I’m here in the TV room at the Ele waiting to head to the airport. Checked out and made sure everything is in order. This past week has been pretty chill and I’m glad for that.

Didn’t do clinic last week b/c I still wasn’t 100%. Mon, finished the chart review. David told me about a group of his friends who were on a train headed back to CT and were held at knife point for cameras, passports, ~R6000 and various other possessions. Worst case of theft I’ve heard of so far. Tues, went in to GF Jooste w/ the doc. We did rounds on the TB ward. The patients at Jooste aren’t as sick as those at Groote Schuur (Levels 1-2 as opposed to 3-4 w/ complications). While we were there some visitors walked in and just strolled into the isolation room, leaving both doors ajar. The doc was being briefed by a registrar (resident) and I couldn’t keep my eyes off the ignorant visitors. They were quickly escorted out, taught about procedure and given masks. It wouldn’t be too difficult to have a coded door. If we weren’t standing outside the isolation room, who knows how long the door might have been left open. There were plenty of immunocompromised patients in the ward. It also bugged me that one Indian resident would present and then start texting on her phone when the doc was giving her direction. She didn’t seem very professional. She may have even been an intern, but regardless it’s rude. When asked why a patient wouldn’t be getting better after being treated, she mention IRIS (fun new fact for me), but she failed to mention XDR/MDR or misdiagnosis. Even I as a lowly first year thought of those. Finally, it was strange to observe “prayer” in the ward. A patient was wailing and writhing while the resident sister prayed over her. I thought they were trying to kill her at first. She seemed delirious. I understand though that I need to be considerate b/c it’s a culturally sensitive issue.

Wed, I didn’t go in to work. The weather was nice. Instead, I went up TM in the cable cars w/ David. It was fairly anticlimactic. Thurs, went in and didn’t do much. There was an office presentation on research to isolate a new TB treatment compound. Fri, the doc e-mailed me to do rounds w/ him again, but I got in at 11. Missed him. Walked back in the rain. Bought some gifts at a shop by LM. Fri night, had dinner w/ John, Aly (NYer; Art History grad student) and a few others at Touch of Madness. Best (and the first I ever had) Malva Pudding ever. Sat, went to Old Biscuit Mill, then winelands. Yesterday, just hung out and watched movies all day. Be Kind Rewind (***); Adventureland (****); Cap’n America (***1/2). There’s a new group of German geography majors that came in. I couldn’t swallow my words when I met Yara and immediately complemented her on her gorgeous eyes. Ameli is an effervescent character. Half Guatemalan, she seems like someone w/ whom I’d get along well. The others are also quite friendly, but hell, I’m an awful judge of character.

Next stop: home =)