100 days, 100 memories

This Saturday was the 100th day of this epic adventure, so I thought I'd make a list of the thing that has stood out for me on each day. Here goes...[warning, although this was a fun exercise for me, it may not be for you!]

7th Jan – that leaving feeling: knowing I won't see any family, friends or familiar places for a very very very long time
8th Jan – the immigration officer shouting 'Enjoy ya work sista' as I crossed over into South Africa
9th Jan – getting out of the car and seeing our home for the next 8 months and how massive it is!
10th Jan – our first swim at Lubanzi (full clothed as it was a spontaneous decision)
11th Jan – finding a metal table buried a foot under the ground in our garden
12th Jan – first trip to Papazela's and Coffee Shack
13th Jan – working in ARV clinic for the first time, the first time I'd ever seen an HIV+ person
14th Jan – chats with Justin in the dark due to our first power cut
15th Jan – holding one day old twins in maternity
16th Jan – getting roaming switched on and being able to text home :)
17th Jan – walking to Lubanzi to find it crowded with a load of cows, then getting sunburned to the max
18th Jan – scoring my first point at Ultimate Frisbee
19th Jan – Sam's birthday meal with Karl, Sally, Mark, Liz and Monique
20th Jan – getting very confused when trying to pack ARV presciptions for the clinic
21st Jan – getting up at 6.00am to go running, finishing running at 6.15am [epic fail]
22nd Jan – driving many miles with Tom to visit every clinic on the planet
23rd Jan – seeing the Gaunts' garden overrun with kids for Grace's birthday

Pass the parcel

24th Jan – sitting in Orbi's garden with Shannon, Jess, Etienne, Anita and Sam eating icecream and looking out over the beach in the sun...
25th Jan – getting highly excited over battle tetris with Sam, Karen and Roger
26th Jan – sitting in the pharmacy with Monique until well after 8pm packing and getting overloaded with all the millions of things to do in the pharmacy...
27th Jan – standing looking at the pharmacy calendar thinking, 'How will I ever cope?'
28th Jan – getting proposed to by Yanga, one of our computer students
29th Jan – pancakes, beer, 30 seconds at Liz's house :D
30th Jan – windswept sundowners at Hole in the Wall with Sam, Liz, Jules and Cat
31st Jan – going to the shabeen and encountering a casual policewoman with a machine gun!

1st Feb – going for a run and getting laughed at by, err, everyone :(
2nd Feb – the relief of faxing the pharmacy order with 59 seconds left before the deadline
3rd Feb – being introduced to the wonders of Salticrax ;)

4th Feb – running the ARV dispensary myself without a translator and feeling EPIC (it's now a frequent occurrence and has lost its epicness)

5th Feb – playing with Emma for two hours and going on an imaginary car drive to Johannesburg (please note that she is three), spending the evening discussing Cheryl Cole's appalling lyricist skills with Sam (seriously, listen to the lyrics of her song Make Me Cry)
6th Feb – sitting in Marlie and Megan's pool at 11pm to avoid 28'C heat and looking at the stars

7th Feb – swimming in the sea at Hole in the Wall with Sam

8th Feb – sundowner braii at Lubanzi after work

9th Feb – nearly expiring with the heat and stresses of Ngcwanguba clinic, windy beach trip fail with Liz, watching Lisa whip cream for ice cream for about an hour...

10th Feb – getting our Zithulele 'welcome pack': a ball of string, some pegs and an empty bottle of toilet duck

11th Feb – climbing into the ARV clinic with Joff and Megan to get some Kaletra for a baby called Alive [cutest name ever!] :D

12th Feb – first ever grand rounds, getting seven letters in the post

13th Feb – the craziness that was Eybe's wedding and THAT insane M.C and his techno beats

14th Feb – going running with Jess and Kate to the local school and back

15th Feb – driving back from Lubanzi in the back of a 4x4 with Jess

16th Feb – waking up and seeing how bed bugs had decimated my feet

Why I hate bed bugs

17th Feb – having to wear a raincoat for the first time

18th Feb – night out to White Clay and chats with Lisa
19th Feb – Mhla coming in for grand tea carrying a bin bag full of amaguena

20th Feb – counting ibuprofen pills. For hours.

21st Feb – trying to move my bedroom and Sam shouting MAYDAY as one of our tables snapped..

