Last day of work!

Today was my last day of work, and it was the best "last day of work" I have ever had! We had surgeries in the morning. I did a squamous cell carcinoma excision and two small incision cataract surgeries, which went really well. I had saved Jono the last scrub gown, presuming he would have to scrub in and help me out during the surgery, but he never needed to suit up! Success! It felt really good.

My final cataract surgery in Swaziland with Setha as my scrub tech.

My surgery on the video screen :-)

Setha and me holding the nucleus (cataract) after my surgery.

Me and Zanele



Lens nucleus (cataract).


After clinic, we had carrot cake (that I had purchased in South Africa over the weekend) from a really nice bakery. Everyone loved it, and it was fun to have a treat after a long day in the O.R. (or should I say "theater"?!)

Angela, Sister Senani, Jono, me, Zanele, and Setha

On Wednesday, Jono had promised me a ride over Swaziland in his airplane. I was pretty nervous (and I think he could tell!) After work, we went to the hangar on his property, got the plane ready, and flew over the farm, the hospital, the mountains... It was SO fun. Angela accompanied me. I actually got to take two rides! I got some great photos and it was so memorable.

Plane in the hangar



Me and Ang before the ride

The pilot

The cliffs where Jono took us hiking the day before.



Mabuda house below

The runway in the distance

Takeoff



Taking flight over Mabuda Farm

Mabuda house in the distance and the cattle barn in the foreground.

Good Shepherd hospital. I worked in the building in the middle with the red roof.

One of King Mswati III's many houses (just over the wing).

After we got off the plane, we rushed home to clean up because Jono and Helen were hosting a goodbye party for me. We had prawn and cashew green curry (prawns provided to us by one of our Mozambican eye patients), salad, wine, and the most delicious granadilla  (passion fruit) dessert. We exchanged gifts. Helen and Jono got me two amarula glasses from the Ngwenya glass factory (they are beautiful!). I got Jono the book "Unbroken", which I ready here on my ipad and he has been wanting to read, Helen a pretty scarf, and Sister Senani some body lotion and a candle of a mother elephant with a baby elephant. I told her there was underlying meaning: the Queen Mother of Swaziland is represented by an elephant, and Sister Senani was like the Queen Mother of the eye clinic. She was always helping me out, telling me what TO do and what NOT to do. She and I got along very well, occasionally we had our little tiffs (Jono said we fought "like sisters"). So I told her she was the mama elephant and I was the baby elephant. She got a kick out of it.

Sister Senani, me, Angela, Helen, and Jono (in his Swazi shirt) having drinks before dinner at Mabuda House.

My going away dinner