Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Home at last!


Well, we are all home safe and sound now! The 2, then 16, then 1 hour flights have all passed away and now, as sit in the computer lab starting our last assignments, we have all showered (with hot water!) and are trying to adjust back to the time zone. I feel like we still have so much to process and reflect on, but I also feel like we know that we have done and seen so much these past three weeks to last us a long time. This trip, for me, has been awesome. I really liked the trip overall and really wish I could go again next year. I hope Dr. M still has a little bit of her sanity left after taking all 10 of us to Africa but either way, she survived! haha I learned so much over the past month or so and am so grateful to be a part of this awesome group of women who were there with me. So, let's wrap this up and live and let live. Mosi, anyone? :)

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Final Reflections with Love from Valerie

Our final full day in Zambia is coming to a close. We are all ready and excited to be returning home. That's not because it's been a bad experience, on the contrary! We are all just worn out by all we've done in the past three weeks. Looking back, I am amazed at how much I've learned in such a short time. Leaving the U.S. I never thought I would be doing things like taking vitals, prescribing medicine, or hiking 7+ kilometers through the African bush (just to see A patient, and their goats!) But I've done all of these things and so much more! I will be drawing from this experience for the rest of my life.
Seeing how medicine is handled here in Zambia has made me realize that there is a real need in developing countries for the career path I have chosen. Until now my desire to use my pharmacy degree internationally to reach areas that need medicinal aid has just been a far off dream. Now, however, my long-term goals are becoming reality in light of all I've seen in the clinics and home based care. I have been given a renewed determination because I have seen that my hard work is needed and will be worthwhile in the end.
Thank you Family and Friends for all of your support and prayers! And Thank you especially to Dr. M for all that you put in to make this possible for all of us, you are truly Great!!
With Love,
"Veralee"

Final Night/Reflection


Well tonight is our last night here in Livingstone, Zambia. I must say that this has truly been a great experience. From meeting new people to learning about another culture, this has been a different, but great experience. I think that this was great opportunity to learn and see how other people live. I met a lot of great people here that I will never forget. On my last day of volunteering, some of the workers asked if I was ever going to come back to Zambia. Now that I have the experience and know what to expect, I am for sure that I would return. Im happy and appreciative of this experience and hopefully in the future, I will return to Zambia.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

India’s Voyage to Africa!




Hola las personas! Our journey is ending, and it feels like only yesterday that we were being emerged into the Zambian culture. This experience has been amazing, and I have gained a better outlook on the world beyond the United States. It has not always been fun and games, but it’s been worth the while. I have met so many gracious people, and I have done things that were far beyond my own expectations. I have trekked through the “African Bush”, rode an elephant, seen the famous Victoria Falls, and so much more! I wish I could fit Zambia into my luggage; however, I am only allotted 50 pounds. My days have not been spent just being a tourist. I have been in clinics performing highly skilled tasks. Also, I have helped to build schools and walls! I am excited about coming home and seeing everyone that I have been missing these past three weeks, but I am a little sad about leaving Zambia behind!

Pictures!


Hello!
I'm posting some pictures from our Chobe Safari adventure! We went on a three hour safari and saw zebras, a giraffe, elephants, hippos, crocodiles, baboons, and an antelope-looking animal called an impala. It was freezing out- but it was amazing!! This picture is from our boat safari that we took that afternoon! I know it's just one, but I'll post more later!

Kasey

It's gone by so fast...

I absolutely cannot believe that tomorrow is our last day at projects. This trip has flown by! While we have all had a wonderful experience, it will be nice to be reunited with our friends and family shortly. It might be a bit difficult settling back into our typical routine in the US. I think it's safe to say that we have all seen and witnessed so much more than we could have imagined...this truly has been a life changing experience. I am so thankful that I was able to share it with a group of wonderful and highly motivated young women.

~ Holly

Monday, July 20, 2009

Last Week!!! Ashley Goodwin


Well this is my first time writing a blog. My experience has been fun but difficult at times. I am really homesick and Im not used to being so far away from home. I think it would be different if I had my cell phone, but I don't so its hard to keep in contact with friends and family members. But I must say that I am very grateful for this experience. I think that the residents are very grateful that we are here to help. I know that I will have a great last week....until next time...xoxo

"I Wish I could..."

