The weekend is over when I´m writing this.. I´m in bed and getting ready for my first full week at the hospital: at Casualty..
Anyway, I had a good weekend...lots of sleep, good food and great summer weather.
On Saturday I slept in late before catching up on some reading for the exam I will have once I get back to Norway..studying in the sun is sooo much better than staying at home in Norway where it is getting colder and darker every day. A lazy afternoon before we went out for dinner at Joe´s Beerhouse. What a cozy and unique restaurant. I had "Bushman Sosatie", a selection of crocodile, zebra, kudu, oryx and springbox...very good and also cheap...8 people ate, drank alcohol, soda and coffee and had dessert for 1900 N$ .. knowing we will back there many times while being here.
Sunday was another quiet and relaxing day at home, laying outside and reading for my exam.
I went for a walk with 3 of the other students before we went groceryshopping for dinner: chicken, rice with garlic sauce, garlig bread and salad. Once again a delicious meal..I can get used to all these nice dinners while being here:-)
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Friday..and our first weekend is here..
Today we went to UNAM, university of Namibia for a reflection meeting. We were together with other nursingstudents from Sweden, Finland and Denmark. We were talking about our experiences at the hospital, our thoughts and got to ask any questions we had. We were also told about how the healthcare system works and got some info about Katutura hospital, where we all we be place for the next 2 months.
Afterward we went to Maerua Mall, the largest mall in Namibia to do some shopping, clothes and groceries. Needless to say, but after a few hours there we left with a shopping cart full of groceries and many bags of clothes..
We spent the evening home, outside by the pool: drinking, talking, singing and laughing.
We ordered in some pizzas for dinner, and still amazed how cheap eveything is here, 5 medium pizzas for 400 N$. We also invited some other girls for cheese and wine but they never showed up, their loss loosing out on our great company...
As old as I am I was the first one to go to bed, but a few of my other roommates went to bed not much later than me...
Afterward we went to Maerua Mall, the largest mall in Namibia to do some shopping, clothes and groceries. Needless to say, but after a few hours there we left with a shopping cart full of groceries and many bags of clothes..
We spent the evening home, outside by the pool: drinking, talking, singing and laughing.
We ordered in some pizzas for dinner, and still amazed how cheap eveything is here, 5 medium pizzas for 400 N$. We also invited some other girls for cheese and wine but they never showed up, their loss loosing out on our great company...
As old as I am I was the first one to go to bed, but a few of my other roommates went to bed not much later than me...
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Thursday 18/09/14
Today I had my first day at the hospital. I was at the surgical ward...we were even 10 minutes late on our first day since the cab neer showed up at the time we ordered it for...
We bare introduced ourselves before we were put to work, to make beds..before following some Namibian students on their observation rounds, that is something totally different from how we do it in Norway; they bare speak to their patients, just measure their vitals, ask how they are doing and then walk out. In order to help patients with their morning hygiene they heat water in tank in the hallway. What we learned the most from was when we got to follow on the doctors visit and he talked about the patients diagnoses. Besides that it was a very quiet day there, but we still got to observe and see a lot of differences between the Namibian way of nursing and the Norwegian way routines and procedures are being done.
The rest of the afternoon were spent by the pool/front yard reading for our upcoming exam.
Todays outdoor dinner was "Silje´s chickensoup".
I was tired and went to bed quite early...have a good night everyone :-)
We bare introduced ourselves before we were put to work, to make beds..before following some Namibian students on their observation rounds, that is something totally different from how we do it in Norway; they bare speak to their patients, just measure their vitals, ask how they are doing and then walk out. In order to help patients with their morning hygiene they heat water in tank in the hallway. What we learned the most from was when we got to follow on the doctors visit and he talked about the patients diagnoses. Besides that it was a very quiet day there, but we still got to observe and see a lot of differences between the Namibian way of nursing and the Norwegian way routines and procedures are being done.
