Lauren's African Adventure

One last time at the orphanage...

2009-11-18T06:29:00.000-08:00

I had the chance to go to the orphanage one last time today. It was great to play with the kids as always, but knowing that I would never see them again made it very hard to leave. They are precious children and it was easy to fall in love with them from the start.

Benny

Noah. He found a mud puddle.

Abigail

2009-11-13T09:55:00.001-08:00

My first sip of the local drink, chibwantu. It's made of roots and cornmeal. It's obviously delicious...

Orphanage

2009-11-10T08:48:00.000-08:00

Ruthie

Anton

William

Happyness ( The name fits)

Joe

William

2 weeks to go

2009-11-09T23:32:00.000-08:00

Last Tuesday, 8 of us split up and went to three orphanages here in Choma. The one I was at houses 21 kids from 7 weeks - 12 years. The children are allowed to stay until they are 18. Most of them are not orphans in the sense that we normally think. Most have had one parent die and the remaining parent is unable to care for them. Most of the kids are between 1 and 3 years. When we arrived, they ran to us with their arms up, wanting to be held. It was very sad to see what they go through, but it was wonderful to hold and comfort the sick ones and play with the well ones. Wana, the girl pictured above, is two years old. I would have guessed her to be about 8 months. She is unable to sit up, and she cannot use her legs or her left arm. She scoots around by using her right forearm and pulls the rest of her body behind her. She grinds her teeth so much that she only has little stubs left and can only eat baby foods. She goes to physical therapy once every two weeks, but there are just not enough resources to get her the help she needs.

Wednesday, we traveled to Lusaka, the capitol city. We stayed in a catholic guesthouse, which is run like a hotel and it was very nice. It was great to not have to worry about spiders or sleeping with a mosquito net! It was like a mini vacation of sorts, because the city life had more things that made it feel closer to home for us.

Yesterday, three of us went back to the same orphanage. This time, I knew what to expect, so it was a better experience than the first week. Hopefully, we will have another opportunity to see these kids again sometime this week.

This morning I woke up at 6 am to a storm! I laid there for a long time just listening to it, then I got up and sat on the porch to watch it. I was even cold enough for a sweatshirt! My feelings about rainy season have changed since this morning, though. We have had literally THOUSANDS of bugs in our house. There are gnats, termites, moths, flying ants, and some other kind of flying thing that are all looking for shelter from the rain and they are choosing our bathrooms and kitchen. I don't typically have freak out moments, but when we were in the middle of killing all the termites taking over, the electricity went out and the generator ran out of fuel. We were in the dark with all the bugs and it was not my finest moment.

Thank you to all who sent me encouragement notes and get well cards! I just received them all today. It was great to open seven letters from seven people when I wasn't expecting to have any more mail while being here!

Picture Update

2009-10-30T10:17:00.001-07:00

The boats on Lake Cariba

So, it's been quite a while since I've made any updates. We've continued to do clinical work, go out to the villages, go to our local churches, and have fun day trips. I have lots to share, but will just stick to explaining about what I have pictured.
The Zimba OR is pictured. That is where I saw a MVA (clearing the uterus after a woman has miscarried early-term), resetting of a broken arm, keloid removal, and a chest tube insertion on Monday and Tuesday of this week.
The boy dancing was a part of the Independence Day events on October 24th. This is Zambia's 45th year of independece from Great Britain. Each school in Choma sends a group of students to perform for the District Commissioner (like a mayor). Thousands of people come to watch the dancers. We got to sit under the tent and were served cold drinks with the District Commissioner!
We visited a traditional healer, or a medicine man. He told us he was called on by his ancestors to become a healer. He said they come to him in dreams and tell him what roots, berries, etc to use to treat specific illnesses. He showed us the room he works out of.
The village right next to the compound is Mochipapa. We went there on Thursday and had a short visit with some o the women and children to talk about health issues. We had a great time educating, playing, and getting to know them all!
Today, we traveled to Chabbabboma, where there is a huge banana plantation. They have over 10,000 banana trees. We got there and the village women greeted us with singing and dancing. We had a tour of the plantation and then drove to the near by lake, Lake Cariba. It is man-made and is over 200 miles long! It was gorgeous. The women made us lunch and we headed back. It was a long day of bumpy roads, but we had a great time.
The Zambians have told us that it rains every year on Independence Day, and that is usually the start of rainy season. It did not rain this year, though. There was only the one rain, and none since then. It's really windy right now, though, and sounds like a storm could be coming, so we're all keeping our fingers crossed!

I was expecting dirt, dust, and more dirt when I came to Africa, but these beautiful flowers are all over!

