Hello, hello!
I have been in the depths of paper writing, but wanted to take a moment to share a few updates.
Firstly, after my last post I had what felt like an explosion of job offers! Currently, I am still only working at Bella. I had another serving job offer at what sounded like a great place, but am sticking to Bella, which is still going wonderfully. I also randomly responded to an ad looking for music teachers for woodwind lessons and ended up getting the job! I will try to write about that in more detail soon. It's for a non-profit music school in Hout Bay that began in 2007. I met the woman who runs it and she is really a cool person. I'll be starting with them in July. Lastly, the Learning Network finally got back to me and, as I write this, I am in their office. I began volunteering this week and then an official posting for an assistant position will go up soon. I've been encouraged to apply, so hopefully that means I'm pretty much in if I want it. We'll see!
Thomas will be home this weekend and we'll be celebrating his birthday, which is on Monday. Hooray!
Finally, I hand in my dreaded paper tomorrow and am SO excited it's almost finished! I don't even care about the grade that much any more, I just want the semester to be done!
I believe that's all the new for now. I'll try to write more soon. Love!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Because Heather Said I Had To
Why hello there everyone! I recently tried to update, but was thwarted by blogspot's website being down. However, thanks to my friend Heather, I was reminded that I still needed a new entry.
When we last left our heroine, she was learning to drive, anticipating May homework, and complacently settling for her job.
Well, I am still learning to drive, though honestly am feeling less optimistic about it. I experienced what I'm pretty sure was an actual panic attack during an attempt to drive to the Waterfront with Thomas and have been very turned off by even the thought of driving since. I did have another lesson last week where I drove to Hout Bay and back. It was a relaxed ride, kinda what I needed to "get back on the horse," but I've neglected to schedule another lesson yet. I can't remember the last time I felt so much anxiety about something!
In happier news, I have a new serving job! I was getting more and more disasatisfied with my previous job--it was dead almost every night, staff were treated horribly, and I was having more and more shifts with this terrible manager. On Friday, I went to have a haircut with the fabulous Natalie. While she was making my hair look amazing (seriously), I vented to her about my job. When I told her where I was working she was like, "I'm sorry but that place is a DIVE," and I had to agree! After telling her about my horrible manager, she was really encouraging to get myself out of there. She told me about a few restaurants in the area where she knew the owners took care of their staff and suggested I go drop off my CV.
I left early for work so that I could stop into a few places. Well, as it turned out, the very first place I walked into had just placed an ad in the paper for a part time waitress and after the owners spoke with me for a few minutes, they hired me on the spot! It is basically an Italian restaurant, pastas and pizza, and closer to me than my previous job. I had eaten there before I knew the food was good, they got steady business, and it is a nice atmosphere (not at all a "dive"). Went to work that night and told them it would be my last evening. Hooray!
I was glad I got to say good bye to a waitress I'm friends with there, although I know I'll see her again soon (we're planning to go out one night). Just a few things about her. She is from Zimbabwe originally, but now has been living in Cape Town with her boyfriend for a year or so. Before that, they were long distance with him in Zim and they did not see each other for TWO YEARS. They are very close and when I asked her about if they wanted to get married, she said that they did, but that he did not save enough yet to pay the bride price (I'm not sure of the word used in Zimbabwe) to her family. I felt so bad for her--she expressed frustration that they were bound to that tradition even though it was not important to her or her partner, but because of her family's expectations. Their families don't even know they live together in Cape Town! However, there is a happy ending. Her partner recently got a new job where he has been making better money and she told me a couple of weeks ago that they were going to be able to get married before the end of the year! So glad for her. I can't imagine how relieved she must feel.
Anyway, back to the new job. I began training today and, while it's still just a serving job, so far it has proved to be SO MUCH better than the last place! Staff are treated kindly and with respect--each shift that you work you get a free meal and drink. The owners are a married couple, the woman being Italian South African and the man being from Italy, I believe. The woman, Carla, was there with me for most of today and she was very pleasant and helpful. You can also tell that she takes a lot of pride in the restaurant which is really refreshing. I worked with her husband a little bit before my shift ended and he was also quite pleasant. Overall, I'm very happy with the change.
