Wow! Thanks for sharing your experiences Katie. Africa does open your eyes and they seem to never close again quite the same way. Your mom is very happy you are home!. Love, Pat
Welcome Home Kate Darling, I am so very proud of you and all you have learned, and achieved. Thursday is girls-day! Can't wait to hug you home. Love, Mom
Thank You I certainly enjoyed all of your blogs on your experiences while away in Ghana and environs. It was great to hear of your activities, both work related and social. This is an experience that I'm sure you'll never forget.
It must be difficult to adjust to your life back in "civilization", although you're probably happy to be home.
I look forward to seeing you, although that probably won't be until next Christmas.
Take care.
Love, Gerry
Well Done!! Congratulations, Kate!!!
Yikes! An outstanding practicum, a shiny new degree and if that's not enough, your very own clinic. I must say, it's very good to have you back home.
We hope you'll rest up some and then begin working on a well-deserved summer break.
ciao
Great to hear from you Howdy Kate,
Your blog is just terrific. I imagine there is much that is heart-breaking about the health situation there. Do any of your practicum mates think about continuing in that type of nursing? It makes our ranting about Canadian Health Care seem pretty lame. I hope your last week is filled with friendship and good cheer. We look forward to your return to good old Canada.
How on earth did you find an Irish pub for St Pat's? Amazing!
g
Hi Kate
Sorry about your Psyc. experience. I will be very glad to hear more about your time in the community since the work you describe is what I do in Kamloops. Do they have One Step HIV tests for the pregnant ladies? How about enough antivirals if they are HIV postive?
What a great experience you are having! You are seeing things that I have only read about in 30 years of nursing.
Love Aunty Shelley
Hello Kate, nice to hear from you. Larry and I were saying last night we were wondering how you were doing and thought you must be very busy. Your stories are very sad in deed and not unlike when I was there. It broke my heart every day. I am also sorry you found the mental placement less than what you would have liked.
I remember also going to Kumasi and thought the surrounding areas to be very beautiful. I am sure you will enjoy your last week and then the safari. I did not see any elephants when I was in Ghana and you know how much I like elephants, but I did see lots of monkeys. Be sure to take lots of pictures.
We are looking forward to seeing you when you get back. Enjoy the rest of your time there. You will have memories to share for years to come. We are also very proud of you for doing this placement. It takes a lot of courage and stamina to do what you are doing.
Love Carla
P.S.: I heard some encouraging news today, (which I had heard previously but now think it has some substance). Diana said that the Health Region is saying there is no hiring freeze and that they need nurses. Apparently the number of postings went from 3 available job postings a few days ago to 5 pages of postings now!
Have fun!
Love I miss you very much. I hope that you come really back soon cause I really miss you. And the only thing that I just don't really get about Africa or wherever you are in is that I just don't know why there are no giraffes. I just don't know why. Every place seems to have giraffes except for this place except for France. I am almost learning how to read at school but the only thing I can't really read is letters because who can read letters mommy can't even read letters! There's lots of things I can write like oohhh like like like like like from f-o-m-r And the last thing I want to write is I really really hope you come home soon cause I really really really really really really really reallly really really really miss you.
Love.
karma
Hope you are not "Psyched" out Kate,
I am so sorry, however it is my job as your Mother to inure you to bad puns (although your father runs a very close second :)
How is the Psych placement going? Do they really sleep outside? It will be very interesting to hear how Ghana's system compares with Alberta's.
Love you a lot and looking forward to your return to civilization!
Mom
Sorry for the delay in responding Kate. I was at a workshop in Chicago until last evening. Thank you for sharing your experiences. We are all very proud of you and miss you very much. I am wondering if you went to Willy Falls. I remember going there when I was in Ghana. It was a lovely place, the waterfalls amazing and very lush vegetation.
I met a very interesting lady in Chicago who is involved with a project in Africa regarding the large maternal mortality rates. Ghana is one of the countries they are working in. I will tell you more when I see you.
Love Carla.
Dear Adjoa Kate, What wonderful pictures! But, sorry honey, you can't bring the cute babies home. How were the waterfalls yesterday?I am so glad you are relishing your Ghanian experiences. Looking forward to the Psych report.
