Best weekend yet?

I'm pretty sure we are just coming to the close of the best weekend here so far [and there's been some great ones].

Friday grand rounds saw us in paeds with Taryn presenting a malnourished child (cue discussion about things I didn't understand) then along in maternity with two premature babies, both weighing around 1.3 kgs. One of them was doing really well and was looking so much better than the previous week when he had been presented to everyone for a talk on neo natal jaundice [and of that talk I can only remember that it has to do with conjugated and non-conjugated bilirubin (?!) and you cure it with light] but the other one was in a coma and had a very very poor prognosis and in fact died just an hour and a half after we saw him.

At work I spent the whole morning sorting out a mass of patients who had come on the wrong day or were getting transferred out or had done something annoying warranting extra admin. Liz finally dragged me out at 1pm to go for some lunch [bear in mind that 1pm on Friday is closing time]. We were soon back in at work, Liz mixing up some potassium chloride and elemental mixture and me doing paperwork, lots of paperwork. We've run out of distilled water which is kind of an essential for mixing drugs so were using boiled kettle water, then causing the problem of needing to cool the water back down to make the mixes. At one point Liz was standing holding a bowl of water up to the air conditioning unit [the only one in the hospital I might add] in a bid to cool it down. This place = crazy. Finally at 6pm we left, all jobs done. Well not really, but like hell were we staying any longer.

Friday night saw us watching a Super 14 rugby match: Brumbies vs Stormers, which was pretty good, espeically the finish where two tries were scored in the last five minutes. Sadly the Cape Town Stormers lost so Karl was a bit gutted but I think he will get over it. Maybe. If you were wondering where the braais have been this week then you will be glad to know that next up was a braai courtesy of the Le Roux :D It was a really really tasty one with lots of boerwors sausage, potato gratin bake thing, salad, yum yum yum. Everyone was there: Sally, Karl, Megan, Joff, Sarah, Bernard, Liz, Lisa, Sam and I, maybe some others, I can't remember. I had my first cup of coffee in what must be more than 10 years and it was gooooooood. The banter was high, and you can tell it was a good night by the fact that we didn't return home until half past twelve. That is a LATE night by Zithulele standards. It's great to have these big social nights that are so completely casual, especially after a long week at work. I think we may be living the easy life in comparison to some of the other Project Trust volunteers [Hi to Catherine in China ;)]. I went to bed to the sound of the stupid cockerel and then woke up to the same sound 5 hours later. I think chicken will be on the menu this week if it doesn't pipe down.

Saturday was a day I've been buzzing for for absolutely ages [call me sad, I don't care] because Project Trust were visiting. I was lying in bed at 7am wondering if the cars pulling up were them, even though they quite blantantly weren't given that they had stayed in Umtata the previous night and it's 2 hours away. We gave the place a quick tidy, but it's nice and clean any way so there was no manic rush to get it looking up to scratch for Ingrid, Susie and Keish. I went and sat out with our next-door-but-one neighbours Megan and Joff (from London, very good chat, remember from previous posts?) and had a coffee, check me with the coffee ha, and was later joined by Sam and Sarah [that's the JRHF manager].

PT finally rolled up just after eleven and it was the start of a good times day. It was so nice to be able to show them what we've been doing and to get a complete outsiders reaction to our life here. The chat was v. good, even though Susie was abusive 2k10 [just kidding]. After a tour of the hospital, our beautiful rondavel[apparently the best PT accomodation in South Africa] and the preschool we started the long drive to White Clay for lunch. We had the inevitable conversations about how we are doing here, is the project working out, what would have prepared you better but also some excellent banter, it's refreshing to see people you know and have some sarcastic British humour and taking the mickey (Alright, Cambridge?) We also caught up on 2 pieces of vital world news, that earthquake in Haiti, thanks everyone for keeping me updated on the biggest natural disaster in modern history, and the devasatation that is the divorce of Chezza Cole and Ashley. What ever happened to Fight for This Love? I'm sure by now they are back together and have a TV show a la Katie and Peter but oh well. 

Sam, Keish, Susie and I at Hole in the Wall

We had an amazing lunch at White Clay, homemade cheeseburgers followed by chocolate brownie, the most stunning chocolate brownie since the dawn of time. I figured since this is the only time I'll be seeing Project Trust while I'm here I could swap one day of Lent for an extra week at the end so yes I broke the rules but Ingrid said she's repatriate me if I didn't. Back at Zithulele we went to meet Karl and Sally for a chat and apple pie and coffee [I was determined to make the most of my 24 hour lent reprieve!]. Soon after that our three visitors had to leave :( I wish they could have stayed longer and seen us at work but that's life! Pretty gutted that the visit isn't on the cards to look forward to any more but it was a great day. Any one else that wants to visit feel free - I'm already buzzing for Mum's visit in May, it will be a guaranteed good time.

Saturday night was, err, rugby and a braai. Sound familiar? This time it was England vs Ireland, argh that match was horrible to watch, I forgot how much I hate watching sport because whoever I support ALWAYS loses. Patrick, a volunteer from Louisiana who has been doing admin for Ben amongst a host of other things had a going away braai at Roger's house so an even bigger crowd than the night before sat around the fire and had the traditional combination of meat, salad etc etc. For anyone who's interested, the additional people to yesterday were Jess [physio, not OT Jess], Roger, Karen, and obv Patrick. I spent most of the night having a good old chat with Jess and Sam and maximising the amount of Lent-banned items I ate.

Today has been a spectacularly beautiful day – sunny but not so hot that you want to sit in the freezer and die. We all met up at 8.45am to go for a beach frisbee session at Lubanzi. It was a brilliant game because we played right in the surf and I was actually playing like someone whose head and hands were connected. Maybe one day I will actually be a decent player? After we were all suitably tired, we went for a swim in the sea which was almost calm enough to be a swim as opposed to a battle with 382497348349 tonnes of sea water today :D It was so relaxing just to chill at the beach with everyone – it's been really nice to spend a weekend together as a larger group. Eventually we had to leave to sun, sea and sand, although I could stay there for almost forever.

Megan and Joff were hosting brunch/lunch/coffee at their house so Lisa, Liz, Sam and I pitched up with various breakfast items and had a veritable feast of french toast, bacon, coffee and pancakes (I didn't have any sugar on them so they don't count as desert). It was about 2.30pm by the time we called it a day. Oh, the good times keep on rolling here.

Joff and our random neighbour

Postal update: multiple failures. They wouldnt accept my letter at the post office because I'd reused an old envelope so I'll resend it some point this week. Sorry!I also haven't picked up any more mail so I don't know who to thank for sending me post. I'm sending some pics I've printed too.

Phone update: due to an unfortunate incident where I answered a call from Gregor on the wrong SIM I only have 10 txts to last me until March the 15^th! I hope you cadets enjoyed that chat with me, it cost £8.30!

Feet update: looking better, the infection is gone, I'm off the antibiotics. I'm not even sleeping under a net anymore and I'm fine. Yay :D

Bug update: we had a praying mantis in the house..cool?

Other chat...not sure why I wrote that thing about the Easter holidays, I meant the February holidays. Thanks to anonymous for that joke, very funny...I have thought about it and is it by any chance from one of my employers at the Town House? ;)

Happy Birthday Grannie!

Please leave me a comment, who's all reading?

Salani kakuhle

xxxxx