dumela

well this week has been an interesting week at the center of excellence thus far.  we have attended training for local doctors, nurses, teachers, prison guards, and other occupations as they learn the proper assessment of hiv and how to handle someone who has it.  hiv is a highly stigmatized infection.  there are a lot of misconceptions when it comes to hiv and most people do not handle it well.  it is especially stigmatized in the united states because the u.s. does not come in contact like people down here do.  about 1 in every 4 people that you pass walking down the street in bots has hiv.  as sad as this sounds, it is a part of life down here.  a lot of people think that they are different because they have the "bad guy" in their system, but it's just like anyone else who has an infection. most of the time hiv is the smallest case for the child.  with hiv comes other diseases. so usually the child is truly suffering from another disease or infection that was caused by hiv.  

today was a very interesting day for us.  located next to the coe is the princess marina hospital which has a ward for pediatric oncology.  they see a lot of cancer down here due to all the hiv cases.  dr. sloan is a doctor out of houston who has uprooted his family to serve for at least three years down here in gabs.  he is the only pediatric oncologists in the whole country.  he has done a fantastic job going to villages and seeking out patients because often times the child is left alone and eventually passes on due to the lacking of treatment.  so today we saw ten sweet little faces in the oncology ward.  it was definitely the most eye opening, humbling day since i've been here.  we administered chemo to five of the patients.  the patients had all different types of cancer such as lymphoma, brain tumors, and other forms. some of the cases were so severe that patients had amputations of legs and the removal of the eye in two of the cases.  we saw a patient today that had relapsed to an incurable type of cancer.  these children are warriors.  they are fighters and they have the face of hope.  what they need is love and prayers.  it is incredible to see how these families are so dependent on faith.  every morning the coe and hospital holds morning prayer for all of the staff and patients admitted.  their trust in the lord is truly admirable because most of them only have a few more days to live but they are still smiling.

it puts a lot of things into perspective for me.  don't forget to smile.  it's contagious.  remember that you might be the only slice of jesus that someone sees in a day.  don't let them get a misrepresentation of our savior due to a frown on your face.  jesus has walked down every path that you will go on so take every challenge as an opportunity to show jesus to others.  he has conquered all for our sake.  for the sake of a sinful face, but a face that finds their hope in the lord.  he is so faithful even in the smallest of things. the lord is doing big things down here.  continual prayer for the sweet faces that we are seeing and the salvation of this place! the lord is unstoppable so we need to pray without seizing.  

until next time,
natalie 

center of excellence

so sorry it has been a few days since i last posted.  this week has been full of activities and at the end of the day i was just too tired.  here's a recap of this past week:

monday: preparation for the opening on tuesday.  monday was a crazy day at the clinic.  everyone was getting ready for the big day but there were still lots of patients to be seen! monday morning started out by helping with the morning play group.  when a child comes to the coe they are usually there for multiple hours and so they need entertainment.  from 9-12 the children can play outside so that was our job! we had the opportunity to color, play futball, hula hoop, work puzzles, and lots of other fun activities.  in the afternoon we met with the dietitian and social worker and were briefed on their jobs.  overall, it was a successful day at the clinic.

tuesday: opening of the adolescence center! this was an exciting day for everyone and you could tell there was so much love that went into this project.  the opening was great and the teens there were so happy to now have their own place where they feel stigma free and can be themselves.  after the opening the clinic was closed so it was a short day.  nice to come home and relax for the day.

wednesday:  wednesday i had the opportunity to follow the social worker.  almost every child sees the social worker at some point while being admitted to the clinic.  not only do these children face the problem of being hiv positive they also face problems at school with bullying, stigma, acceptance, self diagnosed stigmas, and many other issues.  the social worker is the first step of getting help for these children when it comes to counseling.  she spends time getting to know the child and caregiver and tried to pin down the problem before referring to the psychologist or therapist.  it was interesting to listen to the different cases that were presented and how these children are facing some very difficult issues outside of their infection.

thursday: man o man am i so happy i am in the business career plan.  i have often been asked why i am working in a clinic for the summer when my major is marketing.  confusing, i know.  maybe i'll explain why another time because it could be a post in itself.  let me tell you though, i have learned so much and so much about business throughout this process, but one thing i can say is that i really do not like blood.  thursday i followed the nurse partitioner which was a really need experience.  so, when a child is admitted to the clinic, he/she first undergoes a test to see if they are neg/pos.  after the two week waiting period the caregiver is called in to receive the results without the child present.  so, on thursday i was able to sit in on caregivers getting their results.  let me tell you, seeing the look on a caregivers face when they find out that their child is hiv negative is worth every penny that i spent to come down here.  the relief and answered prayers brings so much joy to these caregivers and it shows how powerful our God truly is.  those experiences that i witnessed was definitely the highlight of my week.

friday: we were able to work in morning play group again.  it's always fun getting to play with the children as they are waiting to see the doctors. other than that, we attached ourselves to the social worker again and were able to see other cases like i did on wednesday.  friday night was the all staff party which was quite entertaining.  african music is different then typical pop music in america so it was very fun getting to experience their culture.

well there is a recap of my work week...now here are some other things we were able to do this week/experienced.

