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
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