And then they had to go to work. . .

As we all know, all great things come to an end. . . but not without one last exciting adventure first! Ryan and I made our way to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe on Thursday. Our flight was early and the Zimbabwe airport is probably the most inefficient airport we have ever experienced, but other than that, we had safe travels. We decided to hit up the market first when we got there. What an experience!! Bargaining is exhausting. Every time I looked up someone was saying “My sista, pick what you like, I give you best price!” Sometimes they would even offer an exchange . .. they all desperately wanted Ryan to bring them shoes, and pens were quite valuable as well. I just gave them my pen not realizing that I could have gotten something in return. No big deal- at least they have one now.

The view from the safari lodge was just beautiful. It looked right over a water hole and the animals would frequent the area. We saw quite a few elephants during lunch and dinnertime. One night we made our way over to a restaurant called The BOMA- a place of eating. It had traditional Zimbabwe food, entertainment, and dress. The food was pretty good. We both enjoyed the warthog the most- which made us feel a little bad when we saw warthogs hanging out around our room!!! Ryan and I had the lamb as well which was also delicious.

 

On Friday we went on a tour of Victoria Falls. WOW!!! I can’t even describe how incredibly beautiful it was! We got “rained” on a bit during our walk, but luckily they gave us some killer ponchos to wear! One of the best parts was learning about the history of Vic Falls and how David Livingstone became such a hero for the people. Our tour guide was great at telling stories and we just soaked it all up!

 

We had a nice moment of perspective while talking with our tour guide. He was telling us how he just couldn’t believe the things Americans worry about. He saw an episode of Fear Factor and was telling us that the people were freaking out about having to eat a pig head and testicles. All he could think was “Why would you waste such a wonderful meal?”

We got to end our trip with a sunset tour on the river last evening. We saw plenty of hippos, crocodiles, and elephants a long the way. There is definitely nothing like an African sunset. If only pictures could really do it justice- although Ryan sure did try to get some good ones! It was a nice way to end our stay in Africa.

I just want to thank all of you for sharing this incredible journey with me last month and with us this week. This was definitely an experience of a lifetime. I can’t even put into words how much perspective I have gained, how much I have learned, and how touched I have been by the people in Lesotho, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. I will miss the people, the children, and the love for life so many of them had, despite their many disadvantages. There is no doubt that I will be leaving a part of my heart in Africa.

We're gonna need a bigger boat. . .

Burrrr!!! What an amazing, but totally freezing day. Ryan woke up feeling better today so we headed out to Shark Alley with our swimsuits packed and butterflies in our stomachs. The driver picked up 8 other brave folks and we started on our way for the 2 hour drive. We had a bit of orientation once we arrived, but quickly made our way to the boat. Luckily, the weather was beautiful which made me think that I wouldn’t freeze to death. Once again- I was wrong.
Once out on the water the boat driver along with his fellow shark lovers, started throwing fish heads in the water to lure the sharks toward our boat. Very quickly, we had a GREAT WHITE SHARK circling the boat! This thing was massive- maybe 3.5 meters long! It’s size was scary enough, but it’s jaw and teeth were equally terrifying. It quickly found one of the ropes anchoring the boat and proceeded to chew on it until it was split into two. Ryan got some good footage of the shark in action- it should be pretty amazing for everyone to see.

Soon people started to take their turn in the shark cage. We got ourselves dressed in the 7 mm thick wet suits (which are hard as hell to put on to my surprise and extreme frustration). We were the third group to take the dive. The cage was placed right next to the boat and closed when we were in the water. I didn’t feel a bit nervous about the sharks while in there- nor did Ryan. It wasn’t the sharks that became the challenge- it was the water. 12 degrees Celsius! The cold was like living my worst nightmare. And of course. . . they gave us the longest dive of all the groups! My entire body quickly went numb and using my fingers was no longer an option. Ryan was equally cold, but so excited about the sharks that I think he hardly noticed initially. I didn’t want to be a stick in the mud, so I still dunked under the water when the sharks would come near. Despite how cold it was, seeing the sharks that close was definitely extraordinary.

