Highlights from Cape Town!
After nearly one month in Cape Town I have countless stories that I haven't yet had the time to write about. It has been absolutly incredible and lifechanging -- I have gone on so many adventures, met wonderful friends, and am working in the most incredible internship ever. I will continue to delve into the stories in the weeks progress and when I find time to write at home, but for now here are a few of the highlights and some pictures to acompany them!
Standing next to the giant African elephants during the Garden Route trip up the Western Cape. I didn't expect how different they would be to the Asian elephants I worked with in Thailand but they were nearly twice the size and felt like entirely different creatures.
Climbing to the top of Lions Head to watch the sunrise over Cape Town. We made a spiral around the mountain in the dark and the sun climbed over Table Mountain just as we got to the ladders that scaled the rock face to reach the top.
Exploring the Cango Caves where we army crawled through rock tunnels, climbed up a three meter crevasse called the Devil's Chimney, and slid head first out of a rock chamber.
Exploring Khayelitsha, the township where I am working, with local guides. We got to contribute to a mural they are painting, tour a small school focused on progressive education and robotics, visit art galleries and local street art hotspots, walk down the main walking corridor and through an informal settlement, see the local market and economic sector, go to the only coffee shop, eat local cuisine, and tour an all girls biking academy.
Taking a cooking class focused on South African Indian cuisine from the winner of MasterChef Africa.
Taking group surf lessons at Muizenberg beach, one of the best surfing beaches in the world and kayaking up a river on the Garden Route Trip.
Sunset picnics with my friends at Camps Bay Beach!
Going on a safari game drive where we got to see 4 of The Big 5 (there were no leopards in that game reserve) and many more amazing animals. My personal favorites were the rhinos, giraffes, and the cheetah.
Spending afternoons at the beautiful Oranjezicht Farmers Market on the waterfront and the many hours spent at our favorite local coffee shop around the corner from our loft.
Watching sunset from Signal Hill and climbed to the dams on top of Table Mountain on the Constantia Nek hike.
And of course… working in the most amazing internship of my life that has surpassed my wildest expectations!
The doctors I work with here are all absolutly incredible. They are wonderful teachers, include me in evething, give me so much hands-on experience, and have become close friends and like extended family. My patients are the toughest people I have ever met.
I am now in my third week of my internship working in the emergency room at Khayelitsha Site B CHC. On Sunday I worked my first 13 hour night shift and it was a very busy night as it was the end of the month and a weekend night. The work in the ER here is very intense -- the most common thing we see are stab wounds and blunt assults from robberies and domestic abuse. The clinic is resourse limited and there are always many patients waiting for hours. In my first week we had to intubate a man and it took over five minutes to get the ventilator to start up and work correctly. Today I saw a patient who had been waiting for 27.5 hours.
Amazing experiences! I love the vibrant photos of you and seeing all the natural beauty, animals, art, friends, and newness that you get to enjoy. The ER experiences seem incredibly formative and intense. I'm so happy that you are having such a formative learning experience and exciting adventures along the way. 💚
Wonderful to hear of your experiences in South Africa. The emergency room experiences sound very tough. Good luck in all you do. Shannon