Table Mountain & Thanksgiving!

It’s hard to believe there are only 2 weeks remaining here in Cape Town! I’m glad to say Jordan & Julianna arrived safely, and were able to enjoy some classic South African experiences. The weather here has been sunny & warm, in the high 80s - if I had to guess. Our pool has been well taken advantage of, as well as trips to nearby beaches. Camps Bay was the most recent beach visited - gorgeous scenery but ice cold water. I find it amazing how locals will urge you to buy anything & everything they are selling, and will go to great lengths to find a customer. While sitting on the beach, there had to be several vendors walking by each minute, offering cold drinks, sunglasses, or even - miniature chess tables! Even while waiting on the minibus, vendors poked their heads inside the door, offering last-minute sales of toothpicks, or whatever they could gather to sell. Cape Town never ceases to amaze me. Green Point and Green Square Market are two common festivities downtown, where locals sell anything from beaded items and painted bowls to tee-shirts and animal skins. Bartering is the key to the game. I have learned to stand my ground and not be fooled when vendors tell you they will give you “a special deal.” It seems everyone is getting special deals.


A group of us climbed Table Mountain! After 2+ hours of hiking and reaching the point where the trees cleared out, we thought we were near to the top. To our surprise, we soon reached a sign informing us that we had 3 hours left of hiking until we reached the cable cars, for the descent down! The view was nothing short of breathtaking, however. We started from Kirstenbosch Gardens, and hiked all the way to the top of Table Mountain, overlooking the entire city of Cape Town. It definitely had us checking our pulses as we felt our cardiovascular system go into overdrive! It gives a whole new perspective when looking back at that mountain across from 10 Loch Road. I can now appreciate its immensity!


This past week was also Thanksgiving in Cape Town! Despite the chicken instead of turkey, we managed to create a delicious Thanksgiving feast - consisting of mashed potatoes, butternut squash, homemade stuffing, peas, corn, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, stuffed mushrooms, and fluffy rolls. We went all out, and even had a full course of dessert - including peanut butter chocolate balls and apple pie. It was the first Thanksgiving eating outside, alongside a swimming pool, in sundresses and sunscreen. After Skype-ing family back home, I realized we had better enjoy the warm weather here in South Africa while it lasts!


Friday Jordan & I visited the V & A Waterfront - a more Americanized shopping spot, but it overlooks the harbor with incoming ships, so it’s a must to see if in the area. There were a couple groups of street performers, playing drums, marimba, and other rhythmic instruments. For dinner I had oxtail and Jordan had a braai meat kabob - both delicious dishes. The calamari here is also spectacular - so we had that as a starter. We couldn’t help but stop in the nearby mall afterwards and pick up some souvenirs for friends back home. Cape Town always seems so festive and alive - truly a remarkable place to spend 3 1/2 months!

Caves & Constrictors

Four weeks left! We just got back from our second excursion - along the Garden Route. This time we drove, instead of flying, and by drove I mean drove for 7-8 hours and then more.Friday morning we headed out, leaving 10 Loch Road, our quite familiar, safety haven by now. We went through Riviersonderend, Mossel Bay, and arrived finally at the Cango Caves in Oudtshoom - glad to be on solid ground after surviving the turns around the steep mountain curves! Now, the caves were the next fear factor. Let's just say there were 2 trails - regular and adventure - and I was totally ready to take the normal, regular, tourist trail. SOMEhow I ended up agreeing to take the adventure route. When we walked into the cave there was a wide open entrance. They actually used to hold concerts there, and there were still carved away levels where the choir used to stand. Our tour guide then led us deeper into the cave, with her "torch light" (South Africa's name for flashlight) - as the cave got progresively narrower and shorter. At one point there was the option to wait for the group and bypass the narrowest parts of the cave. I walked up the steps, took one look at the passage I would be crawling through and started to back out. The people behind me totally would not let me out! I could physically fit through the space, but the claustrophobia issue was another thing. I don't know how they talked me into progressing further into the cave, but they did. Once I told myself that - yes, I still could breathe, I managed to crawl through the passages - one on my stomach, one sliding down head first, one clibing up a space where rock touched me on all sides. It was actually really fun once I stopped thinking of "what if" scenarios, and after reflecting on it, when I finally made it outside with the fresh air & open space! South Africa never ceases to amaze me.