Once out of the water we shivered as we looked for our clothes. I was having a lot of trouble warming up and started to really freak out when one of my fingers wouldn’t pink up. It basically stayed numb and white until we were able to run it under hot water. Ryan came to the rescue of course! I think my medical knowledge might have made me freak out more than I should have. Ryan, me, and my finger are all doing fine now.

We were lucky enough to meet some fellow Americans also on the dive. Both of them were college students in the states studying to be teachers. They were doing a semester of their student teaching in Botswana! I am sure it is an incredible experience for them. Unfortunately, where they are staying there is no hot water. I don’t think I would survive that! They also have less access to foods and are stuck eating dormitory cafeteria food consisting of fatty meats and pappas. They were really enjoying the food on this trip!!

Had dinner at a little Italian place by the hotel. Amazing pizza with lots of interesting combinations. It was perfect too because we were both absolutely exhausted from our day.

We are headed to Zimbabwe tomorrow for the final leg of our trip! Looking forward to a bit of warmer weather there, and maybe a few more safari adventures!

Love to everyone!

It's good to be the King

Our 2nd and 3rd game drives were even better than the first. Saturday evening we started out around 4:00 pm. The weather was nice and our group decided to let us sit up front since I was so ill the night before. I was actually feeling back to myself, but a ride in the front was pretty nice! Our drive started with a few views of giraffes, some buffalo, and more rhinos. We were headed to the hippos when a call came in to the driver. He turned to us and very plainly said “Do you want to see the hippos, or would you like to see a mother lion with her cubs?” “Umm- lions please!!!” - we said it almost in unison. We made our way to the lion cubs where we found 5 cubs and 2 mothers feeding off a baby buffalo they had killed. It was absolutely incredible. I thought I was watching a documentary on TV! I would give details, but I think the pictures say everything!

We had another cocktail party in the middle of the jungle under the stars which was just perfect. After that we headed back for a nice dinner- Kudu for me and Ostrich for Ryan. Delicious! The food at the resort definitely did not disappoint. Dinner is usually inside due to the chilly weather, but breakfast and lunch are always served on the patio. On Saturday we were lucky enough to have the patio to ourselves for lunch. . . or so we thought. While we were waiting for our main dishes, a monkey came down from one of the trees and started walking toward us. Excited, I reached into my bag to look for my camera. Before we knew it, he was on the table stealing our bread and then making a run for it. All we could think was “what just happened?” Word to the wise- never trust a monkey.

We headed to Capetown on Monday. The flight was a bit longer but not any trouble. We were given recommendations for a seafood restaurant on the waterfront that was apparently “one of the best” in Capetown. We would have to disagree. Our food was decent but a little fishy, and noting to write home about. To make it even worse Ryan woke up with food poisoning. No more octopus salad for him! We had a day planned to see the city and take a wine tour which Ryan tried his best to attend. He did very well. . .although I could tell he would have rather been at home in bed. I think he just didn’t want to miss out since we have such a short time here. We went to the Cape of Good Hope which was beautiful, and saw a few whales and baboons on our way. Pretty amazing. We, I mean I had lunch at a place just off the water which was great- kingklip is amazing! After lunch Ryan still wanted us to at least see the winery so we went up for a quick tasting on my part, and then headed home. Ryan is resting up now, hopeful that he will feel better by tomorrow’s shark dive.

We have gotten quite a few lessons on apartheid since we have been here, which has been really interesting. It feels so different from what we are used to in the States, but I guess in a way the States haven’t really had equality for that long. There is still a fair amount of HIV here, but nothing like Lesotho. Apparently the doctors here are not paid well and are currently on strike. . . . that just can’t seem good for the people.

We are off the swim with the sharks tomorrow if Ryan is feeling better. Otherwise I am sure we will find things to fill our time! Cross your fingers for Ryan- he is so excited about the shark dive!

And then there were two. . . .

