Saturday, February 6, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Home Time....
Hello everyone...
This will be my last blog from Africa :(:( Tomorrow is the big day for returning to the motherland to go back to uni- on MONDAY. I can't believe how quick it's all happened!!
So I know there's a fair bit missing here....
I've had big problems with getting the internet. I would love to put up some photos for you, but this computer doesn't have the capability and Zambia's was too slow!!
So I've spent the last 10 days at MMM in Ndola catching up with everyone I met last time I was there. I did a little bit of 'work' in health education- teaching basic child health and HIV awareness to the ladies who help with the Kantolomba feeding program (a program Romaine church supports to make sure the children of this entire suburb at least get one meal a week), and to the women learning to write read and sew at the Women in Need project in Kafubu (they were attempting to teach me to sew, but I'm not going to be a tailor any time soon).
I've been hanging out with my friend Buseko (who is going to be a doctor!!!) and babysitting kids a fair bit, especially Mwa (short for Mwatenuma)who lives in the house next door to where I was staying (Ba Lonswita's house!). Photos will come...
I've been driving around the crazy potholes (which are overflowing with water at this time of year because of the rain) in the beat up MMM mazda. It's been fun- crazy driving!!!
So I'm now in Jo'burg for my last night and will arrive back in Melbourne on Friday night. AS much as I love it here I think it's time for me to come home- I miss you all. And my language skills aren't improving (Although my Bemba is better than my SiSwati was, so it's getting there).
Will post photos from home!!!
See you all soon
Luv Lou
This will be my last blog from Africa :(:( Tomorrow is the big day for returning to the motherland to go back to uni- on MONDAY. I can't believe how quick it's all happened!!
So I know there's a fair bit missing here....
I've had big problems with getting the internet. I would love to put up some photos for you, but this computer doesn't have the capability and Zambia's was too slow!!
So I've spent the last 10 days at MMM in Ndola catching up with everyone I met last time I was there. I did a little bit of 'work' in health education- teaching basic child health and HIV awareness to the ladies who help with the Kantolomba feeding program (a program Romaine church supports to make sure the children of this entire suburb at least get one meal a week), and to the women learning to write read and sew at the Women in Need project in Kafubu (they were attempting to teach me to sew, but I'm not going to be a tailor any time soon).
I've been hanging out with my friend Buseko (who is going to be a doctor!!!) and babysitting kids a fair bit, especially Mwa (short for Mwatenuma)who lives in the house next door to where I was staying (Ba Lonswita's house!). Photos will come...
I've been driving around the crazy potholes (which are overflowing with water at this time of year because of the rain) in the beat up MMM mazda. It's been fun- crazy driving!!!
So I'm now in Jo'burg for my last night and will arrive back in Melbourne on Friday night. AS much as I love it here I think it's time for me to come home- I miss you all. And my language skills aren't improving (Although my Bemba is better than my SiSwati was, so it's getting there).
Will post photos from home!!!
See you all soon
Luv Lou
Friday, January 22, 2010
Elective...DONE
Just saying hey coz I'm online...
And that I've finished my elective!! So fast- I was a bit teary saying goodbye. I'm off to Jo'burg tomorrow (woohoo, another 8 hours on a bus...) and will be spending Sunday hopefully in Soweto before my trip to the big Zed (as Georgina calls it).
Will email again from Jo burg
Luv Louise
And that I've finished my elective!! So fast- I was a bit teary saying goodbye. I'm off to Jo'burg tomorrow (woohoo, another 8 hours on a bus...) and will be spending Sunday hopefully in Soweto before my trip to the big Zed (as Georgina calls it).
Will email again from Jo burg
Luv Louise
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Long time no post....
Hey everyone,
Just letting you know I'm still alive. And still in Swaziland! This is my last week here- I spend the weekend in Johannesburg, and then travel to Ndola, ZAMBIA on Monday (very, very excited!)
