Africa Video

Click the link :) Type in the password: Niger2012 (case sensitive). Give the video a chance to load. Make it full screen... it's cooler that way. Enjoy!

It's about a 30 minute video, feel free to watch all, part or none!

Would love to hear what y'all think (I'm so southern) - you can leave a comment on here or on the video site. 

Kaitlin's African Adventure

Clarksville Cowgirl

So I just looked back at my last entry... It was when I had 7 weeks left..... I only have 3 weeks left now and I am wondering where the time went!!! My experience here has been wonderful. I am working a full caseload at work and although sometimes I feel like I'm running around with my head cut off, I have really enjoyed the challenge. I have learned a lot and have gotten some great experience., especially in Women's Health. The owner of the clinic I'm at is also the women's health therapist and she is awesome! I can see myself in her shoes in 5-10 years. 

I have really missed home too. It's been almost 10 months since I have been a nomad and really miss the stability of being home and especially around Kyle & Dexter. I mean... how can you not miss this puppy?!

Although I miss Kyle, he has been busy with soccer and I have been so busy here with studying, cooking and hanging out with Sonda, Keith, Melissa, Landon and their boys Zachary and Philip. They have really been so kind and giving. They have opened up their home to me and have made me feel very comfortable and like an adopted family member :) I have been exploring the cooking world and have tried out some recipes on Sonda. She has really enjoyed it and I have enjoyed being able to give back to them just a small amount. 

Today, I played Lego's with the grand kids for like an hour. Zachary is on the left and Philip on the right. Cutie pies to say the least. 

This past weekend, they took me to the Grand Ol Opry and it was AMAZING!!! We sat in the front row. AND Sonda let me borrow a pair of her cowboy boots so I felt really country :)  I never knew the Grand Ol Opry was also a live radio broadcast! So they have multiple artists with commercial breaks and sponsors and a guy reading all the radio lines. It was so much fun. There were no 'big name' country music artists there that night, but we got to see Thomas Rhett (who I believe will soon be a big name.. he was good), Billy Gillman, Mallory Hope (another soon to be big name), Little Jimmy Dickens and more that I don't know. It was kind of cool because it was a mixture of new and old country. Sonda made a comment during the show about how much country music has changed. You really got a sense of that last night because it was old and new right after each other. 

Last weekend, Sonda and Keith took me to this hole-in-the-wall Korean food restaurant and to prove it was a hole-in-the-wall, I don't even know the name of the place haha. Anyway, the food was absolutely delicious. They BBQ the food in front of you and then bring you pickled sides like kimchi and other spicy things (haha) and then you make lettuce wraps with the meat, sides and rice. I told them Kyle would be jealous we were there. He was!

I have met a few dog friends since I've been here. Missy (my CI) has a HUGE American Mastiff named Midget (hehe) and he is adorable! He weighs like 150 pounds and is such a cute puppy. He runs and the whole floor shakes. He also doesn't stop moving so I didn't get a good pic of him. But you can kind of get an idea of how big he is based on this picture. But when you see him... standing up his head comes up to my belly button.

The other dog is Piper. Missy set me up to help one of her friends with her dog while she went out of town. She is a yellow lab and whippet mix. a-dorable. She's super fast and sheds EVERYWHERE! Mom, you would not have approved, but she rode in the car. But don't worry I vacuumed up all the hair! 

Saw this truck and thought of my Dad,  Uncle Rob and Aunt Deb.  GO DETROIT!!! Couldn't believe such a die hard lived in Clarksville, TN of all places. But, I'm loving the loyalty :)

 I am really excited to be coming home in 3 weeks. And can't believe I graduate in 4 weeks. I am ready to be back near my family, Kyle, Dexter and enjoy my time until I have to enter the real world!

who knew tying a shoe lace could be so tough

after spending at least 15 minutes trying to re-tie the lace on my slippers, i could finally update my blog.

this past week was really fun! I am working at about 75% case load in the clinic and am LOVING it! next week marks my half way point for this last internship and i am only 7 weeks away from graduating.

i have been living on an extreme(ly small) budget so i have to be creative when it comes to cooking and meals. i have been scavenging the buy one get one deals at the grocery stores here and have done quite well if i do say so myself. i have made apple chips, pita chips and homemade hummus, tex mex quinoa, lentil soup, bean salad, green salads and protein shakes. it has been fun to explore in the kitchen and i am really enjoying cooking. i can't wait until i have some money to buy better ingredients.

i am also super pumped about going on vacation in the beginning of july! i will be joining the altman's on a caribbean cruise. i have never been on a cruise before and can't wait to go.

i went home last weekend (thanks to elena for getting me a cheap flight) to help my friend clare celebrate her bachelorette party. it was soooo much fun. i have never seen her so happy. it was a short trip but no value can be placed on the experience. i probably wont make it home anymore until june 8th when i will begin my trek back home to graduate.

i have really enjoyed getting to know missy (my clinical instructor) more. she is a lot of fun and we get a long well. we have hung out every weekend i have been here. this past saturday we drove down to nashville because she wanted to go to the mall down there. we ate a her favorite lunch spot which was a little hole in the wall cafe called cafe coco. it was delicious. then she wanted to get her wedding rings cleaned at Tiffany and Co. i have never been in there before and felt very luxurious haha. they gave out free chocolate. so that was my first thing from Tiffany's. i also got to freak kyle out by telling him i was there... hahaha it was awesome. then i helped missy pick out an outfit for her maternity pictures. it was a lot of fun.

the weather down here is great. 80 and sunny almost every day. it is supposed to rain a little this week but the highs are still 75 or more! i love the south!

