Hi everyone!
I hope that April weather in the States is as lovely as it has been here. We've had a week of high seventies and sun that seems to say summer is holding on.
The biggest news that I have to report is that my mom and dad came to Cape Town! They were here for ten days and left on Monday. I think I speak for all three of us when I say that we had a beautiful and magical time. It's hard to believe how much we managed to do while they were here: drive to the Eastern Cape, visit game parks to see elephants, lions, baboons, etc, find hidden beaches, learn about Cape Town's history, eat delicious food, climb mountains...what a trip!
This was the first time that I was able to share South Africa with my family. It's hard to believe that the first time I came to Durban was almost five years ago (anniversary will be in three months). Seeing the country through their eyes made me appreciate it even more. Our drive through the Western and Eastern Cape was breathtaking. I am so truly blessed to live in the beautiful place and even moreso to have shared it with my family. It made me proud to live here, even despite some of the struggles I have with it.
The other big news is that I'll be living in NYC this (American) summer! I have been offered an internship in qualitative research with Planned Parenthood Federation of America. It's a dream of mine to work there (this is the national office as opposed to an affiliate that offers health services) and I couldn't be more excited! Plus, the opportunity to try living in NYC is very exciting.
Okay need to do some work before heading to Taste of Cape Town today...will post again soon!
Kristen
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Friday, March 30, 2012
March
It's been brought to my attention that I have been terribly delinquent in updating. Here is a brief overview of the last month!
I've gone to my first Kirstenbosch concerts! It was actually my first time even in Kirstenbosch botanical gardens and let me say it is absolutely beautiful. For the concerts (I saw Goldfish and Freshlyground, again) you bring a picnic and hang out on the lawn until the sun sets. Gorgeous!
I also had some unexpected visitors! A colleague of my dad's and her partner came to Cape Town and we were able to catch up and have dinner. It was lovely to catch up with some Philly area folks at our fave place in Vredehoek, Sidewalk Cafe. Hosting some visitors made me EXTRA excited that my parents will be arriving soon--one week from tomorrow, in fact!
Work is going quite well as are classes. I'm particularly enjoying my economic evaluation course and am so grateful to be taking it since the study I am working on is an econ eval. I have definitely had my days when I wish I were studying health economics instead of health systems! But, I'm almost done my degree and am ready to graduate and move on. :)
I've become close with a new group of girlfriends who have been keeping me much more social! I've been venturing out to events and just hanging out much more than last year. It's really been so much fun! Tomorrow we're heading over to Stellenbosch to check out some markets and wine tasting.
I'm going to leave it there for now although I am surely leaving tons of stuff out. Will try to update again soon!
Love!
Kristen
I've gone to my first Kirstenbosch concerts! It was actually my first time even in Kirstenbosch botanical gardens and let me say it is absolutely beautiful. For the concerts (I saw Goldfish and Freshlyground, again) you bring a picnic and hang out on the lawn until the sun sets. Gorgeous!
I also had some unexpected visitors! A colleague of my dad's and her partner came to Cape Town and we were able to catch up and have dinner. It was lovely to catch up with some Philly area folks at our fave place in Vredehoek, Sidewalk Cafe. Hosting some visitors made me EXTRA excited that my parents will be arriving soon--one week from tomorrow, in fact!
Work is going quite well as are classes. I'm particularly enjoying my economic evaluation course and am so grateful to be taking it since the study I am working on is an econ eval. I have definitely had my days when I wish I were studying health economics instead of health systems! But, I'm almost done my degree and am ready to graduate and move on. :)
I've become close with a new group of girlfriends who have been keeping me much more social! I've been venturing out to events and just hanging out much more than last year. It's really been so much fun! Tomorrow we're heading over to Stellenbosch to check out some markets and wine tasting.
I'm going to leave it there for now although I am surely leaving tons of stuff out. Will try to update again soon!
Love!
Kristen
Friday, February 24, 2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Hi everyone!
It's been an exciting week here. Classes are in full swing, I did my first day of work at the Midwife Obstetric Unit (MOU) in Gugulethu, and I had drinks with members of my favorite South African band!
I'm very happy with my courses this semester. They are my last three! Introduction to Health Systems Research and Evaluation (yes I am in the health systems track and taking the intro course in my last semester...darn scheduling!), Qualitative Research Methods, and Theory and Application of Economic Evaluation. In plain terms, the first two course are a lot about methodology, so formulating research questions, research protocol design, and critical appraisal of articles. Economic Evaluation coincides nicely with the study I am working on. So far we have looked at costing and cost effectiveness analysis, and our study examines the cost effectiveness of various interventions of a PMTCT (prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV. Some folks are saying EMTCT now, for "the elimination of...," because taking ARVs during pregnancy along with other interventions reduces the risk of transmission to a child to almost nothing) program at a pre natal clinic in Gugulethu, a township nearby Cape Town.
