Day 240, We are only a quarter of a way through 2011 and the world around us seems to be buzzing with activity. Floods have hit Australia, earthquakes have destroyed parts of New Zealand and Japan, we’ve almost had a nuclear meltdown and there has been a sea change in the Middle East and North Africa with popular uprisings. In Mseleni we often feel oblivious to the rest of the world and on Saturday I felt it more than ever.
This weekend I managed to take advantage of an opportunity to stay at the exclusive Phinda Game Lodge, a place renowned for leopards and normally a place easily out of my financial reach. Of course part of the deal meant that I would have no access to a television and limited net signal. Most weekends I would be okay with this in pursuit of the elusive cats but this weekend there was a major world event that I was going to be missing.
Over a billion Indians had their attention fixed on the pursuits of eleven men on a cricket field. Ever since I was taken as a child to Eden Gardens and felt the roar of a 100,000 home supporters I’ve been hooked as an Indian cricket fan. Reaching the finals of the world cup with a genuine chance to be part of a collective victory happens seldom, but then again my chances of finally seeing a leopard are dwindling with each week that passes. Being a Tottenham Hotspur supporter I approach sports with a certain healthy pessimism and as such I decided that I would sacrifice the cricket to see if I could find that leopard I have been craving.
We went on a drive in the morning and the night and found an array of stunning animals; cheetahs whiling away the morning, elephant herds munching through the bush and rhinos grazing in the plains. There were a whole host of magnificently coloured birds and giraffes, zebras and buffalo going about their business. The crowning glory of the day was a pair of lions cooling off in the middle of the road. Despite our best efforts the leopards remained hidden.
Arriving back at the camp the weak net signal allowed me to just find out the result that India were champions, and even though I was not able to share in the experience it still gave me a warm feeling inside. It probably wasn’t as emphatic a reaction as it could have been but the event was very distant to me.
The world has been passing me by as I have been immersed in the rollercoaster ride at Mseleni and when I return all these things will be relevant again. For now I will try not to forget about the rest of the world but it is hard to be concerned when there is so much to focus on here. Now if only I can figure out how to track a blasted leopard!
BINGO!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWell... not yet....
Ahh! the wonderful animals. It is strange when you think that the animals that we see are the best of the best. In the animal kingdom if you are not the best, you are eaten!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your day Ruben.
Dear Ruben,
ReplyDeleteI am sorry to write this on your blog. It's nice to read all your stories. However, in July I will travel to south africa to work in Tygerberg Cape Town on the Trauma unit. In december I would like to continue working as a MD in a rural hospital in South Africa.
Mselini might suit my interest to work for. Could you tell me something about it?
1: Is it possible to work in divers specialties (as gynecology & surgery).
2: Could you give me an idea what I should expect during my on calls?
3: Is there supervision available for difficult cases? For example during surgeries. Will I perform surgeries as MO? What kind of surgeries? Can you ask for supervision if you have difficulties during surgery?
4: How many doctors work in the hospital?
5: Are there also outreach projects?
6: How is it to live around Mseleni hospital?
Hope you can anwer my questions. My email address: ellenreuling@hotmail.com. Thank you.
Greetings,
Ellen Reuling
The Netherlands