My New Favorite Place In Clarksville

Dunbar Cave

Why do I like it so much?

1. It's 5 minutes away from where I live

2. It has 3 different trails to walk through

3. It's beautiful

4. I just like it ok!

My run today was awesome! There is tons of wildlife in the woods... squirrels, cardinals, rabbits, ducks, waterfowl etc. It was fun to hike through the hilly terrain, attempting to jog up most hills but man were my legs burning.

There are tons of military guys running through the trails with weighted vests on, preparing for fitness tests or training for different units. Everyone here is so nice and friendly. I definitely believe in Minnesota nice, but there is a huge difference between MN nice and Southern nice. Minnesota nice to me is a little passive aggressive and forced at times. Southern nice is... let's have an hour long conversation about dog parks at the grocery store on a Sunday afternoon because we can.

I plan on spending more time at this cave and many other State Parks in TN! Oh! The cave itself has been closed for the past 3 or so years because they found bats with some gross disease... ick.

Clarksville

Since returning from Africa, my life has not slowed down at all. Less than 24 hours after I got back, my mom and I packed up the car and started our 13 hour road trip to Clarskville, Tennessee where I will reside for 11 weeks. Upon arriving, I was greeted by Sonda and Keith, who graciously have opened their home to me during my stay here. We ate dinner and then they showed me around the city. Their home is beautiful and I am excited that they live 4 miles away from the clinic!

My Room

Clarksville is actually Tennessee's fifth largest city and home of Fort Cambell which makes Clarskville very diverse, so being Minnesotan isn't so bad here! It is a very large Military community, which has actually been really fun for me to experience. I have learned a lot about the military, the lingo, the support, the traveling etc. People here are wonderful. I have fallen in love with the southern accent and their little things they say like "I'm fixin to finish my garden today" or "I reckon that's true" or "The pain ran plum up the back of my leg" 


The clinic I am at is called High Pointe Rehab and it has been my favorite internship thus far. My clinical instructors name is Missy and she graduated from the University of Minnesota as well in 2007. She is awesome. Her husband is in the Military and is currently gone so her and I have hung out a few times. We went to see Hunger Games, went hiking and gone out to eat. It's been nice to have a buddy to hang out with. She has also been an awesome CI! She does a great job of teaching a letting me learn through experience. High Pointe creates a great learning environment and I am excited about my last 8 weeks here. Oh! Missy also has an adorable GIANT puppy. He is an American Mastiff and at 11 months he weighs 135lbs. He is so cute! I offered to babysit him when Missy goes to visit her husband!

At the Macy's display in Downtown, MPLS

I got to go home for Easter and see my family (minus Ashley) and Kyle and his parents and brother Kelly who was also in town. Kyle had their first game of the season with the MN Stars FC. It was at the Metrodome so that was fun! Then we had his family over for Easter dinner on Sunday. I had to leave on Sunday night back to Tennessee. It was a short but really fun trip!

The tucan is made completely of flowers!! 

This week, I will be applying for jobs! AHHHHH I can't believe I graduate in 9 weeks. It's just so crazy. I'm really ready to be a grown up and start being more independent.

The Miracle Tree

I was restless last night because I had finished the second book of The Hunger Games and it was a cliff hanger. I was seriously debating starting the third book but talked myself out of it in interest of resting for another busy day.

Alison and I were able to text a bit last night. She and Pam (wound care PT) are experimenting using the Neem tree for wound care here since it is so readily available to the people. Hopefully it works!

This morning, Greg and I started our day at the SIM Hospital again. We were on our own because Barna (OT in training, native Nigerian) worked the night guard shift last night. So, no interpreter! We actually faired quite well. I think it's because the patients know us well and Greg and I can give a pretty mean demonstration... Ok not really. It usually took us about 3 minutes to get our point across but the people here are smart, patient, hard workers and good listeners. It's fun to work with the patients on the ward. They all love getting the chance to get up out of bed and the entire room stops what they are doing to watch and help however possible. They all act as a family here. Everyone is so appreciative too.

After working on the ward, it was time for our mid morning break. We walked back to the guest house and relaxed for a bit. I can really get used to this mod morning break thing!!! Then we observed on the clinic. I was interested in observing with the pediatric patients so I popped my head in there to find Mark (short term mission dr) working with and adorable 5 year old boy with a swollen belly. Mark determined through a sonogram, a good subjective history and palpating that it was most likely schistomiasis.  Unfortunately, here they do not have the resources to test for all possibilities so it's often a very educated guess. Anyway, schistomiasis is a water born parasitic disease carried my snails. It is really only prevalent in Africa and of course the most in Niger. It is the second leading socioeconomically devastating parasitic disease in the world, behind malaria- which is also very prevalent here. Mortality is low, but can cause developmental delay in children if left untreated with simple antibiotics. The swollen belly is due to an enlarged spleen and liver which occurs in kids with schisto.

