We had a really short week at Sarah Fox last week because of the National Holiday on Friday.
Wednesday- really easy day compared to Tuesday, and the kids were much better behaved. Brie came back for her last two days at Sarah Fox so I had an extra hand.. We took the kids outside really early in the day so they were worn out by lunchtime.
Thursday- Brie's last day :( . It's so weird to see her go.. She has been here for a month already, but it seems like she just started last week. I tried to have the kids make goodbye and thank you cards before Brie got there in the morning, but only a couple of them actually finished. The kids were extra sweet all day long, so I think they actually understood. A new shy little girl came to the hospital and she stayed by my side the entire day. ..She even waited by the door when I left the room. I still have yet to hear her speak a word.
After placement on Thursday, Karen and I went to the beach for a couple of hours and then met up with the rest of the group for dinner at the Ethiopian restaurant on Long Street downtown for Whitney's birthday. The rest of the group went out afterwards, but Karen, Brie, and I went home to bed for our big day on Friday.
Friday - We were picked up early in the morning for our Hike and Bike adventure to the Cape of Good Hope - the most south-western point of the African continent. Our first stop was Hout Bay where we rode on a glass-bottomed boat out to Seal Island. . beautiful views and tons and tons of seals. We then continued down the western coast to the winelands in Constantia and across the mountains toward Muizenberg, Kalk Bay, and Simonstown. In Simonstown we stopped at Boulders Beach to see the penguins (they live there) and do a little shopping. We went on to the Table Mountain National Park and the Cape of Good Hope. We biked to a shelter in the park for a picnic lunch and then down to Cape Point. At Cape Point we hiked up some cliffs. Again, it was one of the best days yet.
Saturday- Brie ran in the Two Oceans Marathon! Great Job Brie!
In the morning, Bailey took me to the organic market at the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock, Cape Town. They had amazing food, smoothies, baked goods, jewelry, scarves, etc., all for really good prices. I met Karen and Brie at Clifton Beach and later we took a taxi down to the Waterfront for a sunset sailboat ride. We ended up hitting some unexpected wind and waves, so our ride wasn't so peaceful... Within the first five minutes we were all drenched from head to toe and every person on the boat was rolling with laughter. The captains admitted that they weren't at all expecting the ride to be as exciting as it was, but it ended up being the most spontaneous and fun night yet...
I'm still sad I had to miss the Easter and birthday celebration at home :(
Sunday- Bailey, Brie, Karen and I had a fun morning in Constantia and later we went to Kirstenbosch Gardens for the last performance of their summer concert series.. We saw Goldfish. The group is popular here and is actually supposed to be huge in the US soon.. They are already in a couple of commercials. Kirstenbosch is so beautiful and I really hope I get the chance to go back to walk around the gardens more before I leave.
Monday - We were still off for the holiday.. We had a group day at the beach.
Tuesday - It hit me today that I only have 3 more days at Sarah Fox. My time has gone so fast.. It will be really hard to leave. I tried to arrange time in my last two weeks in Cape Town to visit a few more times and hopefully help out. We'll see how it works.. The administration at Sarah Fox isn't the most organized.
The kids were so good today. We actually finished a couple of puzzles in the morning and the kids were SO proud... The puzzles were only 30 pieces but it was a huge accomplishment. We spent the rest of the day outside.
We learned today that one of the kids in the baby ward passed away over the weekend. We're all keeping the family in our prayers.
After placement, we went to finish a couple of last-week errands and had dinner at the Waterfront.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Week 4/5
I haven't updated in forever so I'll make it super short.
The rest of week 4 went pretty well. The weather was nice so we got to dress the kids in swim suits and take them outside to run in the sprinklers and swim in the kiddie pools. I've never seen kids so excited.. They thought it was the coolest thing ever.
Allie's last day was Friday :(. We went to the Red Cross Hospital in the morning to visit one of her favorite patients who had plastic surgery on her face last week for her burns. The two of them have become buds over the last twelve weeks and both were in tears by the end of our visit. Later at Sarah Fox we had a going away party with ice cream and more swimming/sprinklers. I'm not sure what we'll do without Allie there.
For the first time we had all of our afternoons free last week. I took some surfing lessons (amazing) and relaxed at the beach. Friday Bailey picked me up right after placement for my weekend away. We went to the Taste of Cape Town Friday night. I caught some kind of stomach bug and was really sick Saturday and Sunday. We did manage to make it to a new beach and some cool new sites in Cape Town on Sunday, but I was sick again Sunday night. On Monday Bailey took me to Charly's Bakery for my birthday (famous in South Africa.. they've even made cakes for Oprah!). ..My cupcakes are still sitting in the box because they were too pretty to eat. We went to a movie and shopping for the rest of the day. Some of the volunteers met us for dinner at a nice sushi restaurant. The weekend was amazing minus the sick part.. Whitney and I are going to try to celebrate our joint birthdays next weekend at the Ethiopian restaurant when we are both feeling up to it.
Placement today was tough. I was the only volunteer in the hospital again and one of the nine-year-old boys was really hard to handle.. I'm starting to really miss the days when it was just me with the toddlers.. I'm really having to work hard at patience.
After placement we went to the beach.
