I spent Easter morning with all the
little cuties at Heaven’s Nest (the orphanage where I do my activist project).
While I enjoyed watching them search for all the Easter eggs we hid, and
coloring eggs with them like how we do back home, I definitely missed my family
a little extra that day. Easter is really big in our house and it was weird not
to be home for it and all the Easter festivities we do together.
I missed being at Tafelsig the week
we were away on excursion, and also the day it was closed for the public
holiday. Being back this week felt good. The clinic is always busy, but it was
especially busy this past week. Because the clinic was closed on Monday,
there were more patients than usual on the following Tuesday.
Unfortunately all the patients couldn’t be seen that day because there were just
too many, so the patients rolled into Wednesday. On Wednesday it
was still busy and the clinic was super short staffed (with only one doctor for
consultations). Again, the nurses and doctor couldn’t see to everyone. It got a
little hectic towards the end of the day we had to go out into the waiting room
and call everyone’s folders and ask them if they were going to stay or leave.
If they left, they were told to come back tomorrow. Patients came in and out
looking for their folders and the folders were being passed to different nurses
and put into different piles. Eventually we got it all sorted out it was just
overwhelming for a little while. It just shows the daily challenges the clinic
faces with being understaffed so often and also being primarily for walk ins.
The nurses handled it as well as they could have, as they always do.
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| Paige and Sister Castle |
I spent this past week in the clinic
with Sister Castle, observing her consultations and practicing a few small
procedures. I'm really thankful that she takes the time to teach us and make
sure we are gaining something from our experience. I think I speak for all the
interns at Tafelsig when I say that she's been the absolute best mentor to us
all. As our time is coming closer to an end I am starting to think about how
much I will miss her kind heart and happy energy when we go back home, since I
find I am always smiling around her.
I’ve also learned a little bit of
Afrikaans since being at the clinic. I can finally hold a very short,
structured conversation with the patients without looking at my piece of paper
of written notes from Sister Castle. The only thing is that I never know how to
answer them if they steer away from the anticipated response. Still, I’m
learning.
Last night was incredible. A few of
us went back to one of my favorite places in Cape Town, Kirstenbosch Gardens,
to watch the Of Monsters and Men concert. I used to listen to this band a lot
so when I saw they were coming to Cape Town I had to get a ticket! I knew they
were going to be good because I have seen some of their live videos before but
I didn’t think they would be as incredible as they were. I was so impressed by
all the instruments that were played on stage (again I knew they always had
them it was just so awesome to be their live and watching it). They played some
of my favorite songs from their old album so I was super happy. I was front
row, on the fence, smiling the whole time. It was one of my favorite nights
I’ve had and I’m so glad I got to share it with such wonderful people J
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