A good week, yes.

Wow, what a great week it's been! It has gone so fast, and now I'm in CAPE TOWN for 10 days, good times :) So, it's that time of the week again... reflection time. Here are a few kewl things that have stood out this week, again, I left it a bit late, so despite my efforts to remember, I may still have forgotten what has happened in the last week and a bit. I'll break it down day by day as best as I can though, just because!

LAST WEEKEND (haha, ok so I'm grouping the first few days) - I was in Mthatha again. On Saturday I met with 5 other comm service Physios who are working in the "Greater Mthatha Area". We had lunch and then went out for some drinks (for free), and it was so good to see fellow Physios! I actually knew 4 of them already, which was a super bonus! Oh, and did I mention I didn't have to pay for anything, hehe.

All us "Physio Comm Serves" from Mthatha, Zithulele, Canzibe... And Eugine (a senior Physio from Mthatha) rocking Mthatha Spur baby!

MONDAY: This was a kewl day, I spent it running around adjusting Wheelchairs and Crutches etc. I LOVE being able to "fix" things, I nearly studied engineering you know ;)

TUESDAY: It rained. So, that means we didn't have many patients because it is miserable and sometimes impossible to get to the hospital when the roads are wet and flooded! It was an awsome day though, I ended up designing and building Push-Up blocks for the department, to use with our patients... It was great fun; sawing and nailing and painting and all that, I love challenges! Here's a photo, ja, I might be boasting a bit...

These are my awsome-amazing-incredible blocks! Pretty impressive - Physio friends, APPRECIATE.

This is OT Shannon, she tried out my blocks... it's not that easy to "lift and hold" for a photo, it's true, especially when you are holding sheer awsomeness in your own two hands.

WEDNESDAY: I did home visits! Me, Lisa, and our rehab assistant Sandi went to 2 huts. And then me and Sandi trekked my poor bakkie over terrible terrain to a 3rd hut at the end of the day. Wow, what a eye-opener! The homes we visited were not on the side of the road, so we had to park our car and hike. It was so great to walk over those hills, so beautiful and green. That day I learnt a very important lesson... If you make effort to get to know the locals culture, they accept you and love you! By the time we left the first hut, they were asking us to come back and visit :) At the 3rd home visit, one of the girls was grinding mielies while I was doing my assessment of her grandmother who had a stroke... I asked if they would teach me how to do it, so there i was, on my knees, trying to grind mielies. It was priceless, the more I tried the more they laughed! And at one stage while I was grinding those rock/granite/steel-hard kernels, I looked up, to see about 15 little black faces crowded around and looking down at me laughing away! I must say, it may be my best memory and most embarrassing moment there so far :) We also managed to get our usual ultimate frisbee in after work (and it was all the "extremists" playing, so it was really fun) and Cell group that evening, which was incredibly encouraging!

One of the homes we visited... note token chicken in the hut. It jumped up onto and pooped on EVERYTHING!

THURSDAY: So me and OT Jess are taking 4 guys using wheelchairs to a disabled-persons race in George next month, to participate (google OCC if you want more info, it is a great initiative)... In order to go though we needed funding. SOOOO, that's where me and Mute came in (Mute is, like, team captain for the basketball and the racing team). We spent a few hours in the afternoon driving around asking "businesses" for sponsorship. It wasn't going very well, until the last stop. It was waaaay over the hills in an area I had never been to (Tafelehashe), and Mute said that there was a "white man" there who had a huge warehouse type outlet who was very generous to everyone, and Mute was sure he would help us. Sure enough, Peter gave us a donation of R1000, my goodness, enough to cover all our expenses... a great success of a day yes, thank you Peter!

Mute, the man! He got us the funding to make their trip to George possible, whoo hoo, Outenique Challenge here we come!!!

FRIDAY: This was a busy day; a prayer run with Karen before work, a Grand ward round and tea with the doctors, a meeting, and DGs (disability Grant assessment day)... So it was hard work. We had a meeting with 2 other therapy departments, from Madweleni (1 hour away) and Canzibe (about 2 hours away)... it was so great to touch base and build friendships with the hospital staff around us! We have some exciting possible group projects planned :)

So now I am in Cape Town for 10 days, attending a Wheelchair Seating Course and a friends' (Michele) wedding next weekend, but that's next weeks blog :) Oh, I let it slide with my Xhosa this week, I can't think of any new phrases off the top of my head now, I feel so ashamEd, i will do better next week!

