American hospitals have no room to complain...First day at the hospital

Today at the hospital was heart wrenching, seeing things I have never seen before. I think today I saw and did almost more in a 6-hour period then I did in all of my years of nursing school! For all of you nurses that are reading this you can understand what I am talking about. My first shock of the day was getting right next to a TB patient with no mask or anything on. In the U.S we put the patient in a private room, we always have to wear sealed tight masks; and here they are in open rooms with other TB patients. I am thinking my hospital might have to test me before I go back to work. I saw my first cleft lip, hydrocephalus, snake bite, grand mal seizure, also there was 9 babies born yesterday and they were all in one room with the mothers (some slept on the floor with a mattress if anyone was wondering where we put them all.) So that was day one, I wonder what day two will bring us.

 Everything is much more relaxed and free (like you can actually do your job without worrying someone is going to sue you.) I didn’t wear gloves once, re was pancakes there too…fancy-that ha-ha o no I am sounding like I am English, Harriet is rubbing off on me.) Then I washed my hands when I was all done for the day. Compared to after every patient at the Cleveland clinic.and I washed my hands only when we took a tea break (yes, we took a tea break, and the

First, we did rounds with the doctor and that took about 3 hours. The doctor here is very good, a Christian man that told a patient this morning that he was seeing things (hallucinations of colored people) because he didn’t have God and he needed to pray. I laughed at that, because that would never happen in an American hospital! After the rounds I went with Daisy, an older nurse here and helped her with outpatient. I will have to take a picture tomorrow, people everywhere trying to get seen and helped. At one point Daisy left me alone and I was diagnosing people myself and assessing them, and writing it down on a pink sheet of paper, called their “chart.” I had a few malaria patients that needed blood work to be sure they had malaria, a few TB patients that needed x-rays. But the funny part was trying to ask them questions. The nurse Julie wrote down a few key words to say, but I was just laughing trying to pronounce them. Also trying to call the next patients name was a sight to see I am sure, but I must of said it good enough because people came up nodding, signaling it was indeed them.

Seeing all the dirty clothes, and all the supplies the hospital didn’t have and the stench that I don’t think I will ever forget, just heart-wrenching. I wish I could send them so many things and do so much more, you feel like your never doing enough. Tylenol is the only pain killer, almost out of antibiotics, barely any gloves and so many other things that I am sure I can make this list go on all day! But seeing what these people have and how they live and the way the kids light up when you smile and play with them is just amazing (more of a Christian nation then U.S where we have everything, never once complaining of their circumstance, or blaming God for what they don’t have.)

Well now I am just babbling on and on, I am sure I will have more stories tomorrow, bye bye for today!

 Harry and I went to the pediatric ward and the kids just came from every where. Smiling and waving at us, I wanted to get a picture of them and they just loved it and all wanted to get in!

 You can see how the kids are dressed and these pictures, the one boy has no clothes and a big belly, all so happy to see you. We were playing with them and they were loving it, I guess in their culture, kids don't matter and the parents don't play with them, really sad!

 Today we got normal village food- Shima (white mash potato looking thing), they eat it twice a day, everyday, and I can barley eat it once

 Step one put it in your bowl, step two, take the shima in your hand, and taking off pieces and dipping it in whatever other food you have. Yes it is custom to eat it with your hands, my dad wouldn't of been very proud of me. But for the first time it was acceptable.

 Here is Harry chowing down on the last part of shima. The shima is like a thick, doughy consistency. Apparently i will be having it for a week at the girls camp, so they are getting us use to it now :/

if you dont know what to say- smile, nod and say mwane (sp?)

 This is a little girl that just came up to me, I fell in love, sweetest little thing, kept smiling at me and holding my hand!

This is our house, with Becka and Harriet.

