Alex smiles and appreicates her internship as one of the happiest places she's ever been

There’s this one kid who has been at Maitland Cottage since our first day who is the first thing to make me smile every day. He’s the first one to see me and grin while simultaneously waving furiously for me to come over to his bed. He went in for his second surgery on Wednesday, and luckily I had the opportunity to take him in, and keep him company until his anesthesia set in and he was completely knocked out. Since I had a Red Cross orientation, I couldn’t stay for the full surgery but as soon as orientation was over, I went back to make sure that he was okay. As I waited for him to wake up, I met another volunteer who goes to the American International School here but spent a few years living un the U.S. It was really cool that I could meet her because our contrasting schedules otherwise would never have allowed for it. Despite being groggy and in pain when he woke up, he began smiling when he saw me and I couldn’t stop either. His energy is contagious and I am so thankful to be a part of his journey to recovery.

I went to my orientation at Red Cross and I was amazed at everything I saw; the number of security machines and personnel, amount of people waiting at the pharmacy, and number of different types of patients I could classify (international, burn victim, orthopedic) just to name a few. Also, the number of volunteers was immense. I found that per month they have around one hundred and fifty volunteers. In orientation I learned about the hospital and volunteers’ importance, the wide range of cases and places of origin that the families came from, and stories about volunteers. It’s so crazy to know that I am working at what was once the only pediatric hospital in all of South Africa! In comparison, Maitland Cottage holds eighty-five beds while Red Cross holds two hundred and ninety. In orientation I learned that there are currently more international volunteers then local which I found so fascinating. I am so excited to start working, spending time with the kids, and meeting tons of new people from across the globe!

This week I also went to Mums for my activist project, and by the end I had fallen in love with the kids. We sang songs, fed them, and played. Despite the huge language barrier, I was still able to have so much fun. Communicating was a challenge since even at Maitland Cottage all of the kids knew at least a little English. Being in moments like these push me to want to learn as much and as many languages as I can so that I can communicate with everyone. I can’t wait to paint the walls and see the kids again next week.  

Again I found myself back at Maitland Cottage on Saturday. My realization is now setting in on the tremendous effect these kids are having on me. Vernon really was right when he said that leaving them would be hard since leaving them for a long weekend is almost too much for me. Being at my internship is definitely one of the happiest places I have ever been. I still can’t believe how lucky I am to have an internship that I am so passionate about.