Hi all!
I'm having trouble finding reliable wifi. I have a backlog of six blog entries so far. Hopefully tonight or tomorrow night we'll manage to find wifi that works and I'll submit them all for you to see.
Everything is going great in Lusaka right now and I can't wait to be able to post our adventures for you to see!
On January 14, 2012, I will be embarking on an African adventure! As part of a group of fourth-year nursing students, I will be taking on what will, no doubt, be my most amazing practicum yet!
Tuesday, 17 January 2012
Saturday, 14 January 2012
YVR Airport
Hello everyone!
It's just about 6pm PST and Sylvia (my accountabilibuddy) and I have arrived at the Vancouver airport.
It's been a long day already. We took the Greyhound around 9am and arrived in Vancouver some six hours later. It was a slushy drive and we somehow managed to blab for the full six hours. Once we arrived in Vancouver, we took the Skytrain to the airport (amazingly making it in the first try) and checked in ahead of the crowd.
Since then, we've roamed the airport and have replenished our fuel stores with salads and Mama burgers. Gotta fill up on trans fats before we head out!
Our flight departs around 8:30pm and we're expecting to meet the rest of our quad - Jackie and Esther - in the next hour. I have a few pictures to share with you but I'm having a little bit of difficulty exporting them onto my tablet.
Once I figure them out, I'll post them for your viewing pleasure!
Friday, 13 January 2012
Kibusiwu! (Which either means 'good evening' or just 'evening'... I'll have to ask once I get there!)
There are some twelve hours left before I board a bus that will start my trip that will take me far away from Canada. I'm nervous and scared. My heart races at the thought of leaving. Rather than being completely overwhelmed at times like these, I try to keep in mind that 'things are the way they are because this is the only way they could be'.
I can't say that I own a lot of stock in 'fate'. I like the idea of deciding and choosing rather than having a passive role in my life. That said, I think that action and reaction play a bigger role in the world than just in Newtonian physics. Everything that we do, say, and think now plays a role in what we do, say, and think next. If I choose to try eating a particularly fragrant cheese, I may find that I love it. That experience could lead to trying new cheeses. That eagerness could lead to opening my own fromagerie which would lead to all sorts of other things. If we rewind and I decide not to try the cheese, the entire chain of events that follows ceases to be possible in that way.
But back to the cheese. What would make me decide to try the cheese in the first place? Having tried new foods previously? That could have been caused by my personality which could have been caused by my upbringing and genetics, and so forth. Each reaction came from a previous action which was the reaction of yet another action.
Keep that in your mind for a few moments. Where I am right now - at this very moment - is entirely defined by each preceding moment, thought, and action. And each of those by their precursor.
What does cheese and genetics have to do with going to Africa? Well the reason why I'm embarking on this journey is because of every moment that came before it. My choice (!) to go is the result of an absolutely enormous chain of events. Did I really have a choice to go? I like to think so. But really, the decision that I made was the result of that same chain of events.
So now here I am, sitting at my laptop, feeling a lot less nervous. I am leaving for Zambia tomorrow because everything in my life (and before it?) has led me to this very moment. And why be afraid of the future? The future is just a continuation of this very chain of events. It will be the way it will be because that's just the way it will be! (Say that a few times fast!)
I'm going to Zambia tomorrow. Seriously! How exhilarating! I promise that I will keep you posted. I know it's not the same as actually joining me but I'm so glad that I can bring you with me in this way.
Kakubona ape! (Good night!)
Kakubona ape! (Good night!)
Wednesday, 11 January 2012
72 Hours!
Hi again!
If it hasn't already started then the countdown is definitely on! To mark the occasion, I decided to take a stab at packing. Progress:
I'll admit, it's not a pretty picture... yet. Packing thus far has been dropping random objects onto my medical supply suitcase to deal with later. But today I took a real step forward and got some clothes together. I packed a few v-necks into a Ziploc bag and dropped them into the bottom of my hiking bag. Do you remember when Hermione cast an Undetectable Extension charm onto her handbag? No? Well, she could fit an impossible amount of things into a very small bag. Take my giant hiking backpack and imagine the opposite. It looks so very big on the outside but it is impossibly small inside. Here's hoping that everything fits!
