Greetings Parents, Friends, & Family,

Well another amazing week in South Africa. Now when asked where we live we answer Rondebosch! We have acclimated to the new community we call home. It has been a phenomenal week of settling in. We have had some amazing days viewing the local history. Last Saturday we visited the wine country for a thorough lesson in the wonderful qualities of South African wine. This was followed by a visit to another winery with the most extensive South African buffet and African dancing and singing. The music is so soulful and full of life. And to top it off the students got the opportunity to pet the cheetahs.

As a group, we attended Sunday church service at the Sivuyile National Baptist Church of Southern Africa. This church is located in the informal housing area, of Khayelitsha, one of the most challenged areas in Capetown. The service was so moving and so full of hope. As guests from America we were honored with refreshments afterwards with the ministers. Of course, the food was delicious: cheese sandwiches, fried chicken, and fried fish served with orange mango juice. Because they have so little, we had feelings of conflict as we tried to enjoy the delicious platters of food.

Afterwards we visited the memorials erected for those who died for freedom on March 3, 1986 and to Amy Biehl. Later in the day we visited two of the hospitals in which students will be interning. The labor and delivery unit had no sheets: the women delivered their babies on the plastic mattresses. The stark differences in health care are overwhelming to all of us. Many individuals — both in the past and present — have made a difference in this community. We hope that, as UConn School of Nursing students and faculty, we will be able to contribute in a small way to make improvements.

In the evening, the students had their second weekly house meeting with Ben. This meeting agenda was setting the house contract as a community. They collectively established the rules of the house, the finances, the house shopping list and their individual assignments. As I sat and listened to their level of maturity, I realized these are the nursing leaders of tomorrow. These are the building blocks they will use to run hospital units and eventually the hospitals of the future.

The next few days we were off as the rain storms here have delayed our plans, thank goodness! We all needed a few days of rest — especially the professor. We have been going non-stop since we got off the plane. The students and I used the days wisely in preparing for our academic semester.

As importantly, we settled into a routine of our community: visiting the university, the gym, internet cafes, post office, grocery stores, and local cafes. It seems the “drink” we need to limit with our nursing students is the “chocochinna” — a hot chocolate with espresso and whipped cream. Some of the students definitely need a cut off limit! lol

On Tuesday we had a Xhosa language lesson with an excellent tutor. This is the African language our patients will appreciate our efforts to learn. It is the local language with 3 different clicking sounds.

On Wednesday, we enjoyed cooking our first community dinner at my apartment. I instructed 3 of the students in cooking a successful meal of spaghetti and meatballs. Others set the table and washed the dishes. We enjoyed watching the movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding movie, but mostly each other’s company. We fit in a maternity class and reviewed our “baby skills.”

This past Friday we visited Robben Island. The history of the island and the oppression of so many are overwhelming. The tour guide had been a political prisoner there during the anti-apartheid movement. We learned about the interlinking of the beliefs of Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Nelson Mandela. It was another emotional experience as our summer reading came alive before our eyes.

            Well again it looks overwhelming on paper what we have achieved in a week! It continues to be winter weather here in Capetown. Spring did not arrive with us. So like our seasons when it can snow in March, it is still in the 50’s, rainy and windy. No beach weather yet, but breaks of sunshine so the students have been out walking or running in groups on the Rondebosch Commons.

            Until next week, goodnight from South Africa……..Lisa-Marie

Lisa-Marie.Griffiths@UConn.edu