Ryan reflects on time in CPT

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about leaving Cape Town to head back to my routine life in the states. Hearing everyone’s sad feelings about leaving and happy ones of returning to friends and family really made me reflect on my own. Right now with 7 days left until the end of our program, I feel devastated that the time of three and a half months flew by like it was nothing and that many of us are so eager to get home. What’s most saddening is that I know the post-trip depression for me is going to be much worse than any feelings I have or had of missing home, and once I’m there, I’ll be wishing that it was January 12^th again when we all met at JFK airport and departed for an experience of a life time together. I can specifically recall feelings of uncertainty among us the day we arrived of not knowing what to expect, how living with one another is going to work out, and how our internships are going to be. Now I can say that we are all very accustomed to life here and that this program has surpassed every expectation we had from stories told to us.

Ryan with his peer educators

Although my time in South Africa is not up yet as I wait for the rest of my family to arrive on May 11^th so that we can explore the country together until the 27^th, I still feel a sense of pre-departure depression because staying here will be much different after bidding farewell to the majority of the group on Monday. The bond formed between us is similar to a bond between siblings. We are all unique and come from different backgrounds and disciplines in which many would not have met unless coming to Cape Town. While conflicts were bound to happen between us, we are constantly reminded through our studies and why we are here to respect and accept each other for who they are and our differences. A quote that Marita uses in class seemed to sum up an important lesson that I have learned through communal living “it’s not our differences that separate us but our failure to accept and appreciate them”. It is this sense of unity that will make it so difficult for me to say goodbye on April 30^th and me to continue as I watch my peer-educators leave for home.

MK, Ryan & Dan at top of Devil's Peak

What will also be difficult is saying goodbye to all of the people met and friendships formed here. From saying farewell to the Tafelsig Clinic staff I work with, to Vernon Rose who has coordinated our amazing internships, this will be one of the hardest parts due to the fact that I do not know when I will be able to return and meet again. I got a taste of this last Wednesday when I had to say goodbye to Sister Shervon at Lentegeur Clinic who has helped me out a lot with my activist project by taking me on home visits. I plan on savoring every last minute of this week anticipating the final banquet dinner on Wednesday evening to say thank you to all of our internship hosts and supervisors, final classes, and the Cape Town Ajax vs. Orlando Pirates game on Friday to conclude our program. Yesterday, Dan, MK, and I hiked up Devil’s Peak to strike it off as last on our list of things to do. At the top, we realized that there was nothing left to do but to reflect. We took a few videos at the peak speaking briefly about what the program meant to us and came to a conclusion that we made the best our time here and that being in Cape Town has easily been the best experience of our lives.

It’s been an incredible experience that I know none of us will forget but for me has really become a part of my future life. Cape Town is somewhere that I can truly see myself living in someday. I have already begun looking into returning to the University of Cape Town to study for a post-graduate degree and will return home with the goal of coming back as soon as possible. 

Amariliz & Ryan with supervisors from Tafelsig Clinic

Ryan's already anticipating his return

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about leaving Cape Town to head back to my routine life in the states. Hearing everyone’s sad feelings about leaving and happy ones of returning to friends and family really made me reflect on my own. Right now with 7 days left until the end of our program, I feel devastated that the time of three and a half months flew by like it was nothing and that many of us are so eager to get home. What’s most saddening is that I know the post-trip depression for me is going to be much worse than any feelings I have or had of missing home, and once I’m there, I’ll be wishing that it was January 12^th again when we all met at JFK airport and departed for an experience of a life time together. I can specifically recall feelings of uncertainty among us the day we arrived of not knowing what to expect, how living with one another is going to work out, and how our internships are going to be. Now I can say that we are all very accustomed to life here and that this program has surpassed every expectation we had from stories told to us.

Although my time in South Africa is not up yet as I wait for the rest of my family to arrive on May 11^th so that we can explore the country together until the 27^th, I still feel a sense of pre-departure depression because staying here will be much different after bidding farewell to the majority of the group on Monday. The bond formed between us is similar to a bond between siblings. We are all unique and come from different backgrounds and disciplines in which many would not have met unless coming to Cape Town. While conflicts were bound to happen between us, we are constantly reminded through our studies and why we are here to respect and accept each other for who they are and our differences. A quote that Marita uses in class seemed to sum up an important lesson that I have learned through communal living “it’s not our differences that separate us but our failure to accept and appreciate them”. It is this sense of unity that will make it so difficult for me to say goodbye on April 30^th and me to continue as I watch my peer-educators leave for home.

