I am going to back track a little since my weekend was so full. On Friday I headed to Queen II, the local hospital, and was able to shadow during rounds for a little while. It was just crazy. Kids here have disease we never seen in the United States anymore! I saw a kid with MEASLES! The only kids we see with that in the US are those that aren't vaccinated- and even then it is super rare. Apparently they had an outbreak here pretty recently and the hospital was full of kids with measles. That is just crazy to me. They also don't vaccinate for as many diseases here- especially for things like chicken pox. While it is so sad, it is such a great opportunity for me to learn how to manage these diseases.
After rounds Alex and I headed to town and had some traditional Lesotho food. Meats vary, but are generally stews, or just grilled. We got chicken and sausage with the traditional sides of pappas (corn
based mash kind of like grits) and mar-rojo (a very salty spinach dish, like collard greens). It was much better than I expected, but man do they like their salt! We finished up with some fat cakes (which are basically just fried bread- like funnel cakes). I could eat the pappas again,
After rounds Alex and I headed to town and had some traditional Lesotho food. Meats vary, but are generally stews, or just grilled. We got chicken and sausage with the traditional sides of pappas (corn
based mash kind of like grits) and mar-rojo (a very salty spinach dish, like collard greens). It was much better than I expected, but man do they like their salt! We finished up with some fat cakes (which are basically just fried bread- like funnel cakes). I could eat the pappas again, but I will probably never try to recreate the mar-rojo in the states. . . at least not with the amount of salt used by the people here! =)
I failed to menti
on that in Semonkong we stayed in a dormitory. The first night was great and was just the two of us. . . unfortunately the second night included 4 boys for Jo-burg as well. I was worried, but it turned out ok. One of them talked i
n his sleep all night, alternating between Afrikaans and English. . . it was interesting.
Tuesday I went to an outreach clinic in the mountains. That was interesting. They have a lot of nurse's assistants there that are supposed to be responsible for dispensing meds when the doctors can't be there. It seems that there is a huge shortage of doctors in Lesotho. Unfortunately, the skill level was very disappointing. The assistant brought out the wrong meds for the patient, accidently stuck the wrong kid for labs, and started to palpate the neck when I asked if the patient had an enlarged liver!!!!! The doctor that went with me said that she has been working with this woman since November with no improvement. The thought of this woman filling meds for these kids on days we are unavailable is absolutely terrifying. Usually there is someone to help her . .. I just pray there are not many other days in between.
Last night Alex and I went to see Eclipse at the one theater in Lesotho for just $2.00!!!!! Sure beats US prices! We also tried a hamburger joint in the mall prior to the movie that was far from good. We ate it nonetheless. . . I didn't know i would miss burgers this much!
I failed to menti
on that in Semonkong we stayed in a dormitory. The first night was great and was just the two of us. . . unfortunately the second night included 4 boys for Jo-burg as well. I was worried, but it turned out ok. One of them talked i
n his sleep all night, alternating between Afrikaans and English. . . it was interesting.Tuesday I went to an outreach clinic in the mountains. That was interesting. They have a lot of nurse's assistants there that are supposed to be responsible for dispensing meds when the doctors can't be there. It seems that there is a huge shortage of doctors in Lesotho. Unfortunately, the skill level was very disappointing. The assistant brought out the wrong meds for the patient, accidently stuck the wrong kid for labs, and started to palpate the neck when I asked if the patient had an enlarged liver!!!!! The doctor that went with me said that she has been working with this woman since November with no improvement. The thought of this woman filling meds for these kids on days we are unavailable is absolutely terrifying. Usually there is someone to help her . .. I just pray there are not many other days in between.
Last night Alex and I went to see Eclipse at the one theater in Lesotho for just $2.00!!!!! Sure beats US prices! We also tried a hamburger joint in the mall prior to the movie that was far from good. We ate it nonetheless. . . I didn't know i would miss burgers this much!
Pictures above show me and the dog that took the long, bumpy ride to Semonkong with us and then Alex and I outside the lodge.
Oh and I passed step 3! Not my best work, but I will take it! No more adult medicine for me!
Yea for you passing Step 3, no more of that crazy stuff. With every blog you post, I continue to be thankful for all the opportunities we have in our country and wish more people could experience what you are so they would take less of what we have for granted!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on Step 3! I'm loving reading about all your adventures. The fat cakes sound delicious.
ReplyDelete