Arrival

I am doing a 1 month rotation in internal medicine at the University of Pretoria in RSA. I have only had a brief exposure to the tumultuous social environment, diverse wild life, breathtaking landscape, and extraordinary pathology of SA, but I can already say that this is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing chapters of my life.

Upon arrival in Pretoria I was immediately aware that this was a different sort of place. Every building is fenced in with either barbed wire or an electrical fence. The city is 1.5 million, but very small in landmass (the opposite of OKC). The city abruptly ends and beautiful rolling green hills continue to the horizon.  It is quite a stark contrast. I have heard quite a bit about how dangerous it is here, and at a glance I would have to agree. However, the people are some of the most friendly I have encountered and I don’t feel the least bit afraid to go out into the heart of the city. In fact, my walk into the city was my first glimpse of Africa as I had imagined it. The streets were so full of people that you would think you were at a festival. Different up beat African rythems were pounding from parked cars along the way and with every step there was a new sight or smell. I wasn’t quite cavalier enough to try some of the roadside kabobs, but I will when I return… EH 0157 be damned. (There is your medical joke Elizabeth.)