We drove to the town of George next, where we stayed the night at the George International Lodge. It was a cute, bread-and-breakfast type place. Carrie-Ellen and I passed out before 9pm that night, completely exhausted! Saturday morning we headed out to see elephants!! In the town of Knysna we took a safari-vehicle once again, and went to an area where there were a group of elephants. We got out of the truck, and walked right up to the elephants, getting to touch them and take lots of pictures (there were guides with us of course). There were a few baby elephants, who were bottle fed with the same infant formula as the human babies during our maternity rotation! We saw African elephants, obviously - you can tell the difference between African and Indian elephants by the shape of their ears (each resemble the shape of the continent they are from).

Monkeyland was next. As you can tell from the name - this is where we saw monkeys. It was an enclosed reserve, of 30 or so acres, with various species of monkeys, apes, lemurs, and birds. Just like in the movies, they swung from tree branches and usually went around in packs - where they either watched out for one another, or antagonized each other - similar to siblings haha. There was a separate enclosed reserve for birds. We walked on a suspended boardwalk for about an hour through a rainforest-like environment - seeing parrots, pelicans, and lots of interesting, colorful birds I've never seen in Connecticut.

Visiting snakes followed. The guides showed us various snakes - explaining which ones were non-venomous, semi-venomous, and extremely venomous. He also mentioned what would happen if a snake bit you...explaining in detail the hematoxic and cytotoxic venom, either causing you to bleed to death or stop breathing completely. Then he explained that when you don't breath that means you die. Good thing he explained this to a group of nursing majors! We saw Monitor Lizards next - they were actually kind of cute, as the guides held them like babies. I never thought I'd be calling a lizard cute. Moving on to bigger snakes, the guides took out the boa constrictors and other insanely large snakes. I actually held a boa constrictor around my neck! I guess you have to do it once in life.

The Masizane Children's Shelter was the next stop, in the Kwanokuthula township area near Plattenberg Bay. As soon as we pulled in, the kids ran up to us wanting to be held - even though we were complete strangers. Before we knew it, all of our sunglasses had been pulled off our heads and were adorned by the five and six year olds. They absolutely loved the attention, and it was a bit chaotic for a while. These kids were all orphans - really sad when you think of all of them with no parents and little resources.

We headed back to George, to stay the night again - but this time, at a different place. The circular dwellings we stayed in resembled huts. There were bunk beds, and a two-part door (like a horse stable almost) to the entrance of the dwelling. After a quick check for bugs and other possible creatures, we all passed out once again. Flexibility and a sense of adventure is a must in South Africa.

Sunday came pretty fast, as it always does.We grabbed breakfast on the way, and drove to Mossel Bay. It was an absolutely gorgeous and sunny day - warm enough for swimming at least. We stopped at the beach, and were free to walk around and check out the nearby Dias Museum. Then, our final destination: the most southern tip on the continent of Africa!! Cape Agulhas was beautiful. When standing facing the ocean, to the left was the Indian Ocean, and to the right was the Pacific Ocean. We were at the very tip where the two oceans met!

Another great trip! The Garden Route is absolutely breathtaking with the rolling hills and rural landscape. I have lots of pictures (and video clips) to show everyone when I get home!

Braii & Clinical

Our first braii was a success! Despite the scattered rain, Ashley still managed to get the grill going - with charcoal to cook our chicken, burgers, & sausages. Everyone here is a fan of "milk tarts" - they are like rice pudding poured into a pie crust...absolutely delicious. We met a couple UNC students (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) and compared experiences here in South Africa so far. They also do internships, but are located at various places since they're all different majors.