Ryan arrived in South Africa early Saturday morning and I soon joined him for our flight to Nelspruit! The flight was nice and short followed by a 2 hour drives to the resort. A few bumpy roads along the way, but a lot of beautiful scenery to keep us entertained. Upon arrival the lodge receptionist was more than welcoming. Fresh tea (AMAZING) and cold wet towels to “cool” us off were promptly offered. We then made our way to our room- wow! Probably the nicest and most beautiful place we have, or ever will stay, in our lives. We even had monkeys greeting us along the path to our suite!

We went on a safari drive last evening. Ryan was quite a trooper despite his long trip! Elephants, giraffe, rhinos, lions, antelopes, monkeys, buffalos, a leopard, and a serval- all within 4 hours of our stay! Luckily, nothing charged toward us. It is actually kind of amazing how at ease the animals are with the jeeps. I think there is some kind of system of respect in place. If we only look and leave them alone, they will do the same.

Of note- while we were looking at the elephants, we got a call that someone had spotted a leopard. As seeing a leopard was apparently crucial to our experience here, the driver then zoomed through the jungle to reach the leopard before he disappeared. A road block along the way- a giraffe- was not going to stop us! Ryan and I were in the back of the jeep, so the bumps were less than ideal. The fact that this stomach bug I have been fighting was still in action, didn’t help

Luckily we stopped about 2/3 of the way through for cocktails and snacks. Nothing like a gin and tonic in the middle of the jungle. By then I wasn’t feeling so well anymore so I laid in the jeep and gazed up at the stars as the driver gave everyone some astronomy lessons. Unlike in Houston, we were able to see Venus, Mars, and even Saturn! Pretty phenomenal. I look forward to the experience tonight as I am feeling better today.

We skipped the morning drive to sleep in. I think it did us both some good. Then we enjoyed some breakfast on the patio followed by a drive to see the hippos. However, we were unable to see them since a herd of elephants was headed that way. Hopefully we will have a chance later this evening.

So great to have my favorite person with me! We can already tell that this is going to be an amazing vacation!

**Having trouble uploading pictures!  There will be plenty more to share when we go home!  Here are 4 of the 270 we have taken so far! 

a wink and a smile

Another busy clinic day. I am now not checking out to a supervisor as much- usually only if I have a specific question. It is pretty easy to get into a routine here. Everything is so standardized. I am enjoying it because I don’t spend half my day trying to find my supervisor. I am sure the walking does me some good but it sure doesn’t help relieve the patient load on the other doctors! Today I got through quite a few patients before lunch- I almost felt like a regular doctor here!

running noses and still super cute!

One of my favorite things about the kids here is how easy it is to get them to trust you. I have formed a strategy that only works sometimes in the United States. I always try to greet the child as well as the parent. This usually catches both the child and parent off guard since medicine is still very paternalistic here. While I interview them I always try to make eye contact with the kid when the parents aren’t looking. . . then I move in with a quick, yet subtle wink! If I don’t get a laugh, I definitely always get a smile. It usually helps if they are on my left though- my right eye winks look more like a tic than an actual wink. After that examining them is a piece of cake- we are officially friends. I then get fist bumps on the way out (that is what they do here, high fives just don’t happen) and a happy child. On occasion I am not so successful, but I usually notice that more in the states- here it has worked beautifully. And hence. . . I totally love my job.

Went to the mall yesterday to do a little shopping and then had dinner at my favorite restaurant with one of the doctors, Teresa. She is the one that is friends with the person I am house sitting for. She is also the one who’s awesome maid is doing my laundry! =) It was a nice dinner. It is always so great to get to know the people here. They are all very interesting and inspiring, as I guess you would expect from people that move across the world to help children with HIV/AIDS. Still, life is different here, and you give up an entire lifestyle to be here, in addition to not seeing family and friends. It is a huge commitment and I respect them for their ability to do it. I have only been here a little shy of a month and I already miss my family and friends terribly. It might just be that I am a bit of a weenie though!




On that note- I have just 2 days till Ryan gets here and we start our Africa adventure!! I can’t wait!  


I hope everyone is doing well. Love you all.

ladies making Lesotho hats next to the Basotho hut!  These are very popular here!

downtown Maseru

I think I am just more of a dog person. . .

