The Refugee Camp

Meet Omar. He is one of the 20 children at the refugee camp in Youngsfield. Thanks to the blessings I have received, in fundraising and encouragement, I was able to buy new shoes for all the children at the camp, and a new soccer ball for them as well. Thanks also to Projects Abroad, Theo, and Liz who I met here and helped me get into the camp. Enjoy these beautiful pictures of some truly incredible children.


Watching on as we play the first soccer game together with their new ball. It was the Yougsfield Chiefs vs the Wynberg Warriors and the Kaiser Chiefs won in a shoot out 5-4.

Here is Nick, a good friend from the CFHI program here in Cape Town. He coached the opposing Wynberg Warriors very well but unfortunately we were too strong in the end.


Our keeper staying strong between the pipes.

This is me with my best buddy, Muhammad. It will be a while before he can play soccer with the big boys and girls but he still loves to run around with them.

The South African government took these people in during the xenophobia attacks and after one year left them totally abandoned. They receive no food or proper shelter and sanitation. It is incredible how difficult it is for us even to get into the camp, since the camp managers really do not want people coming in to help. The government really wants nothing to do with these people and now is even forcing them out of the only home they have left at the refugee camp. It is a very complex and serious situation everyone is in right now, from the refugees to the upper camp management.

On another note, I am enjoying my last night in Cape Town and it is sad to think that after such an amazing and educational experience that I must leave. One day I will return to this place for one reason or another. For now, this place has left an everlasting mark on me as a human being and I am greatful for everyone who made it possible. Thank you.

Tomorrow I leave for Vietnam, and I will continue to blog there if the internet is available. The site is catalinovietnam.blogspot.com

Last week and doctors go on strike!

It looks like the doctors are going on strike for a pay increase that has been due since two years. Things are getting crazy in the hospital and you can tell that many people are torn between there conscience and their bank account. Things are slowing down but fortunately I was still able to witness a surgical pioneer today. Dr Naude (Prof) a surgeon that pioneered a method of Urethralplastic surgery, and at one time was one of three people in the world that could do the surgery. It was incredible to watch, and it was actually the second one that I have seen him do.

Out for now, cheers!

Stellenbosch Wine Weekend

We went wine tasting in Stellenbosch this past weekend after climbing Table Mountain. These pictures are from the Waterford Estate winery where we tasting wine and chocolate. I just never get used to the views and beautiful scenery here. What a blessing!

Table Mountain

Nick, Sam, Krishna and I (the photographer) at the bottom....



Yours truly with an excellent view of the city and Lion's Head all the way at the top.


Cheers!

Finally the pictures have arrived!!!

This photo was taken once I settled into my home-stay. Mom you would be proud of me, I established my space and have kept it relatively organized. It is a small room about the size of an large bathroom, but there is enough room for me to sleep in a nice single bed and do my yoga every morning.

This is the Bloukrans Bridge. I believe it is the largest bridge in the southern hemisphere and possibly even the world with a height of about 216m (700ft) to the tip of the arc. This is the home of Face Adrenaline, the company that owns rights to all bungee jumping done from this bridge. The bridge is located on the Garden Route, which is a scenic route through the Western Cape right on the coast of South Africa.

Here I am jumping off the bridge. It is the world highest commercial bungee jump and everyone who jumps the 700ft ties the world record for highest bungee jump. I also have a video of the jump which I will try to post as well. BTW it was well worth the R650 (~USD80).

We went on a game drive at the Bottlierskop Game Reserve during our first weekend in South Africa. We stopped there on our way along the Garden Route which in all took three days. I have seen a giraffe and rhino before but I guess its just different when you see them in Africa.

This picture was actually taken on our game drive, when we were at the top of a mountain overlooking the whole reserve. It was beautiful, but each day and each trip the views get better and better, so I guess it is just one more incredible view of the South African mountainside.

This is actually the view from my bedroom window. There is a primary school which you can see in the foreground and Table Mountain in the background.

During our trip on the Garden Route we stopped at the Knysna Elephant Farm and got to walk side by side to some pretty incredible animals.

This picture was taken before a canopy tour we went on during the Garden Route weekend. We were attached to zip lines and flew across the african forest canopies.

Mama Africa. We found this place in downtown Cape Town that had live african music. They were incredible and played instruments from the conga to the xylophone, and even sang opera-like during their performances.

During the Garden Route trip we stayed at the Wilderness Hotel right on the Indian Ocean. This picture of the sunrise was taken one of the many early mornings we had on our trip.

Just a breathtaking view of the African mountainside.

One of the first days in Cape Town, we went the University of Cape Town to get our ID badges for the hospital. This is a picture from the front steps of the University down to the city. You can see the mountain range in the background.

We went to the Kango Caves which are these million year old caves that are now open for tourism. The lower picture is of me climbing up what they call Devil's Chimney. It is a thin hole in the caves that you must climb up that is literally less that 1ft in diameter.

Last weekend we went winetasting in Stellenbosch and climbed Table Mountain (over 3000ft high). I have pictures coming soon for those as well.

Second week.....surgery

This week I am in the general surgery unit. Today I was able to assist on an below the knee amputation. What an experience. We have had plenty of interesting surgeries that have kept us busy. I hope to climb Table Mountain tomorrow (search for it on Google), it should be a beautiful day. This weekend I will be going to the Stellenbausch wine region for everything from wine tasting to cheese and chocolate tasting.


Last weekend we went on the Garden Route. We spent the days climbimg through incredible caves and going on game drives. I even was able to mingle with some elephants and ostrich. Also I did the 700ft World Record bungee jump from Bloukrans Bridge, which was rediculous. I have still not been able to get internet that is efficient enough to upload my pictures and videos, but I will try to get them up next week.

Much love from winter in Cape Town!

First week at the hospital

I am working at Eerste River Hospital about and hour from Cape Town. It is a fairly nice place and although it is said to be one of the best public hospitals in the Western Cape, it still is quite different from what is seen in the US. For the next two weeks I will work in the ARV Clinic (ARV stands for anti-retroviral drugs that are given to HIV patients), so I am basically working at a public HIV Clinic. For now I am just working the blood tests and helping sitting in with the Dr Mouton, the only doctor working at the clinic. That is the thing, there is usually only one doctor per department, and they are very very busy at times. What you notice is that the nurses (called sisters) do lots of work, and the patients are also responsible for carrying around their important medical information. Sitting in with the doctor is fascinating because some of the patients are recieving ARVs for the first time (it takes 4 weeks of counseling the get ARV clearance), so the doctor must stress how important it is that they do not miss ONE dose, or else the could become resistant. He says, "if want to stay alive, do not miss one day".

This weekend our group is going to the Garden Route which is an incredible trip through the Western Cape. I know I keep saying I will get pictures up soon, but like I said internet is tough to find for long periods of time (right now I am at our medical director's (Avril) house using her computer after our weekly meeting.

Thats all for now.

Totsiens!