Fluids and Foreskins

Sanibonani! Hello everyone! I hope you had a wonderful weekend where ever you may be. As promised, I worked hard this weekend but also managed to squeeze in some enjoyable moments. It was an absolutely beautiful day on Saturday, so I took a break and went down to the beach to go sunbathing and swimming. Later in the day I traveled to an Indian township with my friend Karthik to have dinner at one of his family friend’s house. We enjoyed a large feast of tasty Indian food, including a dish of sheep feet. I quickly transitioned into a food coma and went to bed relatively early. Yesterday was my friend Rainey’s 22nd birthday so I helped bake and eat a delicious cake. A group of us also went to dinner at a fancy seafood/sushi restaurant. I had some mouth-watering, curry-flavoured, deep-fried, Durban fish for a surprisingly reasonable price of only 50 Rand. If it helps at all, today’s exchange rate is 7.48 Rand for one U.S. Dollar…so this makes this meal about $6.68!
Since I’m spending so much time complaining about all of the academic work I must complete, I’ve decided that I should reveal some details about what I’m actually studying. Despite all of my grumbling, I actually really enjoy the topics I am studying. I’m currently writing a rather large paper about the medical brain drain that is occurring in South Africa. Essentially what is happening in this country is that health professionals are being trained in country then leaving for greener pastures. There are various reasons for why the health professionals are leaving, such as low salary, high crime rates, and high burden of disease. The loss of all of these doctors, nurses, and specialists contributes to many of the problems in South Africa’s public medical sector. So that summary along with a long list of other points is what I have been busy regurgitating and calling an essay.
Another academic area I have not spoken much of is all of the superb lectures that I’ve had the chance to hear on my program. We had two lectures today; the first was about the ethics of practicing medicine and the second was titled “Fluids and Foreskins” in which we discussed the history of blood, menstrual fluid, ear wax, etc. You name the bodily fluid and I bet you that we conversed about it. The titles of past lectures include, “Technology and Malaria Interventions,” “Alternative, Complimentary, and Integrated Medicines,” and “Rural Health and Social Justice.” It’s relatively impressive the quality of lecturers that we have the opportunity to enjoy. We have had professors from local universities, doctors from hospitals, chairpersons of NGO’s, and traditional healers share their wealth of knowledge.
I’m going into hibernation now and I will emerge at the end of the week with a solid essay and a start on my independent project. Here is to a productive week!