I am germy. I cough. A lot. My nose and head aren't congested, but I cough. A lot. I wake up in the middle of the night and can tell that I haven't coughed and it feels good. And then my cough reflex wakes up and goes to work. Good thing I brought Sudafed, bad thing I left the Robitussin at home. But, considering I'm on a weekly dose of Lariam, get Sudafed twice daily and a half a sleeping pill when I wake up between 2:30-3:00am- perhaps adding the Robi would be a little excessive. So, I just don't shake hands and I cough into my clothes.
I wish I had more productive things to write about- like all the cool ways we're serving and all that. But, today is only our first full day so we've done things like eat a buffet breakfast (Zambian sausage... not a good idea), have prayer and communion, and hold a medical team meeting where we meet each other and discuss all the things we have no idea we'll be doing. All we've been told is that the staff at the children's hospital is very excited we're here and apparently the chief medical supervisor for the province is too. For anyone that didn't know, we are still waiting to see if the MD's will still be able to practice. The Zambian Medical Board requires a certain form called a certificate of good standing to practice here and that doesn't exist in US medicine. I think we call it a background check. But anyway, we've found as much as we can about our 4 MD's, printed it and the university is trying to get it sorted out before we go into the hospital on Tuesday. The nurses will be shadowing the staff so that will be cool. That's something I do a lot of. I'm well trained in that.
We've decided that we just need to memorize mealtimes and the rest usually falls into place. Like this afternoon, we have no idea what we're doing but we do know lunch is at 1pm. Food is good. There is a kitchen team from the US and they are doing a good job of keeping us fed.
And that's about it. It's a bright, sunny. breezy day here and everyone is getting along fine. Tomorrow will be kind of weird, we will be carted all over Ndola to different sites, meeting the mayor (!) and other city officials, meeting the hopsital staff briefly, going to a tree planting ceremony- kind of like Americans on parade. Which doesn't make me feel awkward in the slightest.
Is it bad that when I do finally cough, I see people try to slyly and subtlely shift out of my general direction? I see what they're doing....
It's 8:15pm in Ndola, and Saturday was great.
Well, for those of you waiting with bated breath- we've arrived in one piece in Ndola, Zambia. It took 30hrs, 2 planes and 1 bus ride to do it, but we're here!!
Let me just say what a fan I am of British Airways. They took one look at the Tall One and got us bulkhead seats on the flight from LAX to London. They fed us twice (I slept through the first one though) and they had movies on demand. Good ones!!! But since I am Sleeping Pill Amy, I took a Lunesta and it was good times. And then from London to Lusaka we were able to slide over and get our own set of two seats and spread out. But, if you have the cash or are lucky enough to ask for an upgrade and they don't laugh in your face- the Club World seats are the ticket. They're like small little cubbies with footstools that pull out, like mini LazyBoys. I was very, very jealous.
For the first time ever, I have flown and landed and can still see my ankles. Usually, my ankles and feet are hidden under about an inch of edema from sitting for hours. But I have flight compression socks and you know those foot exercises they encourage you to do? Holy crap- they work!!! I can see my ankles and bony feet!!
So, Heathrow Airport. It's huge. We landed in their infamous Terminal 5, which if you watched the news about 7 months ago when they opened it you know it was a cataclysmic disaster. I was told that their luggage snarl was so bad, they decided that the BEST option was to send all the misplaced luggage to some place in ITALY, sort it there and get it back to the proper owners. Three cheers for Heathrow!!! Lucky for us, they got it sorted out and my bag made it. But on to terminal 4. Depending on your point of view, the fact that they have a Starbucks there is either a Godsend or a sign of the apocalypse... I'm voting for rays of light from heaven. They have cooler sandwiches at the Starbucks there than in the US. The sad thing is, you look at the prices and think- oh cool, just like home prices! And then you remember you're in England, they use the pound, the exchange rate is 1 pound for $2US, AND you've got inflated airport pricing. I essentially had a $12US meal. BUT, they have Dark Mocha Light Frappucinos in England. When I get home, I'm raising a ruckus until they add it to the menu. Think mocha frappalicous, but with dark chocolate bits. And don't tell me it's just British Java Chip because this was like 10x better. And am I allowed to be on a mission trip and excited about the fact that they give tasters at the Duty Free liquor stores?!? I didn't have any, but I wanted to.
So now we're in Zambia! It's weird to be back and realize that I recognize things. Our hotel is right across the street from the university and it's fine. Some highlights about the hotel-
*We're on the 8th of 9 floors, and when 30+ people check in at one time you're not getting on the elevator within an hour. So we walked 8 flights of stairs with our luggage. We have yet to take the elevator down. It hates our floor.