On anther note, I took my first Malarone (antimalarial) tester pill. When I picked up the pills from my pharmacy, the pharmacist had a stern look on her face and she asked if I had taken them before. I casually replied, "No, why? Is there anything I should know?".
"Well... The dreams..."
"Dreams? What do you mean?" I asked.
"There's not much that I can say other than you will likely have bizarre dreams. Really weird dreams." She cautioned, "Some people are very disturbed by them."
I wasn't sure how to take that so I went home and googled 'Malarone dreams'. Over 200 000 results. So it looks like I might just have some entertainment to look forward to.
If it hasn't already started then the countdown is definitely on! To mark the occasion, I decided to take a stab at packing. Progress:
I'll admit, it's not a pretty picture... yet. Packing thus far has been dropping random objects onto my medical supply suitcase to deal with later. But today I took a real step forward and got some clothes together. I packed a few v-necks into a Ziploc bag and dropped them into the bottom of my hiking bag. Do you remember when Hermione cast an Undetectable Extension charm onto her handbag? No? Well, she could fit an impossible amount of things into a very small bag. Take my giant hiking backpack and imagine the opposite. It looks so very big on the outside but it is impossibly small inside. Here's hoping that everything fits!
On anther note, I took my first Malarone (antimalarial) tester pill. When I picked up the pills from my pharmacy, the pharmacist had a stern look on her face and she asked if I had taken them before. I casually replied, "No, why? Is there anything I should know?".
"Well... The dreams..."
"Dreams? What do you mean?" I asked.
"There's not much that I can say other than you will likely have bizarre dreams. Really weird dreams." She cautioned, "Some people are very disturbed by them."
I wasn't sure how to take that so I went home and googled 'Malarone dreams'. Over 200 000 results. So it looks like I might just have some entertainment to look forward to.
Tuesday, 10 January 2012
Four More Days in Canada
Hello everyone!
Four more days. That's it. Four more days.
Those words carry all my stress and anxiety. I'm going to leave them here so that I can have a nice, normal day.
I've started making a pile in the living room. So far it has an empty backpack, a suitcase, mosquito netting, and a book. Obviously I'm far from packed. Every time I start thinking about packing, I get lost in just how many things I think I need.
"I better remember lip balm. What about jeans? Should I bring my new pair or an old pair? Should I really be leaving my face regimen behind? I'm going to have a terrible break-out. I don't want to leave my fancy toothbrush at home! Will I be able to charge an electric razor? Should I shave my head???"
And then I take a deep breath and actually do something productive. Worrying gets me nowhere and only serves to steal valuable time that I could be using to solve the problem (or at least happily procrastinating).
On another note, here are the last few things that I need to accomplish: I need to pack; have to update my resume and cover letter so that I can apply for a job while I'm gone; and I probably ought to help tidy the house. It all feels so very doable once it's written down.
I'll keep you posted as the last minute frenzy continues.
Four more days. That's it. Four more days.
Those words carry all my stress and anxiety. I'm going to leave them here so that I can have a nice, normal day.
I've started making a pile in the living room. So far it has an empty backpack, a suitcase, mosquito netting, and a book. Obviously I'm far from packed. Every time I start thinking about packing, I get lost in just how many things I think I need.
"I better remember lip balm. What about jeans? Should I bring my new pair or an old pair? Should I really be leaving my face regimen behind? I'm going to have a terrible break-out. I don't want to leave my fancy toothbrush at home! Will I be able to charge an electric razor? Should I shave my head???"
And then I take a deep breath and actually do something productive. Worrying gets me nowhere and only serves to steal valuable time that I could be using to solve the problem (or at least happily procrastinating).
