Miksha Jagwanth

https://studio.stupeflix.com/v/QOuEXiRNCOlT/ I’m so sorry guys, as soon as I convert it into a file that is actually accepted by WordPress, I will upload it:)

South Africa? Can you hear me? Can you hear us? Can you see us suffering? Can you not feel our tears against your earth? Our blood staining the ground? Can you hear us? We see people expressing and voicing their suffering on a daily basis, to which we try and help them. But what about the people who feel that they don’t have a voice? People that suffer in silence? Who feel that suffering is how…

We were starting to forge a relationship with the community caregivers, who are very important in the community; they approached us for help with a specific client. Unfortunately I was not filled in on the information as the others but when I arrived there, I was quite surprized.

The Client was around 41 years old, sleeping on an old  mattress on the floor of a one bed-roomed “shack”. She had a…

We had a tutorial afew weeks ago on what makes the “zulu” people zulu. This topic stuck with me for some time- as im still trying to figure out who am I and what box do I fall into ?

Growing up, my parents didn’t spend much time teaching us about our religion, Hinduism. As soon as I was ready to go to school, I was sent to a Christian preschool- and then to a Christian primary school. I was…

I feel that every person on wordpress needs to watch it. It really made an impact on my life (and maybe made me shed a tear) as to see that people who had nothing, would share all they have as they know the suffering that they endure.

It made me think about my life and if I would have given that man food had he asked…I would have maybe gave him some money and not shared my food with him per-se ,…

Watch This Man Beg For Food Will Change The Way You Think | 9GAG.tv

Sometimes those who have less give more.

I feel that every person on Tumblr needs to watch it. It really made an impact on my life (and maybe made me shed a tear) as to see that people who had nothing, would share all they have as they know the suffering that they endure.

It made me think about my life and if I would have given that man food had he asked…I would have maybe gave him some money and…

Some south Africans have the ability to make something out of absolutely nothing. The saying that comes to mind is, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Here in south Africa, people make one roomed shelters/houses out of tin, cardboard, paper- anything that they can find. Today I was given the opportunity to see what it is really like in these houses.

“us vs them” this is often used- us…

It feels like South Africa came to a halt this week. I’ve decided to tackle a very sensitive topic at this point in time- the Xenophobic attacks.  There’s no way to ignore it here in Durban- imagine a world where you are afraid to leave the house- yes, here in South Africa, we are living it.

What is xenophobia I hear people asking? When I looked it up, the definition is the” dislike or prejudice…

“Good luck” was the last thing that was said to me by the honours students. They had previously taken their service users to Ushaka, and apparently it was CHAOS!

We decided to take out service users to Ushaka for the day, just to end of our practical block on a bittersweet note. Bitter because the students were leaving and sweet… well… because who doesn’t love Ushaka??

As we got to DNC, there was excitement all around us. Most of the service users hadn’t been to Ushaka before and some were a little bit nervous. We had a group to prepare them for what to expect and read them some rules, to which they understood very well.

One thing we could have done differently was gotten consent forms sent to them earlier, with enough time to let the parents decide whether to send the service users or not. One specific service user was heartbroken when he saw everyone leaving, and he had to stay behind because he did not get a consent form.  Tom was the one service user that I felt would have really enjoyed the outing.

The aquarium was absolutely exhausting for me. There was just too much going on, I search for a better word… but maybe it was too overstimulating for me. Having to constantly have my eyes on everyone at the same time was so tiring. Not to mention the mini heart attacks when I thought someone went missing, or if we did a headcount and there was less than normal.

Food and drinks were something that we clearly wasn’t prepared for. By the end of the aquarium, everyone was starving and thirsty. As a group, we planned our day such that they will be back for lunch, but I think we had forgotten about their tea time snack that kept them going. Fortunately our supervisor was there to save the day with a 2l Fanta and chips so that we did not have anyone fainting. We had clearly forgotten about any diabetic people that may need snacks at a certain time.

With all the walking that was necessary at Ushaka, we had forgotten the low endurance of some service users and had only brought a wheelchair for one that really needed it. Next time, bringing wheelchairs as a precaution is a must.

Looking back, I think checking for medications that need to be taken at a specific time, asthmatic pumps etc should have been checked on. As there was a lot a walking, the asthmatic pump as well as a first aid kit should have been packed as a precautionary measure.

I came across the article called Occupational work therapy in South Africa. the author starts off by saying that OT’s in South Africa( SA) who practice in the field of vocational rehabilitation cannot afford to wait for a “just right” time. I find that statement to be so true as at any point in time, challenges and opportunities will both be present.

