My Final Post

After spending the last month in Cape Town and London, I am finally back home in Kansas City!!  This trip was an unbelievable, unforgettable, and life-changing experience for me, and I actually really enjoyed putting this blog together.  There were some challenges along the way, but I really have no regrets and am so grateful to have been given this opportunity.  This trip would not have been possible if it weren't for the support of my incredible friends and family.  Thanks to all who followed along during my crazy adventure and I hope you all enjoyed it!!  I'm sad this has all come to an end, but I guess it's time to get back to reality and get ready to start year 2 of medical school. 

Goodbye Cape Town... Hello London!

July 2, 2013

On my way to Cape Town from Kansas City a little over a month ago, I traveled for 36 hours straight before finally reaching the Cape Town airport.  It was brutal!!  So, when planning this trip back in February, I decided I didn’t want to put myself through that kind of travel day twice, and I decided to delay my flight through London for a few days.  It wasn’t any more expensive to delay my flight and I have always wanted to see London!

I arrived in London early Sunday morning after flying all night and spent all of Sunday and Monday touring the city.  I knew my trip to London would be yet another challenge for me since I have never even traveled alone in the US, but I was up for the challenge and am so glad that I decided to go through with the trip!

I was actually surprised by how safe I felt traveling alone in London (London was really a breeze after having to watch my back every time I stepped out the door while in Cape Town)!  The city and the underground were really easy to navigate, and I must have looked like I knew what I was doing because several people asked me for directions.  It was nice being able to see London on my own schedule.  I could do and see whatever I wanted on my own time, but it was a little awkward eating dinner alone.  Two days in London was a perfect amount of time for my little adventure.  I really was able to see the majority of the London attractions.

On Sunday morning, I dropped my luggage off at my hotel and set out on foot to see the city.  I walked through Hyde Park, Kensington Park, and St. James Park before arriving at Buckingham Palace just in time to take some pictures and find a place to watch the Changing of the Queen’s Guards ceremony.  After the ceremony, I walked to Trafalgar Square and then down Whitehall and Parliament Road to see Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye, and Westminster Abbey.  At this point, I had probably walked about 5 miles and decided to visit Churchill’s War Rooms Museum.  I’m not much of a history fan, but I was told by several people that I needed to visit the War Rooms.  Going into the museum I really had no idea what the museum was about, but I really enjoyed learning about how Churchill commanded the British forces during World War II via these rooms.  I have really only learned about World War II from the US point of view, so it was interesting to learn about it from the British point of view.  After a long night of traveling and a long day of walking London, I decided to grab dinner at this nice little Italian place by my hotel and get a good night’s sleep!

I woke up early Monday morning and took the underground to the Tower of London museum.  Fortunately I got to the museum right when it opened because the place filled up quickly with tourists and students on field trips.  The Tower of London was absolutely amazing.  Once again, I really had no idea what it represented before arriving (my sister is the history buff… not me!) and I spent several hours roaming around the Tower grounds and learning about its history.  I got to see the rooms and the devices used to torture prisoners, the types of armor and weaponry used by the British forces over the years, the area where the Royal menagerie was located, and the Crown Jewels!  The Tower Bridge was also located next to the Tower and spanned across the Thames River.  Even though the place was pretty congested, it was definitely worth the time and money!  After leaving Tower Hill, I took the underground to Trafalgar Square where there was a huge party for Canada Day.  People were decked out in Canadian gear and there was Canadian beer, a street hockey tournament, and live music.  It looked like a good time so I grabbed a little Canada flag and joined in on the celebration!  I really do wonder how many people celebrating were really from Canada though.  I ended my last night in London at the Red Lion Pub and finished off my trip the right way with traditional fish and chips and a beer! 

I really enjoyed my time in London and I’m proud of myself for taking on this trip alone, but I am more than ready to head back to the States to see my family and friends!! 

Changing of the Guards

Tower of London

Tower Bridge

 Houses of Parliament and Big Ben

A Cape Town Way of Life

June 29, 2013

Life in Cape Town this past month has been incredible but it took some getting used to in the beginning.  For the first time in my life, I really had to make some lifestyle adjustments in order to fit in and be successful in Cape Town. 