What will also be difficult is saying goodbye to all of the people met and friendships formed here. From saying farewell to the Tafelsig Clinic staff I work with, to Vernon Rose who has coordinated our amazing internships, this will be one of the hardest parts due to the fact that I do not know when I will be able to return and meet again. I got a taste of this last Wednesday when I had to say goodbye to Sister Shervon at Lentegeur Clinic who has helped me out a lot with my activist project by taking me on home visits. I plan on savoring every last minute of this week anticipating the final banquet dinner on Wednesday evening to say thank you to all of our internship hosts and supervisors, final classes, and the Cape Town Ajax vs. Orlando Pirates game on Friday to conclude our program. Yesterday, Dan, MK, and I hiked up Devil’s Peak to strike it off as last on our list of things to do. At the top, we realized that there was nothing left to do but to reflect. We took a few videos at the peak speaking briefly about what the program meant to us and came to a conclusion that we made the best our time here and that being in Cape Town has easily been the best experience of our lives.

It’s been an incredible experience that I know none of us will forget but for me has really become a part of my future life. Cape Town is somewhere that I can truly see myself living in someday. I have already begun looking into returning to the University of Cape Town to study for a post-graduate degree and will return home with the goal of coming back as soon as possible. 

Ryan contemplates his family history

Many of whom I told in Cape Town about my family history are quite surprised to hear that my parents are 3^rd generation South Africans. Coming to South Africa I didn’t know much about our history and family roots except that they were both born and raised in Johannesburg. After traveling there for our spring break excursion, I’ve learned a lot about their past. My dad came to the U.S. at the age of 17 as a high school exchange student in Illinois. At the end of the school year on his way home, he spent a night at a college professor’s house near Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania. The next morning before his continuing journey for the airport, the professor asked if my dad would be interested in attending the college he taught for. This was the beginning of our family in the United States. My mom grew up in a less privileged family as the youngest sibling of many. She was lucky enough to be the only daughter to attend university of her sisters with help from an older brother and against the beliefs of my grandfather. It was really cool to pass by and briefly see the University of Witwatersrand where she got her medical degree and to pass by my parents’ hometowns of Robertsham and Mondeor on our way back from Sharpeville. It was really interesting to be able to link the historical event of the Soweto uprisings to a major influence in why my family immigrated shortly after 1976 learning that they lived only 25 minutes away from the area where people were getting shot and killed in the streets. Traveling to Johannesburg and talking with Vernon really helped point me in the right direction with the questions I had such as why my parents were classified as non-white and not colored or Asian, and where my last name ‘King’ originated which is clearly not Chinese. In my conversation with Vernon over breakfast one morning, I learned that some Asians were classified as non-white and given honorary white status as a result of diplomatic relations between South Africa and countries before its isolation. Visiting the Hector Pieterson museum and learning an interesting fact that his family surname had been changed in attempt to obtain a more privileged classification, really made me ponder the idea that my surname could have a similar history. As these are just thoughts, I hope to obtain more information on my family history when I travel back to Johannesburg next month with my parents and sisters to meet more extended family.

                                                             

Ryan becoming more aware of social issues

For my activist project in which were to get involved in the community to address a current social issue, I had the privilege of working at a few tuberculosis clinics in Mitchells Plain and at Red Cross Children’s Hospital in Rondebosch. Luckily, I ran into a doctor at Tafelsig Clinic early on in the semester that rotates to other clinics to treat tuberculosis and took me with to shadow her at Lentegeur and Eastridge Clinics. I wanted to learn more about the disease that isn’t as common in the U.S. and after learning how it is associated with poverty, I decided to address it as my project. As an important part of the project, I got to conduct home visits with a Sister (nurse) at Lentegeur to address certain patients in the community nearby. The homes we went to were mostly of patients who default on their treatment and do not come in for their scheduled appointments. This allowed me to approach and speak to these patients individually to educate them in the comfort of their own homes about the importance of curing their illness while showing them that others truly care about their health. A significant and common consequence of failing to complete treatment that I learned is that the bacteria may become resistant to the antibiotics fueling the prevalence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) TB strains that drain expensive resources and time. Another common issue is that children are often exposed to this disease through an infected family member allowing them to fall ill as well. About half of the patients I’ve witnessed at both clinics have been children and many of them were being diagnosed a second time. This led me to my interest in Red Cross Children’s Hospital as repeat TB children are referred there as treatment protocol. Friends of the Children’s Hospital Association is a volunteer organization at Red Cross that allowed me to come in and play with children to give them extra emotional support to help the healing process. I learned a lot from this activist project by becoming a more aware of some of the social issues that make progress so difficult but also how valuable time and effort can be when it is dedicated to helping out others. 

