I’m alive!
Posted By Sika on August 3, 2007
Pearl pointed out that I should probably update so y’all know that I’m not dead. Which obviously if something as important as my death had occurred I would have blogged about it, duh. Anyway, surgery was Tuesday, I left the hospital Wednesday morning. I’m seeing the Peace Corps docs every other day to check on healing. I have an appointment to see the surgeon on Wednesday. Pearl said I should tell everyone that I’m up engaging in capitalism again–since I was at the mall when I lost my cellphone. That’s what happens when you have post-surgery brain and put heavy things like cell phones in loose pockets like in a sweater tied around your waist. I excuse this by the fact that engaging in capitalism just takes far too much energy, especially when your body is trying to heal from being cut up.
But I’ll get a new phone and a new SA number tomorrow, and my Malawi sim card was safely in my hotel room and not in my space-cadet hands, and so while I’m out some money, really there is no other problem than that.
It was interesting to be in the hospital. I would find myself getting riled up about staff not being there or being there when I didn’t want them to be (Seriously, you’re going to wake me up at 10pm to ask if I’m comfortable? And then again at 5am to ask if I want tea? Seriously?). But I realized at some point that even I couldn’t meet my standards all the time. It’s been a real education to be a patient for once. I don’t think that the standards in the South African hospital are all that different from standards in US hospitals; I think what I see here is the difference between the ideal of health care and the reality of a human system that therefore has human failings. But geez peez am I glad that I have someone here to make sure that I remember my questions and that they’re taking good care of me. Again, to point out how similar it is in the U.S., at the UWMC, which I think is one of the best hospitals in the Seattle area, I often felt that patients without family or friends willing to take a hand in the healing process suffered greatly for that lack.
I’m going to have to post more about South Africa later; right now it’s difficult to tell what I’m seeing without either of the lenses of apartheid or from being in Malawi, which is so much poorer. Mom keeps on being surprised by what isn’t here, whereas I’m surprised by what is here. I need some more time to figure out what it is that I’m looking at. And according to my surgeon, I have another 1.5-2.5 weeks.
I am soooo relieved to know that while making it successfully through major surgery is not necessarily blog-worthy, death would DEFINITELY be documented… probably with pictures and junk, right?
Now you’ve got me curious what kinds of things “Mom” is shocked not to find and what kinds of things you are shocked to find.
Three cheers for capitalism!
I’m using my Kenya icon in honor of my conversation with Africa. (I’m waaaay too tickled by this concept!)
The Weebls Toon is what inspired you to go, isn’t it? I just KNOW it is!
I’m happy that you made it out of surgery, alive any everything! It’s almost like they weren’t trying hard enough to kill you or something silly like that.
Have fun shopping, but don’t over do it there girly.
*hugs*
Yes, I’d like to know what I’m shocked to not find, too, Jessica Essica. Mostly I’m shocked – and I don’t think shocked is the right word since intellectually I expected it — by the remnants of apartheid which seem to be alive if not flourishing in Pretoria and by the contrasts. The neighborhood we’re in is beautiful but almost all homes are behind high walls with spikes, razor wire and/or electric fences on top. The buildings are modern and the people working on the roads don’t have a power tool among them. and so on.
Mostly, I am just so happy to be here with my Jessica Essica!
Hugs, Gini/Mama
minor surgery. And of course I’d post photos in my death post. Otherwise you wouldn’t believe it was really me. I’ve changed shocked to surprised ’cause my mama pointed out that’s more accurate, and I’m working on that post, although it still only exists in my head.
Yep, I had no desire to go to Africa before the weebls toon. But who can resist the tigers? Which can only be found in Kenya, and Malawi was as close as I could get.
I don’t think I’ve made enough enemies that they’re trying to kill me . . . yet.
Etienne just wanted me to tell you that he likes playing with you. I think that he is trying to guilt-trip me into dropping everything and taking him to visit you. I don’t know how his mother would feel about that…
You know, that sounds good to me. Why don’t you bring him here?
Alas, I have returned the child. You now should appeal to Lyss if you want him to visit you (Lyss said “Sika did not tell him he could visit her, did she??!!” teeheehee…)