A typical day for me .. in tanzania.. working in the hospital..

7am- wake up and eat mandazi for breakfast. A greasy unflavoured donut.. good with nutella... bad for your body

8am- meet for intercession or worship depending on what day it is

9am-dala dala comes to pick us up and take us to the hospital. The drive is about an hour because of traffic and a place called Mbagala...which some call the worst place in the world. Why you might ask..well let me tell you..

it has potholes the size of small craters.. the road is a dirt road that seemed at one point to be a paved road but over time turned into crater city because of the rain. Once it rains in Mbagala, its a war zone for days, the stench is unbearable, not only is there the smell of standing water that is green but the smell of exhaust in your face constantly and I gag all the way through it. People shout Muzungu (white person) and grab our arms wanting our full attention bc they dont see many white people. The traffic is horrid, cars, vans and trucks everywhere. If it gets backed up in mbagala (like everyday) cars will drive on the wrong side of the road and through the walkways just so they can get through quicker, which backs it up even more. When we begin to enter mbagala we say that we are entering hell, and its always a relief once we get all the way through.

I like to think about pleasant things so I will refrain from describing the place any further, just wanted to give you a description of what I go through everyday. Bleh.

10am- arrive at Temeke Hospital. There is a total of 14 of us. 12 students and 2 staff, half of us go to labour room and the other antenatal care. Today I was in the labour room, so I walk in there and see many women lying on the beds in pain about to deliver or have just delivered. We change into our uniforms and have a debriefing of where who we are partnered with, pray over each other and the day. We find the women's charts and see how many centimeters they are to see who is farthest along. Some days are crazy and some are relaxed but both for me are exciting and fun.

On a typical day I get to see 4 births, do one delivery myself, weigh the baby and do its vitals, do all the paperwork and checkups for the mother and child, preparation for a delivery, oxytocin, bulb suction, disinfect, gloves, kangas, chord clamps, razor blade, etc.

the smells and conditions of the hospital is something I had to get used to and I have come to the point where I dont feel like I am going to puke everytime I walk in there, which is great!

1:30pm- if i don't have paperwork or a delivery, i go across the street to get some juice, a fried egg and a few pieces of meat.

2pm- dala dala comes to pick us up and take us home back through Mbagala :)

3:30pm-wash uniform by hand and hang on line hoping it wont rain.

4pm-rest

5pm- workout via workout videos with some other girls

6pm- dinner. Usually rice, beans and fruit.

7pm- meeting. Depending on what day it is.

then i have time to rest and relax whether it is reading or watching a movie..