"Get outside, get all over the
world, you learn to love what you get in return."
Almost another week has gone by and
I find myself full of many different emotions. On Wednesday
we started our internships and
while we were told to refrain from judging it based on the first day, I have to
say that I am already looking forward to going back on Monday (is
that cheating?). I’m interning at Tafelsig Clinic which is in one of the poorest
townships in an area called Mitchell’s Plain. When the 4 other students who
were placed there and I arrived, we were split up and shadowed different nurses
(who they call sisters there). I was in the pediatric immunization room for the
whole day. I enjoyed learning about the different vaccinations and at what age
they were administered and I was even given the task of weighing the children
and measuring their head circumferences. To be honest, I was glad to be doing
anything because I was expecting to do nothing but watch for my first couple
weeks there. I am looking forward to shadowing other sisters in other areas of
the clinic next week. Before I came here I had this vision that I would someday
become a pediatric nurse. I’m starting to second guess myself because the
immunization room was very routine and I’m just not sure I would enjoy that for
my entire career. I still have so much time here so for now I put that thought
in the back of my head and will revisit it at the end of my internship.
 |
| Allie, Emily W, Katrina, Jenna, & Morgan ready for their 1st day at Tafelsig Clinic |
One of the hardest parts of the
internship for me was seeing children come into the office who it was very
obvious that they hadn’t been bathed for days. The woman I worked with
constantly sprayed down the room after families left and told me that it was surprising
to see a child come in who was clean. This hit me rather hard because I
realized how much I take for granted something so simple as a shower every day.
It’s part of my routine and while everyone always jokes and says you do the
most thinking in the shower, I never spend that time thinking about how others
don’t have something so small as a bath.
Yesterday we headed to the
University of Cape Town for Vernon’s class. I honestly thought it was going to
be a rather uneventful day but it proved to be quite the opposite. We spent a
majority of the time talking about Cape Town, what we saw, how we felt, and in
particular the differences we saw between this beautiful place and our lives
back in the States. We talked about how discussions of race are often pushed
aside and avoided back home while here it is rare if it doesn’t come
up in conversation. In the U.S. we create a ‘personal bubble’ around ourselves
and only let certain people in. Here that ‘bubble’ does not exist. People greet
you for the first time with a hug and will sometimes touch your arm when you
are speaking with them. We talked about how people seem more friendly here and
that the concept of time doesn’t matter as much. People will take the time to
help you even if it means they will be late to something. We talked about how
you can see the history of South Africa within people’s lives where in the U.S.
it’s almost just something we learn in school and forget shortly after. And we
talked about how large income gap is and how shocking it is that an informal
township is literally in the backyard of a wealthy golf course.
I agreed with what everyone was
saying. But as the conversation continued and went on for over an hour, I found
myself sitting in class with tears in my eyes. It somehow felt to me like we
were bashing the United States. My family, my friends, and 20 years of my life
are back there and it just didn’t seem right to me. And then one of my
co-educators raised their hand and gave a new perspective. They said we need
not put South Africa on a pedestal and look down upon the U.S. It’s not better;
it’s just different. So we shouldn’t compare and we shouldn’t feel bad for what
we have and where we come from. Instead, I think, we should be thankful
especially now that we are aware of what life is like to those living in such
poverty. I find myself stepping back and thinking before I utter a complaint.
And when I go back home I’m making the promise to myself to smile more and say
hi more to strangers passing by.
Last night another one of my
co-educators was talking to a group of us and said something so profound it
really inspired me when writing this post. He told us to make sure we wrote how
we really felt and to not be afraid to say something because no one else can
write our story. Days, months, years from now we’ll look back at our blogs and
know one thing: all these words are the truth. And it’s our story. To everyone
back home, know that I miss you but know that I am also very happy here. I am
learning so much and realizing a lot about myself as well. I thank God every
day for this experience because I have gone across the world and I have already
learned to love what I am getting in return.
