I am sorry it has taken me so long to be able to post but I have very limited Internet access. I'm typing this from my roommate's iPad. I'm working on getting a portable modem to use with my laptop in the next week.
Let me paint a picture for you: you are walking down a road that is made of potholes and as you pass people they're eyes are locked on you the entire time. They mumble and sometimes shout "mazungo" which translates to "white person" or "European" and they're eyes do not leave you even when you are out of sight. The main road is full of busy busses that are old 12 passenger vans turned into public transportation filled with 50 plus people at all times. As you walk out to signal you wish to get on, the people are shocked. A few stops down you yell out "shosha" (stop) and suddenly the stairs triple because no one expects you to know a word of Kiswahili.
This is called 8am.
The hospital I work is called mwanayamala. Translated this means "baby don't cry" ironically as it is always filled with crying babies. The level of sanitation is probably the most concerning aspect of the hospital. There is only a few air conditioned areas so the rest of the hospital is cooled by open windows, which allows the many flies to contaminate the wounds that are left open between nurses caring for the hundred or so patients in each ward
In the last week and a half I have learned so much. On my first day at the hospital I did rounds with the surgery medical students. There is roughly 30 of them that are completing a part of their rotations at the hospital. During rounds we go to each patient in the surgery ward and go over there condition and treatment. However this means undressing their wounds and leaving it undressed for up to a hour. The patients are cleaned and redressed after all of rounds are completed.
During this I met two UK doctors that are here doing an elective. During lunch break we decided to go down to the minor theatre, which is where patients with minor wounds and issues are seen. The nurse working had a list of over 100 patients he was suppose to see that day, which didn't include the emergency patients that came through. After the qualified UK doctors were willing to assist the nurse, he left us to run the ward ourselves. We went through all 100 patients and 5 or 6 emergency patients. The one patient that remains in my memory is a man that came in at noon with open gashes covering his head. He had a gash on his lip that was so deep, the septum under his nasal cavity was open. All three of us worked on him for over a hour. I did my first stitches on his head, directed by the UK doctors.
On Wednesday and Thursdays they do major surgeries. So clad in my scrubs and crocs, I watched surgeries for 6 hours each day. Many removals of hernias and Caesarian sections, and two thyroid removals. The surgeons are very willing to teach during the surgeries and let us scrub in to assist whenever we want. The atmosphere is light and happy, many of the surgeons wanted to know a lot about me as we worked. The anesthesiologist first told me I was old and should be married already. But the next day he told me we were getting married and now calls me "my baby" every time I see him! But I think his true intentions is for me to give him my scrubs when I leave, as they were all auctioning them off.
Next week I am working in the labor ward which should be very exciting and apparently very hands on.
My family is AMAZING. My sisters are Careen (age 10) and Carol (age 6). The speak very good English. Which is very fortunate because the grandmother who takes care of the hours doesn't speak any English. When I first got here my house mother wasn't here because she is a doctor at a hospital very far away. But she came home about 6 days ago and has really been the most welcoming person I've ever met. Her food is really good compared to the food many of the other volunteers. I have struggled with being a picky eater my whole life and I made a promise to myself I would eat any thing in front of me. As I've done that, I've eaten eggs for breakfast most days which I've struggled my whole life to like. Three days later and I woke up craving them! Lunch is mostly rice, beans, a meat, and vegetables. Dinner is similar. The fruit is amazing though because it is always so fresh. I eat fish off the bones most meals which I would normally never wold have eaten in America.
We now have 3 volunteers staying here and l am so thankful for them because traveling and doing all of this with someone else is much better.
Today I went to the beach all day. Just a little taste of home. The other volunteers range from places all over, many from Denmark and England. I'm one of the older people here because many of them are on gap years after high school.
There is still so much to say but I'm hogging the little Internet we have. Next weekend I'm going on safari and will for sure have a post after that. Hope everyone is well in America and soaking up their summer. Oh by the way, I had a woman tell me I looked like I had lived in Africa for much longer than two weeks because I was much tanner than most "mazungos"....best compliment ever.
