New Beginnings, Endings, and Everything in Between

Well our time here in Mongu is coming to a close and I (Alexa) want to catch you up with what I have been up to for the past week. I was so glad to spend my last full week of clinical on the labour and delivery ward of Lewanika General Hospital. I don't think I have ever had my hand squeezed as tightly as by a labouring mother, but it was worth every minute.

I am impressed with the resiliency of the women here, as they labour without any pain medications and often without a support person in the room as is typical in Canada. I was happy to have the opportunity to act as a support person for some of these women by holding hands and rubbing backs. Of course, nothing beats seeing the tiny wrinkled face and first breaths of the newborn when it is over and seeing the smiles of the new mothers.

Cierra, Kristen, and I in the delivery room

On Monday, I spent the day with the Save a Life Centre doing home visits with one of the workers to check in on children with a history of malnutrition. Doing this granted me an inside look at the living conditions of some of the Mongu residents and the challenges that they face every day. I was relieved to hear that all of the children we visited were showing signs of improved health.

The view from the Save a Life Clinic

That brings us to today-our last day in Mongu and I have been doing a lot of reflecting on this experience. It has been hard. I have cried. I have wanted to scream with frustration from the lack of resources and occasionally I have craved the familiarity of the Canadian health care system. Every once in a while a moment comes along that makes dealing with those feelings worth it. In the first week when I found it upsetting to see a young boy so sick with malaria that he was unconscious, one of the workers at the Limulunga clinic gave me a Lozi name- Inonge, which means strong. When I saw very sick children on the children's ward and tried to help comfort a child as she screamed through her dressing change, I later got to play with the kids and make connections with them despite the language barrier. It is an emotional roller coaster of highs and lows trying to adjust to spending a prolonged period of time in a foreign country, but this experience has changed my view of the world, myself, and the things we take for granted in Canada.

I have met a lot of great people here and saying goodbye is hard. The time here went by so fast that sometimes it feels like we have only been here for a week, not a month and it makes me sad to think about leaving tomorrow to head to Livingstone to see Victoria Falls. I am very excited to see the falls and then continue on with my travels in Europe, but I will miss Mongu and the people I have met here more than I can express.

Thank you all for following along and sharing our journey.

-Alexa

The sunset over the Barotse Floodplain