The Zimba Hospital OR

Trees outside our compound

A boy, dancing for the District Commissioner at the Independence Day festivities

The traditional healer showing some of the girls his medicines and tools

Mochipapa village kids

A little guy enjoying his nshima and kapenta (similar to sardines)

Preschoolers. Very weary of us white people.

Cutie

Mochipapa moms and their babies

My roommates, Keri and Alicia, and I.

Few of the girls at Lake Cariba

Lizard in the banana tree

Weird, spiky fruit. Bitter, don't try it.

The "road" we took to Chabbabboma

Kara, Brittani, and I discovered recently that we were all on the same missions trip to Panama in the summer of '04. Five years later, we're in Zambia together!

HUGE trees

Japan in Zambia

2009-10-17T10:04:00.000-07:00

Hello! The past week has been extremely busy! (I feel like I start all of my entries like that, but it's always true). Last Saturday night, one of the girls became sick with some kind of stomach virus, got extremely dehydrated, and then came down with malaria. She spent two nights in the local clinic we've been doing some of our clinical hours at. She's been recovering well since being released.

I spent Monday and Tuesday at the Zimba Mission Hospital again this week. The first day, I was in the outpatient clinic and in the lab. I was able to get my first experiences doing blood draws so that was exciting. The second day, my partner Alissa and I were in the pediatrics ward. Four of our eleven patients were HIV positive children under the age of five and were admitted for illnesses secondary to the HIV. I knew it was going to be tough to see children suffer, but it's been emotionally tiring thinking so much about the death and injustice we have witnessed. A seven-year-old girl had been bitten by a snake on her left hand, which was already deformed from birth. The bite caused her wrist to flex back toward her elbow and could not be manipulated back to the normal position. She was no longer on any medications, but was being held there until a doctor from the capital city can come down to fix it. Until then, her grandmother ad little sister are sleeping in her hospital bed with her on the concrete floor. She could not speak English, but she loved having new company to sit with and draw.
Wednesday, a few of us went to the Choma Hospital's AIDS clinic. The patients get check-ups and ART (ant-retro viral therapy) if they qualify. I sat in with the doctor and registered children when they came in. It's been interesting to see not only the clinical side of the health care, but also seeing the administrative side. There is no filing system. Each patient has a file with a number on the front. They tell the worker their number and the worker looks though every file until they find the right number.
Thursday morning I woke up feeling pretty tired and a little foggy. One of my roommates had a headache and got tested right away for malaria and had it. Around lunch I had a headache and felt a little warm so I decided to take my temperature. It was 102.6 so I went to get tested and I had it too. I was very blessed, though, and only felt sick for two days. The treatment medications have really helped me feel better. Thank you to everyone to who has been praying for my recovery!

Today we had the opportunity to visit a school for the disabled children of Choma. Most of them are hearing impaired, some are visually impaired, and the rest are mentally handicapped. There is a group of Japanese teachers volunteering at the school right now and they held a Japanese culture day. They invited us to go watch Japanese and Zambian traditional dances. It was an amazing sight to see Japanese, Zambians, Americans, children, adults, disabled, and blind all dancing, singing, and celebrating together!

Visually impaired students leading each other

My roommate, Keri, using her sign language to communicate with the kids

Brothers watching the Zambian dance

Picture 1: An older gentleman waiting outside the outpatient clinic at Zimba Hospital

Four weeks down, six to go!

2009-10-09T11:33:00.000-07:00

This week has been so tiring! The good kind of tired, though. Early Monday morning, eight of us traveled an hour south to the Zimba Mission Hospital to observe and get some hands on experience for two days. The first day, I was in the men and women's medical ward. I gave meds and injections and took vitals. Best thing of the day, though, was one of my patients showing me his gangrene foot. It was not bandaged or covered and the flies were all over it. The smell was overpowering and his last two toes were shriveled and black. I could see his tendons and bones. Sadly, he would not let the surgeons amputate. He was under the impression that he could put medicine on it and it would be healed.

The second day was my favorite. I was in the theatre (which is what they call the OR) with my partner, Estie. The surgical nurse asked what we wanted to do while in the OR and we said we thought we were observing. She asked if we'd ever been a part of surgery and I said no, but that I would try anything if she just told me how to do it. Then she asked if I would like to scrub in. Of course I said yes! I got on my gown, cap, mask, and gloves and waited for everyone to be ready. The patient, a four-year-old boy, was brought in and laid on the table. He was so brave. They inserted his IV and prepped him before giving him anesthesia. The doctor scrubbed in, but the nurse was not scrubbed in yet. I asked why and she said "Today, you are the nurse!" I got to hand him tools, cut sutures, and hold the incision open!