Throughout the week, Dr. M gets the class together to have "reflection time." With each meeting we get our assignments for the next week and have a quote or question to reflect on and respond to as a group. This week's question was something like "Now that we've been here a week, seen what we've seen, and done what we've done, if I could do one thing, I wish I could..." These are our responses:

-Provide equipment (more equipment and legitament equipment like working thermometers)
-Have answers
-Have a rehabilitation center (moving people from Home Based Care [HBC] into functioning life)
-Get immediate results
-Create organization
-See more consistency
-Have a wider range of appropriate drugs
-Have and/or create efficiency
-Be able to share "how it is over here"
-Have more thorough and correct documentation
-Compile data that would help support getting funding from the government
-Create a liason between: HBC and clinics, Old People's Home (OPH) and clinics
-Do more with environmental health
-Treat people like we do in the U.S.

I'm not sure I got everyone's responses but based off the ones that I do have, I think it's safe to say that we have a really good (and really rare) group of motivated students, health educators and compassionate volunteers.

This trip is going well!

-Laura

The Care Ladies who Walk!!!



We spent Friday morning (July 17, 2009) at projects and some of us had the pleasure of accompanying home based caregivers from the Natebe community as they visit with patients in their homes. I’ve dubbed them - The Care Ladies who Walk - as that’s what they do…walk many meters to visit with patients in this peri-urban/rural setting. These women put in some long distance time – over hill and crossing the tracks, charging through rocks and sand …each easily matching any of our marathon walkers . They get it done within a few hours. They are cheerful, and thus happily welcomed by folks when they stop by. These caregivers are strong, highly committed and are extremely resourceful!!
~Dr. M

Sunday, July 19, 2009

African Skylines







AH! God in a good mood as shown through clouds and sunshine :-)



Pumbaas (warthogs)!!! Hakuna Matata!













Hippos....grazin
in the grass!



Sunrise over Botswana.....:-)
~Courtney

Chobe Safari

Crossing the border into Botswana....they have a special "Welcome Mat" that you have to walk over that is apparently sprayed with a magical disinfectant that prevents foot and mouth disease. Hopefully, it protects against all the other germs that have no doubt been tracked onto it as well! As you can see, it's not very clean!This big fella decided to grace us with his presence during our Chobe boat safari. It's amazing how close we got to such awesome wildlife!!
Also at Chobe is the always interesting, but very rare "6-Legged Elephant." Being the master photographer that I am, I happened to catch this strange sight on film...


Random water buffalo carcass....we were praying we wouldn't be next on the list of "Things Lions Like to Eat."


"AW, Ma! Cut it out! The humans are watching!"


Our safari trip to Chobe (in Botswana) was yet another amazing experience. Although the weather was a bit chilly and we had to get up at 5am, we got to see some cool stuff. We have done a good job mixing our work with pleasure!
~Courtney

Friday, July 17, 2009

Got to Love The Advertisement!!!!











I for one appreciate how Zambia gets a message across to it's citizens. For those individuals without a TV, no worries here.......Also, I appreciate how forward and upfront they are with their children about the dangers of HIV/AID's and sex. I only wish the U.S would be more forthcoming with it's warnings of unprotected sex. Truly my opinion only.....
R.Queen

Thursday, July 16, 2009

La La La La La Maramba!!

Oh my new friend, Bonjov (not to be confused with Bon Jovi) mugging for the camera! He and I played "Catch the Grasshopper" at Maramba Farm. India did not appreciate it like I did. What a cutie!


These are my other buddies from Maramba Farm. We are doing lion impersonations. I think we are quite good at it....and yes, I am a big kid.

This is Lewah the elephant! She was gracious enough to schlep Ashley and I around on Saturday:-) So fun but my butt still hurts.



Here I am with a hatchet....danger! We use these to chop mulch on Maramba farm. They plant mushrooms and place the mulch on them to help hold moisture. This is my backup career...


Wednesday, July 15, 2009

First time for everything......