School is going well. I handed in my first big paper of the month last week and felt really good about it. I'm currently working on my last paper of the semester, which is by far the most difficult. It's for the same course that I had to write the history paper. I have to discuss the causes/risk factors for homicide in South Africa and El Salvador (I chose the countries and topic) and then design public health interventions for each countries in what is essentially a fifteen page paper. Oh my. I go back and forth between feeling confident and feeling like it is next to impossible, but pretty much everyone in our class is feeling the same way. I think this might be one of the hardest courses that I take, so I'm very much looking forward to it simply being over!
No news on the thesis stuff. The Learning Network is still and option, but not set in stone. I'm putting my search on the shelf for a little bit. I also officially handed in the paperwork to be in the Health Systems track last week.
That's all of my news for now. Surely I'll be looking to do a little more procrastinating in a week or so and will write again then.
Love to the States!
When we last left our heroine, she was learning to drive, anticipating May homework, and complacently settling for her job.
Well, I am still learning to drive, though honestly am feeling less optimistic about it. I experienced what I'm pretty sure was an actual panic attack during an attempt to drive to the Waterfront with Thomas and have been very turned off by even the thought of driving since. I did have another lesson last week where I drove to Hout Bay and back. It was a relaxed ride, kinda what I needed to "get back on the horse," but I've neglected to schedule another lesson yet. I can't remember the last time I felt so much anxiety about something!
In happier news, I have a new serving job! I was getting more and more disasatisfied with my previous job--it was dead almost every night, staff were treated horribly, and I was having more and more shifts with this terrible manager. On Friday, I went to have a haircut with the fabulous Natalie. While she was making my hair look amazing (seriously), I vented to her about my job. When I told her where I was working she was like, "I'm sorry but that place is a DIVE," and I had to agree! After telling her about my horrible manager, she was really encouraging to get myself out of there. She told me about a few restaurants in the area where she knew the owners took care of their staff and suggested I go drop off my CV.
I left early for work so that I could stop into a few places. Well, as it turned out, the very first place I walked into had just placed an ad in the paper for a part time waitress and after the owners spoke with me for a few minutes, they hired me on the spot! It is basically an Italian restaurant, pastas and pizza, and closer to me than my previous job. I had eaten there before I knew the food was good, they got steady business, and it is a nice atmosphere (not at all a "dive"). Went to work that night and told them it would be my last evening. Hooray!
I was glad I got to say good bye to a waitress I'm friends with there, although I know I'll see her again soon (we're planning to go out one night). Just a few things about her. She is from Zimbabwe originally, but now has been living in Cape Town with her boyfriend for a year or so. Before that, they were long distance with him in Zim and they did not see each other for TWO YEARS. They are very close and when I asked her about if they wanted to get married, she said that they did, but that he did not save enough yet to pay the bride price (I'm not sure of the word used in Zimbabwe) to her family. I felt so bad for her--she expressed frustration that they were bound to that tradition even though it was not important to her or her partner, but because of her family's expectations. Their families don't even know they live together in Cape Town! However, there is a happy ending. Her partner recently got a new job where he has been making better money and she told me a couple of weeks ago that they were going to be able to get married before the end of the year! So glad for her. I can't imagine how relieved she must feel.
Anyway, back to the new job. I began training today and, while it's still just a serving job, so far it has proved to be SO MUCH better than the last place! Staff are treated kindly and with respect--each shift that you work you get a free meal and drink. The owners are a married couple, the woman being Italian South African and the man being from Italy, I believe. The woman, Carla, was there with me for most of today and she was very pleasant and helpful. You can also tell that she takes a lot of pride in the restaurant which is really refreshing. I worked with her husband a little bit before my shift ended and he was also quite pleasant. Overall, I'm very happy with the change.
School is going well. I handed in my first big paper of the month last week and felt really good about it. I'm currently working on my last paper of the semester, which is by far the most difficult. It's for the same course that I had to write the history paper. I have to discuss the causes/risk factors for homicide in South Africa and El Salvador (I chose the countries and topic) and then design public health interventions for each countries in what is essentially a fifteen page paper. Oh my. I go back and forth between feeling confident and feeling like it is next to impossible, but pretty much everyone in our class is feeling the same way. I think this might be one of the hardest courses that I take, so I'm very much looking forward to it simply being over!