One aspect of South African life that I had to get used to was the language.  Yes, English is spoken to some extent by nearly everyone in Cape Town, but I had to learn the lingo to really fit in.  Just to give you a few examples of the different terminology… A robot is a traffic light; A garage is a gas station; An “oke” is a “dude”; The theatre is the operating room; You don’t call someone you phone them; You don’t pick someone up you fetch them.  I really could go on and on.

Another aspect of life that I had no problem adjusting to was the food.  The food in Cape Town is amazing!!  The Cape Town population consists of a mixture of many different cultures and the food represents all those cultures.  Foods most popular to Cape Town include: Samosas (fried savory pastries), koeksisters (donuts covered in spices and coconut flakes), pies (similar to pot pies), bobotie (traditional South African dish consisting of spiced minced meat and an egg topping), curry, lamb, ostrich, gemsbok (type of antelope), gatsbys (gigantic sub sandwiches filled with the meat of your choice along with chips (French fries) and various sauces), biltong (South African beef jerky), just to name a few things.  The chocolate in Cape Town was also unlike any I’ve ever tasted.  I can’t remember the last time I actually bought a candy bar but I probably bought more chocolate in this month than I have in my entire life :/  It was not difficult to find good food in Cape Town and my house mom was also an amazing cook.  I know I’ve gained a few pounds on this trip and a detox is a must when I get home!!

Living in Cape Town also forced me to live a simple life.  Back home, I am used to long hot showers, heat during the winter time, and high speed Internet access anywhere and anytime.  Saying this makes me realize how fortunate I am and really makes me appreciate what I have, but it also makes me feel a bit ashamed.  In middle class South African life, most homes do not have heating or a/c, water and electricity are limited (if the country uses too much electricity at any given time, parts of the country will get their power turned off until the usage decreases), and Internet access is limited and there is definitely no such thing as Google Fiber speed.  Life in Cape Town definitely took some adjusting to.  I froze the first several nights while I adjusted to the cold and I actually really enjoyed being unplugged from the rest of the world for a while.  After seeing the struggles that many people in South Africa face on a daily basis, I think that I need to make changes in my own life to live more simply, to conserve my resources and not waste, to not take life for granted, and to not complain about the little things. 

But… one of the most difficult adjustments I had to make was driving on the left side of the road and on the right side of the car!!  I had to take on a lot of the driving responsibilities while in Cape Town, and for those who know me well, you all know that I don’t like to drive, especially in unfamiliar and congested areas.  For the first few days driving I had to constantly tell myself to drive on the LEFT side.  It doesn’t sound all that hard but it was a little difficult at first.  And to make matters worse, the drivers in Cape Town are crazy!!  They cut people off, weave in and out of traffic, and definitely don’t follow the speed limit, and… people generally think that it’s ok to cross traffic on a busy highway.  After a few days of stress, I finally adjusted and tried to drive with the flow of the rest of Cape Town.  If I get back home and start driving like a maniac, you all will understand why!!

My Cape Town journey has almost come to an end, and it has truly been an experience of a lifetime and an experience that I will never forget.  I have grown so much and learned so much about myself over the past month.  While I am sad to say goodbye to Cape Town, my journey is not quite over yet…

My home-stay family!

My lovely program directors!

Victoria Hospital

 My Cape Town Home

My Last Weekend in Cape Town

June 24, 2013

This past weekend was my last full weekend in South Africa and I spent it checking off the last few things on my list of all that I wanted to do and see while in Cape Town.  On Friday night, we began the evening with dinner at Canal Walk Mall, the largest mall in the southern hemisphere.  After Canal Walk, we met up with a group of students from the University of Cape Town and we jolled (partied) Cape Town style at the Tiger Tiger night club.  Tiger Tiger is located near the UCT campus and it was packed with students from about 10pm to 4am, and for those who went to KU, the people and the atmosphere was a mix between the Hawk Boom Boom Room and the Cave!  If there is one thing that I learned while in Cape Town, it’s that the people know how to party, and one of the best parts of Friday, other than the cheap or free drinks because we were the “cute American girls”, was the people watching!!  Friday night was definitely a good time and I’m so glad I got to experience a real Cape Town college party.  

