Wide eyed, tired, they
file out of the airport doors. Twenty (yup all twenty, we sigh with relief),
with all forty bags (second sigh of relief) and everyone manages a smile. These
intrepid young women are about to embark on a journey unlike anything they have
experienced in their nursing education.
What a journey it is,
both physically and mentally. As instructors we know that each of them will
travel differently, and at this point in the journey we too wonder how it will
be for them. What will they need from us that will support and facilitate this
journey? What do they have within them that will help them survive the bumps in
the road, and still enjoy the scenery?
We start our actual
journey at the bus depot in Lusaka. A teeming, noisy, pushy confusing maze of
people and buses, with twenty three sweaty pink women trying to be
inconspicuous and politely (we are Canadian) fend off offers of marriage,
sellers of all manner of goods, and the occasional rude remark. With a final
sermon and prayer, we begin the ride which will take us to Mongu. “When will we get there?” they ask. The real answer is “We don’t know” but that seems slightly depressing so we
say “about 1600ish” and cross our fingers. We arrive 10 hours
later, having survived rain soaked bumpy roads, questionable bathrooms, a
symphony of smells, sounds and sights. The landscape is one of ever changing
trees, huts, and people everywhere.
Two days later, we are
preparing to start practice, the women are making their new abode into a home,
and everyone has ventured into the small town in which we will spend the next
five weeks. They are healthy (a third sigh of relief) and should feel proud of
how they are already absorbing this new reality. We are off to watch the
Zambian ‘Under Twenty’ football team play in the African World
Cup finals, a very important cultural event.
All of you parents and
significant others, friends and family should also be proud of your travelling
nurse. They will continue to need your support and love on their journey.
Stay tuned…
Fay Karp, one of the ‘tour’ directors and fellow traveler
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