We've had some communication difficulties here over the past few days (somebody dug up the main communication cable in the Ezulwini Valley, which is the most important cable in Swaziland), so my blogs and texts have been few lately!
I'm having a great time over here working- I'm just settling in and I have to leave! I now have retained enough information to see patients on my own, and can treat most things without help. I've had a few insane cases that have been hard- today I diagnosed HIV TB in a man with a chest X-ray that had probably every pathology you could think of (TB, pleural effusion, pericardial effusion, PCP pneumonia, enlarged lymphnodes- I couldn't see a cancer, but there wasn't any room left to find one!)
I had an awful day last week in Paeds (which is normally my favourite). Lots of babies died. Unfortunantly I saw one in the morning which died in the afternoon because the nurse looking after it didn't realise it couldn't breathe. The nurses are not well trained, and she had no idea that this baby was so sick.
One of the saddest things about Swaziland is the lack of good education. The country is going nowhere, because there is nothing for the people to go on to. Once someone finishes school, there are so few jobs that most stay at home on the homestead and do nothing (which gets into a big cycle of doing nothing). The level of education in Swaziland that can be achieved is so poor, that most must go and finish a complete degree at a Swazi university or repeat year 11 and 12 in South Africa before any good university will take them. most people can't afford this, and the competition is high, so a lot of very bright people are left in desperate poverty because they cannot train or get a job. This is so different to Zambia, where I saw that there were at least some opportunities for people- more hope to get out of the cycle.
I've spent a few days out with the Home Base Care team, who travel out to homesteads to visit families who can't afford to come into the hospital. This is the real Swaziland- I saw the way they really live (in smelly, EXTREMELY hot huts with everyone together). I saw a whole family of children with pot bellies full of worms- tthe worms I'm sure were getting more food than they were. It's a great program, they give out medicines and food for anyone on ARV's (for HIV). A lot of these people would die without this care. They also provide money for anyone who really needs to come to hospital. Kathleen, they lasy who lives with me, works with this team and is setting up a charity organisation to help support it and the communities they visit. It's been great getting to see this take action!
I've also been visiting more game parks and playing a lot of cards with Kathleen's crew of teenage boys who come to visit her (she's known them since they were tiny and the tradition is Friday night game night!).
I also had a good bout of diarrhoea last week which made me pretty unwell. Probably caught it from the hospital! (WOuldn't be surprised if I require TB treatment when I get home either...)
So this weekend I travel to Jo'burg to make the connection with my flight to Ndola! YAY ZAMBIA! I spend 10 days there before travelling back to SAf to get my flight home to Melbourne, then onwards to Ballarat and final year!
It's happened REALLY fast. I feel like I was in Cape Town yesterday.
I've learned lots and lots and lots about being a doctor already, and lots about me (because I've had a lot of spare time by myself whilst travelling to think, which has it's good and bad points!)
I'm a bit mixed about coming home. I miss you all and am dying to speak English properly to someone who understands, and not have to struggle to learn SiSwati (it's a REALLY hard language, it has a lot of silent sounds and clicks etc).
But I like Africa. It's much less stressful here! And I waste less of my life on the internet!!!
So, I shall be off now, and I'll try to post some photos in Jo'burg (otherwise I'll have to wait til I get home, which is annoying!)
See you all in a few weeks!!!! Looking forward to hearing everyone's travel stories (I know SO many people away at the moment!!)
Louise
Mum, if you're reading this, can you please find out for me how to get in to Zambia...I don't know what sort of Visa to get and I don't want to be kicked out of the country. they carry machine guns there...
Just letting you know I'm still alive. And still in Swaziland! This is my last week here- I spend the weekend in Johannesburg, and then travel to Ndola, ZAMBIA on Monday (very, very excited!)
We've had some communication difficulties here over the past few days (somebody dug up the main communication cable in the Ezulwini Valley, which is the most important cable in Swaziland), so my blogs and texts have been few lately!
