The hospital

St. Apollonaris Hospital, yes it is quite small


One of the wards (a better one)


The rehab space, actually not too bad.... they have one OT and a part time PT


This is where they store the xrays...organization???? Somehow they do manage to find what they need.


A patient outside the hospital, carrying a chest tube, container made of glass


This is a real child...this DOES exist. Severe malnutrition. This child is bones in a sack of skin...litterally. Shockingly, this child can move itself in his crib, despite the lack of muscle.


A baby in the infant ward, eating cheesies off the floor. Not sure if the nurses knew he was there, because I had to help him back to his crib


So here are a few pics of the hospital that I visit once per week. We come here mostly for ARV's, but also for TB treatment and to check on our patients. It is amazing the difference in standards of hygiene....
The hopital has male wards and female wards. There is no elevator...I am not sure how some patients manage to use the stairs. Most of the wards are really just one big room with 16-20 beds tucked in so close together. You are lucky if you have a divider. There are no IV poles..they hang bags on teh curtain rail (if there is one), and otherwise peopel hold them as they move around. There are no side tables. they eat sitting up in there bed, and I dont think that there is any variety in the diet: rice, chicken and veg. in a room with 12 beds, there will be only 2 oxygen dispensors....what do they do if more people need oxygen?? And they admit many people for TB. (which reminds me...the main TB treatment center int he province..they cant take people who need oxygen!!!) The patients chart stay on their bed and their names are written above the head of the bed. Not quite up to the Alex's standards of FOIP. I am able to read anyones chart and I frequently go get Xrays to take to our clinic. Lastly, if you want something done..usually you must do it yourself. For example...I somehow ended up feeding the malnurished child because I was the one to ask for some fluid for him....he was crying and would not let go of my fingers. Most of the day at the hospital is waiting in long line ups, trying to get the doctors to listen to you. Not so different from home I guess!

Somethings...

The HIV Support group Choir


The gum boot dancers...very cool dancing. They use their hands and their boots and make as much noise as possible


The meal served at the end of the presentations...it was actually really really good.

I found myself in a situation where I had to stop and think....what the hell am I doing here? I went to an HIV/AIDS awareness celebration with our HIV/AIDS support group choir. I walked into ther hall and immediately noted that I was the ONLY white person for what felt like miles. I was immediately herded to the head table, which just happens to be situated on a stage in front of the whole crowd. Great. Anyway, I managed to sit through 3 hours of speechs, all done in Zulu...and NO I have not learned this language yet. The choir, however was amazing. There was also a presentation by the Gumboot dancers, which was quite spectacular. At the end of it all, we got fed some very tasty food. I was also thanked profusly by a few of the organizers, for coming and showing support.....
Anyway....



Expert Volunteers...Fiona and myself!


This is a photo of the camp setup. You can see theUmzimkulu river in the back...and you cant miss the Beer tent, fully stocked with Black Label and Hansa!



The Kayakers in the river going through 'Slot Machine', a set or rapids.

This past weekend I went out the The Thromi X-Fest with a fellow volunteer, to do some more volunteering....It was really good fun actually. Basically this is an extreme sport festival. There was alot of kayaking ( because that is a huge thing down here) and downhill mountain biking, which I dont understand how people could be so stupid to do, lond distance mountain biking, canoeing (in the south African sense...not wuite like home) and a multisport challenge, consisting of kayaking 20km, running up a mountain for 5 km, and mountain biking for 20km. Fun hey?? My volunteer cohort Fiona and I helped out a little bit with registration and such, but mostly enjoyed the sporting events and the evening festivities. I think that I may be turing into a volunteering expert...this weekend we are helping out with a HUGE canoe festival called the Drak challenge....should be fun too...

Hope everyone is well!!

Pictures from My trip to Mangeni

The kids next door, posing for one of the many many pictures I took of them. They loved it!


Our room, shared between 4 people. We also cooked and used the toilet in here. Cosy....