1. it is very hard cooking down here.  the source of fresh food, quality meats, and overall hunt for food has definitely been a challenge.  we have eaten very basic foods and have repeated those meals a few times.  shows that food is not an event down here, but a simplistic necessity.

2. pa-pa is their staple food item.  it is a mixture between rice and corn meal.  they eat it at all times of the day with every sort of food. it has a very bland taste so it is usually served with chakalaka which is a vegetable type mixture, interesting.

3. their meals consist of beef and starch.  they aren't huge veggie eaters.

4. we experienced our first power cut.  like i mentioned earlier, each plot has their time when they get their power cut.  botswana's electrical source comes from south africa so they have to use is sparingly.  not only did we experience our first one, but we had two in one day! that is usually unheard of so that was definitely interesting.

5. speaking of power cuts, we went to a mall today to try to go see a movie, but malls get power cuts too! 

6. botswana has never had a civil war so their country is very chill.

7. i cracked my computer screen, so ya, theres that.

well, i think that is all i can think of for the moment, but i'm sure i will think of more soon! now, it's time to go spend my last few hours as a teenager doing something fun.  probably sit by the pool and read a book!

natalie

When in Africa...

back in gaborone! we made it back yesterday afternoon from johannesburg. our time in joburg was an exciting time.  we learned a lot and got to see some.  like i have previously mentioned we were there for the bipai network meeting.  representatives from all the other bipai's gathered to discuss their center of excellences (coe's).  There are coe's in the following countries: romania, angola, libya, ethiopia, malawi, swaziland, uganda, tanzania, lesotho, and representatives from houston.  of course, botswana was represented as well.  so, the purpose for this meeting was to come together and give reports on each coe and their successes, struggles, and anything else that is occurring within their centers.  although i am not studying anything related to medicine, i saw how important the business side to all of this actually was.  all of these clinics are functioning based on grants, sponsors, and donations.  the business behind it is so important because without proposals for grants and such there would be no clinic.  these clinics face problems such as not having enough funds to get medicine for their patients all the way to not even having the proper equipment due to the low funding received.  these doctors not only face the struggles of funding, but they are also trying to help these children regain their health.  each country had a different problem in which they gave reports on at the meeting.  although these are all aids/hiv clinics they see a variety of other medically related challenges due to the patients hiv/aids. there were many cases of sickle cell, tb, malaria, vitamin b deficiency, low circumcision rates, and many other topics.  it made me think how fortunate we truly are in america that upon birth we are immediately screened as a baseline test for illness and disease.  the people over in africa don't get that opportunity in some of these countries.  the incredible part of this program is that these doctors are healing these children and raising them to live a healthy lifestyle.  they are able to deliver hiv negative children with two hiv positive parents due to plan b+. 

so that is a brief overview of the network meeting, but we also got to explore joburg a little bit.  one day, sam and i were able to go visit a lion park in which we saw many lions, played with a lion cub, and fed a giraffe.  it was so fun and a good introduction for our safari later on in our trip.  we went to the apartheid museum.  this museum is rich in the history of south africa during their race riots and the story of nelson mandela.  it was very interesting yet depressing to see all of the struggles that people faced.  we then proceeded to go to mandela square.  it is an area located in central joburg that has great restaurants and shopping.  we were able to spend some time there and we ate a delicious meal at a place named walnut grove.  it was by far the best meal that we have eaten thus far, but then again, the food here has been challenging.  

we are now back in gaborone and are very excited for this upcoming week.  not only will it be our first full week in the clinic but on tuesday we are opening our adolescence center.  part of the clinic deals with teens through our teen club.  the teen club and overall young adult programs have skyrocketed due to the impact that the clinic has made on this community.  because of this the coe is opening an adolescence center across the street from the main clinic.  the grand opening is on tuesday, therefore, there are many exciting events going on this week and we are fortunate to be here at such a fun and exciting time.  

i think that is all for now!