Ryan's commitment to return one day

It’s really nice to start seeing familiar patients coming in for their next scheduled visits after seeing them before from a previous month. It’s a surprising feeling how they recognize me instantly but embarrassing how I’ve forgotten faces and names so easily as well. I figure that it’s mostly due to the high patient volume everyday but after hearing a few familiar medical histories, some instantly register in my mind. Recently, one in particular stood out to me at Lentegeur Clinic. Back in February, this patient came in presenting with all of the symptoms and signs associated with tuberculosis. After viewing the chest x-rays which showed infiltrates in the lower lungs indicating infection which is atypical of tuberculosis, a common antibiotic was going to be prescribed. Earlier I was taught that TB can present as abnormal in the lower lobes if the patient also has HIV. After inquiring about HIV status and hearing that she tested negative a few months earlier, I suggested a second HIV test be done that ended up indicating positive and then again from the confirmatory test to rule out a false positive. This was a first time for me helping to diagnose TB. She was then prescribed a different course of antibiotics to begin the 6 month treatment process and referred to Jooste Hospital to begin ARV (anti-retro viral) treatment. Last week she came in for a follow up appointment in which she would’ve been starting the second phase of treatment. I was astonished and quite a bit frustrated to hear that she stopped taking the medication after the first month failing to complete the first (intensive) phase due to feelings of nausea associated with it. Specifically, she explained that it interfered with her day job and couldn’t be taken at night because of the ARV treatment. I completely understood her position and the hardships associated with her illnesses but didn’t really know what to say. It’s a real shame that this problem is so common and I believe that that only solution is a higher emphasis on better patient education. Problems like these are one of the reasons why I would like to return one day and work in the public health sector.  

Ryan on his excursion

Besides the natural beauty of the landscape and the people of South Africa, the wildlife here is unlike anywhere else on earth I’ve been to. On our excursion we got to spend two amazing days in Kruger National Park where we were to witness untamed animals in their natural habitats. We did two game drives, one in the evening and the other early in the following morning. Many of us were hoping to see a specific animal, many of us elephants, some lions, and others zebras. The only animal that I wanted to witness was a giraffe. Luckily we came across one, a full grown male early on in the evening safari. It was incredible to be able to get so close to this majestic creature which was feeding on a tree about 50 feet away. Soon afterwards we saw a white rhino grazing in an area of short grass. I learned that the name came from a mistake in which they were originally called “wide rhinos”. It made me wonder how anyone could possibly poach these rare animals for nothing more than their horns. 

The morning drive that began at 4:30am was even more exciting as more animals came out while we tried to stay awake. The sunrise was probably the best I’ve ever seen so far because it reminded me of the sunrise from the movie The Lion King. Further along the drive we came across many elephants hiding behind the trees. I recall one specific elephant that came out and crossed the road in front of our vehicle. This fully grown male with gigantic tusks stopped in the middle of the road and turned its entire body to face us. When it put its foot forward and flared out its giant ears, I grew extremely anxious. Slowly I put my camera back into my case and began taking small steps backwards towards the rear the vehicle. When it passed I had a sigh of relief and marked that moment as the most frightening of our trip at Kruger. Later that day after catching up on sleep, 16 of us went on a guided walk for a couple of hours where we got to see and learn about wildlife that would be difficult to explain from a truck. We learned about plant life, gigantic spiders, and a little about the land that animals inhabited while we tracked elephants and springboks by their foot prints. While leaving Kruger we reflected on who got to see certain animals and who did not. I got to see giraffes, elephants, hippos, springboks, a water buffalo, a rhino, warthogs, spiders, and a lot of different birds. My list was a few short of Africa’s “Big 5” which includes the elephant, the lion, the leopard, the buffalo, and the rhino (named for their difficultly in hunting) but at least I can say that I saw most of them and a ton of giraffes.  

