Zambia Senior Practicum
Out of Africa, day 1 at Macha
We have finally arrived at our ultimate destination: the Macha BIC Mission Hospital at Choma, Zambia. Our trip by bus took about 3.5 hours. The road we traveled on was paved but took us out of the bustling, modern city of Livingstone and into the bush. This is the Africa we’ve read about in books and seen on the news. We passed myriads of little huts, cement bases with thatched grass roofs. Goats, cattle, and chickens greet us along the way. Little plots of gardens are worked and watered. People walking…everywhere. The road into Macha is dirt and rutted very deeply from the recent rains of this rainy season. Our bus often has to come to a complete stop in order to gingerly navigate this “road”. But once we pull into the Macha complex, it seems like we have entered a different world: smoother roads, substantial houses. It feels comforting, like a little oasis. Our rooms are furnished with mosquito netting for the beds…and BIG spiders!!!!! Geckos and lizards occasionally run across the walls. We are all surprised by the temperature…we expected it to be hotter…but 85 is just beautiful.
Out of Africa, day 2 at Macha
Our first full day here at Macha has been very full! After a “homey” breakfast of pancakes, we toured the entire campus/complex. Along the way, we passed the staff houses, the hospital, the nursing school, and a market. Before lunch, we visited the mosquito bio dome project, created to observe mosquitoes in their natural habitat and continue working for an end to malaria. We toured the hospital with its many wings and wards. There will be so many areas in the hospital for us to experience: woman’s ward, men’s ward, maternity, labor and delivery, pediatrics, out-patient, outreach. Before the rain came and cooled the air, a local artist brought his paintings and pictures for us to shop. These shopping experiences are purely for us learn the Zambian monetary system…really!!!!
Out of Africa, day 3
Today we woke up to a beautifully cool “Spring-like” morning. The relative quiet of the area makes the sounds of Africa so brilliant: the birdsong, the sing-song of an unfamiliar language, the whoosh of a crew cutting the grass with a sickle, the rooster who doesn’t realize the sun has been up for hours. It was our first day to experience the hospital and clinics here at Macha. We were able to do vital signs and help in the chart room. We had morning tea and bunzies (rolls) and fritas (donut like). At lunch, we ate the traditional porridge called Nshima (made of cornmeal) with meat and vegetable relishes. In the afternoon, we walked to a local shop to buy our chitenges, the wrapped skirt worn by all of the local women. Here, we were surrounded by children who walked us all the way back to Macha while holding our hands; they giggled as they tried on our sunglasses and saw their reflections. We will add this to the list of wonderful sounds in Africa…the children’s laughter.
Out of Africa , day 4
The weather today is a cool and rainy 70°; the rainy season showers come and go throughout the day. Rounds were the order of the day at the hospital, and we all accompanied the doctors on their rounds in the wards: maternity, pediatrics, and women's. We saw a lot, we learned a lot. We were able to participate. We met the Macha Nurses Training School student nurses. We have noticed that Zambians do life together as a family and a community; both immediate and extended family is at the bedside, all day. Bedside “neighbors” will even take care of each other’s children. Even the doctors exhibit this closeness to their patients. In the afternoon, we helped again in the file room…preparing charts for tomorrow’s outreach in a nearby village. Even though we are beginning to settle into a comfortable routine, Africa stills takes us by surprise: the lines of marching soldier ants, the lemon trees, the banana trees, the lizards. We’re in Africa!!!!!!
Out of Africa, day 5
Today was a very full day for us! A few of us went to the “Theater” (operating room) to observe some surgeries. The rest of us went out to a clinic in a nearby village. We all learned a lot today through our varied experiences. Most of all, we love our interactions with the Zambian people. It doesn’t take much to make them smile; but of course, our butchering of their Tonga language makes them belly laugh! This afternoon, we joined the Macha nursing students at their NCF (Nurses Christian Fellowship) chapel. There, as requested, we got up and sang a song for them (How Great is Our God). While our day started off cool and breezy, by early afternoon, the clouds had cleared and that typical hot African sun baked us again! As evening settled in, the cool breeze came back, and we all enjoyed a beautiful walk to watch the sunset. The night sky is beautiful…you can see the stars so clearly; somehow, they appear closer and brighter than at home. Even a planet is visible in the western sky. While in Africa, we are seeing the “back side” of the moon; people say that you can see a rabbit shaped crater in the full moon!
Out of Africa, day 8
Our trip to Zambia is definitely a cross cultural experience. Yesterday, we attended the mission church for our Sunday services. We were struck by the music, the songs, and the amount of involvement. Harmonies seem to be natural, and the rhythm inherent. The feeling of community was palpable. It was an experience we won’t soon forget.
Our clinical experiences are in full swing now. Today, many of us helped with the primary health care clinic; we weighed babies, helped with prenatal care and childhood vaccinations. Some us helped with wound care on the pediatric ward. Others of us helped with births in labor and delivery. Wherever we were, we realized that this is indeed a once in a lifetime experience.
In keeping with our J-term course, we have started afternoon sessions in nursing education. As the afternoons are so hot while the sun is high, the class sessions are a nice reprieve. The clouds bubble up in the afternoon, but no rain appears. During our session, we could hear the “tingle” of the cow bells as the little village boys herded their cattle down the main road.
