Here in South Africa... FINALLY!

Hi everybody!!! It feels like forever since I have been in contact with anyone! This is the very first opportunity I have had to access the internet, so I am happy to be able to finally say hi. I got to Durban on Saturday and immediately went to the city and to the beach with the nieces of the woman I am staying with. Sunday was orientation around the city and today we met the doctor that will be supervising us. Tomorrow we will start in the hospitals; I am places at St. Mary's first. This hospital was build by a German mission years ago, when there was still seperation, and it was run without the help of the government up until several years ago. I also found out that I will definately spend time in a rural hospital, which is very exciting!! I have heard that the care in a rural hospital is quite different, and that it will be a unique experience. The students that are here are very nice, and the lady I am staying with (Tiny) is sweet. She is a nurse at a hospital in the area, and she works long shifts almost every day. The downtown is very dangerous, so we only go in very large groups and we do not carry anything with us. We have a special cab driver here, who is a great guy! We are lucky to have him, as any other cab is not guarenteed to be safe. The taxis are not the same as cabs here! They are minivans that pile in about 16 people and they have many accidents. The buses are fairly unreliable, so most locals prefer to use the taxis, or cabs if they can afford it. We are SOO lucky to have our cab driver!! Also, we are getting transported to and from the clinic each day by a driver who is in his 20's, studying to be a chef. This is a HUGE blessing, as it solves the problem of transport. THANK YOU KREAN!!!
I love it here. I LOVE the city, and it's not scary if you are street smart. Yesterday we were dropped off in the downtown and left all of our things with the local coordinator, which was very convenient. We went to an indian restaurant and the food was great! We finished the orientation and talked about all kinds of safety, health, and home-stay rules/tips/insructions. We were told that we have a special health team in case of any heath problems that the students have. (So don't worry mom and dad, I will be fine if I get sick!!). Also, the water here is better than in Canada! haha. The tap water is very clean, AND there are no trace metals, as there has been found to be in the tap water around Hamilton and London.
There was a change of plans, so I am staying with Tiny alone. I was supposed to be with a whole family, but after someone dropped out, I was placed with Tiny. I was excited to live with a whole family, but I think this is a blessing because I am able to have some quiet time every day. I didn't get ANY of this in Germany, so I am devouring every minute now that I have it!! This morning I had a couple of hours to myself and I listened to the NT on CD. I was so happy to be able to relax and listen to Acts... I am praying that I will be able to find the time to do this every day... it is so important, and I don't want to get lost in all the excitement of the clinics. (Please pray that I can spend some time in God's word every day!!!)
I was able to talk to Candice for a while yesterday, which was great!! She even read me an email while I was on the phone with her... what are sisters for, right? haha. Thank you Candice!!!
Well, I think I will have internet access a lot more frequently now that I am here. I hope to come after clinic now and then. As I mentioned, tomorrow will be the first day that I will be seeing patients, so I should have a lot to talk about after that!
I hope everyone is enjoying the weather in Canada... Germany had dreadful weather and it is winter in South Africa now, so the weather isn't bad, but it's no 30 degrees (although I have nothing to complain about here... it really is so exciting to be here!)
Also, happy belated CANADA DAY!!!!
LOVE to everyone reading this,
Katerina
PS this was written fairly fast, as we don't have too much time here, so please excuse any typos (a special plea for excuse to my mother [aka essay editor], who can't stand my typos :) )