I'm really bad at coming up with creative titles.

Sorry its been so long since the last post. Time has gone by faster than I thought! Tuesday was pretty uneventful, we just did rounds and OPD (out patient department). Wednesday we went out to a rural clinic with a couple nurses from the ART clinic. ART stands for Antiretroviral Treatment, which is for HIV+ individuals. Originally we were going to be with a doctor, but that day the ART clinic at our hospital was understaffed due to a family emergency, so only the nurses went. We were told they leave at 8:30, but we didn't actually leave until 10:30. Then we had an hour drive there, half of which was on a rocky dirt road. It was nice to see the country side but I was again thankful I had taken Dramimine because it was a rough ride. Once we got there we observed their encounters with about 6 patients for management or initiation of medications. And then we drove back home. I took pictures during the drive and attempted to capture what some of the roads were like.

The small road you see in this picture is what we had just driven on, we were mounting a hill at the moment so it gave me a chance for a good shot.

This is also a shot taken after we had just driven over it. This bridge/dam was nice compared to others. The one below isn't very good because we were bouncing around and there was something on the dashboard reflecting on the window, but it puts the size into perspective. 

On our drive back we passed a lot of police officers, then several officers on motorcycles flagged us to pull over. A large caravan of nearly 30 vehicles drove by us, and the nurses we were with told us it was the King of Swaziland on his way to one of his residences. It was pretty cool to see. We got back to the hospital at about 2 so we quickly grabbed lunch then spent the rest of the day in OPD. That evening we decided to go to a restaurant at the mall and eat burgers with Zakhle and another friend Sandile (we were getting tired of chicken and rice all the time!) They were good, but they're better in the states of course. Also, the fries, aka "chips," made here are always soggy with grease so I don't recommend them! But we still had a good time hanging out with them. They are helping us alot with learning SiSwati!

Yesterday we went on another rural clinic visit, this time with an ART doctor. (We later found out that her grandfather is the brother of the King!) This clinic wasn't as far away and the whole drive was on paved roads. We again saw about 6 patients, but we finally got to do something instead of just watching! We took turns doing a short physical exam on patients being initiated on ARVs(antiretrovirals). One of the nurses showed me a sign on the side of the clinic and explained to me that most of the clinics they go to are funded by the United States. It made me feel like I had a greater connection to this place and the organizations now that I've been to these clinics. After coming back to the hospital, we spent a little time in the TB clinic with Dr Costa, but it was slow so he let us go early. On thursdays in Manzini they have a craft market that goes all day long so we decided to check it out. They had tons of goodies for really cheap! I bought way more than I intended to! But most of these will be gifts when I come back :) I think my favorite things to see in the market were artwork (which makes up most of what I bought). I can't wait to frame some for display at mine and Brant's future home!

Anyway, today has been pretty normal. Rounds in the morning and then OPD in the afternoon. We are getting ready to going to go eat with Zakhle, Sandile, and other friends tonight, and while there plan out our weekend. We are probably going to a game park for a safari! I'm pretty excited :)

Thanks for reading my blog! Have a good weekend!