The people living next door..they wanted their photos taken. The kid was not too happy with us white people..he started to cry every time I looked at him.


Us crossing the river to make our home visits....the girls must do this everyday. Actually there are 2 rivers to cross....


A shot of the village and a common house in the village. Most houses are made of two or more small buildings made of mud and brick, with straw type roofs.


One of the Kids next door. She just loved us...

A day in the life...

So I had the oppertunity of a lifetime...I was able to spend 3 nights in a very remote village with our Community Health Workers. Now you must understand, this village has no running water (well, there is a river I guess), no power, no heat and is about 50 km off the highway, on a long dirt/mud road that winds through the mountains. SO getting there on monday was no treat...we packed 9 people into the cab of a pickup truck..cozy hey?
There were 4 of us in this one small bedroom, which was our bedroom (for 4), our kitchen and sometimes our bathroom. We had a corner full of food to last us for the week and one small burner that runs on paraffin. Dinner would take roughly 4 hours to cook.
So we were lucky enough to make some home visits with out Home based care workers. A big part of the day included walking to the homes. It took about an hour and a half just to get to the first one. Up hill and through 2 rivers. Really.
The visits were quite interesting. Though, it started to feel a bit depressing by the end, because you are always going into homes of very sick people. People that lay on the ground using only a foam mattress and blanket, that cannot move to even toilet themselves. Luckily family seems to be quite important to this culture and so, most patients are well looked after in there home. We did visit one man that puzzeled me. I knew that culture would be an issue, but...we met this young man, in his early thirties who is HIV +. His CD4 count is quite low and was put on ARV's a while ago. Sadly, this man will not take them because his church has told him not too. Instead, he is to take these herbal immune boosters. How long will this man live without his ARV's??? Probably not long.

Anyway..It was definitely an interesting experience, one I will not soon forget. Hopefully I will have some pictures up soon...the computer here does not always cooperate, as you all may have heard! Also..if anyone is interested in getting a better look at the village I will be spending the next four months in..check out GLOBAL NATIONAL News on Feb 11, 2008. They were here filming in December. It should be an interesting peice. I think the national edition starts at 5pm. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Life in Douglas Drift

Our Creche (preschool) classroom at the community center




The clinic building at the community center. Its not quite the Alex.


A little orphan girl going to Creche (preschool). She follows me everyday waiting for me to wave to her!



My little cottage, which I have to myself until theend of the month. Very cozy!


A view of the back yard at Douglas Drift, after the rain...this is pretty often!



SO I made it safely to Underberg. I am comfortable in my own little cottage at Douglas Drift! Sadly, I will be getting a roomie. The house is quite nice, we even have a TV! Too bad the shows are about 3 years old... It is also too bad that South Africa is running out of power. We have had powerouts every single day since I have arrived to Underberg....well at least they are getting better at scheduling them!

I have spent the last week getting to know the village of Ndawana and trying to understand how health care works here. Well...that is a whole other story.
We also have a Creche class, which is really preschool, and a grade R, which is kindergarten. The kids are so cute, and I am pretty sure most of them have never seen a white person before. So they stare and wave. None of them speak english, but they are mostly to scared/shy to speak anyway. But they are sooo cute!

Today was an interesting day. I played with the kids in the morning, than set off down a horrible dirt road to get to the next village over called mangeni for a meeting. On this road, you must cross 2 rivers and a stream, and are on the edge of a cliff for a big proportion of the ride. This village has nothing but a few home based care workers. Most people are too poor for a vehicle and walk miles to get food and health care. They also have no buses or taxis that will come. Occassionally there is a mobile clinic, but they dont come if it is too hot or raining, which basically means the whole summer. Anyway, we had our meeting with the home based care workers. As each worker gave their report, I noticed that they all start similarly..."I have this patient, he is very very sick..."

