UBUNTU "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." - Lao Tzu

After last weeks upset about the people and culture here, I have finally calmed down a bit and am simply having to accept the things that I cannot change. Last week I spent my evenings with our nurse and volunteer coordinator who in the beginning of my stay here told our directors that I was a typical American who didn't care about the people or culture here. We have since become each other's support group and I look up to these women and feel honored to call them my friends and mentors. I have become a regular at the hospital I once wrote about and the nurses in one of the wards now know me by name which definitely helps with the wait time for our patients. It's nice to be able to walk in and be greeted with a smile and hello rather than a sneer and a dirty look. Last Friday, Althea (our nurse) and I picked up my rental car and went to the hospital to collect prescription drugs and visit one of our patients in the TB clinic. I have never been in a TB clinic and nor do I wish to go again, although if duty calls I will be the first in line. We entered a building in a nice garden area and immediately had to put on face masks because we were in the drug resistant TB ward. Yes, that's right - for those of you not up to date on the world medical forum, TB has begun to mutate and there are now cases here of drug resistant TB and there is absolutely nothing they can do about it - death is inevitable from this. The building is not equipped with AC or heating and all the windows were open, letting in the heat of the day and a warm breeze from time to time. We walked down the middle of the beds, about fifteen on each side all with women who were skin and bones. Some, you wouldn't even be able to tell anyone was in the bed because they were so skinny and the only thing that gave their presence away was the occasional fly that would buzz around their heads. We finally saw Nancy and her condition at the moment seems to be getting a bit better but we know better than to get excited. Nancy has gone off her medication voluntarily three different times because she would rather die than deal with the disease. It's hard to witness, but the reality is that there are many others who think the same thing.

This weekend, Lise and I took off to the sheep farm for a relaxing weekend in the mountains with Henrie and play time with the dogs on the farm. Henrie got a new Mastiff puppy, Kyzo, whose feet are so large that he trips over them when he runs. He is the cutest thing on the planet. We came across waterfalls again and then decided to go hiking on a trail that leads to more of them. We completely missed the trail entrance and ended up lost in the forest and in canyons for about two hours until we finally figured out where we had originally started. Scary - yeah, just a bit but it was actually really fun. It was an extremely hot day here, so we cooled ourselves in small streams we found and just tried to make the best of it. Henrie and I bought pool noodles to use in one of the ponds on the farm and went in for a few minutes only to realize after getting out that leeches had attached themselves to us. Oh the joys of Africa, lol.

As for those of you who have donated money or are planning to, these are the items I have purchased so far. This weekend, I was able to get the workers new shirts and the total cost was $26.00. I bought four shirts, so that is extremely cheap here.  Also, this week I am purchasing school books for the girls in the homeless shelter. The books will cost around $100.00 for two girls. After seeing them this week, I will find out what their other needs are and possibly purchase school supplies and whatnot. The schools are supposed to supply these things, but unfortunately they are just as corrupt as the rest of the country and are keeping the money for themselves. I also purchased another soccer ball for the girls which cost about $15. You should have seen the look on their faces when I took them the balls last week. It was the first time they have ALL voluntarily played with one another and actually got along. It was such a great thing to see. They were so appreciative and told me to let all my friends in America know how thankful they were. So thank you all from the girls, the workers, and myself. I know these are small things we are doing but if you were to see how their faces light up, you would know this actually has a very large impact.

On a more personal note, I really can't believe my time here is nearly finished. I realize I have one more month, but to think I have been here since January is very surreal. At first, time couldn't pass fast enough and now all I want to do is slow it down. Even with all the horrible things I have seen and heard about here, I truly am in love with this place and the people who are truly in need of help and want it, not to mention the amazing friendships I have established here. There is a reason I have Africa tattooed on my arm and there is a reason Africa chose me, I didn't choose Africa. My soul feels connected to this place like no other. I can't explain it, all I can do is make the most of my time here and know this will not be my last trip to this continent or country. It's been a bittersweet ride so far and I look forward to my remaining time here.

Ubuntu.