Out of Africa, day 9
It’s hard to believe that we have been at Macha for 9 days!!! The mornings are so cool and bright when we wake up; but by the time we started walking to the hospital, the sun felt soooo hot. Today the temperature (with a cloudy sky) was 96°. At the hospital, we spread ourselves out between the theater and the clinics today. Most of the patients walk miles from nearby villages to be seen at the clinics; there are always crowds of people waiting for the doors to open at 8 am. This afternoon, we walked to a local home to buy baskets and wood carvings. Luckily, we made it back before the storm came in full force. The sky became dark blue; the thunder rumbled; streaks of lightening flashed in the distance. Without surrounding mountains, thunder resounds for what seems likes forever. Finally, the rains (down in Africa!) came…cool rains…much needed rains. Not only did we perk up with the cool down, but the crops did also. The storm caused our power to flicker a bit…but luckily the backup generator kicked in. Our night ended with our class and good discussion. Ready for another day!!!!
Out of Africa, day 10
We are in full swing here st Macha. We can finally find our way around without getting lost!! Our hospital day was much the same: clinics, maternity, and the male ward. The first year nursing students from Macha started in the hospital today; while they changed beds, we tried to hide our grins as we remembered our first days in a hospital!!! By the grace of God, look how far we’ve come!!! In a few short months we will be graduated, licensed, and out on our own…but with this wonderful, once in a lifetime opportunity under our belts. As the afternoon again brought cloudy skies, thunder and rain, we finished our courses with team building exercises. Our night was capped off with popcorn and a movie…another great bonding experience…especially with a spider sprinting across the screen!
Out of Africa, day 11
Today we were on the pediatric, maternity, and female wards. We now have an honorary Zambian midwife among us! One of our very own delivered a baby!!! One of the ward nurses said something that perfectly summed up our experiences here; he said , “We (nurses) are all the same: you (in the US) have the supplies you need, we have to use what we have.” In the afternoon, we were able to tour the research facility where they are making great strides in reducing malaria (from 30% to 3%) and increasing the success of HIV meds for children. Just as we were leaving the facility, the heavens opened up on us for a 10 min deluge! But it left a BEAUTIFUL sunset in its wake. We ended the night with “half seven party hour”: we wrote thank you cards, had fresh made lemonade straight from the trees outside, ate our favorite shortbread cookies “eet sum mor “, had a sing a long, and played games.
Out of Africa, day 12
Africa has truly become a part of us. How could it not, when we’ve been totally immersed in the culture and the people?!?! Our time in the hospital this morning was spent in theater, pediatric ward, and outreach. We are able to participate in so much…meds, wound care, IV’s, vital signs; this experience has given us the opportunity to incorporate both our critical thinking and our skills. This afternoon we were treated to an authentic Zambian cultural experience: a kitchen party. This is our equivalent to a bridal shower…but with much more pomp and circumstance. There was tons of singing, music, drums, and dancing!!! In the evening, the hospital medical director, Mr. Haachobe, came over and spoke with us about the culture of Macha and the Zambian health care system. Our time here is winding down. We will miss our morning tea times, chasing lizards and geckos, stepping over legions of ants, navigating bush paths, and tanning ourselves on our walks to and from the hospital.
Out of Africa, day 13
This was our last day of clinical experience in the Macha Hospital. After rounds, we delivered thank you cards to all of the kind staff that helped us during our rotations. Just as another storm was picking up it’s pace this afternoon, we went to see the village healer who explained his different herbs and roots, as well as the diseases that he is able to cure. This visit was interesting not only because of the healer; but because we all sat in a tiny cement hut, with chickens running around, while the storm poured around us…very authentic! For the past week, we have had “puzzlemania” occurring on the tables; the first one was completed tonight…none of us have the heart to take it apart! This evening we watched the Lion King movie; it took on a whole new meaning being able to watch it in Africa!!!! These past 2 weeks, our group has certainly bonded over games, spontaneous songs with 4 part harmonies, and so many shared experiences.
Out of Africa, day 14
Our last day here at Macha has been a wonderful day!!! On Sundays, breakfast is served at 8 am, so we all enjoyed an extra hour of sleep. We went again to the Macha BIC church, just a 10 minute walk along the bush path, passing huts, and fields along the way. The singing could be heard at least a 1/2 mile away…before we even saw the church! We were blessed by the great grandma who got up and danced her worship. We chuckled at the dog that plodded down the aisle…and was promptly shooed back out. We smiled at the random cow walking between cars outside the windows. But mostly, we felt the presence of the everlasting King of the universe in our midst. We understood very few of the words; we didn’t recognize most of the melodies. But our spirits felt at home and comfortable amidst our brothers and sisters in Christ. Our afternoon was spent resting…and puzzling some more! After dinner, we held a surprise birthday party for our wonderful leader Wanda; our sneakiness over the past few weeks paid off!!! Apparently the rain storms we have experienced here were not “real” rains; after dinner, we had a real soaker…complete with huge puddles and mini rivers through the paths. This is the kind of rain needed for crops and gardens to grow.
As we leave Macha for the final phases of our journey, we have learned that though we may geographically live worlds apart, we really aren’t that different from each other after all. May we forever be changed because of this trip.