Runs on the Beach... This is the life!

It's been over 2 weeks since my last blog entry, aaaaaah, i am asham-Ed! So much for my "once a week" plan. Oh well, better late than never. I find that as the unblogged days accumulate, so does the guilt... hence, tonight it has reached a plateau and I am blogging.

So this has in fact been an awsome 2 weeks! I went to Cape Town for a Seating Course, which was really great, and helpful, and interesting, AND fun... but for the sake of my non-therapist friends and family I will not blog about it. It was a great week, I stayed with Sarah-Jane, and got to see Hanco and most of my friends quite a bit, which was so nice. Unfortunately, I had serious stomach problems on the flight and drive back home (food poisoning).... that was by far the WORST trip I have ever had to endure (Mom, I think it was worse than when I travelled to USA alone and passed out, and when I was sea-sick on that cruise). Man, if we weren't driving along one of the most remote road routes on this Earth I would have asked Lisa and Jess to leave me on the side of the road to walk home. But thankfully I made it, and after a day "in bed" I was back at work, Tuesday 9 February 2010.

Sarah-Jane and Marley, the 2 Crazies i stayed with in The Strand while I was doing the Seating course in CT... I love those girls!

So, it turns out, I picked an excellent day to come back to work! A patient of mine arrived with a puppy for me. It was a very cute puppy, all white and fluffy... i couldn't take it though. At this point, I know many of you are asking WHY! Don't judge me as a heartless human being, hear me out. 1) We are not allowed to keep pets where I am staying 2) I am working close to 10 hours most week days and 3) the only thing i have managed to keep alive is a cactus, and that's because it's staying in PE with my Mom! So really, it's for the puppys' own protection! Anyway, this patient is very sweet, he comes in with minor injuries so it's not like I ever save his life or anything... but he also gave me buscuits and chocolates (the man knows his Physio), plastic flowers and a series of other things, including what we deduced was something similar to weed. Someone took that from me though, to, ummm, dispose of it as they saw fit! Today he came in with a papaya for me... I convinced him to keep it though. This patient is also clinically Crazy (that is not my professional diagnosis), haha, but it's kind of kewl to have others refer to him as "your crazy guy", he's really sweet!

Anyway, so it's been an interesting last week... 5 new staff members arrived, including Megan, a Physio from England. She and her Doctor husband (Joff) are working here for 4 months, so our rehab department is 8 strong! Well, a few people will be on and off leave quite a lot, but hy.

Last week a bunch of us went to Lubanzi, a beautiful beach a 7km drive away... it was great fun! We swam, and a group of local kids randomly asked me to "uyajima" (gym) with them, so for about half an hour we were sprinting up and down the beach, it was great, I enjoyed interacting and having fun with them, and I'm telling you now, there is some serious running talent hidden in these hills :)


Sam (acting "Natural"), Kayleigh, Kate and Jess sitting on the grass just above Lubanzi Beach.

Tom in the kayak being pushed into the sea by the little kiddies... hmmm, they started maybe too far from the water (over eager), Jo is trying to coach them, maybe.

On Sunday me and Asanda went through to church. The church had a Valentines Banquet afterwards which we stayed for. There was entertainment and really good food, and it was so great to spend more time with the church members, the Mthatha COC is such an encouragment and so welcoming - a great group of disciples!


Mthatha Valentines banquet... This is where the party's at!!!

This week has started slowly. There haven't been many outpatients, but I've been organising our trip to George, so the free time has been good (that will be in next weeks blog) - me, 3 patients and an assistant are going to George Thursday to Monday for a wheelchair race! Yesterday after work me, Karen, Karl, Megan, Joff, Tom and Jo ran to the beach and met some other staff for a game of ultimate frisbee... it was great! It was a beautiful evening, me and Kayleigh rode on the back of the bakkie back to the hospital... it reminded me of trips to my holiday house :) The air is so fresh out here, and there are no bright lights so when it's dark and clear the stars are beautiful, it is very easy to be content out here, I can see why people come for a year and end up staying!

So, my Xhosa has been slipping a bit :( I'm learning to count though, not an easy task!

Inye - 1 Zimbini - 2 Zinthathu -3 Zine - 4 Zinhlanu - 5 Zithandatho - 6 Zinxhenxhe - 7 Zibhozo - 8 (i may have looked that one up) Zithoba - 9 (i may have made that one up to) eShumi - 10

Like I said, I'm LEARNING! hehe...

To my Christian buddies: I listened to a great sermon on CD today about THE MISSION of Evangelism... the preacher said something challenging but great -

"If we want to save the world, we've got to pay the price, we have got to be willing to become comfortably uncomfortable"

2 Corin 11:23-29 = Paul was comfortable with living an uncomfortable life for God, and the gospel spread because of it! Let's be people who can say we have given whatever has been required of us to spread Christ's love... every encounter is someones eternity on the line.