6:30 pm, May 13, Karanda Mission Hospital (KMH)

What a day! Its been so exciting, sobering, humbling and interesting. This morning we woke up to the sound of Shona worship songs. I love the sound of their language and their singing style. We got up and ready by 8:30 for our tour of the hospital. We saw the OPD (outpatient department), antenatal, maternity, peds, female and male wards. This place is amazing in how they make the best of what they have.

The guesthouse and gazebo

Maternity had a little baby in the incubator. Apparently in December, they had a baby born at 800 grams that survived.

Peds was such a sad, yet happy place. Its cool to see all those kids getting treatments, but sad that they need them in the first place. We saw a hydrocephalus baby ("hydrokef," as they write) with a manual pump. There was a kid with a femur fracture who was in Gallows' traction, and another with an open reduction.

I will be working in the male ward tomorrow. It is very new, only two-three weeks old. It is split up into four sections: surgical, medical, HIV+ and I'm not sure what the other is. We will be with Chumaya, a senior nursing student in the three year RGN program here. More about that later. In the male ward, the patients are more likely to speak English. We also saw a chaplain lead a service in D Ward. It was quite loud, with singing from a group of three women dressed in blue.

The compound also has a chapel where outpatients meet in the early morning for a devotional, and are then assigned numbers in line (the "queue"). That way, it benefits them to come to devotionals and hear the gospel message.

There is an opportunistic infection clinic for HIV+ patients to receive government-funded ARVs, education and checkups. Mr. Christiansen, Julie's dad, runs a shop fixing things up, next to the new building which will be half bike shop, half oxygen concentration. The hospital has a laboratory and an xray room, as well as the "theatre" or operating room. I will be in theatre next Wednesday.

They do so much work here, with peds immunizations, male circumcision, malaria, TB, HIV, fractures, infections, malnourishment... The old male ward is being turned into a new peds ward, with isolation rooms for TB and Kwashiorkor (these rooms also have a heater for the malnourished kwashiorkor kids.) People come from all over Africa for their low rates and quality care.

Their nursing school is also in high demand. Over 1000 people apply each year and only 10-12 are accepted into the nursing program and the post-graduate midwifery program. It is a three year program that will end in their gaining a Registered General Nursing diploma. Its a very intense program. Many hours of dedication and high standards. Only one month off a year, with 3 month rotations between class and in the hospital. They even have to take physics and pass a national written exam.

The hospital is mainly staffed by students but most of them don't stay once they graduate because Karanda is too rural for them. They run on a British system here, so the nurses wear white uniforms. The females wear skirts and pantyhose. The head of each ward wears green. All nurses are called "Sister ___" or "Brother ___." They wear epaulets on their shoulder signifying their rank. One to three bars for students, indicating their year in school, and certain other symbols for RGNs and post-graduate work.

Mrs. Chim, head of female ward

There is more to do here than just at the hospital (haha..."just.") There is a kids Bible club which meets Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Nursing student Bible studies are held Wednesday nights. April and Kirstin each lead one. Awana meets on Saturday. There is also a half-marathon this Saturday, headed up by Dr. Dan Stephens, who we met tonight. We might be helping and Steph might be running.

Then there is just playing with the kids. Last night, we met many of them when playing "flag-flag." Patricia is the seventh grade leader, tall and able to translate for us. Praise is a little girl, deaf, mute and possibly autistic. Her siblings brought her along with a leash on her ankle.

Some of our fellow soccer enthusiasts

Tonight the boys came over and asked us to play soccer. This was my first time playing in a skirt and flipflops. Innocent, or Ino, is obviously their leader. He is tall for a seven year old, even in the States, and stands above his older comrades. He was abandoned at the hospital and adopted by one of the missionary families, who fed him on goat milk, which is what gave him the nutrition needed to grow as much as he has. He and the other boys, Lyle, Tipenda, Twonga and others, are especially good at soccer.  We started out
just kicking it around, then played "chumama", some game where you can only touch the ball once and never let it stop. Finally, our game morphed into the classic "keep away." I am glad to say that I was able to steal the ball a few times. the night ended when Lyle and Tipenda had a scuffle. Ino and Twonga remembered my name from yesterday, which was exciting. My legs still hurt from these past two nights.

Jenny in the rehab building
having fun with the
equipment!

It was fun working together with the other girls to make tacos for dinner tonight. We work really well as a team. Plus , its my favorite dinner.

It was great to hear Jenny's stories of her first day at work with Charity, the therapist. She got to work with our little friend in Gallows' traction, who managed to wiggle around and even break one of the strings holding her legs up. Karanda rehab is very improvisation focused.

Steph and I in front of male ward

I'm somewhat nervous about tomorrow. I hope the sights and sounds and smells do not bother me. I want to be a help and not a burden, but perhaps that is the humility I need to learn. The men's ward is not where I planned to end up but I know You can use me there. Please Lord, help me be prepared, alert and teachable.