On another note, here are the last few things that I need to accomplish: I need to pack; have to update my resume and cover letter so that I can apply for a job while I'm gone; and I probably ought to help tidy the house. It all feels so very doable once it's written down.
I'll keep you posted as the last minute frenzy continues.
Friday, 6 January 2012
Packing Day
Mulumele Basali ni Bana! (Good day ladies and gentlemen... I think!)
So today was Packing Day. Both our group and the Ghana group arrived on campus at 0900 and learned the abridged version of delivering a baby. Usually when we learn new skills, there can be a few weeks or months before we are able to practice it. It was a sobering reality check when I realized that some of us might just be putting that new skill to work in just a couple of weeks.
After that short lecture, the two groups broke off. Us Zambia folk were first to pack. We split into sorters and packers. As I headed into the sorting room with a few others, I saw just how much there was to sort. Let me put it this way: there are some 45-ish students going overseas each with one piece of medical luggage that is to way just under 50 lbs. By the end of our packing, everyone was full up and there were still things to be packed. I hope our planes have the muscle to carry us!
Here's a peak at the few things that I managed to fit into my luggage:
Once we finished packing, we went off to practice baby skills. The room was set up in stations with areas to practice emergency delivery, fundal massage (abdomen massage that causes the uterus to contract and reduce post-partum bleeding), infant resuscitation, and umbilical cord cutting. I am not the keenest when it comes to maternity but all of it was definitely interesting to learn.
As I said, it was a sobering experience to take in these skills. That, along with the fact that it was our last class, means that this is really happening! Some quads are leaving in just a few days. Sylvia and I are leaving on the Greyhound next Saturday, and my quad (Sylvia, Esther, and Jackie) are heading to London together. The whole group is then flying to Lusaka and then the adventure will truly begin! My heart feels like it's skipping beats just writing this - I am so excited!
Keep checking back! The real excitement begins on January 14.
So today was Packing Day. Both our group and the Ghana group arrived on campus at 0900 and learned the abridged version of delivering a baby. Usually when we learn new skills, there can be a few weeks or months before we are able to practice it. It was a sobering reality check when I realized that some of us might just be putting that new skill to work in just a couple of weeks.
After that short lecture, the two groups broke off. Us Zambia folk were first to pack. We split into sorters and packers. As I headed into the sorting room with a few others, I saw just how much there was to sort. Let me put it this way: there are some 45-ish students going overseas each with one piece of medical luggage that is to way just under 50 lbs. By the end of our packing, everyone was full up and there were still things to be packed. I hope our planes have the muscle to carry us!
Here's a peak at the few things that I managed to fit into my luggage:
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| To be honest, I'm not terribly sure who the printer is for! |
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| We had to keep a list of what we packed into each bag for Customs. |
Once we finished packing, we went off to practice baby skills. The room was set up in stations with areas to practice emergency delivery, fundal massage (abdomen massage that causes the uterus to contract and reduce post-partum bleeding), infant resuscitation, and umbilical cord cutting. I am not the keenest when it comes to maternity but all of it was definitely interesting to learn.
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| Sylvia (my accountabilibuddy) and Fallon practising infant resuscitation. |
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| He survived! |
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| Our guest lecturer (a midwife) teaching Esther how to deliver a baby. The mannequin, Noelle, is a Sim (a simulated patient) that is capable of giving birth. |
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| I have no idea what they're all looking at! |
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| Hanging out at the end of the day. |
As I said, it was a sobering experience to take in these skills. That, along with the fact that it was our last class, means that this is really happening! Some quads are leaving in just a few days. Sylvia and I are leaving on the Greyhound next Saturday, and my quad (Sylvia, Esther, and Jackie) are heading to London together. The whole group is then flying to Lusaka and then the adventure will truly begin! My heart feels like it's skipping beats just writing this - I am so excited!
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| Our lovely group! |
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