I have really, REALLY been trying to meditate on this scripture this week... it has been a huge source of encouragement to me, helping me daily to try and live a life of godliness and righteousness.. A life that is "worthy of the calling" we as Christians have received, and what an incredible Calling it is, to love and serve God WHEREVER we are!

"1As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."

Ephesians 4:1-6

When in the sticks... do as the locals do!

Well, this week's going to be a short blog entry - I left it too late this week, so I've forgotten half of the stuff I've done since my last post!

This week has had a few interesting highlights:

IRONMAN - My dad (some of you may have met him, he is crazy) competed in the Half Iron Man this past weekend in East London. It's his third one, and it has kind of been a tradition for us to go and support him. To off I trekked to East London last weekend, just me and my Corsa Utility (we made good time might I add). It was great to see my family, my dad had a good race, and my mom and I got to spend some good time together! It was nice to see my little brother Dean too... although he is not so little anymore, it seems that every time I see him he is so much taller, I think my dad's giving him Steroids under the table.

I OFFICIALLY GOT RURALIZED - So those of you who have been following my facebook status updates will know this. On Wednesday morning we woke up to a very-quickly-diminishing water supply. By the time we got to work that morning, the hospital and all our accomodation had no water... How does a hospital cope without running water? Fairly well actually, they did it for a total of 5 weeks last year! I used plenty of De-germ, and avoided the Hepatitis and Pneumonia patients :) That afternoon we also had a power cut. So there I was in the middle of the Transkei, no running water, no power. It was a rural experience all right! I am happy to report though that we now have running water (and it's not too muddy at the moment either) and a constant electrical current... life's good!

THE SOCIAL SIDE OF THINGS - It's been great to spend time with some of the staff here! On Monday night just after I got back from East London (yip, I have already taken a day off work, don't judge me) we had our usual Ultimate Frisbee game. We had 3 teams of 4-5 people each, so we played a round robin (cough-andwewon-cough), oh how I do love that sport! I then rushed off to watch Greys Anatomy at some friends - Shannon and Lisa, the OTs. Then on Wednesday night we played more Ultimate Frisbee, and we also had a Bible Talk (or Cell group), it was great. There is a really great group of Christian staff here, who want to make a difference to the community both spiritually and physically. It was so encouraging to be around like-minded people! It helped me re-shift my focus a bit :) Last night about 12 of us went off to Coffee Bay to the infamous Pizza restuarant there... It was really good pizza and really fun! There are 2 volunteer girls here from England, who are doing community projects around Zithulele for the year, so they were there. A group of 4 UCT medical students have also been here for 2 weeks, they are leaving tomorrow so it was kind of like their goodbye dinner. Then the other 6 of us were the "local" staff - doctors, pharmacist, community project OT, Jabulani (NPO) staff, and me - token Physio hehe. And then today, I went to Karen and Roger and chatted for a bit, then to Lisa. It's really nice, everyone lives here on the property so as you walk past peoples houses you inevitably stop and chat :)

So, tomorrow I'm off to Mthatha again for a lunch with all the Comm Service Physios around this area (I'm hoping it's free hehe - who knows when I'm going to get paid, so these things are important) , and then it's church on Sunday - a Sister dropped by yesterday to say hi at work which was so sweet and encouraging - she was just in the neighbourhood!

I will leave you with a few more Xhosa phrases i have learnt this week:

Linda apha - Wait here

Ndicela Tata - Please Father (refer to older man)

Ndiyabona gomso - I will see you tomorrow

Bhuti, uyafunda iball? - Brother, do you want the ball? (random hehe)

Yes, this is still one of the most beautiful places in the world, it's so still in the evenings... you can hear people talking and children playing, the frogs croaking and crickets (ummm, "cricketing"), and watch the sky being painted orange over rolling hills, sigh.

This was my extra water source when we had none in the pipeline, phew, what a precious commodity!

Haha, Sarah-Jane, this picture is especially for you... there are some pretty huge flying things here :)

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

Galatians 6:9

AAAAAAAh, it's sooo hot here, flip!