The rest of the afternoon were spent by the pool/front yard reading for our upcoming exam.
Todays outdoor dinner was "Silje´s chickensoup".
I was tired and went to bed quite early...have a good night everyone :-)
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Wednesday September 17th
Today we went to the hospital for the first time, just for a quick tour and deciding which wards we´d like to have our clinical practice at. We divided in 3 group since we always have to be 3 students at a time at each ward.
The hospital is the one of 2 state hospitals in Windhoek. The standard isn´t like in Norwegian hospitals but not as bad as we expected. It´s not very maintained but since it´s not a private hospital the equipment and facilities aren´t as modern as other hospitals...I guess..
The staff seemed nice and welcoming and I´m looking forward to starting my clinical practices there tomorrow, and hopefully learn as much as possible while I´m there.
To end our day at the hospital we decided to walk back home to the house we´re staying at, about an hour walk in the African sun...because Norwegains like to walk, and as future nurses we know that it is important to stay physical active..
In the afternoon we went back into the center of the city, to State Office to pick up our visas.
For some reasons they could only find 5 out of 9 passport so the rest of us, including me of course, had to wait for almost an hour, but with some patience we were lucky enough to get the visas only 3 days after we arrived in Namibia.
Then it was time for some grocery shopping and stocking up on bottles and bottles of water...as we future nurses know it is important to stay hydrated..
On today´s dinner menu was cheeseburgers, chili/cajun style. I was one of the 3 people in charge of dinner.. despite of lots of tears while chopping onions I could still enjoy a juicy and spicy burger with a smile that chased the tears away.
With a full tummy and having to get up at 6 am tomorrow morning it is wise of me to go to bed earlier than I normally do...so I can wake up and get my tired self into a waiting cab in the morning...
With this I will say goodnight, close my laptop and let the sound of barking dogs put me to sleep!
The hospital is the one of 2 state hospitals in Windhoek. The standard isn´t like in Norwegian hospitals but not as bad as we expected. It´s not very maintained but since it´s not a private hospital the equipment and facilities aren´t as modern as other hospitals...I guess..
The staff seemed nice and welcoming and I´m looking forward to starting my clinical practices there tomorrow, and hopefully learn as much as possible while I´m there.
To end our day at the hospital we decided to walk back home to the house we´re staying at, about an hour walk in the African sun...because Norwegains like to walk, and as future nurses we know that it is important to stay physical active..
In the afternoon we went back into the center of the city, to State Office to pick up our visas.
For some reasons they could only find 5 out of 9 passport so the rest of us, including me of course, had to wait for almost an hour, but with some patience we were lucky enough to get the visas only 3 days after we arrived in Namibia.
Then it was time for some grocery shopping and stocking up on bottles and bottles of water...as we future nurses know it is important to stay hydrated..
On today´s dinner menu was cheeseburgers, chili/cajun style. I was one of the 3 people in charge of dinner.. despite of lots of tears while chopping onions I could still enjoy a juicy and spicy burger with a smile that chased the tears away.
With a full tummy and having to get up at 6 am tomorrow morning it is wise of me to go to bed earlier than I normally do...so I can wake up and get my tired self into a waiting cab in the morning...
With this I will say goodnight, close my laptop and let the sound of barking dogs put me to sleep!
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Tuesday September 17th: Home of Good Hope
Today we went to a soup kitchen called "Home of Good Hope", that a lady named Monica started in the Goreanab slums in 2007 for children aged 1-16. "Home of Good Hope" serves food for about 500 children each day :-)
When the van opened all the children came rushing to great us, hold our hands, give hugs and wanted to get lifted up and carried around. The kids were so joyful and full of energy...and so darn cute!
We got to play with the kids and also helped serve a warm meal, fruit and drinks. It was impressive to see how organized everything was. The kids washed their hands before eating, quietly sat down to eat their meal, and cleaned up after themself so that we could do the dishes. The kids all sang for us and we got to sit down and play with the toys they had there. It was impressive how well mannered and polited the kids were.