I'm having a great time over here working- I'm just settling in and I have to leave! I now have retained enough information to see patients on my own, and can treat most things without help. I've had a few insane cases that have been hard- today I diagnosed HIV TB in a man with a chest X-ray that had probably every pathology you could think of (TB, pleural effusion, pericardial effusion, PCP pneumonia, enlarged lymphnodes- I couldn't see a cancer, but there wasn't any room left to find one!)
I had an awful day last week in Paeds (which is normally my favourite). Lots of babies died. Unfortunantly I saw one in the morning which died in the afternoon because the nurse looking after it didn't realise it couldn't breathe. The nurses are not well trained, and she had no idea that this baby was so sick.
One of the saddest things about Swaziland is the lack of good education. The country is going nowhere, because there is nothing for the people to go on to. Once someone finishes school, there are so few jobs that most stay at home on the homestead and do nothing (which gets into a big cycle of doing nothing). The level of education in Swaziland that can be achieved is so poor, that most must go and finish a complete degree at a Swazi university or repeat year 11 and 12 in South Africa before any good university will take them. most people can't afford this, and the competition is high, so a lot of very bright people are left in desperate poverty because they cannot train or get a job. This is so different to Zambia, where I saw that there were at least some opportunities for people- more hope to get out of the cycle.
I've spent a few days out with the Home Base Care team, who travel out to homesteads to visit families who can't afford to come into the hospital. This is the real Swaziland- I saw the way they really live (in smelly, EXTREMELY hot huts with everyone together). I saw a whole family of children with pot bellies full of worms- tthe worms I'm sure were getting more food than they were. It's a great program, they give out medicines and food for anyone on ARV's (for HIV). A lot of these people would die without this care. They also provide money for anyone who really needs to come to hospital. Kathleen, they lasy who lives with me, works with this team and is setting up a charity organisation to help support it and the communities they visit. It's been great getting to see this take action!
I've also been visiting more game parks and playing a lot of cards with Kathleen's crew of teenage boys who come to visit her (she's known them since they were tiny and the tradition is Friday night game night!).
I also had a good bout of diarrhoea last week which made me pretty unwell. Probably caught it from the hospital! (WOuldn't be surprised if I require TB treatment when I get home either...)
So this weekend I travel to Jo'burg to make the connection with my flight to Ndola! YAY ZAMBIA! I spend 10 days there before travelling back to SAf to get my flight home to Melbourne, then onwards to Ballarat and final year!
It's happened REALLY fast. I feel like I was in Cape Town yesterday.
I've learned lots and lots and lots about being a doctor already, and lots about me (because I've had a lot of spare time by myself whilst travelling to think, which has it's good and bad points!)
I'm a bit mixed about coming home. I miss you all and am dying to speak English properly to someone who understands, and not have to struggle to learn SiSwati (it's a REALLY hard language, it has a lot of silent sounds and clicks etc).
But I like Africa. It's much less stressful here! And I waste less of my life on the internet!!!
So, I shall be off now, and I'll try to post some photos in Jo'burg (otherwise I'll have to wait til I get home, which is annoying!)
See you all in a few weeks!!!! Looking forward to hearing everyone's travel stories (I know SO many people away at the moment!!)
Louise
Mum, if you're reading this, can you please find out for me how to get in to Zambia...I don't know what sort of Visa to get and I don't want to be kicked out of the country. they carry machine guns there...
Friday, January 8, 2010
Halfway there :(
Sanibonani! Unjani?? (Hello, how are you…the entire extent of my Siswati…)
Hello again team who read my blogs (I have no idea who this includes...tell me sometime!)
I had a great long weekend last weekend, where I went to see a friend back in the Ezulwini Valley (the touristy/most populated part of Swaziland) and then went to the Incwala ceremony.