I spent this morning doing home base care in one of the Maramba Zones. This was my first time in this area, so I didn't know what to expect. I would have to say that there are some tough cases in this area that leave you feeling like you haven't done enough to help them. Overall, it was a pleasant morning, one women adopted me as her grandaughter....I'll post a picture later of my new grandma......This afternoon was the most exhausting and fun at the same time. Courtney, Laura and I worked with the children this afternoon in family support. We weren't sure where to look for the children, but we didn't have to look at all. The children in the neighborhood saw us and came sworming like killer bees! They gave us a run for money, they are so energetic and curious about the MAZUNGA in their neighborhood. I wanted to run when I saw how many kids kept coming, they were tiring me out......lol....Dealing with the children was a interesting end to the day, especially when one of them called me fat, another hit me on the butt and one little girl kept digging in my pocket and a little boy named junior kept trying to order around to get him some water. As I said it was busy.......


Rashida

Adventures in Babysitting??

I got assigned to a new activity this afternoon – family support! I’m not sure what families we were supporting or if we even did what we were supposed to…as far as I could tell “Family Support” means “Occupy 25 children for 2 hours!” Within 5 minutes of our arrival, the empty lot outside the clinic was filled with kids from all over the neighborhood looking for distraction. As it turns out, the “mzungus” were it! (Mzungu is what they call us). The language barrier made it difficult to explain the simplest games and have them understand. In addition, the kids ranged in age from 2-15. Needless to say we had our work cut out for us, but somehow we made it through in relatively one piece and the children seemed to have fun. I’m exhausted from being used as a jungle gym and I'm pretty sure Rashida has a new boyfriend....;-)
~Courtney

Maramba Clinic

Today I worked at the clinic in Maramba. I think that every child under 5 in the area must have shown up – the entire courtyard was filled with mothers and babies! I left Kasey and Valerie to weigh babies while I ventured inside to help take vitals (blood pressure, temp and weight) from the people who had filled the waiting room in the Outpatient Department. I was very nervous because I had never taken a blood pressure before (for real) but like many other things here in Africa, the only way through it is to DO IT! After the first one, it was smooth sailing! It is now one of my favorite things to do. We have been given freedom to do so many clinical tasks with little or no training. I continue to learn a lot each day from the clinical staff, coordinators and my classmates.
~Courtney

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

HOME BASED CARE - The art of community caring




Our group accompanied Home based caregivers as they visited and checked on members of the community needing that special "TLC". It's quite an exercise of caring as caregivers must walk many metres visiting the sick, shut-ins, and those on the road to recovery. They check vitals, give gentle reminders about taking prescribed medicines, talk about prevention and make recommendations for keeping the individual and their family well. Here are students armed with backpacks of supplies and on their way to see patients in the community. Once there, they get down to business --- the "art of caring"!

Dr. M.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

we're working hard too...
















Even though you may be seeing pictures of us enjoying Zambia, we are doing some work, hard work. We have come to the end of our first week here and it was exhausting, intimidating, scary, exciting and just flat out funny. Each of us has learned something different about ourselves, as well as some of our classmates. We have been touching on each others nerves here and there too. But, we make up in the end....

VICTORIA FALLS WAS AMAZING!

So today the group got to go to Victoria Falls...we finally got to see it in the daylight! It was the most amazing thing that I have ever seen! It's absolutely crazy how close they let you go...you could get right on in if you wanted! There really aren't any guardrails or safety mechanisms in place (potentially a public health hazard), but it really lets you soak in all of the natural beauty. We saw people bunji jumping today...I'm contemplating doing it...let me know if you think I should!
~ Holly

At Victoria Falls


























Amelia

Saturday, July 11, 2009


Today KC, Holly, and I went to the craft market in Livingstone. Each stall has a different crafts person who makes his or her own products. I bought a large bag to be my purse while I am here earlier in the week, and these ladies wanted to see if they could find one they liked as well.

Today and tomorrow we have the day off. The rest of the group went for elephant rides while we were in town, and they said they had a great time. Tomorrow we are headed to the falls!

