The first few days

This whole internet being down thing is really putting a damper on my blog posting. I finally got a chance to come down to the coffee shop with free wi-fi on the first floor of my apartment complex so I can actually give an update. I’ve got a lot to share, so this might be a long one.

The past few days have been busy, but I’ve seen and done quite a few things. On Saturday Natascha, her boyfriend and I all went to a place called Old Biscuit Mill to attend the Neighbour Goods Market. It happens every Saturday and after that experience I will be going every Saturday. It’s basically a closed off area with a farmer’s market and cute stores. They have tons of vendors and every type of food you can imagine – German bratwursts, flatbreads, New York style bagels, sushi, Greek food, omelets, sandwiches, fresh vegetables, bread, cookies, smoothies….I could keep going for another paragraph. It has the cutest set up and there was even a live A capella group that sang all sorts of songs. I ended up getting a sandwich and a lemon-mint smoothie and we walked around in the beautiful weather.

After the market, we decided to go to Table Mountain. Although I want to hike this at some point, our lack of sleep and improper attire lead us to just taking the cable car up to the top. The view was astounding. You could see all of Cape Town, and even make out my apartment building! The clouds were coming over the mountain which made the pictures a little bright so they don't really do it justice. Table Mountain is the plateau looking mountain that Cape Town is known for. They are actually trying to make it one of the new seven wonders of the world.

On Sunday, Natascha and I took the fairy to Robben Island. It was very overcast and you could barely see Table Mountain. However, once we got to the island the weather was beautiful.Because the prison on the island closed in 1990, the tour guides are actually ex-prisoners. Our tour guide was a political advocate that was sent to the island in 1977. Although he was a bit hard to understand, it was crazy to think he had actually been through all that went on there. We had a tour of the prison, and a tour around the island where we even got to see the African penguins!

Yesterday was my first day of work! I got a chance to meet my supervisor and a few other people from the team. Mondays are the days that the Pain and Palliative Care Team do rounds throughout the hospital wards, so I accompanied them to check in on their patients. Although it was interesting to note the differences between this hospital and hospitals in the states, it was also very heartbreaking. Many of the children that are referred to the team have prognoses that are not positive. And although the team does all it can to make sure that the child’s pain goes away and that they can have the best quality of life despite their illnesses, it was still hard to think that most of the children were not going to live. From 3-month old babies who were on the verge of being abandoned, to 11-year old HIV patients in the oncology ward, it was nearly impossible to stare into their precious faces and think that the only option now was to make the short time these children had the best for them.

I didn’t mean to make a turn towards negative, because I believe that what this team of individuals is doing is amazing, and they have worked very hard to prove that the work they do is needed and beneficial to the children. I think I will learn a great deal, and I am thankful for the opportunity to really see what goes on in the organization. Today was another good day, as I had the opportunity to accompany Michelle, the founder of BigShoes, to a Child Health Initiatives workshop about making hospitals more child-friendly. Although this hospital is in a metropolitan area and is highly respected, the differences between healthcare systems here and those in the states continue to shock me. For example, I learned today that there is no national quality standards that hospitals must abide by and that are regularly checked. And the people trying to spearhead initiatives like this are pediatricians within they hospital, hospital administration has no part in it. It is just mind-boggling.

Anyway I am really excited about this internship. Including me, there are only 6 people on the BigShoes team in Cape Town, so I really feel like I am needed and have a valuable input. I'm excited to see what else is in store! I'm also starting to get the feel of Cape Town and find my way around. I managed to make it to and from work on the very confusing bus system today by myself so I felt accomplished. I did have to ask the bus workers which bus to get on this morning, and when they heard I was going to the Red Cross Hospital they stopped a bus and yelled, "Let the doctor on the bus! Take the doctor to the Red Cross Hospital!" I just let them go on thinking that I was a doctor if I'm going to get that kind of treatment! :) I also noticed the crazy amount of KFC's here. Very random. I miss all of you back home though, and enjoy talking to you when I can so keep trying to get ahold of me! Also, as soon as it doesn't take 30 minutes to upload one picture I will share some on here - for now, check my Facebook page.

xoxo

**Finally got to add a few pictures at work! Never knew how much I appreciated a good internet connection until now.