St Boniface School of Nursing - Estole Fideles Yearbook (St Boniface, Manitoba Canada)

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Ou Mi4A4e4. Ut S uUU “We stayed in New York a week and had a marvellous time sight-seeing. On Saturday, November 22, we left on the S. S. Kawsar, an Egyptian boat of about 12,000 tons. The captain was Welsh, one of the officers Hungarian and the rest Egyptian; one doctor was Welsh and the other Jewish. The dining room stewards were Hindu, the room stewards Egyptian, the stewardesses Greek. The passengers were of every nationality—talk about the League of Nations! “We made two stops, the first at Trini¬ dad. Were we ever thrilled to see some green after our diet of blue sky and blue water! We didn’t expect to be allowed to go ashore, but it was arranged for us to be taken around in groups. The island is very tropical and everyone seems to go about very slowly and leisurely. The women walk around with immense bas¬ kets on their heads. Everywhere there seemed to be little carts pulled by don¬ keys. The buildings were so open—no glass in any of the windows. There were lovely rock gardens, and so many trees and flowers! We saw banana trees and coconut palms. We enjoyed our stay at Trinidad, B. W. I., very much. “Our other stop was Pernambuco. The houses here seemed much more substan¬ tial than those in Trinidad, but in some of the poorer sections we would see six to eight houses together. It seemed as though one very narrow house was built, and then others, still narrower, were built onto that. The roofs were all a different height and each house was painted a dif¬ ferent color—it was positively weird! However the residential section was beau¬ tiful. At Olinda, a Dutch town five miles from Pernambuco, we visited two beautiful churches with marvellous paintings on the walls and ceilings. We found it all very interesting. “We had a very nice Christmas on board ship and landed in Capetown, the next day.” Springfield Military Hospital, Durban, South Africa. “We were met at the dock by women drivers and taken to Seahurst Military Hospital in St. James—a suburb about twenty miles from where we docked. The hospital faces on to the Indian Ocean. On our way to the hospital we stopped at the Cecil Rhodes Memorial and from here had a remarkable view of the country¬ side. We could see Table Mountain and The Lion. When the clouds hang low on Table Mountain it looks like a white table¬ cloth on the mountain. “The highways here are beautiful. “They have dual language in South Africa—all signs are written in English and Africaanse which is apparently a combination of English, Dutch, German, French, and native. “We went to the Alexandria Club—a nurses’ club of which we are honorary members—and then a Miss Gilchrist, who has a nursing home, took us for a lovely drive and then to a country club for tea. The people here are so friendly and seem even more hospitable than Manitobans, if that is possible. “On New Year’s Day we left for Durban the trip taking three days and two nights. We saw ruins of old Boer War forts along the way. Also, just before we reached Durban, we saw some beautiful scenery— The valley of the thousand hills, I think.” “At present we are stationed at Zonder- water Military Hospital. The climate hers is much like our own—rain, thunder storms, and quite hot during the day. The land is very sandy. The people have quite a different sense of humor in comparison to ours, but I think we will like South Africa very much.” |t Editor’s Note—The above is a summary of Miss Wastle’s letters describing their trip to South Africa. « ♦ ♦ St. Boniface Graduates serving with the Nursing Sisters in South Africa; Margaret Wastle, Oak Bluff, Man. Grace Govenlock, Whitewood, Sask. Eileen Morton, Lauder, Man. Agnes Maloney, Manitou, Man. Margaret Muir, Elphinstone, Man. Jean Wheeler, Sedley, Sask. 33

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CLASS OF 1944 32

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TO ST. ROCH ' S I stood there utterly dumbfounded and read and reread the slip of paper I held in my hand—“You will go to St. Roch’s in the morning.” I couldn’t believe it. Finally, I staggered upstairs and into my room, still unable to think properly. My room-mate looked at me, then ex¬ claimed in an alarmed voice, “What’s wrong?” I could not answer her. “Are you sick?” she queried. “No,” I managed to stammer, and handed her the slip of paper. “Well,” she said disgustedly, “that’s nothing. Everyone goes to the Roch.” “But I didn’t expect it,” I sighed. “You’re silly,” she said, and continued to read her magazine. Heavy hearted, I packed my suitcase and that night I went over to St. Roch’s. Sister met me at the front office and took me up to the nurses’ quarters on third floor. The rooms seemed so small and close together — everything seemed so strange. However, I put my belongings into the dresser drawer allotted to me and then went to bed and slept all night —as nurses always do. Next morning we had breakfast in the little dining room and then went on duty. My work for the day was to follow a senior nurse and learn my technique. It all seemed so complicated, and further¬ more, the hospital itself appeared to be a maze of corridors, doors, and angles—I felt lost. The word contamination echoed in my ears. Next day I had my own patients and had to begin scrubbing each time I took a temperature, or made a bed, etc. By the third day I realized that I liked the Roch! And that evening we had a party in the dining room which ended with tea cup reading—we really had fun. After four weeks I went on night duty on Main floor—all by myself! I’ll never forget that first night—I think every win¬ dow rattled and every door squeaked be¬ fore morning. After a few nights I was really enjoying it, and I delighted in pre¬ paring our midnight lunch, which we usually ended with St. Roch’s old stand¬ by—peanut butter and syrup! And so my eight weeks at St. Roch’s were gone before I knew it and on Sun¬ day Sister told me I was to return to S. B. H. My reaction to coming to St. Roch’s flashed through my mind—how ashamed I was now! “I’m sorry to leave. Sister,” I said, and I meant it. “I’ve en¬ joyed my stay very much—here we are just one happy family.” F. E. T. + Si Rock ' s Teck nicjue The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts, there¬ fore guard accordingly; and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature. 34