Ryan's 21st Birthday

A 21^st birthday in Cape Town is a birthday to remember forever. I can recall friends back home telling me they felt bad that my 21^st birthday will be celebrated abroad and on a smaller scale than in the U.S. They couldn’t have been more wrong as I wouldn’t have traded it for anywhere else in the world. 

We did so much that weekend that it’s hard to put it all in words on a blog post. On Thursday, our entire group hiked up Lion’s Head around 5:30pm to watch the sunset over Camps Bay into the Atlantic Ocean at 7:15pm and the full moon rise over the city. The hike itself was pretty enough as the trail begins with a brilliant backdrop of Table Mountain and Devil’s Peak followed by a breathtaking view of the Twelve Apostles and Camps Bay just below as you make your way around the mountain, and finally finishing off with a sight of Signal Hill and the city bowl as you complete a clock-wise spiral to the peak. Upon reaching the top in about an hour and a half, we rejoined with the rest of our group amongst the hundreds of other tourists and hikers who’ve also come to see the full moon. After sitting on the side of a cliff watching the sun disappear over the ocean horizon, our group quickly scrambled to the other side of Lion’s Head to secure a good spot for watching the moon rise over the city. At that point, our group had begun to sing happy birthday in which the rest of the mountain joined in forcing up tears of joy and happiness. 

Cape Town as Viewed from Lion's Head at full moon

For the following hour and a half, we sat quietly and watched the city below light up as the sky changed colors from purple and orange to dark blue and black simultaneously uncovering thousands of stars and even a few planets to gaze at. After seeing Jupiter’s moons and our own up close through a few telescopes belonging to visiting astronomers, we began to make our way down along with hundreds of other people in the dark with nothing to guide our footsteps but the moonlight. There were so many other people trying to get off the mountain at the same time that it was quite a sight to see a long line of people that could only be distinguished in the distance by their dim headlamps or flashlights. Afterwards we all reconvened at Loch Road to enjoy the beautiful birthday cake that our professor Marita McComiskey had baked for us. To conclude the night, many of us went out and celebrated for what would be my first legal drink in the United States. By the end of the weekend I realized that a 21^st birthday would’ve been special anywhere in the world but the study abroad group that I have come with made this occasion one of the best nights of my life    

Ryan, Dan, Brandi, Theresa

Ryan on ZA heath care

My time here at Tafelsig has been an invaluable experience up until this point. A patient once asked me, “Why would you ever want to work all the way out here in Tafelsig of all places?” My response was that this clinic is the most valuable place of internship for anyone interested in the health care field and that I couldn’t see myself anywhere else in Cape Town learning as much as I am here on a daily basis. I am really starting to enter my comfort zone here as I have become very familiar with the hectic environment, working with the staff, and communicating with the patients.

Last week, I was put in contact with a doctor who used to work here but now works at the University of Cape Town with the student population. I was curious as to why he left after working at Tafelsig Clinic for such a long time so I decided to meet up with him at the student health center in Observatory on a Friday. After speaking with him for half an hour about medicinal philosophy and overall healthcare in South Africa, I left with a whole new perspective on not only this career, but life in general. I found out that he left Tafelsig Clinic to make a larger impact in society. Although the clinic is very important in the health sector by helping people in desperate need of care, it must sacrifice the educational aspect of care due to the high volume of patients seen every day. He claimed that this hinders the holistic approach to medicine and preventative care that leads to chronic illnesses. By working at the university as a general practitioner, he believes that he has sufficient time to fully educate each patient while simultaneously targeting a young population that can be influenced towards a healthier lifestyle. In this way, the future population in need of chronic care can be reduced and thus lowering healthcare expenditure and improving individual lives. This perspective really grabbed my attention because it can be applied to many other sectors and issues in need of attention by targeting the sources of problems faced in society. Immediately from this encounter I knew that I wanted to learn more from his practice and philosophy. In the coming weeks I plan on shadowing him once a week in addition to my internship in order to gain a broader outlook on primary care while continuing to compare healthcare systems domestic and abroad. 