It's week 2 at Zithulele Hospital and I'm feeling pretty "Ruralised". Hehe, so far we have had a fair amount of power failures (The Hospital I mean - the huts don't have power), I've been attacked by Mosquitos, Gnats, Moths, Cockroaches and more dogs have tried to eat me, and I have survived evening storms and temperatures of like 1000 degrees!

The work has been challenging but good, man this communication thing is turning out to be quite an inconvenience. It is difficult, most people do not understand English at all, so I have been forced to improve my very, very broken Xhosa! I've learn a few very important phrases this week though:

NdiThetha kanini isiXhosa - I speak very little Xhosa

Andivuya - I don't understand
Uyathetha English? - Do you speak English?

Ewe (smile, nod, and say "yes" when you don't have a clue what they've just said, provided the look relatively happy. If they look like they are in pain, frown, nod and say "yes")

Haha, one or two people understand a bit of Afrikaans though funnily enough, which is great, now that's a language I'm more familiar with! So for those of you who may be interested, we get a big spread of patients... Quite a few TB Spines, Burns, strokes, HIV related neuropathies (also often strokes in the younger patients). Also some polio guys in wheelchairs, pneumonia, old-age wear-and-tear, CP and other kids developmental and intellectual stuff... loads of different things actually! The rehab staff here are really great - a well-oiled machine, more or less. 4 PTs, 3 Ots, and an assistant who, thankfully, is a excellent translator!

So we have recently had a measles outbreak in the surrounding area and therefore hospital, which has been quite exciting! The rehab staff all went and got boosters yesterday - nobody's really all that keen to get Measles from our patients to be honest, especially seeing as 2 doctors were pretty unlucky and ended up flat on their backs in the East London Hospital.

Besides work, things around here have been fun! I've played Ultimate frisbee twice with the Doctors and some locals and other volunteers - what an incredible game, I love it! On Friday a group of us went to Hole in the Wall Hotel to chill at their pool. I've run quite a bit - and i'm even starting to get the local kids to race me - I win :) Last week I ran with a pro Marathon runner... My word, never again, I was hoping a dog would come bite my ankle so I'd have a non-pansy excuse to stop. Haha, kidding! Kind of. And today I had my first Offroad motorbike lesson from Roger (Karen's husband - she's head of Physio but away for a week)... I am terrible currently, but I'll get the hang of it!

From a project point of view, I'm going to be working along side a local guy named Mute ("Moote") and OT comm serv Jess to get the wheelchair basketball up and running this year, they started it last year a bit but it's really something I'd like to invest my efforts in to. The court needs A LOT of work, but if we can get enough players, I have a big plans to get funding to fix the court up and make it more wheelchair accessible, and hopefully get some proper sports wheelchairs donated. There are also a few projects some of the other Rehab staff are doing that I'm going to get involved in, but those aren't mine to boast about!

Last week we also went on a home visit to see a CP child, it was a real eye-opener. There were about 8 people staying in that hut... but all-in-all it was pretty well kitted out, very simple though, just the neccessities. This week we also tried to meet with a Chief here in the area to introduce ourselves because we are setting up rehab at one of the clinics, so we drove around for about 2 hours, but we ended up not being able to meet him, it was fine though, I got to see the area more, and got a tour of all the popular weekend spots - backpackers, pizza restaurant, etc. We also picked up a family who were pushing their very sick Grandfather all the way to the Hospital (we had been driving for ages) in a WHEELBARROW, on a dirtroad, up hill! It is insane to me that no matter how hard we try, in places like this, healthcare is still so inaccessible to some people... but they still go to incredible means to get to the hospital or clinic.

Driving around here more has made me realise again and again what a beautiful part of the world I get to experience this year - what a privilege! I am so excited to do some mountain-biking and all that - I'm working on finding a bike, watch this space!!!

Thanks to my Christian friends for all your prayers. Please keep them coming... it is beautiful here, and the people are friendly and great, but I still feel like an alien here a lot of the time, I am struggling to settle down - it is so different to anywhere I have ever stayed. But God provides, this weekend I had the privilege of staying with a Christian couple in Mthatha, the Lamberts. They spoilt me so much, and I also met with the Mthatha Church of Christ for Worship on Sunday morning - it was very encouraging! I am grateful for this year I get to experience God's beauty and Love for ALL his creations :)

Arriving at ZITHULELE HOSPITAL - first impressions... is this the TAR road?!

