Sunday Outing

This Sunday Lauretta surprised Winrose and I with an outing to Midlands Meander.  She told us that she and her family were just going out for lunch and invited us to go along, but it ended up being so much more.  First we stopped in the town of Howick to take pictures at a view point of the Howick falls.  The views here in South Africa are so amazing.  We took a couple pictures at the waterfall and then continued driving. 

Next we stopped at the capture site of Nelson Mandela where a new monument has been built.  At first look the monument seemed to be an abstract of metal shards, but once we stood in the right spot we could see Mandela’s profile outlined with the metal. We also walked through the small museum on site that gave a history of Mandela’s life.  It talked about his upbringing, how he was captured at this site during apartheid, his life in prison, and his rise to leadership as South Africa’s first democratic President. We also had lunch at a little restaurant near the capture site. 

 After lunch, we drove to a type of market place where we could walk around and window shop.  There were coffee shops, dress shops, craft shops, and home décor shops. I didn’t buy anything, but it was nice to walk around and look at all the crafts.  We finally headed home after our busy Sunday to get some rest. Winrose and I were so thankful for our little surprise.  We had no idea that there is so much to do around our small town of Bulwer.  We are definitely looking forward to another outing, and hopefully soon.

Indaba Conference in Durban

CMMB information table

This past Friday I was lucky enough to travel to Durban with some of my colleges to attend a conference on medical male circumcision in South Africa. The goal of the conference was to discuss the progress that has been made since the MMC campaign launched in the province two years ago. Those invited to the conference included Amakhosi, Izinduna, youth organizations, healthcare professionals, NGOs, community-based organizations, and donor organizations. Amakhosi are the chiefs of different areas in South Africa, and Izinduna are the second in charge to the Amakhosi. We arrived at the conference and set up an information table on CMMB and the services we provide at our MMC clinic. There were several other organizations that also set up tables with their own pamphlets on MMC. Once the conference started, we listened to several speakers talk about an overview of MMC in KwaZulu-Natal, how to foster collaboration between service providers, and the necessity for scaling up MMC. 

Small group discussion

We then split into 3 “commissions” to talk in small groups about different topics.  My group focused on the myths of MMC, the effects of those myths, proper scientific facts, and how to address and correct the myths. It was great to hear other health care professionals voice their opinions and concerns about how to promote and improve MMC.  I had no idea so many different stakeholders for MMC were in South Africa and that they were so involved. Just before the end of our small group discussion, one doctor stood up and shared some of his opinions.  He said he’s been circumcising for several decades and has learned one crucial thing: We should not set targets based on a headcount.  When we focus solely on the numbers, it decreases the quality of care we are able to provide. He admitted that once circumcised around 100 boys in one day (a large gain for reaching targets), but confesses he is ashamed because he knows he did not take the time to talk with each boy or supervise nurses suturing the wound after he cut.  The doctor spoke very passionately about this issue, and it was definitely the message I walked away with after leaving the conference. Before the end of the conference, the MEC from the department of health gave a brief speech about the different methods of MMC and how health care providers should support one another to achieve our goals and provide quality care.

 We left the conference and took a quick detour to see the beach since both Winrose and I had never been to Durban.  It was my first time seeing the Indian Ocean! We grabbed a quick bite to eat and enjoyed the view before heading back home.  It was a long 2 hour drive back, but I had a great experience in Durban at the conference and I’m hoping to attend more in the future!

A South African Thanksgiving!

Let me just start by saying how thankful I am to live here in Bulwer with Lauretta and her family! Lauretta has always tried to make me feel comfortable and at home in her B&B, and I definitely felt that way this Thanksgiving.  About a month ago I was talking with Winrose, my colleague that also lives at the B&B, and she told me she has never eaten turkey.  Apparently it’s rare in Kenya, where Winrose is from, and it can be very expensive to buy. So I told her about Thanksgiving and how we should make a dinner at the B&B to cook some turkey for Winrose to try. Lauretta was more than willing to help us cook a proper American Thanksgiving, so I got some recipes from my mom and Lauretta took care of the rest! 

 

Lauretta did her research because we not only had turkey to eat, but she created a beautiful floral display with all the fall colors, and a cornucopia filled with fruit and freshly baked bread! We had turkey, gravy, oyster dressing, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, pumpkin pie, and wine…. all of my favorites! Before we ate, I read a brief history of the first Thanksgiving to help everyone understand the meaning behind our holiday.  We finished almost the entire turkey and everyone seemed to enjoy all the food. Even though I was missing my family at home, I felt truly grateful to be here in Bulwer surrounded by such great friends. Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Reading about the first Thanksgiving

Winrose and I enjoying our turkey!

It's Official... I'm a Professional Photographer

Getting ready for the big day!

