Pictured Above: Cape Town, surrounded by the rock formations from left: Lion's Head, Table Mountain, and Devil's Peak.  Foreground--Green Point and Green Point Stadium, built for when South Africa hosted the 2010 World Cup.

Hello everyone! Crazy as it is for me to think about, I will be departing Friday for South Africa to spend two months, May 4th through June 29th, volunteering for the global health education program Child Family Health International.  The month of May I will spend working in Cape Town and the month of June in Durban, a city some 2000 miles east, right on the Indian Ocean.  In each of these locations I will be working in clinical rotations at the city hospitals, working in numerous specialties including general care, HIV/AIDS treatment, and surgery.

Additionally, in each of these locations I will be spending a week outside of the city in a more rural location to learn how healthcare is approached in those communities.  I was recently informed that this portion during my stay in Cape Town would take place during my first week.

For each month, I will be staying with a host family.  During my time in Cape Town I will be staying in a suburban community of Athlone in the Cape Flats region that is southeast of downtown.

Traveling from the United States with me are three other students, one from the University of Michigan.  We will be staying close to each other, and possibly work in some rotations together as well.

I will be leaving from Detroit around 10:00 am Friday, and arriving in Cape Town around 9:00 pm Saturday, local time (6 hours ahead).

Well, I should get back to packing, but I can't wait to share my first adventures with you!  If you have any other questions or short messages for me, you can leave a comment! This will be something that is challenging, but life-changing, and I hope to learn as much as I can to expand my outlook on the state of healthcare around the world, and where it could be headed. Until next time!

Totsiens,
David