Wow, that post I did last night took forever. I will try to write something everyday, but we have internet from 9-midnight, and you can imagine how hard that is with 3 girls living in this house and with the connection being slower then dial up ( which some young people don’t even know what that is). I just wanted to tell you a little about my day today! My first day at church, which I didn’t understand at all. Breaking of bread is at 11;30, then ministry at 12;30, but time doesnt matter here, so we started an hour late. But that gave me a chance to meet some of the people, and children! During the meeting I did a lot of praying and reading to myself, but some of the songs I can sing, just not understand what I am saying. I am getting a lot better at hello, some 2 handed hand shakes and some chapping my hands together while saying mwane (sp?). If you don’t know what to say you say that, so of course that’s what I say to everyone haha!! Hey give me a break, I just got here, give me a week or two.

I am very excited to work in the hospital tomorrow, they said I can do a lot of things, nurse are more like nurse practitioners here, only one doctor. I will be able to tell you more tomorrow on what the hospital is like. We work from 7;30-1;30, and then done for the rest of the day.

We went to the market and saw what the villagers eat- surprisingly it is caterpillars, fish, potatoes, nuts  and other bugs. I am so thankful for American food, that people send to the missionaries. I have had a great meal every night, and there is always dessert…that’s not good for me! I will pot pictures if it loads, but I have 30 min before the electricity turns off, so I hope to post 1 or 2. Well off to bed, because whats to do when you have no electricity...... exactly!

 This is what your feel look like all day long, most just don't wear shoes

 Harriet and I room, we love the mosquitoes nets, we feel like princesses, and oddly more secure.

 Learning how to play cricket- mixture of golf and baseball

 Some Zambian kids!

5 days later....

I am writing with the worlds slowest internet, yes that's means I made it to my final destination in Loloma! I attempted to call my parents on Becka's (friend from Iowa) phone, i got about 3 minutes in and the phone shut off. But I am happy to be able to hear both of my parents voice and to let them know I got here safe. So mom and dad when your reading this sorry the phone shut off, she ran out of minutes, ill try calling again when we get more minutes, love you both!
 The flight to Loloma was an interesting one, I thought i had a tough stomach...haha not so much. For about the entire 2 hour ride I had the barf bag in my hand, I didnt have to use it, but Harriet ( my new British friend) said I looked very pale and i felt like i was going to be sick the entire ride. The plane was very small and very bumpy, it was almost like you were on a roller coaster the entire time (the down hill part at least). When we landed we were greeted by so many smiling faces, I wish I had got some more pictures, but I was just happy to see land! Once we landed we were given a tour and taken to our house. Becka, Harriet and I will be staying in our own house together. The house has running water and beds and we have food here (and no more then leaves, portage and caterpillars). So for all those people I told that I was going to lose weight-maybe not so much.
We had a lovely meal of everything pizzas, we had papaya for dessert with cookies with tea. After seeing the hospital, I didn't realize how different life was here-gloves haha not so much. ( the whole foam in and foam out we do at the clinic just seems a little obsessive now.) I am very excited to get right to it on Monday morning at the hospital. We are 6 hours ahead here in Zambia, and it gets dark every night at 6pm. I am excited to see what the next 6 weeks brings, there are some amazing people here. More pictures to come.

4 days and 5 flights later

It has come to the point where all these travel difficulties has come comical. So I arrive in Dubai at 8:45am, I get off the plane and realize my flight to Lusaka has already boarded. So now I am sprinting to try to get to my gate in time (of course it is at the opposite end of the airport) I get there  right at 9:15, which is when the flight leaves, well no one is there and I missed yet another flight! So as I am standing there dripping in sweat, I have no idea what to do. So I hobble very slowly and pathetically over with my now blistered feet to Emirates table at yet the opposite end of the airport, which I just ran across 5 min before. I am talking to the lady and I look up and see that, they close the gate 20 min before they leave. If I would of just saw that before i started my 1600M dash I wouldn't have wasted all my time running to my gate with my 3 bags. After about 30 min (hey every time it takes shorter time to re route me, that's a plus), I get another flight booked! Now I am going from Dubai to Nairobi to Lusaka, haha I am laughing as I am writing this. I am a world traveler, never even herd of Nairobi. 