Thursday and Friday, we stayed at The Salvation Army Hospital in Chikankata, which is about four hours north. There is a hospital, a nursing school, and high school, and a biomedical college all in one compound. I was able to sit in on a mental health class with the nursing students and spent an hour or so talking with them about their schooling and how it compares to our program. Today I was in the children's ward and the maternity ward. Most of the kids I saw had been admitted a few days ago and were feeling better, but one little baby boy broke my heart. He was the most malnourished child I've seen since being here. If he makes it, I would be very surprised. He was literally skin and bones and did not even have the energy to let out a cry or hold up his head. The doctors had put in a feeding tube, but the mother made them take it out 30 minutes later because she did not like seeing the baby in discomfort with a tube up his nose.
I cannot imagine the pain of watching your child slowly dying in such a way.

The rain on Saturday and Sunday brought some nice, cool weather, but the heat has come back with a vengeance! I love being here and have been learning so much, but this week was the toughest with missing family and friends. I'll be so happy to get back to seeing you all!

The hospital ambulance. Seriously.

In the back of the ambulance

Audrisco, one of the Guesthouse cooks, on the BBQ

First Rain!

2009-10-03T09:02:00.000-07:00

Today was such a blessing. I've been bummed that I will be missing the entire fall season of Ohio and Indiana, but today was cool enough to need sweatshirts or jackets! It was the first day of rainy season, which was very unexpected, because it is not supposed to start until the second week of November. I loved sitting on our porch watching and listening to the rain all morning as we did our homework and talked with the two little girls from the closest village, who come and color with us. We've been on the go a lot this week going to clinics and hospitals, so it was great to relax.
On Thursday, we went to a village called Siachitema and worked at their clinic. A doctor from Zimba Hospital met us there and we took vitals for about 200 patients before she saw them and were each able to do an antenatal exam for the pregnant women. Tomorrow is church and more homework, then Monday and Tuesday I will be at Zimba Hospital.
Oh, and we have not had the pleasure of eating our turkey friend yet. Mrs. Phiri, the woman who runs the guest house, said it was a good enough one to save for our big meal on Zambia's Indpendence Day on October 24th.

Picture 1: Cynthia, a little girl with the greatest giggle, and I

Picture 2: First Rain!

Africa Grows Purple Trees

2009-09-28T10:13:00.000-07:00

God is so faithful. Even though I doubt and get impatient, He has been showing me again and again that His timing is far better than mine. From the time I was accepted to go on this trip until now, He has proved that He is in control and that I cannot even begin to know the things He has yet to show me. Last week, we were able to go to the village behind the compound and spent a couple hours with about 150 kids just playing, singing, and having fun. They were so excited to have visitors and just loved to see themselves on our cameras. They are such beautiful and loving children.
We also had the opportunity to go to a community school called Arise. It's a free school that kids can go to who do not have money for books or uniforms, which are required for most other schools. A local teacher felt that street children and children who's parents did not value education needed somewhere to go, so she started the school. It is one room and only half has a tin roof over it. Only the teachers get books, so they write the content on their three foot chalkboards and the children copy from the board on to their notepads. The teachers are all volunteers and some have to walk up to an hour one way to get there every day. There are seven grades and each has about 40 kids to one teacher.
On Sunday, we traveled to Jembo Bible College, which is about an hour away, to visit a missionary couple who we know from IWU and attend a youth revival. They opened their home to us, cooked us lunch, then let us use all of their guest beds for naps before we went to the service! The service was for those in grades 10-12. They sang song after song accapella. It was amazing to see and hear how wonderful they were when it was all student-led and organized choirs.
Yesterday, half of the group was at Zimba Hospital and half went to the villages to distribute food. The half at Zimba saw some really difficult things and in just their first time at the hospital dealt with two deaths. They learned a lot and were able to get some more clinical experiences, but some really struggled with the suffering they were around. My half of the group went to about six villages and had a great time. We had kids chase after the land cruiser and those who wanted to be held, but what surprises me the most here is the way people smile so genuinely and freely.
We have another group going out to distribute the rest of the food today. Our group will be going to the local hospice and to the hospital to see the pediatrics ward.
I have been so blessed to be a part of this group. Our leaders have incredible strength and determination. It seems like we have been running into a lot of brick walls in getting everything organized. Yet every time something goes wrong, our two professors have been quick to find a solution or just patiently wait with a smile.

Picture 1: Jacaranda Tree (it has tiny purple blooms all over)
Picture 2: Sisters
Picture 3: Little boy in love with the camera

Creatures of all kinds!