It was a humble learning experience that made me think, put things in perspective and also appreciate how good life is back home. I feel lucky to have been a part of a day at "Home of Good Hope" and will make sure I go back there more time during my stay here in Windhoek.
If anyone want to help out and be a part of such a great project please visit " Home of Good Hope": http://www.homeofgoodhope.org , read about what Monica does and maybe that inspires some of you to make a donation :-)
I also found a video on youtube.com: http://youtu.be/c2iZcKwMza8
When the van opened all the children came rushing to great us, hold our hands, give hugs and wanted to get lifted up and carried around. The kids were so joyful and full of energy...and so darn cute!
We got to play with the kids and also helped serve a warm meal, fruit and drinks. It was impressive to see how organized everything was. The kids washed their hands before eating, quietly sat down to eat their meal, and cleaned up after themself so that we could do the dishes. The kids all sang for us and we got to sit down and play with the toys they had there. It was impressive how well mannered and polited the kids were.
It was a humble learning experience that made me think, put things in perspective and also appreciate how good life is back home. I feel lucky to have been a part of a day at "Home of Good Hope" and will make sure I go back there more time during my stay here in Windhoek.
If anyone want to help out and be a part of such a great project please visit " Home of Good Hope": http://www.homeofgoodhope.org , read about what Monica does and maybe that inspires some of you to make a donation :-)
I also found a video on youtube.com: http://youtu.be/c2iZcKwMza8
Monday, September 15, 2014
Monday 15/09/14... Check out: www.utvekslinginamibia.blogg.no for pics and postings in Norwegians
After a good night sleep and a nice breakfast outdoors we all got in the minivan and W (the driver, caretaker, chef, handyman, host ++++) were taking us to Home Affairs to get our visa situation taken care of....well, we thought we were going there...it seemed like W, due to lack of communication ( I think? ) thought we were going to The Home of Good Hope, a soup kitchen in the poor part of Katutura and was trying to drop us off there. We protested saying we have passports and papers with us ready to deal with our visas...so no chance we were gonna budge from that plan!
So off to Home Affairs we went. A few trip back and forth to different counters, floors, people to talk to and lines to wait in we were told to come back on Wednesday afternoon to pick up our visas...hopefully..
After some bargain shopping and a stop at KFC, we went to buy SIM cards and cellphones...maybe then we could blend in with the locals...lol.. More than 20 grocery bags later and 2 trips in Wayne's "little" car that couldn't fit 9 students and loads of groceries we made it back to the housein order to make dinner. One note for future cooking: have patience...the ovens here takes 3-4 times longer to bake/cook the food. Dinner then became a late night meal, what we Norwegians call "kveldsmat".
The highlight of the kitchen session was when one of the students said to W, in lack of an English word: Thank God you're such a good "kokk"! (meaning chef)...quite a statement that had a totally different meaning and gave us a good laugh :-)
After dinner We got to witness the craziest and brightest lightening ever..it was almost like fireworks. I captured some of it on camera before heading inside. The lighting and thunder became bigger and lounder and as I'm writing this the thunder was so lound and closeby, and it started raining...for the first time since March I was told. Now the rain, thunder and lightening stopped and it's time for me to get some zzzzzzz...
On the schedule for tomorrow is the soupkitchen!
Good night, sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs bite !:-)
So off to Home Affairs we went. A few trip back and forth to different counters, floors, people to talk to and lines to wait in we were told to come back on Wednesday afternoon to pick up our visas...hopefully..
After some bargain shopping and a stop at KFC, we went to buy SIM cards and cellphones...maybe then we could blend in with the locals...lol.. More than 20 grocery bags later and 2 trips in Wayne's "little" car that couldn't fit 9 students and loads of groceries we made it back to the housein order to make dinner. One note for future cooking: have patience...the ovens here takes 3-4 times longer to bake/cook the food. Dinner then became a late night meal, what we Norwegians call "kveldsmat".
