The ART of saying goodbye

After another lovely week in the ART clinic, we are very sad to say our goodbyes. The nursing staff has made us feel so welcome and involved and we are honoured to share the nursing profession with some fantastic men and women. 

We started the week off with paediatric patients on Tuesday which was a very uplifting day, given the circumstances. We were invited by the staff to play with the children and we happily accepted the offer, not really knowing what to expect. All of the children were asked to join us in a circle, where we soon found out that dancing was the first thing on the agenda. We have never felt more like "makuwas" aka white people in our lives. The dancing commonly seen here involves a lot of hip movements, which is especially hard in loose fitting scrub pants. Unsurprisingly, it's a lot harder to "get low" when you're constantly pulling them up. There was a lot of laughter and smiles from the children and parents, and we're still not sure if they were laughing with us or at us. Nevertheless, it was fun to dance and play with the kids even if the laughter was at our expense. 

Another incredible part of our week was when we had the opportunity to work in counselling, where HIV testing is done. This time around, the counsellors let us perform the test that determines whether or not a person has HIV. We got to be apart of some very heartfelt and emotional conversations around HIV status and what that means to a person. The counsellors and nurses alike work very hard to break down barriers and end the stigma around HIV. In all of the conversations we witnessed, you could see how much thought the nurses and counsellors put into the care they provide.

From a Canadian nurses' perspective, we tend to look at healthcare from a very clinical and medical standpoint. Since being in Mongu, we've noticed that the nurses and staff here take a more relational approach to nursing care. It's something that has really resonated with us, and is something we will incorporate into our practice back home. Although we've only spent two weeks in the ART clinic, we have created great relationships and friendships with the staff there. 

On our last day, we asked if we could have a group photo which once again, resulted in laughter at our expense. The doctor who took the photo ended up taking around 80 pictures, which made for an entertaining morning trying to find the best one. Our facial expressions in the photos range from unimpressed to having the time of our lives. We came into ART having no expectations and we are now leaving the clinic with bittersweet feelings. At times the ART clinic was a lot of fun, but this wasn't without some sadness as well. We learned so much from our two weeks there and hope that we made as much as a difference for them as they made for us. 

Laura and Jill :)