natalie

The Search for Food and Johannesburg

the past two days have been an adventure to say the least.  when sunday rolled around, sam and i were beginning to get very hungry and tired of eating the miniature pizza that we each bought for ourselves the previous day.  we decided to order some pizza from a local chicken place that everyone raves about.  after struggling to place the call due to the language barrier we finally we able to place our order.  let me tell you a few things that are vital factors when trying to order food.  know your address.  the way that they address their homes are very different than in america.  we are living in plot 2559.  i thought that was efficient enough when placing the order.  well plot 2559 symbolized almost a whole square block.  their on extensions to every local that specifies your exact address.  mistake one.  next, know your phone number.  obvi that's a no brainer.  well, when we arrived, they gave us a local phone that we could use to contact the doctors and to call a cab, etc.  we don't know the number for that phone.  mistake two.  leave your name no matter what.  the person taking my order never asked for my name.  therefore, after waiting for an hour i called back trying to check our order but the caller never took my name so he couldn't trace my order. mistake three. to say the least, our food never came. lesson learned.

monday morning we started at the center of excellence.  we were given a tour and introduced to everyone that we will be working with.  it is an incredible place doing some extraordinary things.  it is very obvious that God is in this place and healing these children.  in botswana, the death rate of children due to aids is 0.9%.  that is remarkable compared to neighboring african countries whose percentages are around 10-15%.  after being there a while we caught a flight with five other doctors and representatives from the COE and left for johannesburg.  we are currently in johannesburg for the networking meeting which includes representatives from the different bipais in the ten african countries and from romania.  although we have been in meetings all day long we have learned so much.  the Lord is doing great things through these doctors and their practices.  it is incredible to see how numbers are started to decline and children are becoming healthy.  not only when it comes to hiv/aids, but also tb and sickle cell anemia.  

continue praying for the doctors and children.  that the Lord may stay present in these places and keep fighting for these children.  
Exodus 14:14

"The Lord will fight for you; you only need to be still."

The Lord is here and the Lord is working miraculous things. Glory to God.

natalie

Saturday

well today was the first day that sam and i explored the city of gaborone.  sam got here yesterday so i found myself messing around in our apartment and getting accustomed to everything here before she arrived.  with that being said, i didn't make it outside of our apartment so by the time today rolled around i was quite hungry.  for those who have traveled outside of the us, you all know how much jet lag can be a pain in the rear.  last night i fell asleep around 4 am and didn't wake up until noon.  hopefully tonight will be better because we start work monday and have to be up at 7!

so, our adventure first started by leaving the compound and walking about a quarter of a mile to a cafe called fresh cafe.  it was a different sort of cafe then i am used to but doable.  we both had smoothies and a water to start our day.  we then came back to the apartment to look at our phones for directions to river walk center.  we say that it was about a three mile walk from our place so we thought it would be a good idea to get some fresh air and a little bit of exercise so we decided to walk.  about thirty minutes into it we noticed that we weren't recognizing anything that we were supposed to.  we realized we were supposed to turn a ways back so we had to retrace our steps and make the turn.  oops.  no big, mom, we are safe.  everyone walks here and says hello.  especially to the two foreign girls.  many people told us they loved us and we were offered many rides, which we respectively declined.  so we finally found the center that we were looking for.  we first went to the mobile store to buy airtime on our local phones so we can be in contact with our doctor that we report to.  while we were there a strange young woman came up and asked to be our friend.  it was clear she was not in her right mind.  she would not leave us alone and followed us for a while until we said that she had to leave us alone and she ran away.  we found ourselves a quaint pizza place.  the people down here absolutely love pizza which is funny to me.  so sam and i each had an individual pizza which we brought the rest home for lunch and dinner tomorrow.  we got some groceries and called johnny to pick us up.  he is the taxi driver that we were told to use and he was right on time.  we saw many roaming cows along the side of the road, but nothing to obscure. so, we are now back at the apartment treating all of our blisters before it is time to go to bed.  hopefully we will be able to sleep more tonight!

thank you Jesus for allowing us to remain safe and find our way back to our route.  you are so faithful!

on monday we will report to the hospital for a few hours then catch a flight to joburg for the regional meeting.

until next time,

natalie

I have arrived

well, the eagle has landed! i cannot believe that i am finally in africa.  the lord is so good! its 2 am here and i am wide awake and very hungry.  so naturally, i thought i would blog.  throughout my journey over here i thought of many things i would like to include in this post.  so first let me tell you a little bit about my journey over here.

i started in tulsa and first flew to atlanta.  after making many friends in the airport, being asked if i was a native south african {yes, that really happened} i finally boarded the massive aircraft that was up in the air for 15 hours that safely brought me to johannesburg. {thank you Jesus for safely arriving and everyones prayers}.  i had a window seat next to two men and a baby behind me.....a baby behind me for 15 hours.  i was able to sleep for about three hours until i was so sweetly awakened and had the opportunity to listen to the sweet little girl cry for about three hours.  but, i told myself not to become angry because by the time the plane landed none of that would matter, and i was right.  wow, joburg is incredible! the airport is massive and basically like a mall.  everything you can imagine and more is in this airport.  it was renovated when south africa held the world cup back in 2010.  there were so many native african stores that had very fun and eclectic types of keepsakes.  when i return back to the states, i have a seven hour layover so i am sure that i will be able to do some looking around.  i learned a lot in my hour and a half that i spent in the joburg airport.  