Cape Town Jol!

  

On Saturday, we spent the morning souvenir shopping at the Pan African Market, and then we took a ferry out to Robben Island, the home of the prison where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years of his life.  There are parts of Robben Island that are absolutely beautiful, but the part of the island where the prison is located is another story.  The tour of the prison was definitely a sobering experience.  Our tour guide was an ex political prisoner, a former member of the African National Congress who was imprisoned for six years for fighting for the rights of his people.  The conditions inside the prison were brutal.  The kennels for the guard dogs were larger than the cells for the prisoners, and the prisoners spent long days working in the limestone quarries.    I’m so glad I got the opportunity to see Robben Island and the prison before leaving South Africa because it represents the tremendous amount of struggle that took place in the fight for freedom. 

Nelson Mandela's Prison Cell

 View of the Maximum Security Prison

Sunday morning, we visited the Hout Bay Harbor Market.  Harbor Market was very similar to Old Biscuit Mill, which we visited last Saturday.  There was live music, lots of shopping booths, and lots of food and drink.  I probably had my best meal in South Africa while at the market.  I had a Gemsbok burger (Gemsbok is a type of antelope) with cheese, tomato, caramelized onions, avocado, and pesto sauce on a ciabatta roll, and it was amazing!!  After the market, we finished off the day at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens.  Even though it is currently wintertime in South Africa, the gardens were lush and green and several flowers were still in bloom.  We have seen a lot of beautiful scenery while in South Africa, but the scenery of the gardens was equally as beautiful, just in a different way.

Harbor Market

 Botanical Gardens

Even though I would really like another four weeks to experience the Cape Town and the Western Cape, I feel like I made the best of my time here and got the opportunity to experience a lot of what this beautiful country has to offer!

Week 3 at Victoria

June 23, 2013

I just finished another great week at Victoria and got the chance to do and experience a lot of new things.  In terms of procedures, I got the chance to put in an IV line, perform a paracentesis on a patient with right heart failure, and perform a lumbar puncture on a patient with suspected meningitis.  It is such a great opportunity to get exposure to these types of procedures so early in my medical training, because I don’t get a lot of hands-on training as a pre-clinical medical student.  Since I am interested in emergency medicine, I have done a lot of shadowing in the ER and have seen a lot of lumbar punctures performed, and I always thought it was a cool procedure.  I was so excited when my preceptor handed me the kit and told me that I could do the procedure, and it was such a great feeling when I pulled the stylet out and CSF dripped out on my first try!! (I realize how nerdy that sounds but it’s true)  I also watched my preceptor perform a fine needle aspiration of a lymph node of a patient with a possible lung cancer, and he said the next time is my turn to do it! 

On Thursday, I went with my preceptor to Groote Schuur Hospital (where the first heart transplant in the world was performed!!) and watched him present one of his patients for dialysis.  In the US, dialysis is readily accessible and if I am not mistaken, it is free.  This is NOT the case in South Africa.  I believe that Groote Schuur is the only public hospital in the Western Cape that offers dialysis treatment and they have very few spots available.  So, in order for a patient to be put on dialysis, the doctor has to present the patient’s case to a board, the patient gets categorized based on his/her current medical and social standing, and then the board decides whether or not to accept the patient into the program.  It is a very stressful process for both patient and doctor, and there are tons of patients with end stage kidney disease that are denied treatment.  Learning about the whole process was definitely shocking, because in the US, we are very fortunate that patients and doctors don’t have to face such problems. 