Anyways what to do now that I have thankfully 4 Hours before my next flight, might I add I was so happy that this flight is the same day and I still will be arriving in Lusaka late tonight, praise The Lord.

So what do you think I do? I asked if they had a shower, boy did I need it.

I went to a shop and bought some shampoo and soap and went to take a shower. I had to take a picture of this, because no one would of believed me, I have never herd of taking a shower in a airport, but I did. You might ask what I dried off with- well not a towel, nope they don't provide those haha. I had a blanket in my bag and I used that of course. Probably to much info but I had to now reuse clothes, it's been 4 days I didn't think to bring that much with me on my carry on. So I am all fresh and clean, I then went to get food, I got a meal voucher and the food was good. I got a burger and fries haha in Dubai, that's probably the first. This airport is very nice and high class, it's pretty cool. Now I'm going to sit at my gate so I don't miss this flight also!! I hope that the next time I write I will be in Lusaka at the flight house and not at another airport sitting because I had to go on another flight! 

The never-ending trip to Zambia:day 3

On my third day of travel, you would think I would of gotten use to all the delays and mess ups that's been happening to me, but I'm not! Today the booked my flight to Dubai wrong saying I had no seat on the flight, but thankfully the last fixed it and I got on, after an hour of trying to figure out American Airlines mess! Don't fly with them, they are terrible! So now the question is where is my luggage, they  told me-"lets hope for the best that your luggage gets on your flight." That's really comforting. So I get through security and what else is new- flight delayed! So the delay is an hour and my layover in Dubai is only 90 min. So this is going to be another close one, pray that I make this flight in time. I'm already getting to Lusaka a day and a half late. Any later and I'll miss my small flight into Loloma Saturday morning! But at least I had a good time in London, took a big bus tour. You were able to take a walking tour, a river tour and able to hop on and off whenever you wanted! Saw a few cool things and would love to go back sometime with friends and to stay longer. So much to see so little time!

World traveler day 2:

After many hours of the run around to every  counter in O Hare and on the phone with 100 different people that didn't help me at all! I finally got booked on another flight 1 day later. After I missed my flight to London yesterday, they booked me to Amsterdam. So the shortened version because no one wants to hear about all the details of my tedious  adventure, I am booked again to London!  So from Chicago I will be going to London and staying there on a 13 layover, so I might be able to do a bus tour after all. From London I will be going to Dubai, that layover is 90 min. From Dubai I am finally making my way to Lusaka. I will be arriving a day and a half later then my original time, but thankfully I'm getting there before Saturday. 

God was giving me a trial, I am sure of it. I don't have much patience so after 2 days of re routing, canceling, and a few tears God provided the way to Africa! It is hard trusting God at the moment of the trial! Praise The Lord, I got through it after many prayers! He was with me through it all and I think this start is just the beginning of what I'll be going through on these next 6 weeks! As long as I am closer to Him and love Him and know Him better then the day before, every trial was worth it! Hopefully the next post will be from London! Adios for now! :)

Day one on my adventure to Zambia

Well my first day of travel, has been nothing but trouble. My first flight from Cleveland to Chicago got delayed because of the rain. I arrived into Chicago 5 min after my flight left. Everyone I talked to couldn't help me. Nothing was leaving to London till the next day. I pre ordered a tour bus in London but it looks like I won't be going there at all. After 2 hours of calling people and getting directed to no one. I found out my next flight is tomorrow at 4:30p to Amsterdam. From there I will be flying into Lukaka, Zambia at 10p on Thursday, instead of 6a. So I am thankful that my cousin Ryan and Maran lived in Chicago and coming to pick me up, because the airline won't pay for my hotel. So we will see what happens on my second day adventure to Africa!