first, you must always keep your luggage claim with you and on you.  i had a minor panic when i couldn't find mine.  thankfully i found it, but the lady was not going to let me go to my next terminal without showing that.  thank you Jesus that i was able to find it.  

second, everyone there is very laid back.  our flight was initially delayed ten minutes, but the proceeded to be delayed for another forty five minutes.  no one was upset or ticked to the slightest degree.  after we were able to go, we first had to ride a bus to our plane.  we were waiting on the bus for about twenty minutes.  i overheard a botswanan woman tell an american {who was also on my long flight and looks like safari joe} many interesting facts about africa.  it was not unusual for the flight to be delayed and definitely not unusual for people to not be upset about it.  they live a very patient lifestyle and when it gets done it gets done.  also, there are power surges almost every night.  the city turns off the electricity of certain blocks every night for one to five hours and everyone gets their turn to lose their power.

thirdly, a "snack" down here is a lot different from snacks that i have ever eaten at home.  on my flight from joburg we were offered a snack.  i opened the box and the only thing that i recognized was the piece of cheese and cracker that went with it.  everything else looked so foreign.  i had no idea what any of it was so i kindly closed my box and waiting until i got to botswana.

fourth, dumela is the greeting that is used in botswana.  it is pronounced du-may-la.  when speaking to a male it is dumela rrah and to a female it is dumela mmah.  fun local fact for the day. also, the capital, gaborone, which is where i am, has not always been the capital.  the capital used to be in south africa strangely enough.

fifth, i am exhausted and hungry and very jet lagged.  the apartment i am staying in is nice and there is one other girl staying her as well.  her name is annette and she has been here for about a year.  she is considered a princeton fellow and will be starting med school back in the states in the fall.  she has been very nice to help me out and i am hoping she can show us around town this weekend.  

i am very glad to be here and starting this journey.  i'm not going to lie, i teared up a bit as we landed in joburg.  i am so thankful for this opportunity and experience.  i have always wanted to come down here and now that i am down here i am so thankful.  the lord is so good to us and we cannot lose sight of his grace.  i saw an allstate commercial before i left.  i tried to find it on youtube to post, but i couldn't find it.  a little girl talks about evil in our world and how our world continues to press on and find good in one another.  it really hit home with me.  find joy in the little things, be thankful, and pray without seizing.  the lord is good and faithful and we have the opportunity to enjoy his beauty.  find good in all and press on. 

it's now 3:30 am so i should probably try to go back to sleep. pictures to come.

natalie

It's {almost} time for Africa!

well it is almost time for me to embark on a brand new adventure.  for those who know me well, i have a passion for traveling and i love being able to see all of Gods creation.  on wednesday i will be leaving my bubble of tulsa, oklahoma and will find a temporary home in gaborone, botswana for the month of june.  gaborone is the capital of botswana, which is located in the southeastern region of botswana. why botswana? well, i will be working for a pediatric AIDS hospital.  let me tell you more about the program i will be serving in.

baylor international pediatric aids initiative {BIPAI} was founded ten years ago by dr. kline of houston.  the original hospital was in romania due to their aids epidemic that spiked at the height of their communism battle.  upon the success of the hospital, the african outreach began. it originally began in gaborone and is currently in over 15 african cities and countries.  the need for help is so intense in africa, dr. kline felt the need to spread all over and create an impact.  the success of this hospital has been remarkable and the lives that have been saved is impressive.  as for myself, i will be assisting in their outreach programs within the gaborone community.  i will assist in raising awareness for children in the community when it comes to preventing AIDS and how they can learn proper sex education and hygiene.  i will also be working with the children specifically in the hospital through their mentoring and tutoring program.  i will have the opportunity to travel to johannesburg, south africa for five days.  while i am there, i will be attending the regional meeting.  representatives from all of the different regions with BIPAI hospitals travel annually to joburg and discuss their programs.  overall, i am looking forward to the opportunity of a lifetime and see how the Lord will transform my heart and mend me and break me.  

my prayer is for salvation among the children that i will be in contact with, safe travels, a healthy trip, and an impact to be made while i am there.  i know that the Lord is preparing me to do something big while i am over there and i am so excited to see the different ways that the Lord will be working through me to expand his kingdom. 

Matthew 28:19 says, 

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."  

as i prepare for my trip, i feel like there is one song that has excited me for my trip:


Waka Waka by Shakira (courtesy of YouTube)

until next time,

natalie