Saying Goodbye

After our internships ended, we had a few days to process, say goodbye, and get in any last minute adventures.  Vernon helped us host a Thank You banquet for our internship sponsors as well.  Here are the last few pictures of my FIRST South African experience. There will be more.

Sister Sandy, Sister Castle and I at the Thank You Banquet.

Our house.

Hazar and Emily with the Treatment Action Campaign representatives. They taught us how to dance South African style. I'm pretty much a pro.

With Vernon. He guided us like a father and will miss him like one.

I LOVE this picture. Cape Town, meet Truman State University where, out of necessity,  girls learn to dance with other girls.

 

 

 

Octavia served us breakfast outside for our last morning together.  She was such a blessing during our stay and one of the relationships I will value most.  Truly an inspiration.

They tell us you can't leave Cape Town without climbing Lion's Head.

Well Cape Town, you are beautiful and it has been real.

Saying goodbye to Kingston, Adrian, and the Daily Deli RIGHT before we load the bus for the airport. It was a very special place with very special chocolate crescents.

Stuck in Amsterdam. We all made it home eventually so if you sense angst in this picture, it didn't last. 

Home Stay in Guguletu

 For one weekend, we all got the opportunity to stay with a family in Guguletu, one of the townships outside of Cape Town.  Margaret and I were paired for the adventure.  Uncertainty was the overwhelming emotion as we approached the experience, though whatever fears we had turned out to be unfounded.  We stayed in a beautiful home that stood out among the shacks that surrounded it.  Our family seemed to be just as uncertain about us as we were about them, but delicious snook, African Salad, and lots of singing of Ndizohamba (We Are Walking in the Light of God) brought us all together. I think it was one of the most valuable experiences of the whole trip.

Mama with my bowl of African Salad in the foreground.  African Salad is Mielie-Meal covered in sour make, or in other words, something you must experience ONCE. Mama couldn't believe we hadn't had it before.

Mama's home. She lives here with her 3 daughters and their children.

From inside the house's gate.

It looks like we are friends, but I'm not sure that that is true at this point. I think I may have just crouched next to her for the appearance of friendship. She warmed up to us later, though.

Now we're friends!

Just playing.

Our bedroom.

Margaret and I with Mama outside of her home.

Our hosts.

Welcome to Tafelsig!

It has been just at three months since I returned from South Africa. In the rush of packing, soaking up Cape Town and preparing for reentry into Missouri summer, I didn't get a chance to finish blogging.  Looking back now, it has become evident just how important it is to document the end of the journey, especially my time at Tafelsig Clinic.

When all is said and done, I spent most of my time at Tafelsig being a student of sociology. I watched how the clinic worked, talked to patients and staff, learned to be a part of the community, and occasionally did actual work if someone needed an extra hand. A participant observer I suppose. I loved this role and am so thankful for the opportunity to be a part of that wonderful community.

Most of these pictures were taken at the very end of the day on a Friday, and make the clinic look deceivingly calm.  During the week from 7:30am-5pm, the clinic is FULL. Walking down the hall means weaving through adults and jumping over children.  About 600 people are processed through the clinic everyday.

Before venturing to Mitchell's Plain, we drop Hazar and Emily of at TAC in Khayelitsha. 

Wind shield view of Khayelitsha.

Welcome to Tafelsig! Tafelsig is a region of Mitchell's Plain.

Juliet and Parks. They're the best. They made sure I made it to and from Tafelsig in this cute bus everyday.

Tafelsig Clinic.  For the first week at work, this security guard questioned my presence with a "Do you have business being here?"

Always made me smile.

This is Wendy in the reception area. She looks flustered and probably was. It was a busy place.  When I was inside reception, they told me to stay away from the windows so patients didn't try to talk to me in Afrikaans. I dodged like a stealth between those files.

Reception area for children and infants.  By the end of my stay, I was qualified enough to weigh babies on the scale in the back corner. Seems simple enough, but I was terrified.

Waiting area. During the day, every bench is full. I imagine that it is not a fun place to sit when truly sick.

I don't know this girl's name, but she was in several times during my internship. I don't think I've ever seen a more beautiful smile.

South African Vaccination Charts are notably different than those in the US.  I would say that I spent the majority of my time watching children be vaccinated.

Medicine cabinet in my examination room. We were out of Penicillin the whole time I was there, and ran out of Tylenol not long after  Penicillin.

More of the room!

Sister Sandy and Sister Charlene talking over some charts.  Those charts on the corner of the desk are for people waiting outside the door with sick children.  Lots of sick children.

In the break room! This was my favorite place, where I spent tea time and lunch time, and where I learned the most about South Africa; i.e. How to take tea, how to eat avocados, where to hide my belongings if I didn't want to be robbed, how to speak Afrikaans, and LOTS about the pros and cons of free health care.

Looking at pictures of one of the Sister's new grandchild.

My supervisor, Sister Sandy Boezak, and I. I learned so much from her about health care, about respecting people, and about working hard.

 On the drive home...

Sunday Adventures

This Sunday we had the privilege of going to church with Octavia, the guest manageress of our house. The service was in Xhosa, but we felt very welcomed and involved. When we arrived they called the six of us to the front to introduce ourselves. We spoke in Xhosa which everyone LOVED, though I'm not sure if it because we spoke well or because we spoke poorly. Regardless, we danced to the song we couldn't sing. I shared a chair with a young boy (sometimes two young boys), and we became action-figure central. It was great to be there with Octavia and fun to see how her congregation worships.

After church Octavia took us to experiene Mzoli's Meat, and experience we did. Mzoli's is basically a huge public braai where you select your meat and they BBQ it for you. I think you are supposed to bring your own utensils, but we did no such thing. Instead we dug in to our bucket of meat with every little bit of our hands and faces. After being exposed to our truly carnivorous selves, Octavia took us to see some of the local monuments commemorating apartheid-era tragedies.

A rainbow by Table Mountain. This was taken out the window while lying in my bed on Sunday morning.

Our group with Octavia at Mzoli's.

Waiting for our meat. It was several hours. We took lots of pictures.

And THIS is our bucket of meat! There were five different varieties of meat, but once we started at it, there was very little differentiation.

You think you know yourself and then someone gives you a bucket of meat.

Done. I'm estimating, but I think that took us about 7 minutes.

Monument commemorating the Gugulethu 7, seven young men who were shot and killed in 1986 by apartheid security forces.

We ended the day with a celebration of Sara's birth. :)