Mark also took me out to the CREN (center for rehabilitation education and nutrition). When mothers bring their children into the clinic and they are severely malnourished, between the ages 1-5, and the mother is willing - usually takes significant persuasion- the mother and baby move into the CREN. It is essentially a village on the hospital compound. During the free 2 week stay, the babies are given plumply nut, a super nutritious peanut butter type paste stuff and formula 2x per day. The women are educated on how to properly nourish their children and are taught about the miracle tree. The moringa tree is a drought resistant tree that flourishes in tropical settings... Exactly where it is needed. It is packed with an extreme amount of nutrients including 4x the amount of vitamin A than in carrots (preventing blindness), iron, potassium and so many other nutrients that support a healthy immune system. These trees also come into full leaf soon after the dry season has ended which is right when many other food sources become scarce! Talk about God providing!! It seems the biggest barrier to these tress really making a difference is education on identifying the tree and what to do with it once you do ID it. Hopefully, these women will go back to their villages and educate.

We returned from the CREN at 1pm so it was time for lunch. I was tempted to walk to the co-op and get some cookies, but I didn't ... I got them later though of course! At 3pm we ran into Deb Berutti, the OT that works here. She had been out of town. Now that she is back she can really direct us where we are needed! We will start with her on Monday!

We headed back to the ward to see our patients again, but everyone seemed tired this afternoon. I don't really blame them though, I would be tired after a week of two-a-days of PT after being on bed rest while healing. That's another thing I've noticed here. Patients dont move a lot throughout the day. But I guess I wouldn't if it was 100 degrees outside too.

For dinner we brought a taste of the states to Niger. We had burgers and Pringles. :) I also tried making my first ever batch of homemade yogurt. We will see how it turns out. Colleen, a long term missionary just passing through Galmi with her family taught me how to do it. I'm excited to see how it turns out! I'll keep you posted!!

Miss you all,

Kaitlin

Since Monday

On Monday, Greg and I flew from Danja to Galmi on a little three seater plane. At first I was a little nervous, but once I saw the plane and that it was in good shape and the pilot was Canadian I felt a lot better. I got to sit in the co pilots chair. The president of Niger was in Maradi, to dedicate a marketplace, so his plane was also on the tarmack where our plane was. We pretty much could just walk up to his plane. There was a huge crowd of people out to see him but it felt like we were celebrities and they were there to see us :)

It was cool to see the country of Niger from and aerial view. It's pretty much all sand with the occasional random village in the middle of nowhere. I wonder how those people survive. It probably would take them a day to travel to a market. When we landed we were greeted by a handful of missionaries working here in Galmi.

Galmi is actually a very small town. It was given to the Nigerians a long time ago by the French who thought it was essentially a huge rock and the people would never survive. But, the people found water and the town ha really expanded.

The hospital is run by SIM (service in mission) a Christian non profit organization. It is actually fairly big and they are rebuilding the old hospital because it was not built well enough to withstand renovations. It was made of clay with a little bit of cement on top. And with the rainy seasons here, there isn't much hope for it to survive he renovations. The new building is gorgeous so far. They are only done with one wing and it hasn't opened yet but it will be really nice. Much more sanitary too!

The PT patients we will see here will be more acute patients (recent injuries/admission) and trauma patients. And let me tell you, trauma patients here are extremely different than trauma patients in the states. Not only that but they dont always come get health care right away so it adds a layer of complexity to the diagnosis.

To help you understand the trauma, I have been able to sit in with some of the doctors during their outpatient clinic hours and wow do they see a lot of things. A boy with and open fracture of the tibia and fibula (shin bone) because a wall of a house fell on him, a kid who's foot got degloved (skin ripped off) because he was sitting on a curb and a car ran over him, a guy who upset a bull and got rammed in the bum, horrible car accidents with multiple injuries because no seat belts are worn or they were on a motor bike... You name it.

On Tuesday I was actually able to observe 3 surgeries with Dr. Joe. And appendectomy, the guy with the bull horn hole and the little boy with the open fracture. Dr Joe said surgeries here are at about where they were in the states during the 50s. They just don't have the resources to perform the most high tech surgeries as in the states. They also don't have enough tests here to truly determine what is going on so they often find out once they get in there.  It is a good challenge for the doctors.

Today, Wednesday, I spent most of the day observing in the clinic with Esther, a missionary, and Lisa, a third year med student. THey worked in the OB/GYN clinic. It was really interesting to see how they view pregnancy here. Often times the women are pressured into getting pregnant especially if they have a co-wife and he is also pregnant. And, they place a lot of worth for these women based on if they can get pregnant or not. It is really sad for these women.


Anyway, it has still been a great experience, however your prayers are super crucial now that I am more in my own... Without Alison. Please keep the people of Niger in your prayers, they are wonderful people.

Sai Angema (cya later in Hausa)

Love,

Kaitlin