The rest of week 4 went pretty well. The weather was nice so we got to dress the kids in swim suits and take them outside to run in the sprinklers and swim in the kiddie pools. I've never seen kids so excited.. They thought it was the coolest thing ever.
Allie's last day was Friday :(. We went to the Red Cross Hospital in the morning to visit one of her favorite patients who had plastic surgery on her face last week for her burns. The two of them have become buds over the last twelve weeks and both were in tears by the end of our visit. Later at Sarah Fox we had a going away party with ice cream and more swimming/sprinklers. I'm not sure what we'll do without Allie there.
For the first time we had all of our afternoons free last week. I took some surfing lessons (amazing) and relaxed at the beach. Friday Bailey picked me up right after placement for my weekend away. We went to the Taste of Cape Town Friday night. I caught some kind of stomach bug and was really sick Saturday and Sunday. We did manage to make it to a new beach and some cool new sites in Cape Town on Sunday, but I was sick again Sunday night. On Monday Bailey took me to Charly's Bakery for my birthday (famous in South Africa.. they've even made cakes for Oprah!). ..My cupcakes are still sitting in the box because they were too pretty to eat. We went to a movie and shopping for the rest of the day. Some of the volunteers met us for dinner at a nice sushi restaurant. The weekend was amazing minus the sick part.. Whitney and I are going to try to celebrate our joint birthdays next weekend at the Ethiopian restaurant when we are both feeling up to it.
Placement today was tough. I was the only volunteer in the hospital again and one of the nine-year-old boys was really hard to handle.. I'm starting to really miss the days when it was just me with the toddlers.. I'm really having to work hard at patience.
After placement we went to the beach.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Week 4
Monday 3/30 – We didn’t have very many kids today at Sarah Fox because all of the burn patients and some of the HIV and TB patients had to spend the day at the Red Cross Hospital for appointments, procedures, etc. Brie and I were the only volunteers there so we brought everyone into the older kids’ ward again. One of the nine-year-olds spent the entire morning performing Sean Kingston’s Beautiful Girl in song and dance. I caught some of it on video.
We were going to take the kids outside, but for once they were content playing inside and watching the music videos on my camera.
After placement, Bailey and I had lunch at a Sushi restaurant in Claremont, about 10 minutes from my homebase. Her roommate is leaving for Italy on Friday for 10 days so I’m going to stay with her this weekend. I can’t wait!
My throat and ears started hurting again today.
Tuesday 3/31 – About 5 of us had to stay home from placement today to go to the doctor. Turns out I have a severe ear infection and pharyngitis. Two of the girls have strep throat. All of us are on antibiotics. Some of the volunteers swear there’s mold or something in the house because everyone keeps getting sick.
One of the volunteers got mugged today.. YIKES!! He is okay.. They took his phone and money.
We were going to take the kids outside, but for once they were content playing inside and watching the music videos on my camera.
After placement, Bailey and I had lunch at a Sushi restaurant in Claremont, about 10 minutes from my homebase. Her roommate is leaving for Italy on Friday for 10 days so I’m going to stay with her this weekend. I can’t wait!
My throat and ears started hurting again today.
Tuesday 3/31 – About 5 of us had to stay home from placement today to go to the doctor. Turns out I have a severe ear infection and pharyngitis. Two of the girls have strep throat. All of us are on antibiotics. Some of the volunteers swear there’s mold or something in the house because everyone keeps getting sick.
One of the volunteers got mugged today.. YIKES!! He is okay.. They took his phone and money.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Red Cross, Stellenbosch, Safari
Friday 3/27 - I got to attend a medical meeting at the Red Cross Hospital where doctors from all over the world came to discuss unsolved patient cases and metabolic disorders. It was so interesting. A pediatrician from London and a pediatric neurologist from Switzerland seemed to have all of the answers. It was sad to hear that some of the treatments and procedures that are pretty common in the US and other countries are simply not possible here. The meeting lasted the entire morning.
After placement, a group of 9 of us hopped on the train to a cute little college town called Stellenbosch. After getting lost in the train station in Cape Town and boarding multiple 'wrong' trains, we finally made it to our hostel, Stumble Inn. Friday night we went to dinner with the group in the little town and walked around to different restaurants afterwards. It was definitely a college atmosphere and so much fun.
Saturday 3/27- We woke up early on Saturday to start our wine tour. The Stellenbosch wine route is one of the country's most famous, and the area includes 110 different cellars. Allie, Karen, and I decided to join a guided tour we found through the information desk at the hostel. The others decided to try and rent bikes for the day to use for their own tour, but it turned out that the bikes were gone and the wineries were actually pretty far from each other. They ended up shopping. Our tour was unbelievable. The winelands were gorgeous. All we could talk about in the bus between the wine farms was how impossible it would be to try to explain the experience to any of the others or to anyone back home.
Vineyards
At the first winery, Simonsig, we did a wine tour followed by a tasting, and it was perfect. At the second winery, Fairview, we did wine tasting and also a cheese tasting.. There was also a bread bar where we got to sample all different delicious fresh bread. At the third we had lunch and more tasting, and at the fourth we just tasted. The scenery was the best part. The weather was so nice. We got a ride back to Cape Town from one of the couples on the tour with us. The entire trip including transportation, the hostel, meals, wine tour, everything, cost each of us less than $50. It was my favorite experience yet, even better than Table Mountain.