I had the opportunity to be placed in a vocational facility for mentally disabled people. It was such a different ball game when compared to a placement at a hospital, mainly because I am so used to working with acute cases and at this specific place, the service users were all chronic.

The article states that OT’s in South Africa can be described with words such as dedicated, committed, caring, practical , and most of all, making a difference. Yes it does sound abit “Cliché” but as she states, it’s a phrase that really exists in South Africa.

A culturally rich South Africa was mentioned, and I cant agree more. We are a multinational and a multilingustic country. This may sometimes poses challenges at some point, such as in some cultures, if a person does not look a person in the eyes when they are speaking to them, it is considered rude, but here in SA, if you look an elderly man in the eyes, you will be considered disrespectful. There is so much to learn in SA, so many opportunities to broaden your horizons. So if someone asks me about practicing in SA…  I would say that it was the best, down to earth experience of my life.

I mean here you actually see how bad things can get, when push comes to shove and how you can make assistive devices out of almost everything. It broadens your horizons with regards to problem solving, and the way you can solve a problem without spending a cent. It’s the difference you can make to people here. It’s also how appreciative some people are and the work satisfaction that we get from actually making a difference.

Do not wait; the time will never be ‘just right’.Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools(and skills) you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along” Napoleon Hill

I had the opportunity to read WFOT’s position statement on Human rights. I was actually amazed that the occupational therapist had such a big position on human rights in relation to human occupation and participation. The article was mainly about the fact that people have the right to participate in different types of occupations.

Occupation is such a complex term. I often get asked by others to help them “choose what they want to study in the future” but no, an occupation is defined as “everyday activities” that people do. This ranges from getting up in the mornings, to eating breakfast ,going to work and then getting back into bed at the end of the day. It’s pretty much everything in-between and including when you wake up in the mornings and go to bed in the evenings. “it includes the things people need to do, want to do and are expected to do” it is everything in one word and therefore can be so disabling when not fulfilled.

Occupational therapist… what is even left after you remove the word “occupation” from it? OT’s have the responsibility to help support all different types of participation and to help people that experience such limitations that prevent them from participating in occupations. This is what we as OT’s strive for in our practice each and every day. It’s from helping the child with no co- ordination to feed himself to teaching the woman with no legs, dress herself. I can’t imagine another profession that can be as rewarding at the end of the day.

Here in South Africa, we have such high rates of poverty and diseases. This is very alarming to an OT, as the article states that these are the people whose rights to occupations are threatened, so that’s pretty much most of South Africa. I feel that most of South Africa sees occupations as an opportunity to those who are in poverty and fighting diseases and not a Human Right, so as the article rightly says, the OT is here to make this right known to others. We have to limit the impact of these “injustices that are experienced by these individuals”

My definition of Occupation includes “helping a person get their life back” after all, what is life without activities and occupations? It is the basis of life and OT’s help you put your dancing shoes on and allows you to dance the night away. 

As I walked into the Senate Chambers, wearing all black and ready to work for the day , I was overwhelmed as to how professional and intimidating the venue was. It felt as if we were in a court room ready to convict the 4th years of some serious crimes.

The guest speaker was absolutely phenomenal, who left us all speechless. He was dressed in traditional African Clothes- which had our interests peaked. His speech was one that South Africa can be proud of, he really brought in the south African culture- which honestly, some of us actually forget that we belong to this culturally rich country.  He spoke of the words of a Zulu song  called “Ububle Bamhlaba” by Vusi Mahlasela. For those of us who did not understand zulu, he had the song translated- the words were beautiful and spoke of liberation. He somehow managed to link this to the research presentations- and said that research does not fulfil its purpose if it does not benefit the community- it needs to uplift the community in need- research is liberating!

We were allowed to sit and watch the 4th year research presentations; which either went two ways: we could have either have been inspired or… left us all terrified. The 4th years presentations were mind-blowing and left 3rd years staring in awe. What a high standard was set for us- each and every presentation was so different but yet so interesting in their own way.

Researching in 3rd  year seems so abstract to me so it really benefited me to see how each aspect will eventually come together and create a bigger picture. I saw how cohesive the groups were together,and how well they performed- yes they may have had their fair share of conflicts but I yearn for our group to reach that level as soon as possible. My group for research is currently in the storming phase (Tuckman’s stages of group development) and everything seems like such a hassle- and a simple decision turns into a tsunami. The groups looked cool and collected- comfortable together and not forgetting to mention their matching outfits that made them look ready to take over the world- as a team!

I look back at the research day and I see how far we still need to go. I figure that this year’s honour students were once in our position, terrified out of their minds. This is a circle- we will definitely rise to the occasion and make UKZN, our parents and our peers proud.