Thursday was my first trip into Gugulethu (pronounced "goo-goo-lay-too"). Landon was kind enough to drive us and a medical student visiting from the States, Tori, came with us as well. I went in with an open mind, preparing for the worst after seeing pictures and film of townships lined with tiny shacks for living space. Sticking to the main roads, at least, Gugulethu (or "Gugs") was not exactly what I expected. For example, there is a mall there! I'm not sure if it is meant for residents or tourists. Most folks living in Gugs, to my knowledge, are employed on low income or not employed at all. The MOU and other health centres on the complex, are publicly funded and patients do not pay for care.
The MOU was both better and worse than I thought it would be! Worse only in the sense that there are SO many people waiting to be seen, and even when you hear about those things over and over, it is still different to see it with your own eyes. The most mindblowing line for me was the wait for the pharmacy...rows and rows of benches just to get medicine! Can you imagine? Most of us get annoyed when one or two people are in front of us at Rite Aid. Can you imagine waiting hours? Sure, folks could also go to a private pharmacy, but that is far too expensive for most living in Gugs.
I found the staff at the MOU to be great, though, which was a pleasant surprise. In the MPH you hear tons of stories about apathetic healthcare staff, which I don't doubt are true. When you are seeing a bazillion patients a day, you are bound to get tired. But, speaking to the staff, it was clear that they were sensitive to patients' situations and needs. I kept thinking of my time at Planned Parenthood. And the fact that a positive HIV test was quite a rare thing for us...imagine the exhaustion of telling every second or third woman you see that she is HIV positive.
In any case, it was an amazing day for me. I'm sorta obsessed with operations (i.e. how a health centre is run) so observing and speaking to staff was absolutely fascinating. The next step of our study is to do a time study in order to measure the amount of time a woman spends at each chunk of her visit. This will help us calculate staff salaries and lost wages for patients per visit.
This is getting long, so I will just very quickly say--I had drinks with Zolani and Kyla from Freshlyground! A friend of a friend visiting from the States traveled with the band for some time and is very close friends with them. I totally blew it an was too embarrassed to say I was a big fan when I met them, but it was still pretty cool to hang out with them! In case you don't know their music, this is my current obsession by them: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-5GzjsxGU0 it sounds one million times more beautiful live. I had the privilege of seeing them perform for the third time last weekend.
Okay, time to go DRIVE myself to the gym....that's right, I have graduated from driving lessons with an excellent instructor who helped build my driving confidence! Took my first solo drive in T's car on Sunday and it was a natural high! Still a little nervous to try again today, but practice makes perfect!
Love!
Kristen
It's been an exciting week here. Classes are in full swing, I did my first day of work at the Midwife Obstetric Unit (MOU) in Gugulethu, and I had drinks with members of my favorite South African band!
I'm very happy with my courses this semester. They are my last three! Introduction to Health Systems Research and Evaluation (yes I am in the health systems track and taking the intro course in my last semester...darn scheduling!), Qualitative Research Methods, and Theory and Application of Economic Evaluation. In plain terms, the first two course are a lot about methodology, so formulating research questions, research protocol design, and critical appraisal of articles. Economic Evaluation coincides nicely with the study I am working on. So far we have looked at costing and cost effectiveness analysis, and our study examines the cost effectiveness of various interventions of a PMTCT (prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV. Some folks are saying EMTCT now, for "the elimination of...," because taking ARVs during pregnancy along with other interventions reduces the risk of transmission to a child to almost nothing) program at a pre natal clinic in Gugulethu, a township nearby Cape Town.
Thursday was my first trip into Gugulethu (pronounced "goo-goo-lay-too"). Landon was kind enough to drive us and a medical student visiting from the States, Tori, came with us as well. I went in with an open mind, preparing for the worst after seeing pictures and film of townships lined with tiny shacks for living space. Sticking to the main roads, at least, Gugulethu (or "Gugs") was not exactly what I expected. For example, there is a mall there! I'm not sure if it is meant for residents or tourists. Most folks living in Gugs, to my knowledge, are employed on low income or not employed at all. The MOU and other health centres on the complex, are publicly funded and patients do not pay for care.
The MOU was both better and worse than I thought it would be! Worse only in the sense that there are SO many people waiting to be seen, and even when you hear about those things over and over, it is still different to see it with your own eyes. The most mindblowing line for me was the wait for the pharmacy...rows and rows of benches just to get medicine! Can you imagine? Most of us get annoyed when one or two people are in front of us at Rite Aid. Can you imagine waiting hours? Sure, folks could also go to a private pharmacy, but that is far too expensive for most living in Gugs.
I found the staff at the MOU to be great, though, which was a pleasant surprise. In the MPH you hear tons of stories about apathetic healthcare staff, which I don't doubt are true. When you are seeing a bazillion patients a day, you are bound to get tired. But, speaking to the staff, it was clear that they were sensitive to patients' situations and needs. I kept thinking of my time at Planned Parenthood. And the fact that a positive HIV test was quite a rare thing for us...imagine the exhaustion of telling every second or third woman you see that she is HIV positive.
