5/18/09
On the ride home from work Caroline marveled at the blossoming greenery on Table Mountain. I learned that there was a massive Forrest Fire in March, just before my arrival. I had certainly noticed the baldness of the mountain and the blackened, branchless trees, but hadn’t thought much on it. But, as the weeks passed, Mother Nature was hard at work in recovery. Suddenly one day the mountain was sprouting green and blossoming before our eyes. My thoughts went to the hospital and the resiliency of the children. It’s amazing how life continues, bounces back and fully recovers.
Our new roommate, Sarah, was here by the time I got back from work. Turns out, she is related to Steve, a connect staff member (VIP!!). She’s very friendly and seemingly easy going. Turns out she is from Newton! She’s been going to school in Copenhagen and is completing an internship with women’s literacy…I think :-/. I’m looking forward to the new dynamics of our apt!
Jamie flies out on the 28th and we’ve still got plenty of things to check off on our bucket list. This evening we went to the bookstore around the corner, ordered some hot chocolates and mapped out our next two weeks. This bookstore is super cute (and the same bookstore that ended us up in the local papers). Downstairs is mostly children’s books. There are comfy couches, chairs and mini bar serving hot drinks and pastries. We’ve read nearly all the African Children’s stories and purchased a good number of them. It’s so relaxing to lounge and read books, especially only a few hundred feet from our apt.
We (tentatively) planned High Tea at the Mt Nelson, Stellenbosch (vineyards), Addis, a popular Ethiopian restaurant our friends have raved about, Mama Africa, for an African meal, exploring the shops on Long St, and a visit to Sea Point.
On the ride home from work Caroline marveled at the blossoming greenery on Table Mountain. I learned that there was a massive Forrest Fire in March, just before my arrival. I had certainly noticed the baldness of the mountain and the blackened, branchless trees, but hadn’t thought much on it. But, as the weeks passed, Mother Nature was hard at work in recovery. Suddenly one day the mountain was sprouting green and blossoming before our eyes. My thoughts went to the hospital and the resiliency of the children. It’s amazing how life continues, bounces back and fully recovers.
Our new roommate, Sarah, was here by the time I got back from work. Turns out, she is related to Steve, a connect staff member (VIP!!). She’s very friendly and seemingly easy going. Turns out she is from Newton! She’s been going to school in Copenhagen and is completing an internship with women’s literacy…I think :-/. I’m looking forward to the new dynamics of our apt!
Jamie flies out on the 28th and we’ve still got plenty of things to check off on our bucket list. This evening we went to the bookstore around the corner, ordered some hot chocolates and mapped out our next two weeks. This bookstore is super cute (and the same bookstore that ended us up in the local papers). Downstairs is mostly children’s books. There are comfy couches, chairs and mini bar serving hot drinks and pastries. We’ve read nearly all the African Children’s stories and purchased a good number of them. It’s so relaxing to lounge and read books, especially only a few hundred feet from our apt.
We (tentatively) planned High Tea at the Mt Nelson, Stellenbosch (vineyards), Addis, a popular Ethiopian restaurant our friends have raved about, Mama Africa, for an African meal, exploring the shops on Long St, and a visit to Sea Point.
FYE: NOT FOR THE FEINT OF HEART. We have been working with a 6 year old pt with meningitis. Caroline worked with her initially when she was admitted for amputation of her left leg. She has been intermittently admitted for small procedures. This patient’s finger tips were also involved in the infection and the doctors had been discussing amputation. Caroline shared a story with us about a conversation she had with the patient’s grandmother. They were waiting together while the patient was in theatre. The family’s first language is Xhosa but the mother understands some English. The “discussion” was leading towards the patient’s fingers and her anxiety about them. Somewhere in the conversation the grandmother communicated to Caroline that one of the tips had fallen off. Caroline was trying to clarify, when the grandmother held up her hand and then proceeded to dig in her pocket (presumably for the finger tip). Caroline pressed that it was not necessary to prove this, but luckily didn’t have to. The grandmother could not find whatever it was she was digging in her pocket for…
No comments:
Post a Comment