Incwala is the biggest tribal ceremony in Swaziland and has something to do with the blessing of the harvest, It goes for days and is quite detailed, and even after going, I still have no clue what it was a about! everyone dresses in tribal dress (including foreigners as much as possible) and enters the royal Kraal (temple) to dance and prayer- entirely in Siswati, so I didn't understand a word! I danced with them- which involve swaying from side to side with a reed in my hand for the majority of it. It was interesting...I couldn't see much of the goings on, but the King and his wives (he has 11 or 12) and the rest of the royal family were there. I didn't get any pictures, because they won't allow camera's into the kraal...sorry!
I've been back for a few days and working again. I spent today in paediatrics (my favourite), and am being trusted more and more to see patients on my own. Which is still too scary, as I'm pretty hopeless. I can take a history and examine, make a rough diagnosis and order tests, but when it comes to treatment I have no clue! Which means I have to study...which was something I was trying to avoid, but it has become a necessity :(
I'm spending tomorrow with the home Based Care team, who go out into the homes of patients to continue their care. This probably will be the most challenging part of my time here, as this is where I will see the true poverty of Swaziland. So far, the poverty has not been as extreme as in my trip to Zambia in 2008, but this may be because I have stuck mostly to the cities, and have not been to a typical Swazi home. I'm hoping it will be very rewarding.
I also have a room-mate, which is great! It means I have someone to talk to and will stop watching television so much!!! I like it. She's a nurse working in Home Based Care from the US. She's been here plenty of times before, so is good to have around.
I'm halfway through my trip already! This time in 4 weeks I will be on the plane Malaysia bound. Which is a bit sad, because I'm just getting settled in and am really loving the work here (as hard as it is). I'm having a great time now Christmas is over (haha!!)
I hope everyone is doing well! Remember you can text me if you want to...number is on another previous post!
See you all (too)soon!
Luv Lou
Hello again team who read my blogs (I have no idea who this includes...tell me sometime!)
I had a great long weekend last weekend, where I went to see a friend back in the Ezulwini Valley (the touristy/most populated part of Swaziland) and then went to the Incwala ceremony.
Incwala is the biggest tribal ceremony in Swaziland and has something to do with the blessing of the harvest, It goes for days and is quite detailed, and even after going, I still have no clue what it was a about! everyone dresses in tribal dress (including foreigners as much as possible) and enters the royal Kraal (temple) to dance and prayer- entirely in Siswati, so I didn't understand a word! I danced with them- which involve swaying from side to side with a reed in my hand for the majority of it. It was interesting...I couldn't see much of the goings on, but the King and his wives (he has 11 or 12) and the rest of the royal family were there. I didn't get any pictures, because they won't allow camera's into the kraal...sorry!
I've been back for a few days and working again. I spent today in paediatrics (my favourite), and am being trusted more and more to see patients on my own. Which is still too scary, as I'm pretty hopeless. I can take a history and examine, make a rough diagnosis and order tests, but when it comes to treatment I have no clue! Which means I have to study...which was something I was trying to avoid, but it has become a necessity :(
I'm spending tomorrow with the home Based Care team, who go out into the homes of patients to continue their care. This probably will be the most challenging part of my time here, as this is where I will see the true poverty of Swaziland. So far, the poverty has not been as extreme as in my trip to Zambia in 2008, but this may be because I have stuck mostly to the cities, and have not been to a typical Swazi home. I'm hoping it will be very rewarding.
I also have a room-mate, which is great! It means I have someone to talk to and will stop watching television so much!!! I like it. She's a nurse working in Home Based Care from the US. She's been here plenty of times before, so is good to have around.
I'm halfway through my trip already! This time in 4 weeks I will be on the plane Malaysia bound. Which is a bit sad, because I'm just getting settled in and am really loving the work here (as hard as it is). I'm having a great time now Christmas is over (haha!!)
I hope everyone is doing well! Remember you can text me if you want to...number is on another previous post!
See you all (too)soon!
Luv Lou
Friday, January 1, 2010
Electiveness...
Hey Hey Everyone!
I finally made the dial up at Good Shepherd work- it takes a bit of perserverance and patience, two qualities that I generally don't have, but am learning!