In any case, it was an amazing day for me. I'm sorta obsessed with operations (i.e. how a health centre is run) so observing and speaking to staff was absolutely fascinating. The next step of our study is to do a time study in order to measure the amount of time a woman spends at each chunk of her visit. This will help us calculate staff salaries and lost wages for patients per visit.
This is getting long, so I will just very quickly say--I had drinks with Zolani and Kyla from Freshlyground! A friend of a friend visiting from the States traveled with the band for some time and is very close friends with them. I totally blew it an was too embarrassed to say I was a big fan when I met them, but it was still pretty cool to hang out with them! In case you don't know their music, this is my current obsession by them: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-5GzjsxGU0 it sounds one million times more beautiful live. I had the privilege of seeing them perform for the third time last weekend.
Okay, time to go DRIVE myself to the gym....that's right, I have graduated from driving lessons with an excellent instructor who helped build my driving confidence! Took my first solo drive in T's car on Sunday and it was a natural high! Still a little nervous to try again today, but practice makes perfect!
Love!
Kristen
Monday, February 6, 2012
2011 Update and Recap
Hi Everyone!
At this time I am back from a six week stay in the States and through block week of my last semester of classes. We'll come back to classes, as I want to first write an update about the end of 2011.
My visit home was absolutely amazing but a complete whirlwind. I was busier than I was all year, visiting friends, which included trips around NJ and to Philly, D.C., and NYC. It was phenomenal to see everyone. I think that seeing everyone gave me a better understanding of where friendships in my life stand. I am incredibly blessed to have so many "best" friends that will be life long--whether I see them once a week or once a year.
While home I was also busy working. Planned Parenthood was wonderful to have me back working in the clinic! I can't even express how much I have missed working in direct service healthcare. PPAMA staff, new and old, are still some of my favorite people in the world. Additionally, I was doing an internship with New Jersey Citizen Action. My internship supervisor was fantastic and taught me so much about the legislative process and politics in NJ. I am thrilled to have had the experience, especially going to the State House in Trenton (even when we had to wait over an hour for session to start, ack!).
Working at PPAMA and learning about the policy world at NJCA helped me do a lot of thinking about my future and where I would like it to go. My top job path at this point would be to work in some type of health center or hospital in an admin role--preferably in such a way that I still have some chances to interact with patients while also doing higher level management.
However, research could win me over this year. Ladies and gentlemen, after a YEAR of not finding public health related work in Cape Town, I finally got a part time gig as a project coordinator for a study. I'm working with Landon, the same doctor I worked with briefly at the end of last year. We'll see how it goes!
Being back this year has already highlighted for me how much happened in 2011. Moving here was challenging for a long time--trying to figure out which friends you meshed with best, not finding work, trying to use time productively, enjoying the sights and balancing school...it's much easier now that I am more established here. Already since I've been back, I've spent a lot of time with friends. I'm so glad I didn't have to start all over somewhere new again this year! Thomas was also home for most of January, which was absolutely lovely. We finally got a bookshelf for our bedroom which makes it seem much more homey in here.
So, that is the quick update. More coming soon!
Love!
Kristen
At this time I am back from a six week stay in the States and through block week of my last semester of classes. We'll come back to classes, as I want to first write an update about the end of 2011.
My visit home was absolutely amazing but a complete whirlwind. I was busier than I was all year, visiting friends, which included trips around NJ and to Philly, D.C., and NYC. It was phenomenal to see everyone. I think that seeing everyone gave me a better understanding of where friendships in my life stand. I am incredibly blessed to have so many "best" friends that will be life long--whether I see them once a week or once a year.
While home I was also busy working. Planned Parenthood was wonderful to have me back working in the clinic! I can't even express how much I have missed working in direct service healthcare. PPAMA staff, new and old, are still some of my favorite people in the world. Additionally, I was doing an internship with New Jersey Citizen Action. My internship supervisor was fantastic and taught me so much about the legislative process and politics in NJ. I am thrilled to have had the experience, especially going to the State House in Trenton (even when we had to wait over an hour for session to start, ack!).
Working at PPAMA and learning about the policy world at NJCA helped me do a lot of thinking about my future and where I would like it to go. My top job path at this point would be to work in some type of health center or hospital in an admin role--preferably in such a way that I still have some chances to interact with patients while also doing higher level management.
However, research could win me over this year. Ladies and gentlemen, after a YEAR of not finding public health related work in Cape Town, I finally got a part time gig as a project coordinator for a study. I'm working with Landon, the same doctor I worked with briefly at the end of last year. We'll see how it goes!
Being back this year has already highlighted for me how much happened in 2011. Moving here was challenging for a long time--trying to figure out which friends you meshed with best, not finding work, trying to use time productively, enjoying the sights and balancing school...it's much easier now that I am more established here. Already since I've been back, I've spent a lot of time with friends. I'm so glad I didn't have to start all over somewhere new again this year! Thomas was also home for most of January, which was absolutely lovely. We finally got a bookshelf for our bedroom which makes it seem much more homey in here.
So, that is the quick update. More coming soon!
Love!
Kristen
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)