get back into the “normal routine.” Not to mention that I will probably sleep better if I am not woken in the middle of the night by the sound of a lions roaring (that was terrifying!).

Gelukige Maandag (Happy Monday!)

Finding My Way

Greetings all! It has been a busy first week. Over that last few days, Simone and I have been getting out bodies adjusted to the 6 hour time difference and navigating the various areas of Johannesburg. As I am not from the city, I am thankful that we are residing in the outskirts of Johannesburg but getting around comes with its cultural differences. For one, South Africa, like the UK, operates with the steering wheel on right side of the car and oncoming traffic traveling on the left. That for one is crazy enough, but on top of that I am currently relearning the joys of a manual transmission. Relearning may be a stretch… It has been a little rough at first but now Simone and I have the freedom to drive around to different places as we want and need. This makes me very happy because now we can lighten the burden on Simone’s Father who is being a more than accommodating host.

With driving under control, I feel that we are being to get into the grove of being here for such a long time. It is so essential to get on to a schedule just so days feel like they have more structure and purpose. Of course the major purpose of the trip has been for us to volunteer at Sparrow Village which is a HIV/AIDS orphanage and hospice for children ages infant to 18. Thursday was our first day at this wonderful place and we both can tell already that it this is going to be a life changing experience. Our first day at Sparrow consisted mainly of meet-and-greets, and tours. We meet with many of the administrators of the Village, including Rev. Corrine McClintock, who is the incredible woman who created the idea of the Sparrow Village when she began taking in and caring for dying HIV/AIDS patients in her very own home. Since then, a unique campus of dome shaped buildings (pictured below) has been created to shelter nearly 270 children. Over the years, Sparrow Village has been able to not only improve the comfort leave of things for the children but to provide them with the opportunities for a more rewarding life. And that is where we come into the picture. Many of the children have been enrolled in schools around the area, and to help them earn an education, Simone and I will be tutoring the children in afternoons and assisting with homework. As time goes on we hope to help organize activities for the children and help out in any other ways that they might need us but for now we are just ecstatic about being a part of this wonderful place. (To find out more about Sparrow Village, check out their website at http://www.sparrowvillage.co.za)

Of the other places that we have been traveling to, the best one has to be the gym. Simone’s Dad and girlfriend had recently joined a local gym and after having a discussion with the gym’s management, they were willing to give Simone and I a discounted membership for the four month period in which we are here. Very excited! The place (Fit-Stop) is only about 10 minutes away from the house and will be give us the opportunity to get in better shape while the two of us are on this great adventure.

So far, discovering Africa has been both exciting and rewarding and I know there is much MUCH more to come in the following weeks. Just this weekend, Simone and I will be venturing North with her family to experience life on a bush farm (wild game resorts). I look forward to posting many exciting things from this exciting trip in the coming days!

Al die beste (All the best)