So I've finished my first week of elective here. It's been super hard. The medicine here is completely different to home, as I expected, and it's amazing how much you can forget in 2 weeks since finishing exams!
I've been working in a lot of different places, trying to get a general overview of tropical medicine. The three most common diagnoses here are HIV disease, TB and malaria (as opposed to MI, cancer, lung disease at home). I've seen STACKS of this, and also a lot of diabetes (which is very poorly controlled here and people are going blind and losing feet very quickly), strokes and trauma from the usual brawls of the holiday season and domestic violence.
It's been very eye opening. Here, because I'm a final year they treat me just like a doctor, so I can sign off on xrays, prescribe drugs and see patients on my own. Which I would find less daunting if they had diseases I knew about!!! I'm getting the hang of it though!
I'll put some photos up later of the busyness of this place. A typical day in outpatients we see around 250 patients between about 3 doctors (sometimes more). Nurses are given more responsibility here, so they help with the load too. People line up from around 6 in the morning for the outpatient department to open at 8am, and it is possible that if someone isn't keeping an eye on things people are so sick they could die just waiting to see a doctor. Fortunately, the orderly's are on the ball and recognise the sickest people and push them to the front.
I've also been allowed to do lumbar punctures and abdominal paracentesis' for the meddies out there. Not as hard as I thought- although septic technique here leaves a lot to be desired.
So I've had a great week here. I'm loving the work. I start at 8 un the morning and finish between four and five, with a mandatory 1 hour lunch break (everything stops at this hospital for lunch, it's incane!). I have a great little house on the hospital site, which has TV (a bonus!) and stacks of books to read, so I'm entertaining myself well! There's rumours I'm getting some housemates this week, which will be great, but I'm not getting my hopes up too high!
Last night I spent NYE at a country club in Simonye, a town about 45 minutes drive from here in Siteki with a nurse and his family. They are a great bunch, and I had a great time. They are Rwandan, and I was up until the wee hours of this morning learning to dance to traditional Rwandan music and laughing hysterically at myself... Much preferable to my usual watching the lame Burnie fireworks and going to bed at 12.15!
Fireworks here are dangerous....everyone goes out and buys there own, and lights them themselves. We didn't have any accidents, but I was terrified someone was going to hurt themselves!
So I'm having a good time, getting through the loneliness now I have a job to do! tomorrow I'm going back to the main tourist part of Swaziland to meet a friend I met in South Africa, and to go to the traditional Incwala festival, which is on Monday (a public holiday...WOO double long weekend!). I'll let you know how it goes!
See you all soon
Louise
I finally made the dial up at Good Shepherd work- it takes a bit of perserverance and patience, two qualities that I generally don't have, but am learning!
So I've finished my first week of elective here. It's been super hard. The medicine here is completely different to home, as I expected, and it's amazing how much you can forget in 2 weeks since finishing exams!
I've been working in a lot of different places, trying to get a general overview of tropical medicine. The three most common diagnoses here are HIV disease, TB and malaria (as opposed to MI, cancer, lung disease at home). I've seen STACKS of this, and also a lot of diabetes (which is very poorly controlled here and people are going blind and losing feet very quickly), strokes and trauma from the usual brawls of the holiday season and domestic violence.
It's been very eye opening. Here, because I'm a final year they treat me just like a doctor, so I can sign off on xrays, prescribe drugs and see patients on my own. Which I would find less daunting if they had diseases I knew about!!! I'm getting the hang of it though!
I'll put some photos up later of the busyness of this place. A typical day in outpatients we see around 250 patients between about 3 doctors (sometimes more). Nurses are given more responsibility here, so they help with the load too. People line up from around 6 in the morning for the outpatient department to open at 8am, and it is possible that if someone isn't keeping an eye on things people are so sick they could die just waiting to see a doctor. Fortunately, the orderly's are on the ball and recognise the sickest people and push them to the front.
