Reflecting on our time here, we both realize how much we have grown. This journey has been extremely challenging at times, but in the end has allowed us to encounter things we would have never otherwise had the chance to experience. From Ghana, to Nicaragua and now Zambia, every trip has had such a profound impact in our lives.
Staff from the School of Nursing all dressed up for the Thank-You dinner we hosted!
Now the challenging piece will be to reintegrate ourselves back home in Canada. Professionally we feel uncertain where our careers will take us, or where we even belong right now because we have grown so much. Here in Zambia we have been working way beyond the scope of practice for a Canadian nurse. This will make it hard to return to work at Kelowna General. But needless to say we certainly are looking forward to heading back to work with familiar faces!!
Jess and two students, Simon and Kamota, outside of Lewanika General Hospital
Personally, we look back at our photos from when we first arrived in June and we don’t recognise ourselves. How did we get to this point? Zambia already feels like such a dream. I think we need to give ourselves a pat on the back for not killing each other on this trip. So many other expat workers here go home early or end up hating their experience, we think it is because they don’t have anyone to relate to. It takes a special person to get through a trip like this and we are a nice couple (insert joke here). No seriously, we have decided we should probably just become business partners, because we got a good thing going here. What can we say, we both just want to change the world!!
Lianne and one of our very favorite teachers, Mr. Kazunga
So, farewell Mongu, Zambia, and our extended blogging family….We will be in need of some TLC when we get back. We love you and wish you a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!!
Ni itumezi Shangwe,
Lianne and Jessica