Now that the trip is coming to an end, there are still so many little things that I want to do. One of the things that I've always wanted to do is shadow the girls at Tafelsig Clinic.
Today, we showed up and all of the
seats in the waiting room of the clinic were already taken. We got right to
work and were calling people into the room to take bloods and dress wounds
(which is Allie's forte). I watched Emily and Katrina take bloods and was a
little nervous trying myself because I have only ever put IVs in patients that
were asleep under anesthesia. I have learned from being at Maitland to be more
confident in myself and trust that I am capable of doing things. I jumped right
in and took two patients bloods and it felt like a great accomplishment. It was
really amazing to see what the girls do there on a daily basis and meet all of
the wonderful staff.
Tomorrow is the last day of
internship and it's going to be a bittersweet goodbye. The time has really
flown by at Maitland and I'm starting to realize how much I have really
learned. I never thought that I was going to be interested in surgery, but now
I am considering being a nurse in the OR (or the theatre as they call it here).
Within the last couple of weeks, I have gotten a lot closer to the sisters and
some of the doctors. It's really going to be hard to say goodbye to them. It's
going to be especially tough saying goodbye to the kids though. There are some
patients that have been there long before I even got there and it's so
disheartening that I won't be able to see them again. One of the girls,
Emorensia, always greets me with a smile and jumps up into my arms whenever she
sees me. It's amazing to think that I can just take a plane ride home and
return to my normal life while they're still bound to their bed waiting to get
better.
As I reflect back on my time here,
it seems like I've been here for much longer than 3 months. I have gotten so
familiar with Cape Town that it feels like home. I am, however, very excited to
go home and drink Dunkin iced coffee and meet my niece (not necessarily in that
order). I know that when I get off that plane at 7 am I am going
to miss this place I call home. What a journey it has been!
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