A few weekends ago I had the honor and privilege of taking wedding photos for two of my co-workers, Thembeka and Khanyile!  For those of you that don't know, I have absolutely no experience in professional photography and have definitely never been responsible for capturing such an important event on film. So how did I end up as the photographer for this wedding, you ask? Well, I was getting to know my co-workers on my first week at the clinic and Thembeka told me that she was engaged and in need of a photographer.  She must have noticed me taking pictures of the clinic and of all the scenery, so she asked me if I would be willing to take pictures at her wedding. Of course I warned her that I'm not a professional, but for some reason she trusted me.  Obviously I agreed to be their photographer because 1. I like trying new things, 2. I didn't think I could screw up too badly, and 3. I wanted to go to the wedding! So finally the day of the wedding arrives, November 3rd, 2012! We started very early with breakfast and getting ready at Thembeka's house.  From there we headed to the church for the ceremony. Thembeka and Khanyile had a white wedding, almost exactly like what I'm used to seeing in the U.S. ...... except everyone spoke in Zulu. Thembeka gave me a camera to use and I also had my own camera, so during the ceremony I was trying to multi-task taking pictures and capturing some video of them exchanging their vows.  It's funny how even though you have no idea what their saying in Zulu, you can still understand whats happening based on their expressions, their tone of voice, and actions. So after the ceremony, we all headed off to another venue to take photos in the garden and have the reception.  The place Thembeka and Khanyile chose for their reception was perfect.  The garden outside was beautiful and provided a great backdrop for their romantic pictures together and their family photos. I am so thankful for their friends who were also there to help me with ideas for posing the couple and finding the best spots for taking pictures. The pictures turned out perfect and I couldn't have done it without their input! At the reception I got to sit back a little and enjoy the fun.  After the new

Mr. and Mrs. Dali

couple made their grand entrance, each one of their family members stood up and gave a short speech.  Again, they all spoke in Zulu so I have no clue what anyone said, but it was easy to see that the room was full of love and joy for Thembeka and Khanyile.  Once all the speeches were done, there were some fun games to see which single lady would win the bouquet and which single guy would win the guarder belt.  Towards the end of the reception the bride and groom cut their wedding cake and we all toasted to their life together. We were fed a huge and very tasty meal, and then it was time to go! I took SO many pictures that day (about 500) and really enjoyed taking them, editing them, and received so much gratitude for my work. I truly was honored to be a part of their wedding and will never forget my first experience as a photographer for such an amazing couple.  It's hard for me to pick just a few pictures to share, so I have added a few more in the slideshow at the bottom of my blog. I think I did okay, but its easy to take pictures of such a beautiful and happy couple like Thembeka and Khanyile.

MMC Program Launch!

View from my house

Wow. What an amazing first week it has been for me
here in South Africa.  After a few days of travel, I finally made it to Bulwer, the town I will be living and working in for the next year.  I have the privilege of living at a bed & breakfast run by a very talented woman named Loretta. Loretta cooks amazing meals, tends to a beautiful tea garden out front of the house, and has created a lot of art work and sculptures within and around the home.  Bulwer is a very rural town over an hour away from the nearest city, Pietermaritzburg.  Bulwer is located in the mountains and can get pretty cold, but the view from my house is amazing.  The clinic I work in is just across the road from where I live.  The clinic is small and basic, but it seems to serve its purpose. On Wednesday, I visited the clinic for the first time with the program manager, Jonas, and met all of the nurses and staff.  From Wednesday to

Medical Male Circumcision Clinic

Friday we had 2 women from the CDC visiting the clinic to review our program because the CDC is a funder for the MMC program.  We had a stakeholder meeting on Thursday with CMMB staff, the CDC, the DOH, and TB/HIV Care to summarize the goals of our male circumcision program, evaluate the progress made within this past year, and discuss further collaboration between our organizations to enhance the program.  Being my first week of work, I found this meeting very beneficial.  The MMC program has been operating for 1 year, but our clinic in Bulwer is fairly new.  This Saturday, CMMB hosted an MMC program launch that introduced the new clinic to the community and promoted the importance of male circumcision for HIV/AIDS prevention. 

CMMB Launch Event

The event was a great success and SO fun.  As expected.... it started much later than planned because community members operate on African Time, meaning no one shows up until several hours after an event starts.  So although the launch was supposed to start at 9:30, no one was really there until 11:30.  Despite the late start, the event was very entertaining and informative.  The launch featured dancers, a vocal group, a poet who preformed very powerful poetry on the issues of HIV, several speakers, and a local musician/DJ that advocates for MMC.  One of the speakers was CMMB's Senior VP of Programs, Jeffery Jordan, who came all the way from Washington D.C. for the launch! I feel very fortunate to have arrived during this week to be able to meet all of the CMMB program staff and learn so much about our MMC program.  This coming week should be a lot less hectic, but I am looking forward to learning more about the community, getting to know my co-workers, and really get to work on the MMC program!