2009-09-22T04:39:00.000-07:00

We have had an eventful last three days here in Choma! Sunday, about 8 of the girls woke up with some kind of stomach virus. Luckily, most of them recovered within 24 hours. Megan, however is still really struggling and not feeling back to normal. We’ve been praying that she bounces back to her normal, lively self before we go to the villages for food distribution on Thursday. Sunday night, several of us went on a walk down a dirt road near the compound and about ten kids started yelling for us to come talk to them. We stopped for a moment to chat, but when we needed to leave they did not want to let us go. They followed us the whole way home.
Yesterday, we had planned to be gone all day for food distribution. We were to leave at 8, but 3 ½ hours and a long game of Phase 10 later, we were told we would not be going. After this, we had a turkey delivered to the compound on the back of a bicycle and he walked around our porch all day and got inside at one point. One of the girls found a Rock Hyax (similar to a muskrat) in her room about five minutes after the turkey was shooed back outside.
Today, we watched Fred, one of the workers here at the compound, kill the turkey. He told us how he would prepare it and cook it and that the heart and gizzards are just as delicious as the meat. We'll be having our feast on Friday!
We all made a trip to the Choma museum and the Choma library to get a fuller understanding about the history. We also were able to break a new record for the 11 seater van, as we stuffed 19 people in it, using the open sunroof for more head room.
I’m really enjoying getting to know my teammates and our leaders. We are all anxious to start our Community Health hours and get out to the villages because we know we will see some amazing things!

Picture 1. The kids, who followed us home, posing for a picture
Picture 2. Poor turkey
Picture 3. Me, Fred, and the head

Day Five

2009-09-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

We've been here in Choma for five days now, and the staff here at the Guest House has really been wonderful to us. There is a guest house manager, a couple cooks, and a couple more employees who do cleaning, laundry, and odds and end jobs around all day. The work very hard and are making our stay very comfortable.
These first days have been learning, learning, and more learning! We have had many cultural orientation meetings to get us informed on the things we will later be experiencing. We also have been learning about all of the programs World Hope International Zambia (WHI-Z) has to offer. We heard from the director of the Hope for Children programm, which gets children in poverty connected with a sponsor. We also heard from the Home Based Care program, which connects volunteers with people who are living with a disease. Today, we learned about the AB (Abstinence and Be Faithful) and Reach for Life programs. The AB program goes into the villages and sets up a several month long program that teaches abstinence to unmarried singles and faithfulness to one partner to married couples. The Reach for Life program is an astinence program taught in urban schools to students in grades 10-12.
On Monday we were able to go into town, which is a 30 minute walk, and see the market. We bought fabric for a chitenge, which is what we are wearing in the third picture. The Zambian women wear these to carry children on their backs, to lay down if they need to sit, and to pad their head if they need to carry something heavy like a water jug.
We've been realizing recently how cautious we need to be about creatures in and around the house! We knew, of course, to stay away from any dogs in town and to keep our mosquito nets on the bed, but we had a wake up call this morning. Alissa, one of the girls on the team, stepped outside early this morning to go for a walk. When she stepped onto a mat, it made her slip and fall. As she was sitting on the ground, she saw that a small black snake had been curled up under the mat. She called over a staff member and they quickly threw the mat over it, threw a large rock on top of that, and then jumped on the rock. After all of this, we found out it was a black mamba, the world's deadliest snake. God was for sure with us on that one! Thanks for all of your prayers, guys!

Picture 1 - our view of the sunset from the front door
Picture 2 - The compound. Guesthouse on the left; offices and classroom on the right
Picture 3 - Some of us in our new chitenges
Picture 4 - Eating the staple food, nshima. It is made from mealy meal, which is ground corn

We've Arrived!

2009-09-14T00:52:00.000-07:00

Hey all! I am not a blogger or a writer, but I wanted to be able to have a spot for people to go to check up on me while I'm here since our internet time is very limited and we have no phones.
We left Indiana on Thursday morning and got here Saturday into Choma at 7:30 in the evening. The 15 hour plane ride took a lot out of us, but it was well worth it! When we got to Zambia, the World Hope staff met at us the airport with a bus to transport us to Choma. They did a great job of packing us all in, as they had to fit 36 50lb bags, 36 backpacks, and 22 people into a 15 seater van! We were told to be ready for a two hour drive on a dirt road, but that turned to a four hour drive. It actually wasn not as bad as I was thinking it would be, though, because we had huge windows and a breeze to keep us cool.
So far since being here, we have just been around the Guest House and to a local church. The way the Zambians worship just blew me away. They truly worship with everything they have. We arrived at 9:30 am and left at 1:45. The church was one room, but they crammed at least 250 people in there. The singing was beautiful, the children were adorable, and the message was heartfelt. Every week after the service, the people are dismissed by rows. The first person exits and stands by the door. When the second person exits, they shake the first person's hand and stands beside them. The third person comes out and shakes the first and second person's hands then stands beside the second person. This keeps going until every person has gone down the line and shaken every single hand. By the end all 250 people, including children, were lined up outside the church. It was so different than in the States where we can go to church for an hour in a room full of people and probably get away without talking to anyone.
All is well and we're having a great time!