Rugby and Healthcare...

The Maties made it into the rugby finals (their equivalent of a bowl game, or so says my new BFF Walter). We went to the game yesterday decked in our finest Maties apparel. I didn't take pictures, so you all will just have to use your imagination (but I did snap on of the sunset...). 

#nofilter

Rugby is GNARLY. I had no idea what was going on the whole time, which isn't an uncommon experience for me considering I know zero things about sports. Mostly I was just afraid that someone was going to snap a bone in front of my eyes (thank god that didn't happen). The game was really exciting, but we lost by quite a bit. It reminded me of most NU sports events because after the game, no one was upset and we all went to the bars. My new favorite spot in town is now NuBar. Pictures were taken here, but now that my entire extended family is reading this, I'll refrain from posting them. Everyone is so nice and wants to talk to us, which is lovely. We have no trouble making friends; I think it's because of our epic dance moves. Hailey and I tear up the d-flo. Also, it was our friend's birthday, so we iced her like 6 times. Life is good.

Anyway, today visited the clinics and hospitals around Stellenbosch in a place called Somerset-West. We saw all types of care offered in South Africa: Community Clinic (most rural), Public Hospital (a step up, but not specialized medicine can be found here), and Private Hospital (state of the art hospital; it looks like Hoag where my dad works). It was insane to see the stark contrasts in healthcare. The populations that visit these different facilities is also notable. The community clinic served the black population, the Public Hospital served mostly the black population, but was run by a white man, and the Private Hospital seemed to only cater to the upper-middle class white population.

I've seen community clinics before on trips to Honduras, but this was in the mountains like 4 hours away from civilization. These hospitals are all within a 10 minute drive from one another... it's crazy. Residents of SA can get Medic Aid (similar to insurance), but it is incredibly expensive, so few people can purchase the policies. Those that are not wealthy enough to obtain aid must put their name on the waiting list for the community clinic or public hospital and wait (sometimes up to 8 weeks depending on the health issue).


I wrote this like 3 days ago.... sorry friends and family, I knew this was going to be a struggle...

Anyway, since I had no photos to show you all, here is another from a hike we did. I'm obviously leading the pack... thanks for all the hiking trips mom and dad!