No news on the thesis stuff. The Learning Network is still and option, but not set in stone. I'm putting my search on the shelf for a little bit. I also officially handed in the paperwork to be in the Health Systems track last week.
That's all of my news for now. Surely I'll be looking to do a little more procrastinating in a week or so and will write again then.
Love to the States!
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Climbing, Driving, and Same Old, Same Old
Hi folks!
Oh no, two weeks without writing--sorry about that! This will be a quick update. Thomas and I are heading out shortly to the climbing gym. Federico and Nany are very into outdoor climbing. We went with them and their friends Julie and Sam on Monday to a "wall" (outdoor rock) in Muizenberg. It was really fun to watch everyone climb up. It was Thomas and Julie's first time climbing outdoors and they did really well! I was tempted to join them, but I decided I would rather climb in the gym for my first time. So we're all going today! Don't think it'll become a hobby for me, but I'd like to at least try it.
School is rolling along. I've had a couple of meetings with the Learning Network, but I'm not 100% sure they are who I'll do my thesis with. It is a relief to know they are an option though! I have two big papers due in May, so I'll be relieved when they are over.
A few of my friends and I are planning a trip to Namibia in June. Has anyone out there visited there? Thoughts are welcome!
Yesterday I had my first driving lesson (to learn stick shift while driving on the left side of the road--two things I've never done before!) and it went really well. At first I wasn't sure if I liked my instructor. He seemed sort of disinterested. But he turned out to be perfect for me because he didn't really tell me what I was going to do next so I didn't have time to be nervous. He was very calm so I also stayed calm. By the end of the lesson I had driven us from Seapoint to Rondebosch and back through town up to Vredehoek, including being on the highway! I couldn't believe how much I got to do in one lesson. Thomas and I are going to practice in his car tomorrow and then I'll have another lesson next week.
Also, we had a nice Easter. We went to Annibale's house for a pot luck lunch. I made potato salad and we also had pasta and Zambian food. Yum!
For now, I'm keeping my same serving job. It's still mostly boring and I don't make too much, but I like the flexibility of it. I'm keeping my eyes out for other jobs and applying for stuff here and there as well.
Okay, time to go get ready! Love.
Oh no, two weeks without writing--sorry about that! This will be a quick update. Thomas and I are heading out shortly to the climbing gym. Federico and Nany are very into outdoor climbing. We went with them and their friends Julie and Sam on Monday to a "wall" (outdoor rock) in Muizenberg. It was really fun to watch everyone climb up. It was Thomas and Julie's first time climbing outdoors and they did really well! I was tempted to join them, but I decided I would rather climb in the gym for my first time. So we're all going today! Don't think it'll become a hobby for me, but I'd like to at least try it.
School is rolling along. I've had a couple of meetings with the Learning Network, but I'm not 100% sure they are who I'll do my thesis with. It is a relief to know they are an option though! I have two big papers due in May, so I'll be relieved when they are over.
A few of my friends and I are planning a trip to Namibia in June. Has anyone out there visited there? Thoughts are welcome!
Yesterday I had my first driving lesson (to learn stick shift while driving on the left side of the road--two things I've never done before!) and it went really well. At first I wasn't sure if I liked my instructor. He seemed sort of disinterested. But he turned out to be perfect for me because he didn't really tell me what I was going to do next so I didn't have time to be nervous. He was very calm so I also stayed calm. By the end of the lesson I had driven us from Seapoint to Rondebosch and back through town up to Vredehoek, including being on the highway! I couldn't believe how much I got to do in one lesson. Thomas and I are going to practice in his car tomorrow and then I'll have another lesson next week.
Also, we had a nice Easter. We went to Annibale's house for a pot luck lunch. I made potato salad and we also had pasta and Zambian food. Yum!
For now, I'm keeping my same serving job. It's still mostly boring and I don't make too much, but I like the flexibility of it. I'm keeping my eyes out for other jobs and applying for stuff here and there as well.
Okay, time to go get ready! Love.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Hello, America!
