 |
| Alex with her parents at Boulder's Beach Penguin Colony |
 |
| Alex with her mom |
What a week it has been! My parents were able to take
time off from work to fly for twenty-one hours and spend a week and a half with
me and it could not have been better. My family stayed with an adorable family
with three children, one of which was the cutest bubbly little girl I have ever
met, 3 chickens, 2 dogs, and a cat. Having my parents right around the corner
was super convenient and highly recommended. I had the best time showing them
around and sharing with them the wonders of what is Cape Town. This trip was
also so special because I have wanted to come here for years and now my parents
are able to really understand my motivation for wanting to do so
One of the big things that I have realized from being
abroad is just how important family is. I have always been pretty independent
and busy with my own life, but seeing how big a focus family life is here makes
me feel guilty about my own. I usually see most of my family about once a year
and not nearly enough time is spent with my aging grandparents. My views on
what is most important in this world are truly changing and I know that when I
go home I will make time to spend with them. For me, being by myself in a
foreign country makes me realize how much I have taken my family for granted.
I have been having some rough days here recently and
it just warms my heart to feel the love and positive energy that the kids from
my internship bring to me and the rest of the world. No matter how bad I feel
coming in, I always end up happier when I leave and I am so thankful for that.
This week at my internship I was able to assist the head physio in helping to
cut off both of the patients casts on his legs. I was actually able to use the
tools on the patient! I am definitely thankful for experiences like this that I
would not be able to have without the amazing staff here. Next week Kaitlyn and
I are hopefully going to go into a surgery and I’m so excited. Fingers crossed!
This week I was finally able to have the deep
conversations that I feel everyone else has already had with people at their
internship. Since Maitland Cottage is a hospital where the goal is to heal the
patients, there are not too many opportunities to have these conversations so
I’ve been excited to now be having them. One day I walked past the pre-op room
and as I often do, I sit with some of the kids to calm their nerves or distract
them from their foreboding operation since they are usually waiting for a long
time in an isolated room. This particular time I was playing with the kids when
one of the mothers began conversing with me. These conversations have truly
been one of the highlights of this trip thus far. I learned more about South
African history, her South African perspective, and their current struggles
(her and the country). We discussed the cost for her to be transported to the
hospital compared to her monthly salary as well as her views on the healthcare
system. We spoke about Trump and Muslims like herself (stereotypes and truth)
as well as her views on foreigners and the soft border controls. We also spoke
about the value of the rand and if she had the opportunity to leave, where she
would go with her child. I ended up staying with them for close to two hours
and it felt as though time stood still. I’m excited to continue having these
conversations with her as well as anyone else who would like to join.
No comments:
Post a Comment