Sunday 3/29 - Happy Anniversary Hilary and Joe!
Today we went on a safari at the Aquila Game Reserve and Safari Lodge. We saw elephants, rhinos, hippos, zebra, gnu?, cape buffalo, ostriches, springbuck, and all kinds of animals, but we never saw the lion, cheetah, or giraffe :( . I'm so glad I did the safari though and it made me so excited to come back someday and do a bigger one.
Rhinos
Elephants
After placement, a group of 9 of us hopped on the train to a cute little college town called Stellenbosch. After getting lost in the train station in Cape Town and boarding multiple 'wrong' trains, we finally made it to our hostel, Stumble Inn. Friday night we went to dinner with the group in the little town and walked around to different restaurants afterwards. It was definitely a college atmosphere and so much fun.
Saturday 3/27- We woke up early on Saturday to start our wine tour. The Stellenbosch wine route is one of the country's most famous, and the area includes 110 different cellars. Allie, Karen, and I decided to join a guided tour we found through the information desk at the hostel. The others decided to try and rent bikes for the day to use for their own tour, but it turned out that the bikes were gone and the wineries were actually pretty far from each other. They ended up shopping. Our tour was unbelievable. The winelands were gorgeous. All we could talk about in the bus between the wine farms was how impossible it would be to try to explain the experience to any of the others or to anyone back home.
Vineyards
At the first winery, Simonsig, we did a wine tour followed by a tasting, and it was perfect. At the second winery, Fairview, we did wine tasting and also a cheese tasting.. There was also a bread bar where we got to sample all different delicious fresh bread. At the third we had lunch and more tasting, and at the fourth we just tasted. The scenery was the best part. The weather was so nice. We got a ride back to Cape Town from one of the couples on the tour with us. The entire trip including transportation, the hostel, meals, wine tour, everything, cost each of us less than $50. It was my favorite experience yet, even better than Table Mountain.
Sunday 3/29 - Happy Anniversary Hilary and Joe!
Today we went on a safari at the Aquila Game Reserve and Safari Lodge. We saw elephants, rhinos, hippos, zebra, gnu?, cape buffalo, ostriches, springbuck, and all kinds of animals, but we never saw the lion, cheetah, or giraffe :( . I'm so glad I did the safari though and it made me so excited to come back someday and do a bigger one.
Rhinos
Elephants
Friday, March 27, 2009
Week 3 Continued
I haven't updated in almost a week, but I'll try to keep it brief.
Tuesday 3/24 - At Sarah Fox they were painting the toddlers' playroom so we combined all of the kids into the older kids' ward. Since we had enough volunteers, we took all of the kids outside for most of the day. They loved it.
After placement we visited the District Six museum in Cape Town. District Six is a former residential area in the inner city. Over 60,000 of its inhabitants were forced to move in the 1970's by the Group Areas Act where the government declared the area "whites-only". Most people were relocated to the township areas about 25 km from the city. The museum was designed to serve as a remembrance to apartheid and the culture and history of the area before the removal. So interesting but very intense.
Wednesday 3/25 - Worst Day ever at Sarah Fox. The nurses decided to call an "all-staff" meeting. So basically, two other volunteers and I were left to run the entire hospital. The meeting was held right outside of the door to the older kids' room and we were told not to interrupt for any reason. Since we were short on help, we had to combine all the kids into that one room. One of the kids was screaming in pain at one point, but when we tried to take him in to the nurses they shooed us away. The same happened for multiple kids that had gotten sick or had made huge messes on themselves. After awhile the situation got a little out of control. Fifty kids in one tiny room for several hours didn't go over so well. The other volunteer walked out crying.
When we were about to leave, I went to see how Alex was doing in the baby ward.. and she was crying too. She was trying to feed one of the babies that had come in earlier that day. The baby had herpes lesions all over his mouth but he was so starving that he was leaning in for every bite of food. The food was hot though, and every time it touched his mouth he screamed in pain. He was also bleeding down his chin. It was obvious that the baby needed different food, but there weren't any nurses or other staff around to ask.
A couple of people came in to relieve us when it was time to leave, but the staff were all still in the meeting.
After placement we went into one of the townships called Guguletu to a little outside restaurant called Mzoli's. The restaurant serves meat but everyone is responsible for bringing their own drinks, sides, etc. CCS takes volunteers to eat there about once every three or four weeks as one of our cultural activities. Usually there is a band playing from the township and one of the local residents will paint volunteers faces with cool African tribal-looking designs. When we got there today though a film crew was shooting some sort of movie so we had to eat quietly and didn't really get the full cultural experience.
When we got back Whitney and I went into Rondebosch and bought some more clothes for placement since mine always get ruined at the hospital. We had smoothies for dinner at one of the little internet cafes.
Thursday 3/26 - Much better day at Sarah Fox. I was the only volunteer in the entire hospital in the morning, but the nurses were actually there to help me out a little bit. I combined all of the kids again in the older kids' play room and when the two other volunteers got there, we took all the kids outside. I tried to teach some of the older girls how to "pump" on the swings because they are always yelling for me to push them.. None of them really understand English, so most of them had no idea what I was talking about, but one actually got it by the end of the day. Hopefully she can teach the others.