This past week in clinical was great. We now switched to 2 days of clinical a week, but extended the hours for each day. Tuesday and Wednesday are my days at the hospital and clinic. At Tafelsig I gave pediatric immunizations - including measles, hepatitis B, influenza, polio drops, BCG (the tuberculosis vaccine), Vitamin A drops, and DTP (diphtheria, tetanus & pertussis). We are now taking public transportation to some of the clinical sites. Ashley & I took a minibus to Gatesville Medical Center. I was counting, and I they actually packed 19 people into one van. Not to mention, the faster speed the better, and you better learn to like heavy-metal/techno at 6:30 in the morning. An experience nonetheless. At the hospital I did more patient assessments, went on rounds with the physician, and went up to theatre (the operating room) to witness a pediatric surgery. It was the day following elections, and almost the entire staff asked us who we voted for. Every newspaper, radio, and television broastcast seemed to be about the United States and the elections.

We just found out we're leaving for a second excursion next Friday through Sunday, to tour the Garden Route. Updates will follow. 5 weeks left in South Africa.

Paediatrics!

First week in Pediatrics!! My clinical schedule is two days at Gatesville Hospital and the third day at the Tafelsig Clinic, in a more informal health care setting. I'm falling in love with pediatrics! The children that are recovering, or well enough to move around, often wave and even run up to us as we enter the unit. The walls are covered in Disney and other cartoon characters, and the doors alternate bright colors. The sisters (nurses) welcomed us to the unit, showing us around and allowing us to complete patient assessments and view various procedures. The staff couldn't help but point out our "Connecticut accent" and asked us all about the States and our families back home. Already, I feel like part of the unit. Since there is continuity of care at the hospital, being present for both Monday and Tuesday, the children recognize us the second day and sometimes remember our names. I was taught how to color properly, by a 5-year old, who then gave me a Spiderman sticker that covered almost half my arm - to match the one on his arm. Little kids are satisfied by the simplest interventions. Distraction is a big part of making the hospital "less scary," especially when the child needs an IV line started or blood drawn. In the Tafelsig clinic I did well-baby exams, checking 0-6 month old babies from head to toe. I felt the scalp for any hematomas or abnormal fontenel closures. Then eyes, ears, nose, mouth, arms, & legs, etc, making sure certain reflexes were present, and that the baby presented age-appropriate growth development. Babies who need additional care are referred to the Red Cross Children's Hospital. I love being part of the true community setting, and seeing the reality of various health conditions and treatments. As a student, I feel completely welcome in both the hospital and clinic settings, and am able to apply learned assessment skills with each patient seen.
As far as life back on 10 Loch Road, we officially removed the cover off the pool in the backyard! It's slightly green and buggy, but after a good shock treatment, hopefully it'll be good as new. The weather here has been getting warmer steadily, as we are approaching summer. Ashley tested out the grill for the braii we will be holding next weekend. (A braii is the South African term for a barbeque or grilling outside.) We are inviting the UNC Chapel Hill students who also happen to be studying abroad here.The way it works is everyone brings their own meat and beverages, and the host (us) supplies salad and bread. This will hopefully be the first of many!
Last weekend most of us went to dinner at "Mama Africa." I tried crocodile kabobs with Carrie-Ellen, and they were actually pretty good. They had a live band with South African music, and an authentic flare to the restaurant. Long Street is the popular spot for dinner and nightlife here in Cape Town. During the day, there are large flea markets, where you can bargain with locals about how much rand you'll spend on a bowl or animal figurine.
We have passed the halfway point - I can't believe it. The 14 of us will be having our own Halloween, since it is not a recognized holiday here. We're also planning a house Thanksgiving meal in November, with everyone making a dish. There's never a dull moment here to say the least! Missing everyone from home - much love from Cape Town, South Africa!

more on our excursion:

Thursday morning started with a group meeting and breakfast at 9am, followed by a long relaxing run on the beach. I lucked out, getting the little bit of sun during my run - then it got cloudy, rainy, & windy for the rest of the day. We ate at a sushi bar for lunch, and later we got a tour at a Muslim mosque. We had to remove our shoes when we entered. Someone explained to us a little about the Muslim religion, and we got a view of the baths where people wash their hands, feet, face, and arms before praying. Muslims pray 5x/day facing the city of Mecca. Women must cover arms and legs and their hair whenever in public. We brought scarves since we weren't sure if we would be required to cover up before entering the mosque as visitors. After, some of us went to the local Indian market. They had spices for sale, as well as jewelry, little figurines, and other collectable items. For dinner we actually ended up going to an Indian restaurant - Durban has a large Indian influence. I got this lamb and vegetable dish. Everything had curry on it - so spicy I was sweating. We ordered some bread, rice, and yogurt for the table - to cool your palate down. I really enjoyed the food, but you can only have so much because it's so pungent. We ordered a selection of desserts for everyone to sample. The rice pudding had curry in it and was more like rice in sweatened milk or cream. I didn't try the Bombay Crush, but I think there was red caviar in it and people said it tasted nothing like a milkshake. An experience nonetheless.
Friday morning we left Durban again - this time for the Drakensberg Mountains. We drove for about three hours, heading back into the rural areas of South Africa. I was even more amazed than when visiting Hluhluwe. Our buses made it around the windy mountain roads, all the way into the Drakensberg Mountain range and finally the Orion Resort. I felt like I had literally witnessed a piece of Heaven. A panoramic view showed mountains, horses, rolling grassy hillls, and in the distance, tiny villages. This area is definitely a long distance runner's dream! We had to slow down and stop at times for animals crossing the road. Natives were selling pineapples by the roadside. It was a picture perfect experience. We eventually arrived at the Orion Resort and got the key to our Chalet (pronounced Shaa-lay), #507, shared with Carolyn B, Jess, and Carrie-Ellen. We had a little kitchen, a spacious living room and back porch, and two bedrooms. Stepping outside was the view of the Drakensberg Mountains, a pool, a life-sized chess boardgame, tennis courts, a golf course, a volleyball court, more horses, and lots of flowers and trees. We played a group game of volleyball (which got pretty intense). Ashley ended up jumping into the pool, which soon took the game to another level. Dinner was at 7, preceeded by wine and a lecture by Dr. Guma about the history of the Drakensberg Mountains. The night concluded with card games and pure relaxation.
Saturday was eventful. I woke up early - for an am run and then swim in the pool! Most of the group then left for hiking in the Drakensberg Mountains. We had a guide, who knew the trails and where to go. Starting off we saw a baboon, but besides that it was mostly just wild plants and trees. We hiked up and around the mountains - literally a breathtaking view the entire way. Midway we stopped for a swim - the water was numbing cold, but it was refreshing. Our guide somehow boiled water from the river - so we had coffee and tea with biscuit cookies. The way back we picked up the pace since eight of us wanted to horseback riding.
We arrived at the stable, got helmets, and were assigned to specific horses. I think the last time I ever rode a horse I fell off - if I remember correctly - back to grandma and grandpa's house. My horse was mostly black, with some brown shades and his name was Gadivar. When we started off he had a mind of his own, for sure. I know I have good horseback riding genes but I wasn't sure if they'd actually be dominant in my case. Eventually I got more comfortable riding, but after I showed him who was boss. Gadivar stopped to eat grass, then he'd realize he was behind the pack and race to catch up. The guide told me to keep the reigns taut and be firm and pull them back when he tried to put his head down. I also learned to click with my tongue to have him get going, and kick him with my heels for him to speed up, but most importantly, how to squeeze my legs and hold on. I was thinking of you, Mom & Deanna, and I now have a better idea of everything you talk about. I tried to keep good posture and get a rhythm when my horse sped up to cantor. The whole time I was just praying that my horse wouldn't take off - especially when we were climbing this steep path up the mountain. We were riding English style - and since I've never ridden Western I would say English is the way to go.

Durban, Hluhluwe, & the Drakensberg Mountains!