Writing to you all from sunny Cape Town! It's been a fun weekend. The weather has picked up a bit again and it seems winter will be delayed for a bit longer. Thomas and I seized what might one of our last opportunities to go to the beach this season and visited Camps Bay again on Saturday. Weather was perfect: hot and no Cape Doctor! That night we went to a new venue in town to see a couple of live bands. It was a very good time, especially since the 24 hour McDonalds was open afterwards...we weren't so lucky last time!
Yesterday was a very fun time. Thomas had the idea that we should have a braai which is basically a cook out or barbeque. He invited his friend Juliette whom I hadn't met before and Whitney, Federico, and Nany came as well. It was nice weather, good company, and Thomas the master chef made us some yummy steak rolls. :) It was the first time we had people over, so it was a lot of fun to play host.
The gym is going very well, although when Thomas is home it's hard to motivate myself to get up and go! I was very excited today because I realized I can now easily bend over and touch my toes--sadly that hasn't been so easy for many years! The gym also has the awesome spinning machines which basically lets you do the class by yourself. Tried it for the first time today and loved it!
As for school, I did meet with the health systems head, Lucy, and she thinks the hs track could be a good fit for me. I'm going to fill out the paper work this week and then it will be official. That means this is my last semester of biostats and possibly of epidemiology. I'm okay with that, since I really don't think those skills are going to be what I need for the type of employment I want. I'm glad I had the chance to consider the epi track though--I did enjoy the courses and they were interesting, but it just isn't the career path I see for myself.
Tomorrow I am meeting with a woman from the Learning Network for Health and Human Rights about my potential thesis project. If all goes well, I'll write another update soon with more details!
In other exciting news, my parents are talking about coming to visit some time over the next few months...so looking forward to it!
Have a great day everyone. Happy Monday!
Writing to you all from sunny Cape Town! It's been a fun weekend. The weather has picked up a bit again and it seems winter will be delayed for a bit longer. Thomas and I seized what might one of our last opportunities to go to the beach this season and visited Camps Bay again on Saturday. Weather was perfect: hot and no Cape Doctor! That night we went to a new venue in town to see a couple of live bands. It was a very good time, especially since the 24 hour McDonalds was open afterwards...we weren't so lucky last time!
Yesterday was a very fun time. Thomas had the idea that we should have a braai which is basically a cook out or barbeque. He invited his friend Juliette whom I hadn't met before and Whitney, Federico, and Nany came as well. It was nice weather, good company, and Thomas the master chef made us some yummy steak rolls. :) It was the first time we had people over, so it was a lot of fun to play host.
The gym is going very well, although when Thomas is home it's hard to motivate myself to get up and go! I was very excited today because I realized I can now easily bend over and touch my toes--sadly that hasn't been so easy for many years! The gym also has the awesome spinning machines which basically lets you do the class by yourself. Tried it for the first time today and loved it!
As for school, I did meet with the health systems head, Lucy, and she thinks the hs track could be a good fit for me. I'm going to fill out the paper work this week and then it will be official. That means this is my last semester of biostats and possibly of epidemiology. I'm okay with that, since I really don't think those skills are going to be what I need for the type of employment I want. I'm glad I had the chance to consider the epi track though--I did enjoy the courses and they were interesting, but it just isn't the career path I see for myself.
Tomorrow I am meeting with a woman from the Learning Network for Health and Human Rights about my potential thesis project. If all goes well, I'll write another update soon with more details!
In other exciting news, my parents are talking about coming to visit some time over the next few months...so looking forward to it!
Have a great day everyone. Happy Monday!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Hello, hello, America!
In just a few days I'll be able to start telling people I've been living in Cape Town for three months. Wow! It does feel longer sometimes. Christmas back in the States seems very far away.
Just a brief update here. The last week has been nice. Schoolwork has really let up since the last paper (did fairly well on it!), but I'm trying to keep myself motivated so I don't procrastinate on projects. I've met with two professors about potential thesis topics. They were both very interesting and fitting to me. I've always had a difficult time making decisions, largely because I'm interested in so many things! Right now I am pursuing one of the options further, but I would like to know more before I share the details. The fantastic news: that opportunity might lead to paid work. Fingers crossed!
