First week done....

We are beginning to feel acclimated with Cape Town- jet lag is over, we’ve mastered left side driving, gotten lost a few times and now know our way around, and visited all the hospitals we will be working at. Cape Town is a stunning place. On our flight on the pilot said, “welcome to Cape Town, the most beautiful city in the world” and it definitely ranks high on the list. It is much more modern than I was expecting. There are very wealthy individuals in parts of the area- it reminds me of Laguna Beach, California to give some perspective. We have seen Bentley cars around.  On the other hand, the townships are very intense. Millions of people crammed into tin shacks. The city, in preparation for the 2010 World Cup, has begun to build government housing in front of the townships to block the view of the townships from the highway leaving the main airport. The government housing is a nice gesture still but none-the-less it will not mitigate the problem and is only to hide the problem.

My first visit to GF Jooste hospital was overwhelming. GF Jooste services a local population of 1.1 million, primarily from townships. As a non-medical student it was a sensory overload, even as a global health student with hospital experience. The smells, the patient load (168% capacity), the patients (TB, HIV, stabbing, an old women was locked (from the outside) inside her township house for days and basically non-responsive still when we saw her)…. It was a lot for a first day. Continuing to visit more hospitals has helped ease the shock of it for me. Today we came back to Jooste and I felt much more ‘present’ and capable of taking in my surroundings.

There have been some delays in getting approval for me to start my research study. I expect to start that by weeks end. I am very much looking forward to starting my work. I am getting jealous of the medical students as they shuffle around Jooste helping the physicians and patients.

For a bit of entertainment, I’ll tell you we have done our fair share of sightseeing in the week we’ve had. We drove down to Cape Point Sunday. Postcard perfect huge crashing waves along the massive, empty shoreline. Something right out of Pirates of the Caribbean or any other ship wreck scene. On our way back we stopped to check out the Penguins at Boulder Beach. I was expecting it to be the ‘off season’ and maybe seen one penguin. Not the case! And they come right up to you as you sit on the bench. There was some wine-tasting another day. I am in heaven here! The beach and world-class wine: tell me what could be better?!

Hope to post pictures later. Until then- wish me luck with continued safe left-side driving!