This morning we met as a group at 8:00am to be introduced to the Emmanuel Clinical setting. We met our course coordinator and she explained what was expected of us in the setting and that we were to be divided into groups with her NMMU nursing students. On the drive to the clinic in the township, out driver took a wrong turn, so when she parked the Kombi, she turned it off and walked back to Denise’s car for directions. When she came back and went to start the Kombi, it would not start. She flooded the engine, and now we were stuck, lost, and late for our first day of clinicals. Now we were the ones the other students could say, “It’s Africa time” about. The driver called the other Kombis with the NMMU students and they came and picked us up to bring us to the site. When we arrived we saw the clinic, now when I say clinic, I mean that is the most primitive sense. The container that housed the clinic resembled a metal storage shed, about the length and width of a mobile home. It was surrounded by a large barbwire fence enclosing the clinic and a larger vegetable garden. We later found out that the vegetable garden was planted for the use of all of the township residents. We met the other nursing students and we were paired up among their groups, to ensure that we could have a translator (either of Afrikans or Xhosa). Laura and I were in a group with three of the NMMU nursing students, two guys and one girl. Unfortunately, I cannot remember/pronounce their names correctly, one of the names is Xhosa and has a click in it, so no matter how many times I repeat his name, I will botch it up! All three were very nice, the girl was a little quiet, but I guess I would be too having two “loud Americans” in your group! We walked through the township with one of the Emmanuel caregivers to where our patient lived, because we were doing home visits with the patient and their families. While walking, I was talking with one of the guy students and we were talking about the clinicals that we have done in our previous years. His experience is quite drastic from my own, since I have been in hospitals the last two years with such a huge emphasis on med-surge and recovery, where he has been in local clinics working with TB patients and doing more community and global health. We arrived at our patient’s house, and we stayed there for about an hour asking questions and learning about their illness. When we were finished with our visit we went back to the container and had a debriefing conference with the other groups and then we went home. We only had time to make a quick lunch (leftovers from Barney’s) and change, then it was off to NMMU for our senior sem class, which is South African Politics. Our teacher was away for the day, so we had a substitute who does all of our course coordinating, class was supposed to be three hours, but we were finished in fifteen minutes. Carrie and I went to the library to read books on reserve for homework. Although neither one of us could focus, and the last place we wanted to be was sitting in the stuffy library, it is a nice feeling to have next week and part of the following week’s assignments completed. We took the Kombi back to Langerry and we got ready to go out on the town! Peatrice took us out, so Tonya, Carrie, Katherine, Alex, Christy, Leslie, Laura, Brenna, and I went to Primis for a drink. It was such a fun restaurant/bar! The servers run everywhere they go! The drinks were very delicious; I ordered a litchi daiquiri, but my favorite was the raspberry teapot! When we were getting ready to leave, our waiter asked Brenna to come back in the kitchen with him. She was confused but went with it, and started to go back there…little did she know that Christy told the waiter that it was Brenna’s birthday (her birthday isn’t until January 23rd but we thought that it would be funny!) So Brenna was brought back into the kitchen and told that she had to wash dishes, they put an apron and hairnet on her and she was back there for about five minutes. Then everyone from the kitchen (cooks, dishwashers, and servers) came marching out clapping, dancing, and singing. They put Brenna on a chair and they all sang happy birthday to her! I can’t remember the last time that I laughed as hard as we were during all of this! We have all of it on video, and lots of pictures to document the special event! After the commotion died down, we went to Toby Joes, where it was Wednesday two for ones! I discovered a new love for Savanna Dry (not only a great drink but it was only R14, which is $2.00!!!) and Tonya and I drank a few of those throughout the course of the night! We all went out on the porch and the waitress came up to me and asked me if we were the Minnesota group and she wanted to know how many of us were in the group. A few minutes later, she came out with tequila shots for everyone, compliments of the owner! We made a lovely friend in the bathroom…the woman who gives you the paper towels and before we knew it she came out on the dance floor and was dancing with us! It was so much fun! At midnight, Tonya, Carrie, and I walked back to go to bed, because we had class the next morning at 9:00! Let’s just say that not many of us were feeling quite in the mood to be waking up and having to get to NMMU that early! But all was well and our initiation into the PE nightlife was a great success!