So the new living situation hasn’t turned out as great as I had hoped. . . the TV and washer are broken and the upstairs smells like kitty litter!! I have been trying to clean it as much as possible, but those cats are just hard to keep up with. This confirms for me why I don’t have cats and why I never will! Locking them in their “cat room” (yes, there is a room just for the cats) has been helpful. I can then at least sleep at night without them trying to lick at my face (so gross!) . Sorry to my cat-lover friends but I guess I have grown out of my love for cats. . . I think I am just more of a dog person now.
I do have internet though, so it makes skyping easier because I have it in the evening now (afternoon US time). The shower is also really nice and since the washer doesn’t work, one of the doctors is letting me give her my laundry for her maid to do. =) Works for me. It took a few hours and a phone call to figure out how to use her stove. Who new it just took hitting a switch on the wall?!??! The house doesn’t have a microwave either so I have to do “real” cooking. It isn’t bad though- I definitely have the time here.

Clinic was super busy yesterday. I don’t think we stopped seeing patients till almost 6 (which is late for this clinic). Lots of sick kids from the weekend I presume. I didn’t have to send anyone to the hospital yesterday, but did send 2 today. The malnutrition here is just so crazy. I can’t even imagine having so little that you can’t feed your family. Poverty here is so different from poverty in the US- I don’t even know if we can call it poverty in the US after what I see here. I guess it is all relative.

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Mahale dam just behind the Mahale clinic and town

Highlight of yesterday- I found a blow-dryer where I am staying!! Probably one of my happiest moments here. I was ready to do a hair commercial after I showered and blow-dried! It was so nice not to go to bed with wet hair for a change!

what's your sign?

Warning- some photos may be inappropriate for young audiences. Parental supervision is advised.

Another beautiful weekend in Maseru. This weekend was actually even warm enough to go without a jacket. It made for a perfect Saturday to walk around town and do some shopping. We hit up the Basotho Hat (which has a lot of Lesotho stuff) and then walked down to the Shoprite (one of the local grocery stores) to grab some fruit and vegetables. We tend to only snack on fruits here- there are not a lot of snacky foods available (which is probably a habit I should take back with me to the US) so we have to frequent the grocery store for things like that. The grocery store is always a nice adventure, especially for the amazing “people watching” you can do there. We are often taking pictures of things at the grocery store and getting odd looks and laughs from the locals. I guess I can understand how we might look ridiculous.

After shopping we went for lunch at a little French café called “ouh la la”. The green tea and sandwiches were good, but they were out of dessert croissants and all other dessert for that matter. Probably better that way. We were able to sit outside and enjoy the beautiful weather though which made up for any menu deficits.

In the evening we decided to make chocolate chip cookies for one of the drivers at the clinic (he has been so great and takes us everywhere). Unfortunately, we couldn’t find chocolate chips anywhere. We ended up cutting up a dark chocolate candy bar instead. The cookies were delicious. I don’t know why I don’t make home made cookies more!

Alex headed back to the states on Sunday. It was a sad day. It has been so great getting to know her. She has been doing an amazing project at the local hospital implementing play and reading time for the children. Most of the time the kids and their mothers just sit around bored out of their minds. We picked up a dvd player for the hospital on Friday, and Alex put together a whole schedule of daily activities for the kids. Pretty amazing. She is exactly the kind of person you want to become a doctor. I feel so fortunate to have met her and know she will do great things someday. I am going to miss her. I guess in a way we shared in a “once in a lifetime experience” together. I told her that we are officially friends for life- whether she likes it or not! =)

Turns out that one of the doctors here has a neighbor that needs a cat sitter for the week. Guess who gets to change locals?? =) I haven’t headed over yet, but I know there is a washer, probably internet, and maybe even a TV!! I’m about to be livin the life.

I am looking forward to my last week in Maseru. Hopefully I will get in a lot of clinic time.

One final note- the signs in Lesotho have been interesting. It is hard to get pictures of all of them as we are usually driving, but I have been able to get some. I also thought I would end with some signs of my own. .. and no, I have no idea what I am doing- but I look pretty awesome, right?

some silly, some just awesome, I like the way they give you a picture in the one above.

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doesn't it just give you so much information?!?