Picture Perfect Beaches

On Friday, we went to Prison Island. It had been built as a quarantine station back in the 1800s. This island is famous for tortoises. We got to feed them and they are massive. The beach was gorgeous but sadly I couldn't go swimming. On our way to meet our friends to get on the boat, I cut my toes open. I hit my foot on a metal roof and thought I just stubbed it. I looked down and my flip flop was filled with a puddle of blood. I managed to cut my two little toes. I think it definitely could have used a suture or two. Needless to say I was glad to have the hemostat gauze my mother suggested I bring. I wrapped up my toes after cleaning with some "local water" and went off to the beach. Thankfully now it is healing and I have avoided infection. First thought was thank god my Tetanus shot is up to date.

Then on Saturday we left for a little town on the east coast called Paje. It was very relaxing. It was on the Indian Ocean. The water was warm and crystal clear and sand as white as in FWB. There were hardly any people out there just locals who make their living off of collecting seaweed. The tides are very dramatic. Normally when the tide varies by about 1 kilometer. When we where there it was much less as it is a full moon I think but it was shallow as far as we could see at low tide. Locals were walking out and it was only about knee deep as far as you could see. The cabanas we stayed in only had two beds with mosquito nets a fan and sand floors. It was perfect. The place is run by Germans and only has 8 cabanas. The ride there was quite the experience as are most things here. It took about 2 hours (51 kilometers) and we rode in what is called the dahladalaha. These are basically a truck bed with a metal roof on top with rows of wooden seats inside. It gets jam packed with people and just when you think it is full they throw someone else in. I counted 32 at one point. I am thankful that I am not claustrophobic.  Luckily, we got a ride back into town in a friend of our roommates.

The hospital continues to be very interesting and frustrating at the same time. We came in for rounds on Friday morning and the room we store our bags in while working is supposed to be the ICU but it isn't really used as this since they have no resources for it. We saw this little kid about 2 years old lying on the bed. He was grunting and appeared to be very ill. I assessed him and then we went to ask our attending what was going on with him and if anyone had seen him. Nope. He was admitted about midnight for "asthma" and treated with oxygen and bronchodilator. He was never given more or reassessed. We (me, Kiron and the med student) started to attempt to put an IV in this kid but had nothing to do it. Apparently they have to buy the materials from the pharmacy and then use them and the pharm was closed overnight. Long, long story short. He died later that afternoon. He is the second one of our patients to pass during rounds. The other was a 21 day old with severe dehydration who wasn't even on IVF when we saw him on rounds. We have initiated taking vitals on rounds starting today. They don't do them at all here. Sad that that is something you can easily do with few resources and they don't even make use of it. Makes me so thankful for what we have. God help me if I get sick here....

We just booked a Safari trip for the weekend. We will be going to Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara. I am super excited and can't wait! Things at the apartment are good. Our water situation seems to have stabilized the last few days as well as the power. Just thankful for the little things. I am writing this from the hospital library which does have internet.