While English is the "primary" language in Zambia, in Lusaka, the most common local dialect is Nyanja. So I'm trying to pick up as much as I can, especially because the staff I spend all my time with are Zambian and the patients are more likely to speak nyanja than english. My attempts at greetings like "mwuaka bwanji? ... "good morning, how are you?" have been met with approving responses back in nyanja and a good dose of laughter. When all else fails, I find a smile never seems to hurt either so I end up doing that a lot when I meet people in the clinic.

There was a young girl that visited the clinic I was at on Monday, she was maybe 17 years old. When asked about why she came in to be screened, she said her aunt had cervical cancer and advised her to get tested. And so she had come to the clinic closest to her home, in Chilenje, where we were stationed that day. I could tell she was pretty frightened of the whole situation. Let's just say pelvic exams are not commonly done here. I believe there are a total of 9 pathologists in the whole country so annual gyno visits with pap smears are not even an option for the majority of people. Most women have never had anyone look inside them and most have never seen the "stirrups" that my fellow female readers here are familiar with from our annual checkups.
So the visits usually start with a few minutes of explaining how to actually lie down on the examining bed in the right position. :) The nurses are pretty matter of fact and try to make the process as comfortable as possible. By acting like its not too big of a deal, I think they help make the environment less intimidating. "We're all women here!" is often said with a laugh, and "we have to help each other!" But as you can imagine for a young woman who has never had anyone examine her, and with the various misconceptions that are prevalent in the community, it takes a brave person to voluntarily come in and get screened. The young girl I mentioned above spoke good english so we chatted as the procedure went on and I tried to keep her mind off the process. After lots of deep breaths together and a good hand squeezing, it was over and she had a big smile on her face. "It wasn't that bad!" she said, after we went back to the computer desk to show her the digital images the nurse had taken of her cervix. It's pretty neat to see the change in a person in a matter of minutes after they come in and get screened, I could actually see the sense of empowerment in her face as she walked out the door. "Tell your friends and family to come in," we said. "Oh yes, I will! Thank you!" she said. The women who come in and get screened are often the best at passing on the message, as we all know, word of mouth is often the best way!

Today, we're headed to a high school to give a health talk to the students and teachers. The government workers are still on strike so we'll see how the turnout is, but I'm excited to see how the talk goes with a younger crowd. In the afternoon, I'll get to attend the weekly meeting of the cervical cancer team nurses as they present different cases and discuss strategies and technique to employ in the clinics. So much to learn!

xoxo,
Kristen