Which brings me to my next update, which is that I'm looking for new jobs. I've found the environment there to be very frustrating as of late. It's been slow, I don't get much support from management, and the complete lack of teamwork is really disheartening. I know I'm not perfect either, but I see ways that it would be so easy to start getting us to work as a team and simply no effort is being made. Bah! Thankfully, there is a server and a bar tender that really seem to "get" it, and they definitely make life more tolerable there. One of the managers is also quite good, but unfortunately I don't work with her most of the time. I have no idea if/when another opportunity will work out (that will actually be better) but I'm looking.
Tomorrow morning I'm meeting with the Health Systems department head to officially change my MPH track. I've given it thought, and I think it's the best route for me. So barring her talking me out of it for some reason, I should be a on the health systems track as of tomorrow! I'll explain more later what that means.
Also, the gym is going well! Feeling healthier each day. :)
I'm feeling sleepy and have an early morning tomorrow, so that's all for now. It should be a fun, full day at school tomorrow and then Thomas will be getting home tomorrow night! Very excited to show him our beautiful new couch:
Goodnight, all!
In just a few days I'll be able to start telling people I've been living in Cape Town for three months. Wow! It does feel longer sometimes. Christmas back in the States seems very far away.
Just a brief update here. The last week has been nice. Schoolwork has really let up since the last paper (did fairly well on it!), but I'm trying to keep myself motivated so I don't procrastinate on projects. I've met with two professors about potential thesis topics. They were both very interesting and fitting to me. I've always had a difficult time making decisions, largely because I'm interested in so many things! Right now I am pursuing one of the options further, but I would like to know more before I share the details. The fantastic news: that opportunity might lead to paid work. Fingers crossed!
Which brings me to my next update, which is that I'm looking for new jobs. I've found the environment there to be very frustrating as of late. It's been slow, I don't get much support from management, and the complete lack of teamwork is really disheartening. I know I'm not perfect either, but I see ways that it would be so easy to start getting us to work as a team and simply no effort is being made. Bah! Thankfully, there is a server and a bar tender that really seem to "get" it, and they definitely make life more tolerable there. One of the managers is also quite good, but unfortunately I don't work with her most of the time. I have no idea if/when another opportunity will work out (that will actually be better) but I'm looking.
Tomorrow morning I'm meeting with the Health Systems department head to officially change my MPH track. I've given it thought, and I think it's the best route for me. So barring her talking me out of it for some reason, I should be a on the health systems track as of tomorrow! I'll explain more later what that means.
Also, the gym is going well! Feeling healthier each day. :)
I'm feeling sleepy and have an early morning tomorrow, so that's all for now. It should be a fun, full day at school tomorrow and then Thomas will be getting home tomorrow night! Very excited to show him our beautiful new couch:
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Oh happy day!
Just thought I'd share a bit of happiness with y'all. My days anymore are mostly straight forward and simple, but I am starting to find joy in my routines. There's a good chance that in a couple of years I'll be back to my old busy, busy life. For now, I'm taking time to take care of my body (first zumba class this morning...loved it!) and mind (school school school and Jane Eyre) and it feels really good.
Last night I was able to leave work early--no tables in two hours, yikes! Tonight's experiment: whether slight rain makes people want half price pizza more or less.
Tomorrow I'm meeting with a campus doctor about a potential thesis topic...fingers crossed for something good!
Last night I was able to leave work early--no tables in two hours, yikes! Tonight's experiment: whether slight rain makes people want half price pizza more or less.
Tomorrow I'm meeting with a campus doctor about a potential thesis topic...fingers crossed for something good!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Life is Good
Hello, hello!
I am writing to you all in good spirits! The last week was certainly busy with lots of prepping and paper writing, but I handed in my first Biostats assignment and turned in a major paper for my Gender and Health course which was a gender analysis of rape in South Africa. I put a lot of reading, note taking, and thought into the paper and am pretty proud of the work I did. We'll see what the professor thinks though! Regardless of the mark, I certainly learned a lot from the research process.
Although I am giving myself a bit of a break, I don't want to lose momentum. I have two more big papers due at the end of May. One will be on homicide in South Africa and El Salvador and the other I still need to choose a final topic for, but will be an evaluation of how gender sensitive a program is. Although I won't be turning in my mini-dissertation until the end of next year, I decided to contact some people doing research at UCT to learn about what they are doing and see if it might be appropriate for my project. Hopefully at least one of them gets back to me with interest. Will let y'all know if something pans out!