I have enjoyed my first week in Zambia immensely. On Wed., Thurs., and Fri., I worked in two different medical clinics. The first one, Mosi-oa-Tunya was very nice. I was able to help a nurse who was giving check-ups to children under 5 years old and their mothers. I weighed babies and helped the mothers fill out their child's information/medical cards. India was with me and she worked in the Dispensary filling medication for patients. On Thurs. and Fri. I was at Maramba clinic, which is the largest and busiest in Livingstone. On Thurs. Laura and I took vitals and on Fri. Holly and I did the same. We took patients blood pressure, temp, and weight. Laura and I did not have a working thermometer so I took blood pressure while she got people weighed. When it became less busy, she helped weigh babies, and I continued to take vitals. I think there were around 50 who came through the Outpatient Department that day. Holly and I were able to get two thermometers working, so things went a little smoother for us. She took BP while I weighed and took temps. I have really enjoyed working in the clinics, but I am anxious to help with home-based care.

In the afternoons I have helped with the adult literacy classes, worked on the Maramba Farm, and helped dig a trench where a wall will be erected. I also hope to be able to work in the Maramba Home for Old People next week. All of the students who have seem to really like it.

I am relly excited about starting a new week on Monday, but the rest and relaxation today and tomorrow are greatly appreciated!

Amelia

1st Week Here

Well, we've been in Livingstone for almost a week now. We've all settled in and have gotten into the routine of our projects. I've been volunteering primarily in home-based care. It's a wonderful opportunity to be able to go into the homes of local residents and learn about their daily way of life. Unfortunately, HIV/AIDS is pervasive throughout Livingstone (about 1 in 3 have it), so we've been visiting many AIDS patients and there's been some TB as well. We're able to have fun though as well. We saw Victoria Falls by moonlight. We crossed this narrow bridge in the pitch dark...the mist from the falls felt like pouring rain. It was an absolutely amazing experience, and I can't wait to see it in the daylight! That's all for now...I'll write more later. ~ Holly

Here is Dr. Morrison right after our arrival at the Livingstone airport. We rode in the big open air truck to Livingstone Backpackers where we are staying. As you can see the weather is beautiful and sunny, and it has been since we arrived.
Amelia Mattocks

Friday, July 10, 2009



Check it out....

Everyone is now happily settled in and doing service projects. We had a " tour"of projects, a brief medical/community health induction and then it was time to jump right in...And jump each one did!! At clinics it was taking blood pressures, temperatures, baby weighting, vaccines, etc. For home-based care it was door to door greeting clients and helping with palliative care...pain killers, vitamin B, changing dressings, etc. All this in the mornings. Then it's off to community projects in the evenings...building that privacy wall for the community school, farming and pumping water, adult literacy classes under the tree, mixing concrete and toting a wheelbarrow of bricks for building the school room, cleaning rooms at the old people's home. As you can see, this group has been extremely busy...These group of women have been simply amazing!!!!
But there's been room for fun...Folks checked out the "lunar" rainbow over Victoria Falls last night!!! Fabulous!!
Weekend is here and some well deserved R and R ...because it's work again on Monday!!!

Dr. M.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Today was a long day . . .

Today, we got a lot of information and the day is not over yet. We toured multiple sites and interacted with some of the practioners that we will encounter. We practiced taking blood pressures and will continue to practice them tonight. It is almost time for dinner. . . . yeah!




Ashley N.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Arrived Safely in Livingstone

Hello all fellow followers, we all arrived in Livingstone, Zambia this afternoon about 12 noon local time. No delayed flights or lost luggage for our group (thank God!) Besides being completely exhausted, we're all in good spirits and are getting settled into our new homes for the next 3 weeks. We all traveled really well which is saying a lot for our group! I'm really glad to be a part of a rare group like this. We survived the 15 hour flight, the 14 hour layover, and the last 2 hour flight into Zambia. I'm actually really surprised how chilly it is here - I've had multiple layers on since our stop in Jo'burg, haha. Since it's winter here, it gets dark around 5 pm and stays cold as long as the sun isn't shining. Anyway, we're all doing well and are so happy to find that there is wireless internet here! Gotta go, our orientation is starting!

Laura Ball :)

Arriving on the African Continent...

We all arrived in South Africa safe and sound and are toughing it out overnight in the Jo'Burg airport. We refreshed ourselves with food and drink and now look forward to the next leg when we will be in Livingstone, Zambia in the morning (South African time).

Dr.  M....