Dam run pic...

So our academic time in South Africa is almost at an end. Currently we are working in smaller case study groups looking at different aspects of health in Bush Buck Ridge. My group is looking at the health seeking behaviors of individuals. We have interviewed 13 different individuals and have found that people in this area choose between multiple health sectors including but not limited to home remedies, clinical care, traditional healers, and religion. The various reasons for people to seek these different aspects of care are very interesting and are going to provide us with an impressive presentation. It is amazing to see that much of the problem with health in this area is rooted in causes other than biology. For instance basic transportation and infrastructure are inadequate in many villages. This directly affects the availability and accessibility of health care that people have. A well paved road system and more effective ambulance system would go a long way at creating a better overall health in this rural area.

This weekend in during our breaks from paper writing we found the to go on a safari in Kruger park. We saw all of the big five ( lion, elephant, wildebeest, rhino, and cheetah) minus the cheetah. After our tour of the park we had a barbecue where we tried impala. The thought process on that one was "well we saw that animals now we have to taste it." The next morning a dedicated 5 of us got up at 430 am to drive an hour to the mountains to do a 3 mile run up to a dam. On the run we came across baboons in the road, which was slightly intimidating because I have heard of how aggressive they can be, just don't look them in the eyes hahaha. The dam itself was really cool and worth the up hill run. Post run we had an amazing breakfast where I had my first cup of coffee in 2 weeks it was Dam good ( get it no? no?). The rest of the day we relaxed and wrote our papers that were due the next day surrounded by mountains on all side. We had access to pool both heated and unheated, why you would need a heated pool is beyond me but it was there.

In a completely unrelated and non academic story I have been working on my mustache. Pretty impressive right now three weeks in and I am looking dirty.

Lastly a group of 8 of us are heading to Cape Town on Thursday for a week of vacation. As of now we plan to relax, do some hiking, kayaking, and other touristy things. I am really excited to check out Cape Town.

More pics to come later, the internet is just to slow...

Joel