As per usual I am changing my mind often about what I want to do with my degree when I graduate. Currently, I've been thinking a lot about ways to improve health services, both for staff and patients. A friend of mine used to be a nurse here and actually changed careers because she became so frustrated with the system and barriers to giving good care. We also did a class on childbirth in South Africa last week and talked a lot about patient abuse and neglect in that setting, something that also came up in the abortion lecture and likely exists in other health care settings as well. They are such large problems that it is hard to know where to begin to address them, but it would something I would certainly be interested in dedicating my career to. Of course science and medicine are incredibly important, but why deliver those services without treating patients with dignity and care? And isn't mistreatment detrimental to health outcomes (well actually, I don't know, will have to look into what research has been done)? These are things I would be interested in further examining not only in South Africa but in the U.S. as well.
As for my social life, it's doing well! Thursday night an MPHer from Italy, Annibale, had a group of us over for "International Dinner" night. We were all supposed to bring a dish from our culture. Well, I didn't have time to even attempt cooking something, so I bought an apple tart (closest thing I could find to apple pie, one of the few dishes I could associate with America!) and ice cream. I was glad it was the only dessert and folks seemed to enjoy it. We also had guacamole, curry, lentil rice, AWESOME pasta, and arepas (by Federico and Nany, los colombianos). And of course, lots of wine. :) It was really nice to spend more time with the MPHers outside of class to just talk and enjoy delicious food. We all agreed it should happen again soon.
Saturday was the night of the birthday party my customers invited me to. They are a really friendly group, so I figured why not, but didn't know what to expect. I had no reason to be nervous as everyone at the party were just as warm and welcoming as my regulars. It was quite the fun event that I could go on in detail about....summarized version: amazing spicy seafood curry, monk cleansing the house, one of my adorable regulars, Shane, regailing us with Whitney Houston songs (amazing coming out of a boy!), Dutch lesson from folks from the Netherlands and, once again, lots of good wine! I also met one of Shane's friends who works for Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation and has been working on the research that shows ARV treatment can prevent HIV infection in those uninfected--kinda like meeting a local rock star, imho!
I was torn about whether to leave such a fun gathering, but headed out a little after midnight to catch up with some MPHers out for a lady's night in town. From there, I decided to go dancing with Eliana at a place called DecoDance, which she always talks about. It's a more expensive cab ride for me, but it was a really fun time--they play a lot of hits from the '80s and '90s and we really enjoyed ourselves. It felt to get out and dance after all of that paper writing!
I guess the last update is that I LOVE my gym! I met with one of their staff on Friday and she helped me with an exercise plan. This is SO hopefully for me because I am a planner and really need structure for motivation. I'm planning on doing yoga once a week in addition to my regular workouts, and will probably be checking out a dance class on Saturday. There is also a yummy smoothie place in the gym, so I treated myself today. They have those frequent buyer cards and if you buy a smoothie on a Monday you get two stickers instead of one. So I've decided that for each week a stick to my workout plan, I will reward myself the following Monday with a smoothie!
Oh and Thomas is wonderful. :) He's away again for two weeks but I have a lot of good things going for me to keep me busy til he gets back. Our couch should be arriving in a little over week which, speaking for both of us, we are super excited about! He also got us a coffee table and microwave, so once the couch arrives we'll be pretty settled in.
I can't delude myself into believing I'm never going to feel homesick again, but my first wave has passed and I am soaking up the sun and loving life here. I think part of what was helpful was to begin planning my visit home in the winter--hopefully I'll be back in time for Thanksgiving!
That's all for now. Remember, I have skype at home now, so get in touch with me if you want to have a chat! Sundays are best for me, usually.
Love y'all,
Kristen
I am writing to you all in good spirits! The last week was certainly busy with lots of prepping and paper writing, but I handed in my first Biostats assignment and turned in a major paper for my Gender and Health course which was a gender analysis of rape in South Africa. I put a lot of reading, note taking, and thought into the paper and am pretty proud of the work I did. We'll see what the professor thinks though! Regardless of the mark, I certainly learned a lot from the research process.