Hello all! There is lots to tell since I haven't blogged in a while. Some of the previous blogs were altered/removed per hospital privacy rules. The past few days have been beyond breathtaking. We had our safari excursion this past week. Leaving at 4:30am last Tuesday, we headed to Cape Town International to catch our flight to Durban. Durban is another section of South Africa, which is northeast of Cape Town. The flight was about two hours - nothing in comparison to the distance from the States. The 14 of us, plus Ben Brown, Lisa-Marie, Vernon, & Dr. Guma hopped into two vans, and we drove about three hours to Hluhluwe. I took a million pictures on just the ride alone. The Hluhluwe/St. Lucia area is extremely rural, with farms, rolling hills, cows, goats, ostrich, native huts, & women walking with baskets on their heads. We listened to African music the whole ride, really getting to experience Africa from a whole new perspective. When we arrived in Hluhluwe we stopped at a small craft market to admire the handmade items, and then headed out for our "ferry" ride in this river. It was totally what you'd see on Animal Planet or the Discovery Channel. We got on this wide boat or raft-like vehicle floating on murky brown water. Not two minutes into the ride we saw 3 huge crocodiles sunning on the river bank. We continued on to see hippos (lots of them), a monkey, a few grey herons, and other birds. Hippos usually travel in pairs or groups. They don't swim, but spend most of their time in water, and are large enough that they can walk on the bottom of the river, with their heads above the water. If there is a baby hippo, he is kept in the middle of the pack, to protect him from crocodiles or other predators. For the night we stayed at a camp-lodge in Hluhluwe. Carrie-Ellen, Kari, Ashley, and I shared a "chalet". It was a pretty nice lodge with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, and a common area living room. Here it wasn't safe to drink the water, so we got bottled water for brushing our teeth, and kept our mouths closed when showering. The owners of the campground made us dinner - pasta with some type of ground meat, chicken legs, salad, soup, and bread. It hit the spot after a long day of traveling and sightseeing. Right on these premises were zebra, buffalo, bush babies, and impalas. The buffalo get overly curious and one started running towards us. The camp director told us previously that if this happens not to scream and, more importantly, don't run. Well, when a large wild animal is coming towards you, instinct kicks in. We didn't exactly run, but walked as fast as we possibly could back away from the buffalo. 5:30 am started our safai the next morning. We left the Hluhluwe camp and hopped into two Toyota canvas-covered off-roading vehicles. Our safari guide was great - he knew all the animal tracks and droppings so we could find different wildlife. We first saw buffalo, who started to fight (head-butting) each other, but soon resorted to grass grazing and going separate ways. We then saw giraffes! They were also eating - but treetops instead of grass. We saw probably eight or so giraffes, who crossed the path right in front of our vehicle. It's so neat to see animals in their natural environment. We were literally traveling throughh a large nature reserve, not knowing what we'd find, keeping our eyes peeled, and tracking down different animals. Rhinos were next. Our guide explained that rhinos mostly travel independently. When a baby rhino is born, he will stay with his mother for a short time, before she "kicks hims out" and he must search for another baby rhino and mother who will adopt him as their child and look after him. When that mother thinks it is time she will kick both baby rhinos out, and the two rhinos are left to travel together and help each other. When these baby rhinos get older, they will separate and go their own ways. Males will find a female to mate with & females will get pregnant. The cycle starts over, with the female rhino raising her baby until he reaches a certain age she feels he must leave. In addition to buffalo, giraffes, and rhinos, we saw Nyala (deer-like animals), warthogs, and zeebra - they were posing for us probably within ten feet of our truck. So...this whole trip we were hoping to see lions but our tour guide told us it's rare to actually find them (they lay low and sleep during most of the day, and hunt at night or early morning). Towards the end of our safari though, Seemo (our tour guide) spotted lion tracks. We drove about ten minutes more and actually saw three beautiful lions (two male and one female). They were lying in the grass behind some trees, but we were able to get some shots after zooming in. Everyone was psyched we actually saw lions! It was almost this creepy feeling knowing that if you stepped outside the safari truck you could be lunch. Our safari concluded - an awesome experience! We then drove back to Durban where we would be spending the next couple of days. Durban is a city, but also right on the water. We stayed at the Blue Crest Hotel, which was directly across from the beach and the Indian Ocean! Carrie-Ellen, Iris, and I shared a room on the 18th floor. We unpacked our bags and oogled over the view from our balcony of the waves and sand and palm trees. Ashley and I went with Ben to pick up Dr. Engler from the airport - he had just arrived in South Africa! Dinner was at Havana Grill, with all 21 of us (we included the two drivers as well). I can't complain about the food here - I got this amazing "Castro salad" with feta, cashews, dark greens, balsamic dressing, red peppers, and greek olives. Then the main course was green curried salmon and basmati rice. Dessert was friend bananas with vanilla ice cream. Yum.