*The leg room on the worst coach airplane ever is still bigger than the space between our toilet and the bathroom wall. And you got to put some serious arm pumping into the handle to flush. But it flushes and that's always a bonus.
*The Tall One got himself stuck in the bathroom and he had to dismantle the door knob to get out.
*The bed is so comfortable and after 30 hours of sitting in a reclining position, being able to lie horizontally on anything is epic.
*Biggest upside right now- no sight of the huge spiders that I would see incessantly last time. They don't like the Savoy Hotel.
Well, I'm tired again, and I think it's time for my Sudafed and Lariam. Treat the cold, prevent malaria- those are my goals for the night.
Let me just say what a fan I am of British Airways. They took one look at the Tall One and got us bulkhead seats on the flight from LAX to London. They fed us twice (I slept through the first one though) and they had movies on demand. Good ones!!! But since I am Sleeping Pill Amy, I took a Lunesta and it was good times. And then from London to Lusaka we were able to slide over and get our own set of two seats and spread out. But, if you have the cash or are lucky enough to ask for an upgrade and they don't laugh in your face- the Club World seats are the ticket. They're like small little cubbies with footstools that pull out, like mini LazyBoys. I was very, very jealous.
For the first time ever, I have flown and landed and can still see my ankles. Usually, my ankles and feet are hidden under about an inch of edema from sitting for hours. But I have flight compression socks and you know those foot exercises they encourage you to do? Holy crap- they work!!! I can see my ankles and bony feet!!
So, Heathrow Airport. It's huge. We landed in their infamous Terminal 5, which if you watched the news about 7 months ago when they opened it you know it was a cataclysmic disaster. I was told that their luggage snarl was so bad, they decided that the BEST option was to send all the misplaced luggage to some place in ITALY, sort it there and get it back to the proper owners. Three cheers for Heathrow!!! Lucky for us, they got it sorted out and my bag made it. But on to terminal 4. Depending on your point of view, the fact that they have a Starbucks there is either a Godsend or a sign of the apocalypse... I'm voting for rays of light from heaven. They have cooler sandwiches at the Starbucks there than in the US. The sad thing is, you look at the prices and think- oh cool, just like home prices! And then you remember you're in England, they use the pound, the exchange rate is 1 pound for $2US, AND you've got inflated airport pricing. I essentially had a $12US meal. BUT, they have Dark Mocha Light Frappucinos in England. When I get home, I'm raising a ruckus until they add it to the menu. Think mocha frappalicous, but with dark chocolate bits. And don't tell me it's just British Java Chip because this was like 10x better. And am I allowed to be on a mission trip and excited about the fact that they give tasters at the Duty Free liquor stores?!? I didn't have any, but I wanted to.
So now we're in Zambia! It's weird to be back and realize that I recognize things. Our hotel is right across the street from the university and it's fine. Some highlights about the hotel-
*We're on the 8th of 9 floors, and when 30+ people check in at one time you're not getting on the elevator within an hour. So we walked 8 flights of stairs with our luggage. We have yet to take the elevator down. It hates our floor.
*The leg room on the worst coach airplane ever is still bigger than the space between our toilet and the bathroom wall. And you got to put some serious arm pumping into the handle to flush. But it flushes and that's always a bonus.
*The Tall One got himself stuck in the bathroom and he had to dismantle the door knob to get out.
*The bed is so comfortable and after 30 hours of sitting in a reclining position, being able to lie horizontally on anything is epic.
*Biggest upside right now- no sight of the huge spiders that I would see incessantly last time. They don't like the Savoy Hotel.
Well, I'm tired again, and I think it's time for my Sudafed and Lariam. Treat the cold, prevent malaria- those are my goals for the night.
I'm leaving, on a jet plane...
So, tomorrow I leave for Zambia. I still kind of don't believe it. Like last time, when they close the plane doors and we start taxing down the runway it will probably feel like I'm really going. Right now, it just feels like lots of stupid crap to still do.
If ever you needed an illustration into the difference between the Tall One and I, look no further than our packing styles. Me? I started on Saturday- I crossed things off my list as I put them in so I wouldn't crumble into an OCD mess by neurotically checking my backpack to make sure I put my passport in there. The same pocket. Like, 17 times. So far, I'm doing good- I've only checked twice. But there's still lots of time. My clothes are all arranged nice and I could rifle through my bag blindfolded and find what I'm looking for. The Tall One? He'll start laundry tonight at about 12:45am (if he's feeling kicky), dry the last load at about 1:45pm tomorrow afternoon and then pack in just enough time to make it to south SC where we're all meeting to carpool at 3:30pm. I would be a WRECK. And you know what sucks? He won't forget anything. Check back periodically while I'm gone and you can keep up to date on all the crap I'm going to forget.
