Brooklyn Chest TB Hospital

Today was my first day working at the Brooklyn Chest TB Hospital! Today I worked in pediatrics, which so far has just been feeding and playing with the kids. Some of them are exclusively Afrikaans speaking, which is REALLY FRUSTRATING, but part of service abroad I suppose. Like most little kids, they love jewelry and electronics, which are hard to get back if you let them play with them. But there were definitely reminders of where we were. One girl had an audible rattling in her chest. The kids want to be picked up and held so badly, and they’ll refer to you as ‘mama’ right away. It’s a referral hospital, so their parents are usually far away and can’t afford to visit very much. Bizarrely, they like my singing. Anecdotes to come.