Zim, Zam and Beyond

We are continuing to have an amazing time here on the other side of the world! Every day is something new and very unexpected. Here are some highlights from the last three days:

Friday AM: I (liz)was working in the clinic's Labor Ward and Mother/Child Health Unit with my friend and fellow volunteer, Anka - she's just become an MD in the Netherlands. The work we do and observe varies from childbirth, pre-natal examinations,and pre-natal health education. All of the mothers sit in the waiting area where we weigh them and recorded their progress. Then we checked blood pressure - which I can do! Afterwards, the patients are seen one or two at a time by the midwives and the health of the mother and fetus are assessed. The midwives showed us how to feel the baby's head, back and arms/legs as well as a "measurement" of how many weeks pregnant the mother is. The best part is the "ultra-sound" which is a plastic cone-shaped instrument that is placed on the mother's belly to hear the fetal heartbeat. We completed this examination on about 40 mothers. I felt a lot of bellies, heard babies heartbeats and even a little kick - it was just amazing.

Friday PM: As if the morning wasn't wonderful enough ... we headed off to Zimbabwe with our group to visit another African Impact site in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. We crossed the border and hours later arived safely 2 miles away from where we stay in Livingstone, Zambia. It was quite a lenthy trip for such a short distance. Interestingly, Zim is a totally different world. It's very very touristy and there are Muzungus (white people) everywhere. We went straight to dinner at a restaurant that specializes in African game and an "african experience." We ate warthog, buffalo, ostrich, guinea fowl, and mopani worms! It was great - minus the worms.

Saturday AM: We woke up at the crack of dawn to participate in the volunteer project based in Vic Falls - Lion Encounter. This conservation project was set up to protect the dwindling wild lion population in the region. As tourists, we get to walk with the lions aged 6 weeks - 20 months which funds the conservation program. After the lions outgrow the walking stage they are moved on to the next phase of the project and bred and released. The project began in the early 1970s and has been really successful. DID I MENTION WE WALKED WITH LIONS???? We walked with, snuggled and kissed three 19 month lions and two sweet little 4 month cubs. It was so much fun - since then I have had dreams about walking with them. Those pictures will definitely be posted as soon as we get back to a sufficient internet connection!

Saturday PM: We have a friend who works in Livingstone but is originally Zimbabwean and invited us all over to his home for a Brei (bar-b-que). It was really generous of his family to have our whole group over and really nice to see their home. The Vic Falls neighborhood is an interesting combination of tropical and "african."

Sunday AM: Tim and I ventured out with some friends to see the Victoria Falls from the Zimbabwe side. Even though they are only 1/10 of their maximum size since it is now the dry season they were remarkable. The spray was so refreshing and a relief from the heat. We could see Livingstone Island on the Zambian side where we were swimming two weeks ago. It was really beautiful.

Sunday PM: Home sweet home. It was so nice to return to Livingstone and to our house on Mushili way. I can't believe after such a short time it feels so comfortable here!