And I'm sad about leaving my garden. It's been doing so well. My Better Boy tomato plant is nearing historic size and there are so many green tomatoes. I hate to leave all my babies to the dangers of snails, small green caterpillars and the heat. But mostly, it's the snails I hate. They leave their slimy silver trails for you so you know what they ate the night before. I have a zero tolerance policy on snails at this point. My eradication method of choice is to stand on the planter and spike them over the fence onto the sidewalk. Brutal, but effective. If I catch them in the act of eating MY food- they get the salt. I'm a cutthroat heartless wench!!!! Anyway, the illustrious Christy "amniotic shower" Culp has agreed to babysit my garden- and I'm paying her deposit in advance with a bag of lettuce. She has a garden, lives relatively close and "gets" my garden neuroses. Best part about this, she had her husband/personal secretary call me this morning to ask what my favor was- and when I told him, he said she figured it as such and had already agreed to it. And if you need to know what "amniotic shower" means, let's just say if I experience one during my labor & delivery/OB rotation next semester, there's going to be some very long angry posts on this site.
I'm really excited to go. It's going to be an incredible opportunity and I'm going to learn so much. Plus, the reality check is always welcome- when people eat maybe one meal a day and die from treatable diseases, it puts things in perspective at home. But at this point, I need to get through departing. I started getting a cough last night, and I think I'm steadily progressing towards a cold. Seriously? I spend 4 months straight getting barely enough sleep, stressing out, taking care of people with pneumonia and influenza and I stay perfectly healthy. But two days before I leave the States on a freaking medical trip and I get a cold?!? Somebody's got a sense of humor. But I'm not quite laughing yet.
So, this will be my last post before I go. I will be updating this while I'm there hopefully, and you can tune into our official blog (contributors are from the team of people from The Shoreline Church)- the link is at the top on the right hand side. Everybody have a great Fourth of July for us- it will be my first Fourth not trying to see fireworks through a fog bank. Keep us in your prayers and we'll be back on July 7th!!!
Ummmmmm...
I've pretty much had the best all-time day in a long time. I slept in until 7am, which is phenomenal when I get up at 5:45 for hospital shifts 3x a week, geeked out on the computer while sitting in bed and then finally decided to go check the surf.
It was good. So I ran home and got my stuff and returned to have my first surf in just over TWO MONTHS. It was heaven. Sunny, hot, cool water, not too crowded. I was over the moon. Towards the end, a couple of guys paddled out that were a little too dominating for my taste. I kept expecting one of the guys to paddle back out after a wave, whip out a beer can and crush it on his forehead while yelling things like "Awesome" and "Bitchin'" and "Yeeaaaahhhh". Oh, and hooting/cheering for his own waves. Kind of like, you take off and start to stand up and you realize what a great wave it's going to be and you let out a "Wooooo!" For yourself. If you do this and I know you, it's cool, because... I know you! But total strangers... what can I say, I'm a jerk. I surfed until the fog rolled in and made things interesting and then drove on to the next rad stage of my day: lunch.
I love Las Golondrinas. It's always a mental war between the Bean, Rice, Cheese, Salsa burrito or the Chicken Mole & Rice burrito. Chicken mole won today but there's never any question of the beverage. Two words: Orange Bang. If you've never had Orange Bang, drive over to your local dive Mexican to-go joint and get some. It's always next to the Horchata and Jamaica (pronounced ha-MIKE-a, not like the island, I found that one out the hard way- while ordering). Anyway, I couldn't drive home fast enough to eat my lunch, and we live less than 1/4 mile from the place. So good...
And then, I sat in the backyard and read my book. And fell asleep. Sometime around 4pm, I decided to get my butt in gear and think about dinner. What do you do when it's 80 out and you have a kick ass backyard? BBQ! This required a trip to the grocery store and since I'm well on track to be a full-blown hippie by 2011, I rode my bike.
I get a few weird looks when I ride my back around North SC. It's like people have never seen a beachcruiser or anything. So, after weighing down my basket at Trader Joe's, I had to pedal across the parking lot to Ralph's. Today was Freakshows Go Shopping At Ralph's. Before even going in, I saw a lady, probably mid-40's, wearing a shirt with sheer sleeves that had bedazzles down the arms, short denim shorts and the tallest, pinkest stripper heels I've ever seen. Incredible. AND THEN, I walked in the store. Right behind this chick wearing what I assume were shorts but they were more like teeny cotton shorts doing their best full cotton brief impersonation, tube top, incredibly tall heels and about 90 layers of coral-orange lipstick. And no matter where I went in the store, she was right there. She ended up being in front of me at checkout, so I became instantly engrossed in the selection of gum, mints and candy bars until she said this to me (in a slightly airheady voice), "I saw you riding your bike through the parking lot, you looked so cute and free..." ??? I said something to be nice and not like the jerk I am, but really, what do you say to that? Cute and free? That makes me sound like Tinkerbell. So I tried my best not to look cute and free while biking home, mostly by giving dirty looks to people that drive bad. Like the dumbass chick at the northbound Estrella exit that stopped squarely in the middle of the intersection on MY green light and looked at me and didn't move an inch. What an idiot. I could've kicked her bumper but with my luck, she'd end up being one of my patients on Monday or something.
