Studying for Setswana

Monday 2/18
Today was busy, as Mondays usually are, though it actually seemed a bit slow in comparison with the eventful weekend I had! In our independent study meeting we discussed the upcoming trip to the Okavango Deltas, and I must say that I am really really really looking forward to the opportunity to get off campus and have some real quality time with nature. We will be staying in tents the entire week and going on canoe trips, hikes, etc. Should be a really fantastic photo opportunity! I'm still working on the Snapfish photo thing, but I promise I will get at least a few pictures uploaded after the Deltas. I have my first Setswana test tomorrow, and I, along with most of my classmates, have no idea what to study because our professor is terribly inept at teaching. The challenge I think is that there has never been a class at UB that was geared towards teaching Setswana to complete beginners. As in most other aspects of this program, we are the guinea pigs, and everything is a bit of an experiment. Unfortunately, academically, this is an experiment that factors into my GPA, and I have struggled back and forth with the knowledge that medical school doesn't care where bad grades came from, and the fact that I don't want my study abroad experience to be dominated by academic study. I can learn about African Traditional Religions, Globalization, and even Setswana anywhere (hypothetically), but I can't learn how the combie system works or what a mopanee worm tastes like anywhere but here. So the dilemma persists, but I suppose for now I am managing to balance work and play, and I only hope that my grades don't suffer too terribly as a result!

Tuesday 2/19
I spent this morning studying for the Setswana test, which went fairly poorly as our professor asked us to directly translate vocabulary words we had never seen (although if asked she would insist that we had talked about it yesterday), but at this point, there is nothing more I can do about the test, so it's time to move on and do better next time! I really didn't do much today other than study (so much for balancing work and play) because I had to read a lengthy article about the feminization of the textile industry in Lesotho (country embedded in South Africa), but I did manage to exercise twice (once in the morning and once at around 5) and have a lovely dinner of veggie burgers and mixed veggies. Tomorrow will be a bit more exciting because I will be working at the clinic in the morning, followed by a quest to track down primary literature on my research topic at the Harvard Research Institute at Princess Marina Hospital (adjacent to the clinic where I work). I'm told that the hospital has a very well-stocked library, so I'm hoping to find good sources for my research! Only five more days until we head to the deltas!!! I promise to report something a bit more entertaining tomorrow, it's been a boring couple of days. TTFN!

Wednesday 2/20
My time at the clinic today was actually fairly eventful and the time passed far more quickly than I had previously experienced. In sitting in on consultations, I am able to observe and learn about different childhood ailments and conditions that these doctors look for as part of their routine check-up. Today we had a baby come in who had a very audible heart murmur that was not previously recorded, and it caused quite a stir with the clinic doctors. I was able to listen to the murmur through a baby stethoscope and it was surprising how loud and distinct it was. The understanding I was able to glean from the discussion around me was that a murmur is a backwards flow of blood from one ventricle to the other during the contraction of the heart because the one-way valve that normally prevents the back-flow is incomplete or otherwise disrupted. This is actually a fairly common birth defect that usually resolves itself within a few months of birth, and is otherwise correctable by surgery. The smaller the defect is, the louder and more detectable the murmur is, so the fact that we could hear the murmur so well in this baby is a sign that it may be getting smaller and therefore healing on its own. The doctors were not terribly worried because the baby was gaining weight regularly and didn't seem to have any trouble breathing while at rest, but they wanted to set up imaging tests (called a cardiac echo) anyway to make sure there wasn't a bigger underlying problem. The clinic doesn't actually have that capability, so this child's condition provided the opportunity for the clinic to establish a new connection with an imaging center on the hospital grounds, something that has very exciting future prospects in providing more comprehensive care for these patients. I am really enjoying being around the doctors and nurses all the time because many of them will stop and explain things to me so that I understand what they are doing, and why they are doing it. Definitely good experience for my future!
I spent much of my afternoon conducting literature searches for my research because we have a literature review due the Friday after I return from the Deltas. A literature review basically summarizes all the current research on the topic at hand and highlights significant questions and debates in the field. It should ultimately lead into, and justify the importance of the specific focus of what I am studying within the larger context of the topic (breastfeeding vs. formula feeding).
Whitney came over for dinner, and we enjoyed a Hawaiian pizza and entertaining animal photos from a very strange website called "icanhascheezburger.com" or something. Bed early tonight because we're getting up early for the lunar eclipse (more about that tomorrow)! TTFN!