I am halfway through my medical trip in Zambia and all I can say is WOW! This beautiful country is full of beautiful and smiling people. We arrived and met some of the translators we would be working with at the clinics and those were the first Zambian people we met and from meeting them, I knew that this country was going to be amazing!
The first day of clinic was definitely the scariest because I was not sure what to expect. How were the people going to greet us and how were all the stations of the clinic were going to work? I knew though that as soon as we got started it would all fall into place. We arrived on a bus that was filled with 20 American, Alabama college students. We all pilled off into a dusty school yard caring medical supplies, water, lollipops, stickers, and huge smiles. At this moment I realized that this study abroad I signed up for was going to be life changing. The kids ran out of their classrooms to see all of us and although each of them were different they all had one thing in common, huge smiles. We set up our clinics and the lines formed. We saw about 250 to 300 people a day. Suppling them with medical education, medications, glasses, hygiene packets, and feminine products. We also went to classrooms and sat with girls from grade 9 to 12 and taught them about women’s hygiene and menstruation. We did this for 4 days and saw 1,570 people in total. Met so many kids and families that it will be very hard to forget.
Now I am off to a national forest of Zambia to stay at a safari lodge and experience the wildlife. Hopefully I will see an elephant! Big Al I am coming for ya:)
