Monkeys!

Vervet Monkeys in Lake Kariba! They were everywhere. We would sit in the mornings to watch them bounce in the trees. We would creep closer and closer. :)

Pediatric Ward Tour...Part Two!

This is the other wings of the pediatric ward. The first room is the malnourished kids room. These are the very severely malnourished children and often the room can't hold all the kids. The rest of them will get put in the TB wing or the main wing. The next room is the TB room. This is usually the stable tuberculosis children. The really sick ones are in the main room. Yes, they only isolate TB patients once they're stable. Scary, I know. (My ppd will definitely be positive). The next room is the burns room. The burns are half accidents, half child abuse. And that is pediatrics, where I spent almost 6 weeks of my life!

Pediatric Ward Tour...

This is the main wing of the pediatric ward. At first I show you the nurses' station. Then you see the small emergency room with 3 beds. Then its the main wing which is anything not burns, not just Tuberculosis, or not just malnutrition. So the kids mainly had AIDS, Malaria, Diarrhea, Tuberculosis, Malnutrition, and broken bones in this wing.

Losing Loved Ones....

So today my Grandma died. It was unexpected and a shock. She died in her sleep. I miss her so much already.

I have seen many people die. Especially when I was in Africa. I actually saw children take their last breaths in front of me. But I've never experienced anyone close to me dying. It is much rawer. More painful.

This makes me only more certain that losing someone close, having someone die, is extremely painful no matter where you live; no matter how many family members you have die. A death is a death. And it is not different here versus Africa. This makes me even sadder about what happened in Africa. I can't imagine the pain that the mothers feel losing their children. Or the children feel losing their parents.

Someone dying in Africa should mean something more, not less. Doctors should care and fight death. People should weep and mourn. Just as we do here. Just as we do for my Grandma.