I've also been allowed to do lumbar punctures and abdominal paracentesis' for the meddies out there. Not as hard as I thought- although septic technique here leaves a lot to be desired.
So I've had a great week here. I'm loving the work. I start at 8 un the morning and finish between four and five, with a mandatory 1 hour lunch break (everything stops at this hospital for lunch, it's incane!). I have a great little house on the hospital site, which has TV (a bonus!) and stacks of books to read, so I'm entertaining myself well! There's rumours I'm getting some housemates this week, which will be great, but I'm not getting my hopes up too high!
Last night I spent NYE at a country club in Simonye, a town about 45 minutes drive from here in Siteki with a nurse and his family. They are a great bunch, and I had a great time. They are Rwandan, and I was up until the wee hours of this morning learning to dance to traditional Rwandan music and laughing hysterically at myself... Much preferable to my usual watching the lame Burnie fireworks and going to bed at 12.15!
Fireworks here are dangerous....everyone goes out and buys there own, and lights them themselves. We didn't have any accidents, but I was terrified someone was going to hurt themselves!
So I'm having a good time, getting through the loneliness now I have a job to do! tomorrow I'm going back to the main tourist part of Swaziland to meet a friend I met in South Africa, and to go to the traditional Incwala festival, which is on Monday (a public holiday...WOO double long weekend!). I'll let you know how it goes!
See you all soon
Louise
Sunday, December 27, 2009
In the land of the Swazi...
So I finally made here to Swaziland! I've now finished my travels and am off for four weeks of work in Siteki. Sorry, no photos....the internet here is far to slow! (I promise for some when I reach Jo'burg).
I had a great Christmas- I spent it on a game drive in one of the national parks in Swaziland. I ate WAY too much food- we had spit roasted warthog for Christmas dinner and stir-fried Nyala for lunch (no turkey and roast potatoes for me!)
I have struggled a lot being away from home during these holidays. African's don't celebrate Christmas the way we Australians do, and Christmas has always been very big for me. I was quite homesick, and still am a little.
I only have 4 weeks left here in Swaziland now and I'm sure with elective work to be done it will go quickly, so I'm keeping my spirits up!
I have also been quite unwell from taking the malaria tablets. I have been burning very badly and have been feeling quite sick. I ask for your prayers, as I must continue to take this medication- I really don't want malaria!
I'm really looking forward to having something to do with my time and meeting some people. Apparantly there are no other medical students at the moment, which was something I was hoping for. I ask for your prayers in this too, that I make some good friends and stop feeling so sorry for myself! (haha)
I will try to update from Siteki to let you know about my work. I'm not sure how much internet there is there.
I'd love to hear from you all. I have a phone here that receives texts fine. The number is +2686197305. I'd really appreciate a text message!
Talk to you soon
Louise
I had a great Christmas- I spent it on a game drive in one of the national parks in Swaziland. I ate WAY too much food- we had spit roasted warthog for Christmas dinner and stir-fried Nyala for lunch (no turkey and roast potatoes for me!)
I have struggled a lot being away from home during these holidays. African's don't celebrate Christmas the way we Australians do, and Christmas has always been very big for me. I was quite homesick, and still am a little.
I only have 4 weeks left here in Swaziland now and I'm sure with elective work to be done it will go quickly, so I'm keeping my spirits up!
I have also been quite unwell from taking the malaria tablets. I have been burning very badly and have been feeling quite sick. I ask for your prayers, as I must continue to take this medication- I really don't want malaria!
I'm really looking forward to having something to do with my time and meeting some people. Apparantly there are no other medical students at the moment, which was something I was hoping for. I ask for your prayers in this too, that I make some good friends and stop feeling so sorry for myself! (haha)
I will try to update from Siteki to let you know about my work. I'm not sure how much internet there is there.
I'd love to hear from you all. I have a phone here that receives texts fine. The number is +2686197305. I'd really appreciate a text message!
Talk to you soon
Louise
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