More to do than can ever be done

At reading club with my friend, sunrise in the gorge, Victoria falls, Family support children

August 9, 2009

On Saturday I went to watch seven of the other volunteers bungi jump. They have a package deal where you get to do three different things. The first is a zip line across the gorge, the second is bungi jumping and the third is a gorge swing, which is pretty much bungi jumping but you swing out instead of falling straight down. I am considering doing it myself next month.

On the way out we saw some baboons. One of them started chasing after the woman behind us because she was carrying some fruits. I also got my first glimpse of Victoria Falls. They are majestic. I will go back another weekend to get a closer look and swim in the Devil’s pool.

Today was a very relaxing day. I slept in until 8:30 and then read for the rest of the morning. After lunch we went to Zambezi Sun, which is a three star hotel/resort near the Falls. I suntanned by the pool and jumped in a few times, although the water was quite cold. They also have zebras and giraffes in the park just behind the resort. The zebras wandered into the pool area and one ended up right beside me.

August 11, 2009

Yesterday morning I volunteered at Mahatma Ghandi Memorial Clinic. I took vitals for the first half of the morning before wandering back and sitting in with the Doctor. I was able to ask a lot of questions about the cases that came through and I’m hoping by doing this more I can get a better idea of how medicine works here in Livingstone.

Last night we went out to eat at an Italian restaurant in honor of Jessie’s last night. After dinner we went to the Waterfront, which is a resort of sorts with a bar. We returned to some disturbing news. Apparently when we dropped of a group of people after dinner they found one of the night guards in their room. A Nintendo DS turned up missing and they found a key to one of the girl’s lockboxes on the floor. The man ran and was chased after by the security company he works for. The Nintendo DS turned up the next morning in the bricks near the guard’s chair.

This morning I did home based care in Maramba. We saw an old woman named Alice who was bedridden. She was bent over at the waist so her head rested near her knees. Her legs were paralyzed do to a case of Kaposi Sarcoma, which is normally associated with HIV. They had taken her to the hospital on numerous occasions but she was ignored and not given treatment. Alice’s daughter said the medical staff wouldn’t even touch her. Because of the paralysis and the fact that she is never moved, she is developing bedsores on the bottom of her legs. There wasn’t much we could do but I plan on checking back in on her in a few days.

I am really enjoying my time here in Zambia. The other volunteers are really cool and I enjoy the projects we are doing. However, many here feel like they are not doing enough. My friend Jessie (she was from Bismarck, how crazy is that?) left today but left me in charge of a program she’s been working on. The plan is to have a laminated card with basic information on HIV/AIDS, malaria, TB, diabetes, hypertension and others that the volunteers can carry with them. That way when they are doing home based care they can give advice and do more in the line of talk therapy.

That’s it for now. Don’t worry about my safety. I am fine and we are switching security companies. I keep my passport and money locked up. The town is very safe during the day and we are required to take official taxis anytime we go out after dark. Miss and love you all!!