The highlight of the kitchen session was when one of the students said to W, in lack of an English word: Thank God you're such a good "kokk"! (meaning chef)...quite a statement that had a totally different meaning and gave us a good laugh :-)
After dinner We got to witness the craziest and brightest lightening ever..it was almost like fireworks. I captured some of it on camera before heading inside. The lighting and thunder became bigger and lounder and as I'm writing this the thunder was so lound and closeby, and it started raining...for the first time since March I was told. Now the rain, thunder and lightening stopped and it's time for me to get some zzzzzzz...
On the schedule for tomorrow is the soupkitchen!
Good night, sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs bite !:-)
Clinical practices in Namibia...
I will be back...and I am :-)
This time I will try to use this as my diary while I am 3 months in Africa as a nursing student doing my clinical practice at Katutura hospital in Windhoek, Namibia. I arrived yesterday after travelling more than 20 hours, stopping in Frankfurt and Johannesburg before arriving in Windhoek. Of course I wouldn't do this journey all alone...but with 8 other students from my school.
So here we are and we did survive our first full day here. Maybe I should say, survived our trip from the airport, on the wrong side of the road..more than once we thought that the car was driving itself since there was no driver in the left frontseat, lol..
So back to Sunday, the day we arrived....We had to sign a paper saying we weren't coming from any countries where they have the Ebola virus before leaving the plane and a lady was standing outside the airport taking our temperature, I think..before letting the passengers enter the airport terminal. The first problem occured when we tried to get through customs when none of us had gotten the visa beforehand. We "barely" made it through getting strict instructions that we had to get our visas taken care of right away. Then thinking we could breath just in order to get stopped with all our hand sanitizers, 14 bottles each...but with some Norwegian charm we got to leave with bottles of leaking "antibac". 2 many big suitcases barely fit in the truck bringing that was taking us to were we're staying for the next few months. Before our first meal here, all 9 students thought it was a good idea that all of us went to the grocerystore to stuck up on food....needless to say that it was a caotic situation when a bunch of Norwegians trying to find items, deciding on what to buy, who is buying while cause "traffic" in the store...kinda stressful and quite a sight for the locals I believe.
But we got what we needed, made dinner and went to bed exhausted after a long journey....
This time I will try to use this as my diary while I am 3 months in Africa as a nursing student doing my clinical practice at Katutura hospital in Windhoek, Namibia. I arrived yesterday after travelling more than 20 hours, stopping in Frankfurt and Johannesburg before arriving in Windhoek. Of course I wouldn't do this journey all alone...but with 8 other students from my school.
So here we are and we did survive our first full day here. Maybe I should say, survived our trip from the airport, on the wrong side of the road..more than once we thought that the car was driving itself since there was no driver in the left frontseat, lol..
So back to Sunday, the day we arrived....We had to sign a paper saying we weren't coming from any countries where they have the Ebola virus before leaving the plane and a lady was standing outside the airport taking our temperature, I think..before letting the passengers enter the airport terminal. The first problem occured when we tried to get through customs when none of us had gotten the visa beforehand. We "barely" made it through getting strict instructions that we had to get our visas taken care of right away. Then thinking we could breath just in order to get stopped with all our hand sanitizers, 14 bottles each...but with some Norwegian charm we got to leave with bottles of leaking "antibac". 2 many big suitcases barely fit in the truck bringing that was taking us to were we're staying for the next few months. Before our first meal here, all 9 students thought it was a good idea that all of us went to the grocerystore to stuck up on food....needless to say that it was a caotic situation when a bunch of Norwegians trying to find items, deciding on what to buy, who is buying while cause "traffic" in the store...kinda stressful and quite a sight for the locals I believe.
But we got what we needed, made dinner and went to bed exhausted after a long journey....
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