22nd Feb – Liz bringing us groceries and chocolate :D

23rd Feb – getting phoned by Gregor and being chuffed until it used up my credit for the entire month

24th Feb – dispensing alone in ARV clinic for many an hour [progress from 4th Feb]

25th Feb – seeing a 9 year old girl looking after her 1 year old sisters ARV medication

26th Feb – watching Liz stand in front of the air conditioning unit trying to cool down boiled water for mixing some potassium chloride suspension [yay for rural medicine]

27th Feb – Project Trust visiting us, abuse from Susie ;)

28th Feb – breakfast in the garden with Megan, Joff, Liz, Lisa and Sam

1st Mar – sitting up late with Sam playing 'Would You Rather?'
2nd Mar – pitching up at Mapuzi soaking wet, in shorts and pink wellies and looking HOT
3rd Mar – trying not to laugh out loud when a patient was refusing to take her treatment home because it wouldn't fit in her handbag...
4th Mar – being swamped in the pharmacy, even with four people dispensing at once!
5th Mar – sitting by the fire eating macaroni cheese with Liz, Lisa, Megan, Joff and Sam
6th Mar - the epic on call day with Liz :)
7th Mar – watching Karl on TV [correcting the other guests' statistics ;)]
8th Mar – out of a VERY hectic/memorable day, I'd have to say the moment when we decided we had to stop doing CPR on a young boy
9th Mar - dispensing through the door of the pharmacy even after it had shut for 1.5 hours
10th Mar – delivering a baby!
11th Mar - surprise visit from the other PT volunteers from Durbanville

Me, Catherine, Flo, Sarah and Rhiannon

12th Mar – watching Zandile's son Hlumelo running around the pharmacy and trying to eat pills off the floor...
13th Mar – galloping along Coffee Bay beach :D
14th Mar - jump starting Shannon's car [eventful day]
15th Mar - running the hospital pharmacy all by myself, fun times
16th Mar – Papazela's pizza night, extreme torrential rain
17th Mar – Sam and I playing Cranium...epic fail
18th Mar – getting out the taxi in Mthatha and feeling like a mugging was imminent
19th Mar – Andrea and I getting our hair braided 'like a spear' on Port St John's beach
20th Mar – jumping off a waterfall in the Amapondo Jungle
21st Mar – being crushed in a taxi for six hours with sweaty men and very very loud gospel music
22nd Mar – chasing after Liz on the way to a 5.30am caesarean section
23rd Mar – going out on a call at 3.30am to a man who later died
24th Mar – Asanda's reaction as she was introduced to Bohemian Rhapsody
25th Mar – waking up to coffee and toast at Lisa and Liz's, getting kidnapped from the JRHF meeting
26th Mar – doing the stupidest karoake ever with Jess and drooling into the sink with laughter!
27th Mar – training Bruno the chicken to come inside the house
28th Mar – watching Transformers 2 with Asanda :D
29th Mar – going to the hospital prayer meeting
30th Mar – Sam coming home and us having an epic fail lads night in ;)
31st Mar – Passover meal at the Gaunts

1st Apr – trying out a wheelchair and realising how difficult they are to use!
2nd Apr – coming over the top of a hill and seeing Hole in the Wall, stunning

Hole in the Wall hike

3rd Apr – sitting on a cliff ledge for 2 hours contemplating imminent death :D
4th Apr – classy trip to the shabeen with everyone from Coffee Shack
5th Apr – breaking the bars off our back window and climbing through in a very undignified way..
6th Apr – sitting up till all hours writing letters home :)
7th Apr – watching our stock of D4T [an ARV taken by 95% of patients] dwindle away in front of my eyes in clinic
8th Apr – playing indoor frisbee with Liz [and managing a forehand throw]
9th Apr – Sam and I's Lad's Night II – beer, unlevened bread and Never Been Kissed
10th Apr – Sam and I using secret codes to play the 30 seconds/charades game (Obama!)
11th Apr – Asanda teaching me to handwash like a pro
12th Apr – Taryn's birthday party
13th Apr – feeling productive after spending 10 hours on the road for three patients
14th Apr – learning how to do HIV counselling and testing
15th Apr – sitting on the climbing frame outside paeds chatting to Gregor on the phone
16th Apr – walking round Hemingways Mall feeling a bit like I had special needs because I found it so strange being in civilisation
17th Apr – having a two hour 100 day celebration lunch in Mugg and Bean :D

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to all the good times I've had so far, hopefully they will continue!

xxxx