After placement we had a farewell meeting for all of the 3-week volunteers who are leaving this week. So weird to think we've already been here that long. It seems like we just got here yesterday. Some of the others are leaving too that have been here for almost 12 weeks. More will be coming next Saturday.
The rest of the group went out for a farewell dinner after the meeting, but Bailey came and picked me up for a night away. We went to eat at a little restaurant in Green Point called Manos and then to a couple little cocktail patios afterwards. I don't think I can handle any more meals at the house, so it was so so nice to go to a new place to eat. I had a salmon and avocado salad yum. I saw Bailey's apartment and met her roommate. Both so nice.
Tuesday 3/24 - At Sarah Fox they were painting the toddlers' playroom so we combined all of the kids into the older kids' ward. Since we had enough volunteers, we took all of the kids outside for most of the day. They loved it.
After placement we visited the District Six museum in Cape Town. District Six is a former residential area in the inner city. Over 60,000 of its inhabitants were forced to move in the 1970's by the Group Areas Act where the government declared the area "whites-only". Most people were relocated to the township areas about 25 km from the city. The museum was designed to serve as a remembrance to apartheid and the culture and history of the area before the removal. So interesting but very intense.
Wednesday 3/25 - Worst Day ever at Sarah Fox. The nurses decided to call an "all-staff" meeting. So basically, two other volunteers and I were left to run the entire hospital. The meeting was held right outside of the door to the older kids' room and we were told not to interrupt for any reason. Since we were short on help, we had to combine all the kids into that one room. One of the kids was screaming in pain at one point, but when we tried to take him in to the nurses they shooed us away. The same happened for multiple kids that had gotten sick or had made huge messes on themselves. After awhile the situation got a little out of control. Fifty kids in one tiny room for several hours didn't go over so well. The other volunteer walked out crying.
When we were about to leave, I went to see how Alex was doing in the baby ward.. and she was crying too. She was trying to feed one of the babies that had come in earlier that day. The baby had herpes lesions all over his mouth but he was so starving that he was leaning in for every bite of food. The food was hot though, and every time it touched his mouth he screamed in pain. He was also bleeding down his chin. It was obvious that the baby needed different food, but there weren't any nurses or other staff around to ask.
A couple of people came in to relieve us when it was time to leave, but the staff were all still in the meeting.
After placement we went into one of the townships called Guguletu to a little outside restaurant called Mzoli's. The restaurant serves meat but everyone is responsible for bringing their own drinks, sides, etc. CCS takes volunteers to eat there about once every three or four weeks as one of our cultural activities. Usually there is a band playing from the township and one of the local residents will paint volunteers faces with cool African tribal-looking designs. When we got there today though a film crew was shooting some sort of movie so we had to eat quietly and didn't really get the full cultural experience.
When we got back Whitney and I went into Rondebosch and bought some more clothes for placement since mine always get ruined at the hospital. We had smoothies for dinner at one of the little internet cafes.
Thursday 3/26 - Much better day at Sarah Fox. I was the only volunteer in the entire hospital in the morning, but the nurses were actually there to help me out a little bit. I combined all of the kids again in the older kids' play room and when the two other volunteers got there, we took all the kids outside. I tried to teach some of the older girls how to "pump" on the swings because they are always yelling for me to push them.. None of them really understand English, so most of them had no idea what I was talking about, but one actually got it by the end of the day. Hopefully she can teach the others.
After placement we had a farewell meeting for all of the 3-week volunteers who are leaving this week. So weird to think we've already been here that long. It seems like we just got here yesterday. Some of the others are leaving too that have been here for almost 12 weeks. More will be coming next Saturday.
The rest of the group went out for a farewell dinner after the meeting, but Bailey came and picked me up for a night away. We went to eat at a little restaurant in Green Point called Manos and then to a couple little cocktail patios afterwards. I don't think I can handle any more meals at the house, so it was so so nice to go to a new place to eat. I had a salmon and avocado salad yum. I saw Bailey's apartment and met her roommate. Both so nice.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Week 3 and Table Mountain
Monday 3/23- Another hard day at Sarah Fox. All of the kids were extra rowdy from being cooped up all weekend long.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
End of Week 2
Friday 3/20 – Really good day at Sarah Fox. Some students from one of the local high schools came to do some community service and about 10 of them were sent to help me in the toddlers’ ward. We took all of the kids outside for the first time since I’ve been there. I laid out a blanket on the grass and three little toddlers curled up on my lap and fell asleep.
The view from our table at dinner. So pretty.
Saturday 3/21 – After last weekend and our crazy busy schedule, I needed a weekend to lay low. Today Whitney and I went to 
Sunday 3/22 – Half of our group went back to the beach today, and the other half went shark diving. I needed a break from group traveling and am a little sunburned from yesterday so I decided to explore on my own. I took the train downtown and walked around to find my bearings. I went back to
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Sick
Thursday 3/19 - I was sick today and had to stay home from the hospital so I didn't pass anything on to the kids with immune system deficiencies. Instead I slept in the morning and took some throat medicine. Jessie said that I missed a hectic day at Sarah Fox. One of the little toddlers pinched his finger in a metal hinge and he had to be rushed to the emergency room. They think he might lose his fingertip. There was also a film crew there filming a commercial for a peanut butter-like product for malnourished kids. In the middle of the commercial one of the autistic kids jumped in and started screaming swear words in Afrikaans.