Meika, Alex, Kelsey, Becky, Brandi, Lindiwe McClinton Rose, Nicole, Ryan, Nicole, Dan

(front row)  Maria, Rebecca, Rina, Mackenzie

Ryan on meeting family in Cape Town

This past weekend I got to meet some of my relatives here in Cape Town for the first time. They are my dad’s first cousins (my grandfather’s sister’s daughter) which I guess makes them my second cousins. Initially, I was confused about what to call them and I still ponder the idea because of the age difference, but I decided that “aunt” and “uncle” would be the best option out of respect even though they are first cousins. Even so, everybody in Cape Town call each other “brother/sister” and “aunt/uncle” anyways so I guess it would be appropriate regardless of relationship. 

Anyways, my aunt Gloria picked me up on Saturday night to have dinner at a restaurant in Mowbray. I was surprised to find out that she happened to make reservations at Chai Yo, a local Thai restaurant down the road from where we live and had been previously recommended to us by our orientation leaders. When we got there I was disappointed to find out that my uncle Gordon and his two daughters would not be joining us but still pleased to meet their son Jason and his girlfriend. Dinner was great as we all shared our chosen dishes in a community-styled fashion. I loved listening to all of my family’s stories about their lives in South Africa and really enjoyed sharing my own stories of my life in the states and my past month in Cape Town. 

My cousin Jason, turns out to be quite the musician who plays the bass guitar in his rock band “Taxi Violence”. I was extremely surprised and impressed when he mentioned that they will be performing this Sunday in one of the Summer Sunset Concerts held at Kirstenbosch Gardens where we all saw Dan Patlansky perform a few weeks ago! It’s exciting to have met some family so far here in Cape Town and I’m looking forward to meeting the rest this coming weekend at the concert.

Ryan settles into his internship as he continues to enjoy CPT

Maria, Ryan, Dan, Kelsey

Where to begin? This past week was incredible! I got to try some of Cape Town’s famous fish n chips at Kalk Bay, hike up and down Table Mountain, and complete my first week of internship. The first day at Tafelsig Clinic was such an incredible experience and each day so far has gotten better and better. Arriving on Monday was both nerve-racking and exciting. Initially, I was extremely nervous to begin working there due to the poverty and crime in certain areas of Mitchell’s Plain. I was nervous from the previous visit of the clinic when our group went on a tour of everyone’s internship. Many people then stared at us as we walked through the front doors and into a waiting room full of hundreds of people who had facial expressions of confusion and curiosity. As Amaraliz and I walked through the waiting area on Monday morning, we were met with the same scene. That day I had the pleasure of shadowing the adult side of the clinic and got to interact with patients one on one. After the first day, I had a whole new perspective on so many things. I first was surprised at how many people have the same common chronic conditions as in the United States such as hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, and varicose veins. The most surprising thing that I noted was how polite and patient everyone is. I know that a lot of Americans (me included) get impatient when waiting for an hour in a hospital or doctor’s office. In comparison, many people in Tafelsig spend the whole day waiting to be seen for only ten minutes! There is way too much to talk about beside the first day but overall, this first week of internship was a real eye-opening experience.

Besides internship, continuing exploration of Cape Town and the surrounding area has been fantastic! On Friday I returned to Muizenberg in the morning expecting to surf for the day, however when we got there the conditions were terrible and the shark flags went up so we decided to explore some more stops on the train. After two stations, we got off at Kalk Bay and ate the most delicious fish n chips that I have ever had at a local restaurant called “Kalky’s” and then took a scenic walk along the coast to Fish Hoek to take a train back to Rondebosch. On Saturday morning, many of us hiked up Table Mountain taking the Skeleton Gorge trail from Kirstenbosch Gardens. It was one of the most exhausting and exciting things I have ever done but the experience and the views along the way were unforgettable. After reaching the top in three and a half hours, feelings of relief and accomplishment rushed throughout our group as we all drew in the beauty of the distant scenery. After walking across the rocky plateau for an hour towards the cable car, I had decided that I was going to follow through with my plans of hiking down. To my surprise, the two hour walk down through the Platteklip Gorge was much harder than the way up but the challenge left me wanting more. The next task is to hike Devil’s Peak which is adjacent to Table Mountain which I hope to accomplish very soon. I am sure that the views and the adventure will all be worth the challenge. 

Ryan with Lion's Head, Signal Hill & Table Bay in background