Princess Marina
My first full day on the wards felt like a dunk in cold water. I knew I would feel useless, and boy did I live up to expectation. The infrastructure…
Dumela Botswana
The more I learn about health inequality, the more I realize that the underpinning of inequality is tied to imperfect social structures, infrastructure deficits, and issues of governance. I could…
All is Well That Ends With a Well
Despite having felt like I had been in Kyangwali for weeks, we had come up on Friday, the last day of the mission. Arriving at Health Centre IV, Alex and…
The Roots of a Weed
Roosters and rain signaled another day. Sleepy heads flowed into the dining area for breakfast, and before long I found myself again in the surgical tent with an ultrasound probe…
The Luckiest Man in the World
By this time we had established our workflow, so in the morning after breakfast Alex and I, The Butterfly Boys, joined the surgical team for pre-op evaluations. In the meantime,…
Women and Children
Throughout the morning of scanning pre-op patients, I had scurried off to the obstetrics tent more than once, checking in to start our ultrasound teaching. At 845 they told me…
The Kyangwalinoma
I was slow to wake on the morning of our second day. This was partially by design, as I was starting to think our departure times of 730 were wishful…
Road Trippin
The drive to Kyangwali was relatively uneventful, although there was a palpable buzz as we packed our bags onto our two green vans. Flooding necessitated a detour that took longer…
A New Start
Well here we are. It’s been around a year since my last humanitarian project. Thinking back to who I was then, and who I am now, it’s hard to say…