By the afternoon my throat was feeling better and my voice was coming back. I joined the group for a trip to the "Bo Kaap" or "Cape Malay Quarter" in Cape Town. Most of the people who live there are descendants of the people from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and India, who were captured and enslaved by the Dutch in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Afrikaans language was first developed by the slaves. They came from all over the world and needed a common language to speak with each other and with their masters. Many of the people were Muslim, and the Muslim community has had a huge influence on South African cuisine. We ate at a local restaurant called Bo Kaap Kombuis. Kombuis means "kitchen" and the name represents part of the history. Prior to 1994 and the end of apartheid, the Cape Malay people were not allowed to gather outside of their homes. The kitchen became the place for people to visit with one another and to keep warm. The food was delicious. It was different from anything I've ever tasted and very spicy. Later, we went downtown to the slave quarters and toured the museum there. Very interesting.
By the afternoon my throat was feeling better and my voice was coming back. I joined the group for a trip to the "Bo Kaap" or "Cape Malay Quarter" in Cape Town. Most of the people who live there are descendants of the people from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and India, who were captured and enslaved by the Dutch in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Afrikaans language was first developed by the slaves. They came from all over the world and needed a common language to speak with each other and with their masters. Many of the people were Muslim, and the Muslim community has had a huge influence on South African cuisine. We ate at a local restaurant called Bo Kaap Kombuis. Kombuis means "kitchen" and the name represents part of the history. Prior to 1994 and the end of apartheid, the Cape Malay people were not allowed to gather outside of their homes. The kitchen became the place for people to visit with one another and to keep warm. The food was delicious. It was different from anything I've ever tasted and very spicy. Later, we went downtown to the slave quarters and toured the museum there. Very interesting.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Week 2 Continued
Tuesday 3/17 - My hardest day yet at Sarah Fox. A new little girl was transferred from another hospital and she screamed the entire day... and this made all of the other kids scream too. An older boy was also transferred to Sarah Fox and was misbehaving in the older kids' room so was sent to the toddlers' room for punishment where he screamed even more. One of the nurses came in to talk to him in Xhosa and said that he was screaming because he missed his mom. Later she told me that his mom recently abandoned him and he is at Sarah Fox waiting to be placed with a family. So sad- I wanted to take him home. The rest of the day was hard because of little things.. A lot of the kids wouldn't eat because their medication was making them feel really sick. We had an overload of kids so all of the volunteers and staff were busy all day and I was without any help. Overall though the day was rewarding.
After placement Whitney, Steph and I hiked to Rhodes Memorial from our homebase. It took about 45 minutes and we passed through the University of Cape Town campus. It was gorgeous..One of the younger volunteers is actually transferring there after her trip. Rhodes Memorial has an awesome view over the city.. We're planning on hiking there a lot.
Later, we ate dinner downtown on Lang Street at an Ethiopian restaurant. It was so good and so different (It reminded me of you Aunt Cindy and the African restaurant where we ate in Chicago). Whitney and I decided that is where we want to have our birthday dinners. We walked down to the Dubliner on Lang St. to meet the rest of our group. On the cab ride home we saw the huge fire on Table Mountain.. Even the volunteers from California said that it was the biggest fire they've ever seen. The whole side of the mountain was in flames and it actually came pretty close to our homebase because someone had set it right below the Rhodes Memorial. Overnight the wind carried the fire to the other side of the mountain and tons of people had to evacuate their homes. Luckily we haven't heard of anyone being hurt.
Wednesday 3/18 - Much better day at Sarah Fox. All the kids were really calm.. The older boy was still crying about his mom :(
One of the little girls today was throwing up all over herself and the floor and the nurses were yelling at me and another volunteer not to touch her. Ten minutes later when the nurse finally came to clean her, she threw a dry towel down on the floor and then with the same towel, wrapped the girl up and took her to change. The other kids were dropping their lollipops on the ground the rest of the day in the same area and picking them up and putting them back in their mouths. Jessica and I tried to say something, but we've been warned over and over again that standards of care are just different here than they are in the US. No wonder the kids get so sick. When the nurses left we took some of the lollipops away.
Another little boy got to go home today :) He has been at Sarah Fox for 9 months for meningitis. He was one my favorites so it was sad to see him leave but awesome to see him go home to a family.
After placement Whitney, Steph and I hiked to Rhodes Memorial from our homebase. It took about 45 minutes and we passed through the University of Cape Town campus. It was gorgeous..One of the younger volunteers is actually transferring there after her trip. Rhodes Memorial has an awesome view over the city.. We're planning on hiking there a lot.
