WALK FOR SCHOOL LIBRARIES

Hello Everyone,

So the big news this week is that we just had our Walk for School Libraries. It was a great success and we had an amazing turnout. We had over 2,000 people in attendance and lots of press, including the New York Times. In fact, our organization, Equal Education, was featured twice in the New York Times. Most recently for our Walk for School Libraries. It should be in the NYT either on 24 Sept or 25 Sept so try and find the article. If you cannot find it, it is on the front page of the New York Times world section of the internet newspaper. The link is http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/25/world/africa/25safrica.html?scp=2&sq=Celia%20Dugger&st=cse

Unfortunately, I was unable to walk in the event due to complications I am having with my knee. I rode in the car in the front march for the majority of the walk. I had been having back problems for about a week so I was relying on my legs a lot. My legs were really tight as a result and stretched leg towards my butt and I felt a twinge. It was nothing too serious, but it swole up pretty big so I went to the doctor at Student Health. The doctor sent me to an orthopedic surgeon to get it further checked out. The doctor drained my knee so the swelling, but he thought that I had a torn meniscus. So he sent me to get an MRI and after looking at the images he was pretty sure that I had torn my meniscus and I would need surgery. However, I got a call about 30 minutes after returning home from the doctor, he told me that the people who did the MRI did not see a torn meniscus, but instead it was a bone bruise with some other complications. So I have to wait weeks and see how things turn out, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that it is just a bone bruise.

This injury took place last Saturday while I was on a my weekend home stay I was staying with a family in the township Langa. It was a good time, besides the injury and it was a different experience than my home stay in Vereeniging last time in South Africa. The only thing that left a bad taste in my mouth was that we only stayed with the family for 2 days and 2 nights. It was just a short time, so it was hard really get a feel for the community.

But that has been the last week or so. I suggest everyone check out that New York Times article. It gives a little insight to what I am doing for my service over here.

Talk to you soon

-Pat