- Prophet Mohammed (Sarah’s choice of quote for the week)
Friday was officially my last day at the Red Cross Children’s Hospital. After speaking with my Connect-123 advisor about how I feel as if I’ve gotten everything I can out of my time spent in theatre, she hooked me with her sister-in-law who is a pediatric infectious disease doctor at the Red Cross. She was nice enough to meet up with me in the midst of her crazily busy day at the hospital and gave me a tour of the facilities that I hadn’t had a chance to explore, since the majority of my time was reserved to the surgical and anesthesiology units. Being an infectious disease physician, she works mostly with children who have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis (TB), though outside of her clinic hours, she primarily works on TB research. She led me through the lab where she and her team are currently in the final stages of developing a blood test for TB, a diagnostic screening that holds considerable weight because “the national department of health has neglected to focus on children up until now because children – unlike adults – rarely transmit TB” (from an article I found online – I’m a science major; providing sources is practically in my blood). I asked her several questions about her work and the intricacies of South African healthcare, but my curiosity led me to scope out more information about the TB epidemic. I learned that of the nine million people who get infected with HIV each year, a third of them are in Africa and about 15% are children. Add in the high prevalence of HIV, which dreadfully compromises the child’s immune system, and 40-60% of those infected have at least one occurrence of TB in their lifetime. I asked the doctor about testing for HIV in newborns in the country and she told me that due to the incredibly high prevalence, every child is tested for the virus at birth unless the mother does not consent.
Back home in an anthropology of Africa class I took for my minor, I completed a research paper on HIV/AIDS in South Africa. No amount of hours at the library and piles of books could compare to actually wandering through the wards of the infectious disease unit, smiling and waving at the tiny, adorable children in the hospital beds and hearing details of the epidemic coming from the lips of a South African physician. When Sarah displayed her quote of the week, I couldn't get over how fitting it was to my recent realizations. This was the reason that had sparked my interest in coming to this country and I couldn’t have asked for better closure of my internship.
On a brighter note, Saturday and Sunday’s weather was divine. How refreshing to feel some breezy, 70-degree weather after living through such a steamy summer! I somehow had managed to catch a little bit of a cold on Friday, so the weekend was pretty low-key. After spending Friday night on the couch with some tea and a marathon of the TV show Psych with my roommate Christie, I was ready to make the most of the weekend. We spent Saturday afternoon in Sea Point, a beautiful suburb of Cape Town situated right along the water. The four of us packed our lunches and books and picnicked on the bright green grass alongside the ocean.
As it was St. Patty’s day, we celebrated the night at one of our favorite bars downtown called the Dubliner – needless to say, an Irish pub. Also needless to say, it was absolutely packed and while my claustrophobic personality tends to be turned off by being packed in a room like sardines, the live music, delicious drinks and great company made it a hell of a fun night.
My friends and I spent Sunday afternoon strolling through a huge indoor marketplace at the waterfront, oohing and aahing at the breathtaking displays of arts and crafts. We each walked away with a purchase of some kind and I officially completed all my shopping for loved ones back home. The relaxation theme continued when we returned; my roommate Sarah and I lounged by the pool on the roof of our apartment building with our noses in our books until dinnertime (I’m almost finished with a favorite of my dad’s, Atlas Shrugged – I highly recommend it!)
This past weekend was my last in Cape Town. I can’t tell you how strange it feels to say that. Luckily, it is not my last weekend in South Africa – three of my friends and I are departing on a private guided tour of the Garden Route on Wednesday of this week for five days. The timing of this mini-vacation could not have been more appropriate, as it perfectly concludes my three-month adventure with a bang and “ties up loose ends” in the sense that it includes all of the events on my African to-do list that I have yet to conquer. These upcoming five days will include two safari game drives, cave explorations, ostrich riding, canoeing, wine tasting and zip-lining, just to give a preview! Oh, and in less than a week from today, I will accomplish the adventure that was number one on my list before coming to South Africa…
Great white shark cage diving!
Until then,
xo Em
Having a wonderful time swinging in Sea Point
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