So, I'm here. Zithulele Hospital, deep in the belly of the rolling green hills of Transkei... a 1hr30min (at least) dirt road drive off the N2, about 30 Km from Mthatha (before the dirt road turn-off that is)! Zithulele services Elliotsdale and Mqanduli area, including 14 clinics, and has a great team of nurses, doctors, rehab professionals and other allied health care workers!

I have only been here for 2 days, but I have already learnt so much! It is so different here to anything I've ever experienced. My missionary friends will know what I mean when I say this... I think I will experience some serious culture shock! It's strange to look outside and see goats walking around freely, and horses tied to the hospital gate. It's strange to have to greet people in isiXhosa, and to be in the vast minority. The closest petrol station, ATM and Spar is an hour away... so tough luck if you run out of food or airtime! But it is beautiful here, with green hills, and little pink and green huts everywhere... more-or-less untouched by Western civilization, really beautiful :)

Hmmm, ok, let's talk about a few lessons learnt: DRIVING HERE:

1) The words "tar road" mean nothing in the Transkei! After a good hour or 2 of dodging massive crater-sized potholes on the "tar" road, i was relieved to hit dirt road, which lasted another hour or 2 :)

I'd say the right side is the better option, personally.

2) Don't bother driving on the left-hand side of the road, it doesn't work, nobody does it here... rather take the right lane or the grass next to the road - there are less potholes there, for the most part.




3) Cars may drive on the road, but they certainly do not own the road - that right is reserved for donkeys, goats, dogs, mules, horses, and people only.


Mmmooooooove!

4) Although they are very friendly, the locals are not always waving at you to say hi, often they are asking for sweets or a lift!

5) Do not attempt to drive the road to Zithulele with eggs in your car, they will not make it.

Today was my first official working day at the hospital... My hours are 7:3o-17:00, and Fridays we knock off at 13:00. Today we did orientation - my brain felt like one of the poor eggs I bought after a 2 hour bumpy drive - scrambled. Information overload! Me and the Comm Service OT (also named Jess) were introduced to the staff and shown around... I have A LOT of names and places to remember. The rehab staff are all white but are pretty good at basic Xhosa, well, good enough to sound impressive to a newbee English-speaking comm serve PT anyway! The locals really like it when we speak their language, so I've been trying :) I'm excited to learn more tho... Uphilile namhlanje sisi?

I also got given my weekly and year schedule, so confusing! I do 2 clinic visits a week, then a ward day, a project day, and a Disability Grant day... the rest of the time I will be in the Wards, or at Outpatients, or Driving around the area and Mthatha trying to get admin stuff sorted out; if you want anything done, you have to physically GO and get it done - that's seems to be the trend!

My accomodation is great, if you like living in very close proximity to the entire cockroach ad mosquito population of the world! No, it is great. We live opposite the hospital, in a new complex... just about all the staff live here, in flats or houses; I have a single-room flat, it's cosy! The complex is secure and very safe.

After work today I went for a short run... I was nervous because I didn't know how people would react, but I should have really been more afraid of the dogs guarding the huts, 2 nearly tried to eat me as I ran past! I was nice though, I got to practise my greetings "Molweni Tata""Molo bhuti". Tonight we all went to the Chief Physio and her Husbands house (Karen and Roger) for drinks - to say farewell to a couple I had never even met!) - it was nice to get some social time in, it's like one big family here! Tomorrow me, OT Jess, and another OT Lisa are off to Mthatha to get our bank accounts sorted out - if we want to get paid some time this year we need to do this tomorrow... Roadtrip!

So all in all, it's been an interesting first few days, it's crazy, I'm still not used to seeing goats and huts everywhere... but I wouldn't change my placement for anything else! This year is going to be so exciting, and I may even be involved in some wheelchair sports... but that's a story for next time!


As a side note to my Christian Buddies:

Please continue to keep me in your prayers - that I will grow as a health professional as well as in my faith... that I am a light in every dark corner, that i fearlessly live a life that is pleasing to the Lord, and that my discipleship is transparent to those around me!

"It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation.Rather, as it is written:

'Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.'"

Romans 15:20-21