Thursday, August 30, 2007
August 29, 2007: First Day of Clinicals
This morning we met as a group at 8:00am to be introduced to the Emmanuel Clinical setting. We met our course coordinator and she explained what was expected of us in the setting and that we were to be divided into groups with her NMMU nursing students. On the drive to the clinic in the township, out driver took a wrong turn, so when she parked the Kombi, she turned it off and walked back to Denise’s car for directions. When she came back and went to start the Kombi, it would not start. She flooded the engine, and now we were stuck, lost, and late for our first day of clinicals. Now we were the ones the other students could say, “It’s Africa time” about. The driver called the other Kombis with the NMMU students and they came and picked us up to bring us to the site. When we arrived we saw the clinic, now when I say clinic, I mean that is the most primitive sense. The container that housed the clinic resembled a metal storage shed, about the length and width of a mobile home. It was surrounded by a large barbwire fence enclosing the clinic and a larger vegetable garden. We later found out that the vegetable garden was planted for the use of all of the township residents. We met the other nursing students and we were paired up among their groups, to ensure that we could have a translator (either of Afrikans or Xhosa). Laura and I were in a group with three of the NMMU nursing students, two guys and one girl. Unfortunately, I cannot remember/pronounce their names correctly, one of the names is Xhosa and has a click in it, so no matter how many times I repeat his name, I will botch it up! All three were very nice, the girl was a little quiet, but I guess I would be too having two “loud Americans” in your group! We walked through the township with one of the Emmanuel caregivers to where our patient lived, because we were doing home visits with the patient and their families. While walking, I was talking with one of the guy students and we were talking about the clinicals that we have done in our previous years. His experience is quite drastic from my own, since I have been in hospitals the last two years with such a huge emphasis on med-surge and recovery, where he has been in local clinics working with TB patients and doing more community and global health. We arrived at our patient’s house, and we stayed there for about an hour asking questions and learning about their illness. When we were finished with our visit we went back to the container and had a debriefing conference with the other groups and then we went home. We only had time to make a quick lunch (leftovers from Barney’s) and change, then it was off to NMMU for our senior sem class, which is South African Politics. Our teacher was away for the day, so we had a substitute who does all of our course coordinating, class was supposed to be three hours, but we were finished in fifteen minutes. Carrie and I went to the library to read books on reserve for homework. Although neither one of us could focus, and the last place we wanted to be was sitting in the stuffy library, it is a nice feeling to have next week and part of the following week’s assignments completed. We took the Kombi back to Langerry and we got ready to go out on the town! Peatrice took us out, so Tonya, Carrie, Katherine, Alex, Christy, Leslie, Laura, Brenna, and I went to Primis for a drink. It was such a fun restaurant/bar! The servers run everywhere they go! The drinks were very delicious; I ordered a litchi daiquiri, but my favorite was the raspberry teapot! When we were getting ready to leave, our waiter asked Brenna to come back in the kitchen with him. She was confused but went with it, and started to go back there…little did she know that Christy told the waiter that it was Brenna’s birthday (her birthday isn’t until January 23rd but we thought that it would be funny!) So Brenna was brought back into the kitchen and told that she had to wash dishes, they put an apron and hairnet on her and she was back there for about five minutes. Then everyone from the kitchen (cooks, dishwashers, and servers) came marching out clapping, dancing, and singing. They put Brenna on a chair and they all sang happy birthday to her! I can’t remember the last time that I laughed as hard as we were during all of this! We have all of it on video, and lots of pictures to document the special event! After the commotion died down, we went to Toby Joes, where it was Wednesday two for ones! I discovered a new love for Savanna Dry (not only a great drink but it was only R14, which is $2.00!!!) and Tonya and I drank a few of those throughout the course of the night! We all went out on the porch and the waitress came up to me and asked me if we were the Minnesota group and she wanted to know how many of us were in the group. A few minutes later, she came out with tequila shots for everyone, compliments of the owner! We made a lovely friend in the bathroom…the woman who gives you the paper towels and before we knew it she came out on the dance floor and was dancing with us! It was so much fun! At midnight, Tonya, Carrie, and I walked back to go to bed, because we had class the next morning at 9:00! Let’s just say that not many of us were feeling quite in the mood to be waking up and having to get to NMMU that early! But all was well and our initiation into the PE nightlife was a great success!
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