Live for Today

                                        This is a photo of the beautiful Hout Bay

Hey friends :) I really hope we're still friends lol, I realize I haven't been regularly posting in my blog. Coming here I had the best intentions but then you get into the thick of things and your priorities completely change. For the past few weeks all I've thought of is the cardiovascular system, the urinary system, diarrhea, ENT, anatomy, patient exams and history taking. It's been a whirlwind of exams, studying and yes it finally happened, Meg the put together Canadian had a melt down haha... Don't get me wrong I'm having the time of my life but the stress of this process finally got to me and resulted in me crying like a baby for a few days haha. Which ended up bringing me to a place of being completely frustrated, angry and raw. I think when you get to that breaking point things in your life become more obvious even though you didn't see it before. For example I had no idea that I was still struggling with trusting people until one little miscommunication happened and it triggered an irrational response on my part. You're meeting all of these new wonderful people and you're getting to know them on a deeper level and they are getting to know you, the real you and that can be scary. It's a crazy revelation about myself I didn't know was there. But it's a good thing. When you get to a point of frustration and then breaking you realize the things in your life you want to change. I think that this is where real change can happen, not only in your own life but in the lives around you. It makes you realize it's ok to be vulnerable and it's ok to dream and reach for the stars. If you do fail, at least you tried and in my opinion dreams are worth pursuing even if they don't turn out the way you expected. It just means you got to learn something, grow in the process and probably have a lot of laughs while doing it. Which brings me to, living your life for today... Why worry about tomorrow when you don't know what tomorrow holds? You just need faith that everything is going to work out the way it's supposed to. Enjoy the journey, enjoy the process, let the tears come if they need to, let the pain happen and then move forward. Don't let your failures or flaws stop you from your destiny. That's my little motivational moment from Meg :) 

                                My new friend Nicolas :) this was an incredible moment! 

On a much happier note the past few weeks have also brought a lot of joy, encouragement, satisfaction and knowledge. Some people here call me the Girl Scout because I actually knows how to tie knots haha... I love it! I love that my passion for the outdoors and my survival skills are paying off in all areas of my life. And it definitely gives me a certain cool factor lol. One thing I found fascinating is learning how to do an emergency tracheotomy with a pen in a life and death situation, as well as using the heimlich maneuver for a severe asthma attack. Who knew?! My mind is constantly being blown every day I'm here. 

Yesterday we had the opportunity to go to a blood transfusion clinic and see the lab. We got to watch as they seperated the white and red blood cells in fascination. Then for the first time in my life I was able to donate blood. In Canada I have tried to give blood on multiple occasions but I couldn't because I'd just travelled or I got my nose pierced, or at got a new tattoo....well this time it worked out and I feel so lucky to be able to contribute. One donation can save three lives! If you are able and willing you should donate blood the next time you can :) on a side note the snacks are delicious and the chairs recline haha...

I'm sure all of you are anxious to know what I'm going to do with all of my new acquired skills. We have 4 weeks remaining in our lecture phase of the school and then are going on our practical outreach to... You guessed it! Togo! I know you're wondering where that is haha... It's in West Africa between Ghana and Nigeria. We will be working in a clinic in Noepe for 4 weeks and then heading into the bush bush :) Of course all of you who know me well, this makes me extremely excited! I'm going to be helping people as well as living off the grid in a remote village in West Africa! This is a dream come true for me! As details unfold over the next weeks I'll only be more and more excited about what lies ahead. 

Over the last few weeks I've had the opportunity to go into the community and work with some local outreach groups. One is called Treasure Kidz, it's an organization here in Worcester that brings in kids for an after school program of tutoring as well as teaching them soccer. It gives the kids a chance to be physical as well as improve their studies, building their confidence in themselves. Most kids here don't graduate high school and if they do it's because you only need 30% to pass. I also had the chance to participate in a local outreach and love on some kids in the projects. Some of the DTS students prepared games, songs and dramas for the kids and it was a blast! Of course I left there in tears but was touched by their smiles and the fact that they keep talking to you in Afrikaans and you can't understand a word haha, it's adorable :)

I hope you're going to continue following my journey, praying with me, sending happy thoughts my way and encouraged by the words you're reading. Through this process I hope I can make a difference in many lives, and not just the ones I'm meeting here. Be inspired! If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask. 

Love Meghan :)