Love, Mom
Who knew? Hope you don't mind Tris sharing this site with me..she is so excited for you and we're both very proud of you. It's hard to believe the amazing adults you've grown into. Take care. Love Kathy
Look at you... not bein' allergic to camels! How?! I'm glad you sight...saw..(?) Looks like you had a great time. Good for you for not burning and fyi, Rob, the goggle tan is not that bad.
xoxo Tris
yelling Hi Kate
Deliveries in Canada are not so different from Ghana but here it is the dads doing the yelling and the moms doing the slapping instead of the nurses!
Grandma dreamed you had a baby but I don't think your baby will be quite as dark as the one you are holding.
Wonderful experience Thank you so much for sending me the updates on your stay in Ghana. I'm certainly enjoying hearing of the all the activities and experiences you're having. I know it's a lot of hard work, but what a wonderful experience. I've also enjoyed the pictures that you've sent. It gives some insight into a kind of life that is so different thanwhat we have in Canada.
I know you're time there is winding down, so enjoy the rest of your stay.
Love, Gerry
Way to go Kate!!! I hope everyone understands how unbelievably proud I am of Kate and this initiative.
Despite the rather permissive approach of Nan and Carla I'm pleased to see that my refusing to spoil her is now bearing fruit .
Great to hear your voice! Kate, your African experience obviously agrees with you, as you sound quite satisfied with life. And I am so glad you and Rob enjoyed a wonderful week in Egypt. While I look forward to having you safely home, I relish the richness you are experiencing in different worlds and different cultures. The pictures are amazing! As are you!
Love, Mom
Miss you both! What a relief! The server for your blog site was down for a few days and I, naturally, got worried. But of course, everything is just peachy! I'm so glad that you guys are having an amazing experience in Egypt. Rob- I am so proud of you and I want you to keep doin' what you're doin' and come home with some awesome stories for us all. Kate- I can't wait to hear about your maternity placement! I have been missing you terribly and have been looking for the centre star in Orion's Belt every night for comfort ;) Karma has a Hip-Hop show at school tomorrow that I am going to video tape for you, should be very cute! I can't wait until you both finish your prospective journeys and come back to Calgary so we can eat, drink, and be merry! Karma asks about you both often, and the globe we bought her for Christmas has been very helpful for explaining where you are and what you are doing. She has one question for Auntie Kate: Do you know how to sail a boat?
(The ship Jane lived on for a year was shipwrecked and sunk off the coast of Brazil last week... everyone got off safely and were rescued after 40 hours adrift).
Uncle Rob: How fast can you run?
(Outrunning bad guys seems impossible based on some movies she has seen!)
I love you, miss you, and wish you all the best! Have FUN, do your thing, and come home safe.
xoox
Tristan and the Addison Clan
Great It's wonderful to hear that everything's going so well. Enjoy every minute.
Thinking of you both, and wondering how it can be cold. I thought Kate would be suffering from the heat.
g/mom
Kate broadens her horizons!! I'm pleased to see that Kate has switched from beer to wine.
I'm pleased to see another promise of pictures which I'm sure will be fulfilled some day.
I'm pleased to see people are submitting comments to this blog although none of us can see them apparently because Kate is moderating them out.
What a great update! Thanks a bunch, Kate. Looks as though you've earned a stint in maternity. Car accidents??? Who would imagine? Just like here???
Take care; enjoy your holiday.
Hi Kate
It looks like you are having lots of fun.
We are in the middle of Olympic mania here. It is so warm and sunny in Vancouver that Ghana should have some athletes here.
Love Aunty Shelley
Wow! I'm so glad you made it there safely! Everything sounds wonderful :) I'm glad you found something safe that you like to eat! Can't wait to see pictures and hear more about Ghana. Miss you already. xoxoxo Tris
Hey Kate,
Sounds great! I'm glad to hear your roommate is nice, even if you're rooming with someone you don't know. I'm sure you're going to meet so many interesting people, if there's lots of other international students there! I look forward to pictures, and good luck on starting work. Love you,
Lib
Patricia Arnold
non-member comment
Wow!
Thanks for sharing your experiences Katie. Africa does open your eyes and they seem to never close again quite the same way. Your mom is very happy you are home!. Love, Pat