Although I am giving myself a bit of a break, I don't want to lose momentum. I have two more big papers due at the end of May. One will be on homicide in South Africa and El Salvador and the other I still need to choose a final topic for, but will be an evaluation of how gender sensitive a program is. Although I won't be turning in my mini-dissertation until the end of next year, I decided to contact some people doing research at UCT to learn about what they are doing and see if it might be appropriate for my project. Hopefully at least one of them gets back to me with interest. Will let y'all know if something pans out!
As per usual I am changing my mind often about what I want to do with my degree when I graduate. Currently, I've been thinking a lot about ways to improve health services, both for staff and patients. A friend of mine used to be a nurse here and actually changed careers because she became so frustrated with the system and barriers to giving good care. We also did a class on childbirth in South Africa last week and talked a lot about patient abuse and neglect in that setting, something that also came up in the abortion lecture and likely exists in other health care settings as well. They are such large problems that it is hard to know where to begin to address them, but it would something I would certainly be interested in dedicating my career to. Of course science and medicine are incredibly important, but why deliver those services without treating patients with dignity and care? And isn't mistreatment detrimental to health outcomes (well actually, I don't know, will have to look into what research has been done)? These are things I would be interested in further examining not only in South Africa but in the U.S. as well.
As for my social life, it's doing well! Thursday night an MPHer from Italy, Annibale, had a group of us over for "International Dinner" night. We were all supposed to bring a dish from our culture. Well, I didn't have time to even attempt cooking something, so I bought an apple tart (closest thing I could find to apple pie, one of the few dishes I could associate with America!) and ice cream. I was glad it was the only dessert and folks seemed to enjoy it. We also had guacamole, curry, lentil rice, AWESOME pasta, and arepas (by Federico and Nany, los colombianos). And of course, lots of wine. :) It was really nice to spend more time with the MPHers outside of class to just talk and enjoy delicious food. We all agreed it should happen again soon.
Saturday was the night of the birthday party my customers invited me to. They are a really friendly group, so I figured why not, but didn't know what to expect. I had no reason to be nervous as everyone at the party were just as warm and welcoming as my regulars. It was quite the fun event that I could go on in detail about....summarized version: amazing spicy seafood curry, monk cleansing the house, one of my adorable regulars, Shane, regailing us with Whitney Houston songs (amazing coming out of a boy!), Dutch lesson from folks from the Netherlands and, once again, lots of good wine! I also met one of Shane's friends who works for Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation and has been working on the research that shows ARV treatment can prevent HIV infection in those uninfected--kinda like meeting a local rock star, imho!
I was torn about whether to leave such a fun gathering, but headed out a little after midnight to catch up with some MPHers out for a lady's night in town. From there, I decided to go dancing with Eliana at a place called DecoDance, which she always talks about. It's a more expensive cab ride for me, but it was a really fun time--they play a lot of hits from the '80s and '90s and we really enjoyed ourselves. It felt to get out and dance after all of that paper writing!
I guess the last update is that I LOVE my gym! I met with one of their staff on Friday and she helped me with an exercise plan. This is SO hopefully for me because I am a planner and really need structure for motivation. I'm planning on doing yoga once a week in addition to my regular workouts, and will probably be checking out a dance class on Saturday. There is also a yummy smoothie place in the gym, so I treated myself today. They have those frequent buyer cards and if you buy a smoothie on a Monday you get two stickers instead of one. So I've decided that for each week a stick to my workout plan, I will reward myself the following Monday with a smoothie!
Oh and Thomas is wonderful. :) He's away again for two weeks but I have a lot of good things going for me to keep me busy til he gets back. Our couch should be arriving in a little over week which, speaking for both of us, we are super excited about! He also got us a coffee table and microwave, so once the couch arrives we'll be pretty settled in.
I can't delude myself into believing I'm never going to feel homesick again, but my first wave has passed and I am soaking up the sun and loving life here. I think part of what was helpful was to begin planning my visit home in the winter--hopefully I'll be back in time for Thanksgiving!
That's all for now. Remember, I have skype at home now, so get in touch with me if you want to have a chat! Sundays are best for me, usually.
Love y'all,
Kristen
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