On Saturday we ended up giving a tour in the morning to the head s of our EWH program along with some special guests. We showed them around and visited the NICU, laboratory and new surgical theatre since those were the places we fixed the most equipment. Then we had to pack up all our stuff and head to TCDC one last time for our end of summer conference. On Saturday and Sunday we listened to a guest speaker then everyone presented what they’d done over the past month in a variety of ways.
Soren and I’s presentation was quite easy since we just introduced ourselves, played our video and answered a few questions. I will be posting the video to youtube once I have decent enough internet! Overall, I am very pleased with this program and I feel like I made an impact on many patients’ lives. This trip will definitely be an inspiration for any of my plans and projects in the future!
All but 5 people left on Sunday to head back to the US. I had scheduled my flight a day later because it ended up being $200 cheaper to do so. When everyone left, I got pretty antsy to leave as well or at least wanted the long flights ahead of me to be over with already. I was quite glad though that I stayed an extra day. On Friday, Soren and I were so busy with building our light set that we didn't get to give proper goodbyes to everyone. So Sunday night I headed to my mama's for one last dinner over there. It was really nice to catch up and show the fam what I'd been doing. I texted my favorite doctor, Dr. Lee and he agreed on me coming to the hospital Monday afternoon and hanging out a little before my flight. Monday morning I was wakened by Soren knocking at my door to give a final goodbye- he, Razz and Rune (known as the three Dane's) were heading out that morning to start the great Kilimanjaro climb! Saying goodbye, I realized how much I was going to miss my partner! We worked really well together this past month and I couldn't have been luckier to be paired with him. No worries though, for I will be visiting him in Denmark eventually :D
So on Monday I decided I'd head into the hospital in the afternoon to give my final goodbyes. I, of course, checked in with my favorite baby room and was so excited when one of the nurses stopped me and said how great the lights were and how thankful she was. There, I took a look at those precious little babies one last time and headed into the storage department to say goodbye to Nuru. I gave her a card I wrote thanking her for being such a great help this past month (we really couldn't have been as successful without her) ending with the line "I'll be seeing you next year Mungu akipenda" a phrase we'd say everyday meaning "If god wishes." After printing out Soren and I's final report for all the equipment we worked on the past month, she took me into town and let me pick out a scarf along with a few cards as a thanks for all the work I did, too sweet! Then I went into the operating theater to watch a little bit of an operation with Dr. Lee- skin grafting. Finally, I got to see the ESU machine Soren had fixed (the day I was sick) in action! I didn't stay for too long, but after the procedure was finished, Dr. Lee said he thought it went well and then we headed out to a late lunch/early dinner. We went to a nice restaurant called the Blue Herring where I had a delicious chicken panini with pumpkin and coconut soup! It was great relaxing and talking about all sorts of things and I've concluded that if I can someday, I'll be visiting Korea since he goes back in 6 months :D He kindly dropped me back off at my mama's house in Makumira and it was time to get ready for my journey home. John, my host brother gave me a beautiful wooden bracelet as a goodbye gift and I gave the family the clothes I was donating so they could give them away or use them in any way they wanted. I took a taxi to the airport with my host sister and brother and then I finally had to acknowledge I was leaving!
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