So finally, our BBQ. First of all, I made sangria. It was my first batch ever and I think it turned out quite well. We drank it all so I guess it was. I decided to save all our daily veggie requirements until the evening so we had corn on the cob, artichokes and salad with top sirloin. The Tall One lit all 48 of our tiki torches and we've decided that the light from those things is much better than the patio light we have. But the glow on the side of the house does look a little brushfire-ish.
And that was my best all-time day in a while. My arms and back are sore and I'm tired. I can't wait for tomorrow.
Fierce.
The Tall One is in a band. They're called No Longer Atlas. And tonight, they opened for The English Beat... and killed it!!! They were so awesome!!!! I'm so proud of them. And my husband. Does this make me a groupie?
On the flip side, there was an opening band. They were a punk/ska band. And man, was that brutal. I can sum up the experience in a few phrases:
-The guy screamed. A lot.
-The drummer was this burly fierce hot mess of a girl that wore sunglasses the entire time. She scared me.
-They murdered Guns Of Brixton by The Clash, and managed to fit in some chant about something being not to be f@#^%$ with. They made a cool song angry. I wasn't stoked.
-They followed up that debacle with a song called I Don't Want To Go To Church. That essentially alienated everyone that came to see the Tall One's band. Classy!!
HOWEVER... The English Beat? What a freaking kick ass good time!!!!! They've been going since the 80's and I'm pretty sure they've gotten better. The best part was all the people that were in their 20's back then and were there tonight still dancing to the music. Good times. And since this is South Orange County, the cougar ratio was high. When moms get all plasticized, put on clothes from their daughters' closets and then go out dancing to their favorite 80's band... I have nightmares. No fair. I'm just there to have fun!!!
So, long story short- come to their next show. It's July 11th at Coast Hills Church and it's a benefit for orphanages. Somewhere. I'm pretty sure.
Not aging well.
I just had the surreal experience of not only watching a music video, but the return of New Kids On The Block.
That was weird.
It actually took a few seconds to realize who it was, and then I spent the next 3 or so minutes with jaw dropped, staring at the screen. I have a few thoughts:
1. Donny Wahlberg did not age well.
2. Your mid-30's is probably not the recommended stage in life to relive your boy band years, no matter how much money you made or how many teenage girls plastered your face on their bedroom walls.
3. Cheesy R&B pop is pretty much crap.
4. The youngest one is the only one that turned out cute.
5. When you were the token average guy in the band, re-inventing yourself as the hulking muscle guy with a zillion crappy tatoos is not the right choice.
I don't like it when my high school fixtures come back to haunt me. Some things just belong back in the early 90's. And NKOTB is one of them. Yikes.
Still alive and lots to say...
I know I'm due for a good posting, but I've got two days left of Bible study that needs to be done before this evening, nursing objectives that need to be written and submitted to the Ndola School of Nursing (that's in Zambia and they're academically adopting me and another student while we're there!) and I need to purchase travel insurance for myself and the Tall One for the Zambia trip. All in my only weekday off. I'm swamped.
However! My first extern day was incredible. While overall very uneventful and quite possibly my most mundane med/surg day ever, there were some events which I will address in an upcoming post. But here are the highlights:
- 1 of our 3 patients going into liver/kidney failure before our eyes with a blood potassium level of 6.7. Google the normal range for that and you'll see why we were freaking out. We had her in ICU within 15min and to be honest, the outlook is not positive. Quite sad.
- An elderly lady with a tib/fib repair that only knows the #10 when it comes to her pain level on a scale of 1-10. She was getting morphine every two hours on the dot.
- Some old, old guy coming into the hospital on a tiny motorized bike (like this) and whizzing around the halls on it. And into the nurses station. In a bright orange windbreaker, blue blocker sunglasses and a HUGE bike helmet. It was clearly the awesomest part of my afternoon.
Things are good. Bummer Vacation has returned to Summer Vacation (that's right, SV08) so I'm downright happy.
Parting note: I know I'm getting old when I'm accepting the fact that I just don't like beach bonfires like I used to because I HATE smelling like a campfire afterwards. Me and all my clothing AND my purse AND my water bottle. Didn't know plastic could take on the smell of a bonfire did you? Well mine did and it was nasty. Hickory smoked water bottle. Yuk.
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