After the meeting we decided that we had to take one fellow, a 24 year old man, to underberg, where he could get in an ambulance to go to the hospital. They had called the ambulance the previous day, but it was not able to come out to get him...it was broken. The man was carried out of his house by 3 people. I actually wondered if he was dead, he looked that ill. In canada, this man would have been in ICU or a hospice. In Africa, he is cared for in his home, while they wait weeks for test results. So we loaded this barely conscious man into the back of our pickup truck. We drive the horrible road back to Ndawana, making a 'quick' stop to pick up a live chicken, so one of our home based care worker can eat tonight. This chicken is sitting on her lap right beside me in a plastic bag. Yes, we still have a dying man in the back of the truck. Anyway, finally we made it back to underberg, about 50 km away from the village and dropped this poor man at the clinic. The ambulance was not there, as it had answered another call.
Health care is not quite the same here...

Swazliand to St. Lucia

the Swazi market...good bargains!



A typical Swazi hut.



Dressed in Typical Swazi gear. Some of the People still dress like this




Swazi Dancers



Swazi Dancers



One of the many Hippos in St.Lucia, South Africa
Did you know that the Hippo is the most dangerous animal in southern Africa? It kills more people per year than the BIG five put together. OH, and they can run 40km/hour!!!



A croc swimming around the fisherman in St. Lucia



One of the Many Vervet Monkeys that hang out in St. Lucia town



Cape Vidal, a very beautiful beach on the Indian Ocean


The Rhino that almost charged our car...he was walking on the side of the road!



I spent a few days hanging out in Swaziland, which is a very small country within South Africa. It was pretty cool. I did a tour to see the countries highlights....spent some time in the cultural village, the market and was able to see the incredible swazi dancing. I stayed in a private game reserve was was pretty cool because there were wart hogs, zebras, antelope and one crazed ostrich running around.
I took the bus to spend a few days at the Indian Ocean, at St. Lucia. It was sooo beautiful. The little city is about the only safe city in the country, where you can walk alone at night with belongings and not get mugged or held up with a gun! I spend a day at the beach and despite wearing 30 spf and having a fairly overcast day, I started a beautiful tan! (well....more like a bit of a burn....:) The city is so cute, there are monkey's hangout out along the road, and you can drive at night to see the hippos graze. I took a little boat tour to see the hippos and crocs.....was pretty amazing. There were so many and the boat actually got very close....maybe too close??
I was able to hire a car with some friends to drive up to cape vidal, which is this very beautiful beach. Along the way, you must drive though a game park. This is where we almost got trampled by a Rhino. The rhino was massive and it got freaked from the car behind us, so it started to run towards our car...I havent been so scared....but all turned out ok!
I am now in Pietermaritzburg waiting to be picked up....my vacation is over for a little while...

One GB of pictures

So I have arrived to South Africa safely. For all of you wondering about New Years on a plane....very uneventful! They didnt even mention anything! I sat there watching movies and drinking free wine.
So I spent one day in Joberg. Not many people hang out there...its a bit too dangerous and not much to do. I did do one day tour through the city. Went to the 'Top of Africa' to get a view of the city, which was fantastic. We headed to Sowets which is a Township in Joberg. Mandela's house is there, so I went for the quick tour. I also went to the Apartheid Museum, which was.....interesting. I felt quite bad/guilty for being white.

I was picked up bright and early for my Safari to Kruger National Park. The whole four day experience was amazing. I have selected a few of my favorite pics to show you...
Anyway, I am embarrassed to say that I did actually take one gig of pictures already! There was just so much to photograph!
The Safari was amazing...We spent about 2 and a half days in the park and one day in a private lodge/game park. Our guide was amazing and there was only four of us int he group, so we all got great seats! We did several game drives and saw a bunch of animals including: Elephants, Rhino, Leopard, Lion, Cheetas, Giraff, Zebras, monkeys, baboons, warthogs, hippos, buffalo, various antelope, hyenas, and more....

I am heading to Swaziland next.....