It is hard to believe that I have been in Africa now for almost 5 months - Some days it seems like a lifetime and other times just yesterday. Overall, I am doing well -
School is in full swing - and extremely challenging - The biggest challenge is the number of students and the wide variety in their skills. As I have told you - the students have very little supervision or instruction on the clinical wards - of which they spend about 4 days a week. Since this seems to be the greatest need, my goal is to spend time with each student mainly on the clinical wards. I have 22 - 3rd year Diploma students on three wards, the Eye Ward, Oncology and Male Orthopedics. That is only one group of students - there are also 13 students who are in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Education program of which most have some experience as nurses, having completed a Diploma program, however there are 7 students who have had no experience as nurses. It is a challenge to find the best way to accomplish effective learning for each group of students. For the students to see me come to see them on the wards is a big step; their attendance is even improving. Over the past few weeks, I have been able to spend about 30 minutes with each student. They introduce me to their patient and we will discuss the nursing care plan they have prepared and priorities in nursing care for that patient. Most of the patient's are very sick...and believe me I have seen things there that I only previously saw in textbooks. It is all very interesting - and everynight I am on the internet finding out something I didn't know.
Often I find myself thinking - this is not how to do things - especially when it comes to student learning - but I am reminded that I was invited here as a guest - and it is not my job to rearrange "the furniture in their house". At some point I hope to have gained enough credibility that they may ask me what I think - and then will be my opportunity.
Apart from being very busy with school - I have found time to enjoy Tanzania and my ongoing adventure here. The first part of November I went on my first safari to the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. It was a 3 day, 2 night camping safari - where we stayed in a tent; one night in the Serengeti and one night on the rim of the crater.
The following weekend, was graduation for the Catholic University for Health and Allied Science which includes the school of Medicine, Pharmacy, Laboratory Sciences, Public Health, and Nursing. My colleage, Linda and I were decked out in full graduation regalia.
Since my last posting I have moved into my permanent housing while here in Mwanza. It is about a 5 minute walk from the hospital and many of the faculty are my neighbors. They call them the "chicken houses" - and hard to know why - they sort of look like "chicken coops" but then there is the story that when they were built the nursing students lived in them. Everyone knows where they are - they have big numbers on the front - (mine is #18) and I have two bedrooms and a bath - small but adequate kitchen - and fully furnished with actually "brand new" furniture. My housing is provided by Bugando Medical Center. I have great neighbors very close - and we eat together about 2-3 times a week.
The two Swedish nursing students came one night for dinner and made Swedish Meatballs and I had 6 of the 3rd year Diploma nursing students for dinner...all with one frying pan and one pot. It is amazing what you can do with so little. I'm loving it.
December 1st was International AID's day and there was a candlelight walk at the Baylor Center for Excellence across the street from Bugando. Baylor College of Medicine has a center here in Mwanza that treats only children (up to 18) with HIV. It was a fun event - although sobering as to how Africa has been affected by HIV/AID's. Now with continual anti-viral medications - many of these children are thriving and have the potential of living productive lives.
Although the work is challenging and there are days I don't know where to even begin - I try to set priorities and continally be flexible. I can't begin to tell you how many times I thought a class was going to be taught or students were going to be in a certain place at a certain time only to find out minutes or hours before that it had been changed. If you are someone who wants a set schedule then this is not the place for you - It requires alot of flexibility. The students also seem very used to the uncertainty of most everything in their lives. I just say Karibu Tanzania and take a big deep breath.
I am enjoying working with the faculty - and they seem to be warming up to me. I have a "counterpart" here who is the Principle of the Nursing School, Annastazia Pole or Mama Pole as she is referred to. She is amazing - and really a mover and shaker of nursing in Tanzania. She is very busy - and often will work into the night preparing for a meeting. She travels frequently to Dar to meet with the Ministry of Health and has been responsible for much of the standardized curriculum development among the nursing schools in Tanzania. It is truly an honor to work with her. A couple of weeks ago, she found time in her schedule to take a few of us including two visiting nursing teachers from Holsohogskolan Jonkoping University in Sweden, out to her village, Bukumbi. There we visited a small privately run hospital, a certificate nursing school and then had lunch in her village home.
I am enjoying working with the faculty - and they seem to be warming up to me. I have a "counterpart" here who is the Principle of the Nursing School, Annastazia Pole or Mama Pole as she is referred to. She is amazing - and really a mover and shaker of nursing in Tanzania. She is very busy - and often will work into the night preparing for a meeting. She travels frequently to Dar to meet with the Ministry of Health and has been responsible for much of the standardized curriculum development among the nursing schools in Tanzania. It is truly an honor to work with her. A couple of weeks ago, she found time in her schedule to take a few of us including two visiting nursing teachers from Holsohogskolan Jonkoping University in Sweden, out to her village, Bukumbi. There we visited a small privately run hospital, a certificate nursing school and then had lunch in her village home.
The students will be on a break now until January 6th. I will be here for most of the break and then on December 26th I will go to Madagascar for one week, meeting a colleage who is teaching in Dodoma at Mirembe School of Nursing. She is also with SEED Global Health. It should be another chapter in my ongoing African adventure.
I wish you all peaceful holidays and a very Happy New Year.
Salama (Be Peaceful) - Dorothy
