My last class with my students!!

Today (Thursday) was a very sad day for me!  It was my last class with my students.  I am really going to miss them, and I wish I could stay longer, as I feel like there is still so much I can teach them.   The topic I ended on was Florence Nightingale.  Florence Nightingale is, as you all probably know, famous in nursing for the work she did in the Crimean war, and other things.  Florence was seeing many of the soldiers dying, for things she felt they should not be dying from.  She really focused on cleanliness of the hospital environment and teaching about prevention of diseases.    After we discussed all of the things that Florence did; we engaged in a discussion about how these things could be used in Burundi.  The students were surprised that one could make a big difference, by doing something so simple.   We talked about how change is hard, and is often resisted by many, but it was important for some things to change and keep on improving in order for things to get better.   I assured them that even in the United States we are constantly trying to make improvements in the hospitals when we see that there is a problem.  

Florence believed in two types of nursing.   One was sick nursing, or caring for those that are ill and in the hospital.  The other is health nursing, or teaching and educating people to help prevent disease and illness.   After I explained this to my students, once of them raised their hand and said, “like when we teach the widows?”   YES!!! Yes!!! Yes!!!  I was so happy and excited that they had made this connection on their own.  This may seem like a small feat to most of you reading this, but if you were here and could see all the roadblocks in the way of their learning and understanding, you would see what a big deal this is for me!   Prior to me teaching these students, they had never understood that part of their role as a nurse would be to teach and educate others.   That doesn’t mean that others had not shared that information with them, but for some reason, the message never really sunk in until now. 

Ever since I knew I was coming to Burundi, I have felt really strongly about being able to teach these students some things that they could take out into the communities and hospitals to help save people’s lives and make things a little better for people here.  I realize they cannot change the country overnight, but I really believe that these 70 students I have had the privilege of teaching these 2 months are the future of this country.   I know these are big statements, but I really believe it!

We had a long discussion about good things that exist here in the country for health care, and things that they themselves think are bad and could be improved.  I did not offer any suggestions, as I wanted to see what they thought was good and bad.  It took them a long time to come up with anything they believed was good…but finally they decided that the free care for children, pregnant women and individuals with HIV/AIDS was a good thing, and they would not want to see that change.  That was all they could think of.  I am sure if they were given more time to think about it, they could come up with more things, but on the spot, this is all they could come up with.   We then talked about change and what were things they thought could be changed.  They had many many things they thought could be changed, like:  better training for nurses and doctors, to have clean environments, to have supplies they need to do the care, access to medications and many more.  

Now, here is the part that I really love….. I told them that statistically probably 2-3 of them would actually go out and make any changes ( I made that number up, but it sounded good!!).  Then I asked, who would like to be the ones that go out and make changes?  So many hands shot up in the air, and I said, “oh, these 3 were the first ones with their hands up, so they are the only ones that get to make any changes”    (They knew I was teasing them).  This did not settle well with the students that did not get picked to be the ones to make changes.  They said, “we all want to make things better for our country.”  Yes!!!!  Yes!!! Yes!!!!   I am telling you, this is a motivated group of students, and I really believe that they will make things better for their country.  I am not looking at the situation through rose colored glasses, I realize that not all of them will, but I do believe that if they all start out feeling like they have the power and knowledge to make things better, then they are better equipped to do so, and because of that they are more likely to try.   So, I feel like what I set out to do here, has in a way, been accomplished!  

As part of the last class, I told the students how much I have enjoyed working with them, and how proud of them I am.  I encouraged them to do the best they can in every instance, and that I hoped as they went into their nursing career, they would remember me, and remember some of the things that I had taught them.   Then the class representative gave a small speech that he had prepared on behalf of the entire class. 

He said that they were so thankful that I was able to come to Burundi and teach them, and thanked me for taking the risk of coming to Africa!  He said that there were so many things that they will remember from what I have taught to them, and that they will never forget me, and that they love me! 

I was so touched and told them that made me want to cry.  This made them all laugh J   This truly has been an experience of a lifetime, and I can’t believe that I have been able to be here.

I want to say it again, although I have said it many times before, I am so thankful for all of the support and love and encouragement I have gotten from those of you back in the United States.  I would not be able to be here if it weren’t for all of you.  So, I hope that as I rejoice in the accomplishments that have been made with these nursing students, that you too are rejoicing in it, because you are all a big part of what I am doing here.

The culture here is very focused on relationships.  I am often asked by students or others that I have met, if they could take my greeting to their family, or their church, or others that they know.  I of course, always say yes.  I love this part of their culture, that it is important to them to send and receive greetings from others, and that is makes a big difference in a person’s day.  So, I told my students that there were many of my friends and family at home that were praying for them and that they all send their greetings…this made the class erupt with joy and clapping!  I wish you could have seen it!

I love you all, and although I am very sad to be leaving Burundi, I am looking forward to coming home and seeing all of your lovely faces!  I have missed you all!