Later, we ate dinner downtown on Lang Street at an Ethiopian restaurant. It was so good and so different (It reminded me of you Aunt Cindy and the African restaurant where we ate in Chicago). Whitney and I decided that is where we want to have our birthday dinners. We walked down to the Dubliner on Lang St. to meet the rest of our group. On the cab ride home we saw the huge fire on Table Mountain.. Even the volunteers from California said that it was the biggest fire they've ever seen. The whole side of the mountain was in flames and it actually came pretty close to our homebase because someone had set it right below the Rhodes Memorial. Overnight the wind carried the fire to the other side of the mountain and tons of people had to evacuate their homes. Luckily we haven't heard of anyone being hurt.
Wednesday 3/18 - Much better day at Sarah Fox. All the kids were really calm.. The older boy was still crying about his mom :(
One of the little girls today was throwing up all over herself and the floor and the nurses were yelling at me and another volunteer not to touch her. Ten minutes later when the nurse finally came to clean her, she threw a dry towel down on the floor and then with the same towel, wrapped the girl up and took her to change. The other kids were dropping their lollipops on the ground the rest of the day in the same area and picking them up and putting them back in their mouths. Jessica and I tried to say something, but we've been warned over and over again that standards of care are just different here than they are in the US. No wonder the kids get so sick. When the nurses left we took some of the lollipops away.
Another little boy got to go home today :) He has been at Sarah Fox for 9 months for meningitis. He was one my favorites so it was sad to see him leave but awesome to see him go home to a family.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Beginning of Week 2
Monday- Today I worked with the toddlers again at Sarah Fox. It was music therapy day and it was the first time I've seen them all sitting at the same time. The therapists used both English and Xhosa and sang to each child individually using his/her name. Everyone got to play an instrument and the toddlers LOVED it.
The hospital ran out of paper towels and had to start using cloth towels at the sinks and in the bathrooms. Instead of regular soap, the hospital has to dilute the hand soap down to almost the consistency of water.. maybe an idea for a fundraiser when I get home. A CCS volunteer who just finished the program at Sarah Fox is creating a fund right now to get faucets with long handles for the nursery so that staff don't have to touch the handles when turning the water on and off.
A couple of the toddlers were sent home this weekend because they were done with treatment... Yay!
The hospital ran out of paper towels and had to start using cloth towels at the sinks and in the bathrooms. Instead of regular soap, the hospital has to dilute the hand soap down to almost the consistency of water.. maybe an idea for a fundraiser when I get home. A CCS volunteer who just finished the program at Sarah Fox is creating a fund right now to get faucets with long handles for the nursery so that staff don't have to touch the handles when turning the water on and off.
A couple of the toddlers were sent home this weekend because they were done with treatment... Yay!
Garden Route
We went away for the weekend so I haven't had the chance to update. Here it goes.
Thursday - I worked with the toddlers again at Sarah Fox. I started to learn their names (very hard to pronounce) and their personalities. I began realizing that standards of care are very different here than they are the United States due to lack of resources. For example - Several children are given medicine with the same spoon, cleaned with the same towel, etc. Some of the nurses and housekeeping staff become very impatient with some of the toddlers and will tie them to their cribs even when they didn't really do anything wrong. The other volunteers and I tried as hard as we could to engage the wild ones to keep them from being tied up, but it's hard when there are so many. I even tried to untie one to bring him outside but got scolded by the head nurse.
After placement, we attended an HIV/AIDS workshop. Over 6 million people in South Africa are infected with the virus, and there were more than 1,400,000 AIDS orphans in South Africa in 2007. The workshop was very informative and now I have a little better understanding of the many different aspects of the virus and its effects on the country.
Friday - I was the only CCS volunteer at the hospital Friday.. Jessie went to the Red Cross Hospital with one of the infants and Alex and Allie were sick. I spent the morning in the "school" since no one was there to take care of the older kids. Since many of them have never had any kind of formal education it was difficult to keep their attention, especially since they haven't learned English. I finally got them to listen when I tried to speak to them in Xhosa. I only know one sentence by heart but they got a kick out of it.. they laughed and laughed and laughed. I showed them how to make paper cranes and we finished a puzzle. Once another volunteer showed up I was sent back to the toddler room.
After placement, we jumped on a bus and headed on our weekend trip on the Garden Route. We drove for about 6 hours to Wilderness, South Africa where we stayed in a hostel for the night. The drive was so gorgeous, and the hostel was really cute.. Once we got there we had dinner and wine in a little tiki hut. I saw the Indian Ocean for the first time.
oh, and we saw a bunch of baboons at one of our rest stops.
Dinner at the hostel
Saturday- Our group woke up at 6 am Saturday morning and drove about 2 more hours east along the southern coast of Africa. First we did a canopy tour and then I bungeed the tallest bungee jump in the world! It was AMAZING..I'll try to post pictures. Everyone in the group bungeed except for two and it was an awesome teambuilding experience. Later we saw elephants and I got to walk/feed/touch them. Our trip was definitely a much needed break from all the hard work. We ate dinner on the water in a town called George. BEAUTIFUL.
Sunday - Again, we woke up at 6 and left for the caves and animal excursion. I opted out of the caves because it was something that I've done before and can easily do again in Missouri. Instead my friend Whitney and I window shopped in a little town (forgot what it was called) and ate at a local restaurant. They served crocodile and ostrich. I tried both. I was excited about the animal excursion but was a little disappointed because it was more like a touristy zoo and I can see that in Kansas City. Some of the other volunteers paid extra and got to play with the tiger cubs.. That was fun to see. After the animals we headed back for Cape Town.
