Submitted by Jeniffer Hoffstadt on the 2017 winter session program in South Africa and Zambia sponsored by the School of Nursing…
Our first week in Cape Town, South Africa has been amazing! The natural beauty and diverse landscape of the western cape is truly captivating. We have explored many beautiful places and eaten a lot of delicious cuisine from around the world, as downtown Cape Town has many multicultural restaurants. However, what has been most impact full for me has been my first day in health clinic. My group journeyed to Bishop Lavis, a clinic in the middle of a shanty town that serves a diverse, lower class population. I was able to sit with a woman who had given birth early that morning and learn about her life growing up in the shanty town and giving birth in the clinic. Interestingly, South African registered nurses are referred to as “sisters”. This comes from the origination of nurses In France, where the first nurses were catholic nuns. I was fascinated to learn the differences between maternal healthcare practices in South Africa compared to those in America. For example, it is standard for women in the government clinics and hospitals to have natural births with no epidurals. Whereas in America, many births encompass more interventions and the use of pain medication as well as epidurals. I am looking forward to more days in the various clinics and I am crossing my fingers that I will be able to witness a natural birth! That would be “leker” which means very good in Afrikaans.