Girls camp 09

August 17-22 we joined 62 girls for girls camp at the nearby zambezi river.

They were a great bunch of girls, and we were often making comments as to how different they were from teenage campers at home! At 6am a whistle was blown and all the girls immediately started singing in their groups until the whistle was blown again.


After a few trips with a vehicle transporting gear, Anna and I biked to camp. Anna rode back to the mission station most days to run errands and collect supplies. One day she brought back a papaya but it was unfortunately more like pulp by the time she got there!


We slept in grass enclosures, the first night we stayed in one with a grass roof but opted to spend the rest of the week under the stars beneath a mosquito net. Very cool! Toilet facilities were of course the long drop variety.


The kitchen area and the girls eating their nshima.

Fun and games with the girls

One afternoon we crossed the river to the hydro, and the girls excitedly slid down the rock face on the zambezi river. It took quite a few shots to get an appropriate photo since they mostly swim topless!


I taught the girls to play capture the flag. To start with we thought it might be a bit too confusing, but they really got into it!


They loved to play netball, and I also got them playing blind soccer which was hilarious.


I joined in with the netball for one game but regretted not wearing shoes... my poor white feet got huge blood blisters and I was hobbling around in agony until I decided to pop them the next day.

Teaching and lots of singing

The girls had 2 or 3 sessions a day of teaching, on the topic "overcoming sin". I took a few of the sessions including one about HIV and sexual purity. Every session included singing of course. They also did some point-scoring activities like races to find bible verses and bible quiz questions.

Nights singing around the fire

Every night was spent around the fire with song after song. Some of the girls would do skits, mostly on the topic or related to the teaching that had happened that day. Although it was all in Lunda and I couldn't always understand, it was still very entertaining, some brilliant acting!

My house, my garden, my friends

Thank God for good friends... I've felt totally blessed the last few weeks with the arrival of some exceptionally cool short-termers, including my new flatmate Anna Macky who'll be here for 6 months, and Charlie Shadbolt who's just here 10 weeks from Tauranga with Grace and Brian Johnston.


Adventures to the top of Kalene Hill with Anna and Charlie


Anna and I with the last remaining structure of the original hospital station - the single ladies house :)



Anna and I at work goofing around with "maglasses" at work (another way my scope of practice has expanded, eye-testing)



A trip to the village church where we were given a meal of nshima, and me greeting one of the kids who was doing some very cute dancing during the service.



Dreadlocks day... had a few girls over to help dreadlock my hair... note all the kids standing at the window watching! We combed them out again after a few weeks.


My birthday on the 14th, made super special by a number of people, especially Anna, who hid little presents around my room... I felt more like an 8 year old than a 28 year old finding them all! And the funniest thing was they were all things from around the house that she'd wrapped up, with a little note in each, very sweet.


My recording studio, recording voice-overs for a video I'll be sending home.


The local most popular hairstyle I had last month, but only lasted a few days because it was quite painful!!

The garden



My garden and some of it's produce (feta cheese in salad from Lusaka... not made locally!!)

Kids kids kids...


The girls that sit with me at church every Sunday



Saying hi to some of the children on childrens ward.


The boys posing for photos outside my house



The kids can be very creative and resourceful... this is one of the boys that often visits me, Albert, showing a few of his creations... the hat is made from beer packets pounded together with a rock. He also drew this picture of me... ah bless!

Get your groove on - a video of the boys introducing themselves and dancing

And they love to be videoed!


...and an old lady


I went to Lusaka for an AGM and shared a motel room with this lady, Sister Ruth Wallice. She's been serving as a nurse/midwife in a rural health centre for 40 years, never been married, has an amazing life story... she's inspiring! Oh, and she gave me this African outfit to wear :o)

Some interesting cases


The all-too-common problem of osteomylitis strikes again. The bone infection requires long-term antibiotics and usually surgery. I usually have a few of these cases on my ward at any one time.


Three children with lymphomas. The boy pictured with his grandmother has been on my ward for over 2months. He has paralysis of both legs, likely due to a cancerous lesion on his spinal chord, and came in with bad pressure sores that are still healing.


This man had some interesting symptoms including ptosis (drooping) of right eyelid, a paralysed right vocal cord, and other cranial nerve symptoms, indicating a brainstem lesion. As per usual, a CT or MRI would be wonderful, but instead it's a case of treating several possible causes to see if he responds. Most likely causes include TB, syphillis, or cancer.

Finally... a video!

Here's a video I put together about my time in the village learning Lunda... enjoy!