And it begins...

...it's a little long but it's covering A LOT of info...enjoy!







December 25th. I hit the metro after time with Nora and headed to Alli's house with my duffle bag, messenger bag and backpack. I left NYC and flew for 14hrs to Johannesburg. I had an 8hr layover in Jo-burg but after working my magic and saying I was a nurse I was squeezed on the next flight! Arriving in Capetown and seeing Jay and Rachel at the gate made my heart smile! A little holiday in South Africa before heading to Burundi was perfect.



I stayed with Jay and the family who he is living with during his African adventure. He will be traveling from South Africa up to Kenya doing video and interviews for Great Guides. They were preparing to leave so it was hectic and we moved to 2 houses while visiting. Rachel (the mom) and Sarita & Lorien (the little beans) took Jay & I to the beach at Scarborough where there old house was located. We had a windy picnic with cheese, bread, avocado, tomatoes, and olive...a wonderful day that ended with marvelous frozen yogurt



The trip brought a lot of relaxing, rooibos tea, good food, and playing with the girls, who are wonderful. They reminded me how to be a kid and play. We played Safari starring Sarita the Cheetah, Loli the Monkey, and Brad the Lillypad (ya, I know). They are creative and free-spirited, a contagious combo. Rachel made delectable meals from mostly raw, natural, healthy foods- I need to learn more from her.



Jay and I hiked Table Mountain. It was 96 degrees in the sun and 70s in the shade. We reached a peak at about 2500 ft which overlooked Capetown and the botanical gardens. Breathtaking. The scene was picturesque and I really felt that highly coveted inner zen. We had lunch on a rock in a little secret garden nook. Butternut squash hummus (yum) with garlic bread, cucumber, apple, and a cheap ($2) carton of red wine.




We climbed down the mountain and went to meet up with thr family who were attending a wedding. Picture this: Jay & I sitting outside of a classy restaurant on the lawn just staring at this wedding reception in our sweaty clothes and stinky selves. Classic moment. The girls came out and visited us so we sent them on a top secret to sneak us some food. 4-5 trips occurred and they brought us bread, some random stuff, and 4 french fries. To top it off Jay & I stole leftover water & champagne from the wedding. It was a lot of fun!

I read Tuesdays with Morrie in 2 days...ya it was that good. I Highly recommend it!

Airport in Nairobi @ 3:00am

After 10days my time was over and I was headed to my next adventure- the airport in Nairobi Kenya. I arrive at 7:30pm and my flight was supposed to be at 8:30am but it got pushed back to 12:30pm. 17hrs in the Nairobi airport sleeping on a booth in a cafe and the floor- good times. It actually wasn't that bad. The design of the airport reminded me of a middle school built in the 60s. It was kinda grimy and was yellow with old toilets.

Then I arrived in Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi. I was greeted at the airport by Nestor, the country director for VHW. We went through the city and picked up some medical supplies, food, and random people. Being here is a whole new experience for many reasons. For one, nothing is in English and very few people speak English. French and Kirundi are spoken here. The city is small and congested, nothing elegant or fun jumped out at me. Lots of stores and people selling food. We drove from Bujumbura to Kigutu, the town where the clinic is. It took two hours (1 of which was on unpaved dirt roads with huge holes. In Lesotho they had these types of roads as well but the main difference here is that there are tons of people, animals, and children walking along the streets. Our driver was going 90kilometers/hr (about 55mph) down these roads- I had to close my eyes because I was afraid for my life, literally.
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We stopped in a town called Rumonge which has a big open air market. I got out of the car and it felt like the world froze. Everyone started staring at me, most of these people (especially the children) have never seen a white person (muzungu) before. 3 chilren cried when they saw me and the others were very intrigued. It was a new experience. I felt slightly uncomfortable but more so I was just cracking up at the crying children and the group of boys 1/2 of which were trying to touch me and the other 1/2 flinched when I went to shake their hand. Out of my comfort zone.


I arrived at the clinic around 6pm and was in awe at the beauty of the clinic and the country. Picture lush green everywhere, palm trees, mango trees, banana trees, mountains enveloping 1/2 of the country while Lake Tanganyika (the 2nd largest lake in the world) provides fresh water for to the other 1/2. It's gorgeous but deceiving. What I mean is, you look around and think everything is beautiful and dandy but it is a country plagued with malnutrition, HIV, malaria, poor education, the list goes on and on...

The grounds house an outpatient clinic, inpatient ward with 10 beds (usually overflowing with more patients), a malnutrition ward, a pharmacy, and a lab (only a few tests can be done). The residence is nice, 4 communal bathrooms and shared bedrooms (currnetly I'm with 5 people). It's hectic here now as the board of directors are in from NYC, architects and construction teams are planning the site for a women's health center while simultaneously building a community center. Apparently right before I got here an agriculture project was initiated with acres of fruits and vegetables which are being grown for the staff of VHW and the community.

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Good things are being done here. Good People. Challenging work. Lots to learn and give.
My first day of working was today. It consisted of patient rounds- malnutrition, HIV, TB, malaria, and some interesting things like a possible cancerous growth on a little kid's leg. After rounds it was time to see patients. Wednesday is OB day so there were lots of pregnant ladies wandering around. Dr. Melino (one of the 2 docs here) did a class for them about prenatal care, HIV, and general health. He is a GREAT person, very skilled, patient, and the definition of kind. He translated everything for me and kept asking for my input and suggestions, it was interesting (the next blog will have more info about it but lets just say it will talk about traditional healers and cutting off body parts).

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People seem excited to have me here and are very welcoming. I miss everyone back home already but this is part of the experience- I need to work through that. I know I will be learning LOTS and I hope I can give back to the clinic and the patients in a meaningful, innovative way.

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THEY HAVE BABY GOATS!


and sunsets.

this is going to be an incredibly, amazing, life changing experience...I can already tell.
please stay in touch.

"Everybody heals with Love"
Brad