Mariko expanding her horizons within the field of healthcare

It’s so difficult to think that I am running out of time in Cape Town. Even though I miss my family and friends, I can honestly say that the thought of boarding the plane back to the U.S. leaves me feeling far from excited. In the last week, I have become a lot more reflective in even the simplest of moments, like commuting to work and talking with my housemates in the kitchen. I keep thinking about how I will remember this trip and what it will mean to me in the long run, and I still cannot wrap my mind around all that this semester held for me. I want to withstand from using the study abroad cliché that “South Africa changed me,” but I’m not really sure how else to encapsulate what has happened here. And as much as I don’t want to go home, I am curious to be back in my usual setting, just to see how much I’ve genuinely been effected.

For now, that curiosity will need to be put on hold because I still have a little over a week to embrace all of the people and the things I love in this little city below the mountain. I spent this past weekend doing just that, from running a 5K with over 24,000 other Capetonians, to enjoying the company of all of my peers and directors at our own backyard braai, to feasting on a few of my favorite treats for one of the last times at the Old Biscuit Mill. I have also made a conscious effort this past week to expand my experiences and expose myself to the things that my fellow medical coeducators are doing at their various internships.

 On Friday morning, Maria brought me to the Maitland Cottage Hospital for the club foot clinic, which offers a series of free foot casts to infants and toddlers from surrounding townships to correct the defect presented. I had heard Maria rave about how much she loved the clinic and figured it would be good to get a different taste of South African medicine after spending all week in the private hospital setting. The staff and the four doctors working in the clinic were unbelievably welcoming and had me assisting them with casting within minutes of arriving. It was both moving and inspiring to witness the rawness of the clinic, which functions in a single room with only two tables but essentially gives the kids the chance to walk someday. And while I’m sure the staff have become immune to the immense importance of their work, I have an unparalleled amount of respect for all that they do there.

 I was also lucky enough to switch internships with Derek for a day this past week and witness all that goes down in a day’s work at Tafelsig Clinic in Mitchell’s Plain. I had no idea what to expect, other than chaos, but was pleasantly surprised by the calmness of all of the nurses and doctors in handling a tremendous influx of desperate patients. I spent most of the day in triage and tried to make a mental note of how intensely different state-provided care is from that provided at my internship placement. If I were to list the stark contrasts between where I work and Talfesig, the list would leave me no room to talk about much else, but it mostly comes down to a disparity in resources, amenities, and sanitation. Regardless of the facility, the workers at any placement are always extraordinarily kind and compassionate people. I have noticed that those of us working in the healthcare field will chat for a bit everyday about the cool cases we saw or the disappointments of the day, but hold the most appreciation for the human contact we have with the ones teaching us. After just one day at Tafelsig, Sister Castle was already asking when I would come back and insisted I give her a goodbye hug. In all honesty, I would go back in a heartbeat if I didn’t have so many similarly amazing nurses at my own internship to spend my last days with.