On Friday, I got the chance to watch the University of Cape Town sixth year medical students take their practical exams.  The medical school testing process is very different in South Africa.  At KU, the majority of our testing consists of multiple choice tests on a computer.  In South Africa, the students have written exams, but they also have a lot of oral and practical exams.  In the exam that I watched on Friday, the students examined four different patients, all currently in the internal medicine ward.  I believe the four cases were stroke, heart attack, right heart failure, and bronchiectasis.  The students got ten minutes to take a history and examine the patient, and then they had to present the case to a doctor who then asked them various questions about their assessment, differential diagnoses, and their plan for treatment.  I’m sure this testing style really helps the students to perfect their clinical skills, but I’m sure glad that I was the one observing and not taking the test!

This past week has yet again been a great learning experience and I’m excited to see what this fourth and last week brings!

Weekend in Cape Town

June 19, 2013

Thanks to National Youth Day this past Monday in South Africa, I got to spend three days exploring Cape Town.  Even though I live only about 20 minutes from the city center, this past weekend was really the first time I got to venture out into Cape Town, since last weekend was spent along the Garden Route.  The scenery along the Garden Route was unbelievable and I didn’t think that anything else would be able to top it, but the beauty of South Africa continues to amaze me. 

Cape Town has so much more to offer than just beautiful scenery.  Cape Town is also well-known for its wine and its endless variety of foods due to the diversity of the population.  We spent Saturday morning at the Old Biscuit Mill, a huge market that really has something to offer everyone.  There are booths selling clothes, jewelry, arts and crafts, beer and wine, and every type of food under the sun.  There was also a tent for live music.  The atmosphere of the market was amazing and I’m pretty sure I left there about 5 pounds heavier.  After spending way too much money on souvenirs and eating a week’s worth of food, we spent the evening relaxing at the Asara winery in Stellenbosch.  The winery was beautiful and the perfect way to end the day!

 Old Biscuit Mill

 

 Asara Winery in Stellenbosch

On Sunday, we left early in the morning and spent the day touring the Cape Peninsula.  We started off the day with breakfast at Casa Labia in Muizenberg, a popular surfing town.  Casa Labia is a Venetian style mansion that was once home to Prince Natale Labia, the first Italian ambassador in South Africa, and we enjoyed a fancy breakfast overlooking the ocean.  After Muizenberg, we stopped at Boulder’s Beach to visit the African penguin colony.  From Boulder’s Beach, we drove down to the Table Mountain National Park to see Cape Point (the point where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet) and the Cape of Good Hope (the most south-western point of the African continent).  The national park was beautiful and we even had an encounter with a baboon.  Within the park we kept seeing signs warning us about the baboons (apparently they are very dangerous and they will jump inside your car window and they will pick-pocket you) and it wasn’t until we were leaving the Cape of Good Hope that we saw one.  It was sitting on top of a Land Rover and we got out to take pictures, and it really did not like the attention so he jumped off the car and started chasing us!!  I really wish we could have had that moment on video because I’m sure we all looked ridiculous as we sprinted back to our car screaming…

Muizenberg

Boulder's Beach

 Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope

After we left the park, we drove up the Atlantic coastline along the famous Chapman’s Peak Drive.  The drive was stunning.  We were surrounded by beaches and mountains and we stopped at Hout Bay to watch the sunset.  The night ended with dinner on the beach in Camp’s Bay.  It was a long day and there was a lot of driving involved, but I can’t complain about driving alongside mountains and coastline all day.  

Chapman's Peak Drive

  

Monday was a national holiday so we got the day off work and decided to spend it climbing Table Mountain.   We could not have asked for a more perfect day to hike.  The sun was out with no clouds in the sky and it was about 80 degrees, all of which is a little rare for this time of the year since it is winter in South Africa right now.  The hike took about 2 hours and was actually a lot more difficult than I expected.  There were tons of stairs and really no flat areas, but the view made up for the fact that I’m in terrible shape.  We overlooked the city and the ocean as we were climbing, and once we got to the top of the mountain, I truly felt like I was on another planet!

Table Mountain

This weekend we were able to cram in the majority of the big tourist attractions that Cape Town has to offer!!  The time has flown by since I’ve been here and my days are numbered, but we still have one more weekend to enjoy the city!