Thursday - I worked with the toddlers again at Sarah Fox. I started to learn their names (very hard to pronounce) and their personalities. I began realizing that standards of care are very different here than they are the United States due to lack of resources. For example - Several children are given medicine with the same spoon, cleaned with the same towel, etc. Some of the nurses and housekeeping staff become very impatient with some of the toddlers and will tie them to their cribs even when they didn't really do anything wrong. The other volunteers and I tried as hard as we could to engage the wild ones to keep them from being tied up, but it's hard when there are so many. I even tried to untie one to bring him outside but got scolded by the head nurse.
After placement, we attended an HIV/AIDS workshop. Over 6 million people in South Africa are infected with the virus, and there were more than 1,400,000 AIDS orphans in South Africa in 2007. The workshop was very informative and now I have a little better understanding of the many different aspects of the virus and its effects on the country.
Friday - I was the only CCS volunteer at the hospital Friday.. Jessie went to the Red Cross Hospital with one of the infants and Alex and Allie were sick. I spent the morning in the "school" since no one was there to take care of the older kids. Since many of them have never had any kind of formal education it was difficult to keep their attention, especially since they haven't learned English. I finally got them to listen when I tried to speak to them in Xhosa. I only know one sentence by heart but they got a kick out of it.. they laughed and laughed and laughed. I showed them how to make paper cranes and we finished a puzzle. Once another volunteer showed up I was sent back to the toddler room.
After placement, we jumped on a bus and headed on our weekend trip on the Garden Route. We drove for about 6 hours to Wilderness, South Africa where we stayed in a hostel for the night. The drive was so gorgeous, and the hostel was really cute.. Once we got there we had dinner and wine in a little tiki hut. I saw the Indian Ocean for the first time.
oh, and we saw a bunch of baboons at one of our rest stops.
Dinner at the hostelSaturday- Our group woke up at 6 am Saturday morning and drove about 2 more hours east along the southern coast of Africa. First we did a canopy tour and then I bungeed the tallest bungee jump in the world! It was AMAZING..I'll try to post pictures. Everyone in the group bungeed except for two and it was an awesome teambuilding experience. Later we saw elephants and I got to walk/feed/touch them. Our trip was definitely a much needed break from all the hard work. We ate dinner on the water in a town called George. BEAUTIFUL.
Sunday - Again, we woke up at 6 and left for the caves and animal excursion. I opted out of the caves because it was something that I've done before and can easily do again in Missouri. Instead my friend Whitney and I window shopped in a little town (forgot what it was called) and ate at a local restaurant. They served crocodile and ostrich. I tried both. I was excited about the animal excursion but was a little disappointed because it was more like a touristy zoo and I can see that in Kansas City. Some of the other volunteers paid extra and got to play with the tiger cubs.. That was fun to see. After the animals we headed back for Cape Town.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Placement Day 2
Wednesday - Today I worked with the toddlers at the hospital, and they were so much fun! Alex was very overwhelmed with them yesterday, so I think we will switch semi-permanently. And no laundry today.
We had free time in the afternoon after our placement. We went to Clifton 4th beach. It was so beautiful and so warm. Bailey took Whitney (one of the other volunteers) and I to Camps Bay for dinner after the beach at a place called Cafe Caprice. The sunset was so pretty over the water and we watched people gliding over the cliffs of table mountain in gliders/parachutes. Definitely something we'll have to do.
We had free time in the afternoon after our placement. We went to Clifton 4th beach. It was so beautiful and so warm. Bailey took Whitney (one of the other volunteers) and I to Camps Bay for dinner after the beach at a place called Cafe Caprice. The sunset was so pretty over the water and we watched people gliding over the cliffs of table mountain in gliders/parachutes. Definitely something we'll have to do.
Placement
Tuesday- Our first day at our placement. I am volunteering at the Sarah Fox Children’s Convalescent Hospital in Athlone, Cape Town. Most of my days will be spent looking after children and infants. These children suffer from HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria and other terminal illnesses. There is also a severe burn unit. Many are orphans and consider the hospital their home. Because of the hospital's strict photography policy, I will not be able to show you where I will be working each day.
Three other girls from the homebase are also placed at Sarah Fox. One is a new volunteer like me, and the other two have been there for 6 and 8 weeks.
The hospital is divided in to two different wards. One is for the infants and the other is for the older children. The older children are then divided into toddlers and older kids. Since the other two volunteers have been working with the older kids, I worked with the infants on the first day and Alex (the other new volunteer) worked with toddlers. The first hour was spent in the laundry room. One of the housekeeping ladies kept taking us from our room and showing us how to fold, hang, and load the laundry. Later, the older volunteers told us that the woman just tries get new people to do her work while she sits and drinks tea. We felt really stupid for falling for it, but we'll know for next time.
I spent the rest of the day in the nursery, and the staff seemed so glad to have the help. Most of the babies were HIV positive and many were extremely underdeveloped. Some of the babies I guessed to be 8 months old were actually almost 2 years. We were told that many of the children also have TB, but all were given treatment and are no longer infectious.
