What a whirlwind. I arrived in Johannesburg, spent a few days trying to regulate my body to the time zone (unsuccessfully), got strep throat, had my first South African braii (bar-b-que), moved into my apartment, and started work.
Along the way, I have also learned way more than I ever wanted to about South African phone and internet companies and survived power outage number 1 (complete with panic-strickenness).
I am spending the rest of this week and next shadowing different departments at the clinic, which will allow me to more fully understand what Witkoppen Health and Welfare Centre does. I began today with Psychiatry in the morning and pap smears in the afternoon. What a combo, eh?
Both were fascinating, and in between translation of Zulu, Swesotho, and Xhosa (the “click” language), I truly learned a great deal. More to come, but for now, my address:
Katie Gaddini c/o Jean Bassett
P.O. Box 237
Riverclub
2149
South Africa
I appreciate any and all letters, words of encouragement, reading material, and American yummies.