After our placement, we had our first language lesson at homebase. I had to choose between isiXhosa and Afrikaans. I chose Xhosa because many of the children at the hospital speak it. Xhosa is a click language, and there are three main types of clicks - "c", "x", and "q". Here is a link to a youtube video to help explain. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31zzMb3U0iY&feature=related
The lesson was a lot harder than I expected, but hopefully I will be able to say a sentence or two to the kids before I leave.
Three other girls from the homebase are also placed at Sarah Fox. One is a new volunteer like me, and the other two have been there for 6 and 8 weeks.
The hospital is divided in to two different wards. One is for the infants and the other is for the older children. The older children are then divided into toddlers and older kids. Since the other two volunteers have been working with the older kids, I worked with the infants on the first day and Alex (the other new volunteer) worked with toddlers. The first hour was spent in the laundry room. One of the housekeeping ladies kept taking us from our room and showing us how to fold, hang, and load the laundry. Later, the older volunteers told us that the woman just tries get new people to do her work while she sits and drinks tea. We felt really stupid for falling for it, but we'll know for next time.
I spent the rest of the day in the nursery, and the staff seemed so glad to have the help. Most of the babies were HIV positive and many were extremely underdeveloped. Some of the babies I guessed to be 8 months old were actually almost 2 years. We were told that many of the children also have TB, but all were given treatment and are no longer infectious.
After our placement, we had our first language lesson at homebase. I had to choose between isiXhosa and Afrikaans. I chose Xhosa because many of the children at the hospital speak it. Xhosa is a click language, and there are three main types of clicks - "c", "x", and "q". Here is a link to a youtube video to help explain. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31zzMb3U0iY&feature=related
The lesson was a lot harder than I expected, but hopefully I will be able to say a sentence or two to the kids before I leave.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Settling
Sorry it has taken me so long to write.. settling in has taken a little longer than expected. Let me give you a short update.
Friday- long and interesting plane ride to Cape Town
Saturday- Arrived at about 4:30 pm. The CCS van brought us to the homebase where we unpacked and headed out on the town. We accompanied the veteran volunteers to a little local restaurant called Roots. Everything was so cheap. A large pizza was less than $4! It was fun getting to know the people I will be living with for the next 6 weeks. The veterans updated us on all of the worthwhile things they have done since they've been here. So excited for the weeks ahead!
Sunday- Orientation Day 1. We toured downtown Cape Town and the surrounding areas. The landscape was the prettiest I've ever seen.. Perfect combination of mountains and ocean. The weather is beautiful here. We got a short history lesson and reviewed the safety policies etc. Sunday night we went into the little town of Rondebosch which is within walking distance to our homebase. Since the phone store was closed, we settled for sangria at a local Mexican restaurant called Cafe Sofia. Later, Bailey came to meet the group and have a drink. We talked for hours.. It was awesome seeing her and catching up.. I miss her so much. Everyone lovvvvved her. She is coming back to see us on Wednesday.
Monday- Orientation Day 2. We dug a little bit deeper into the history of South Africa. We learned about the history, culture, and modern day life of the Xhosa and Afrikaans. The people of this country have gone through so much and it was obvious when we took a tour of the Cape Town townships. The tour was done in a way which showed a progressive history and some of the post-apartheid developments. This was definitely a very powerful experience and a little hard to handle especially after Sunday's tour. Everyone we met was so welcoming. One of the women in the township who was friends with our tour guide even invited us into her room/home.
During the second part of the day we learned a little more about our placements. Mine is Sarah Fox Children's Convalescent Hospital.
Friday- long and interesting plane ride to Cape Town
Saturday- Arrived at about 4:30 pm. The CCS van brought us to the homebase where we unpacked and headed out on the town. We accompanied the veteran volunteers to a little local restaurant called Roots. Everything was so cheap. A large pizza was less than $4! It was fun getting to know the people I will be living with for the next 6 weeks. The veterans updated us on all of the worthwhile things they have done since they've been here. So excited for the weeks ahead!
Sunday- Orientation Day 1. We toured downtown Cape Town and the surrounding areas. The landscape was the prettiest I've ever seen.. Perfect combination of mountains and ocean. The weather is beautiful here. We got a short history lesson and reviewed the safety policies etc. Sunday night we went into the little town of Rondebosch which is within walking distance to our homebase. Since the phone store was closed, we settled for sangria at a local Mexican restaurant called Cafe Sofia. Later, Bailey came to meet the group and have a drink. We talked for hours.. It was awesome seeing her and catching up.. I miss her so much. Everyone lovvvvved her. She is coming back to see us on Wednesday.
Monday- Orientation Day 2. We dug a little bit deeper into the history of South Africa. We learned about the history, culture, and modern day life of the Xhosa and Afrikaans. The people of this country have gone through so much and it was obvious when we took a tour of the Cape Town townships. The tour was done in a way which showed a progressive history and some of the post-apartheid developments. This was definitely a very powerful experience and a little hard to handle especially after Sunday's tour. Everyone we met was so welcoming. One of the women in the township who was friends with our tour guide even invited us into her room/home.
During the second part of the day we learned a little more about our placements. Mine is Sarah Fox Children's Convalescent Hospital.
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