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109 entries.
wrote on September 26, 2024
at
11:39 am
Dearest Alan,
Thank you so much for giving me a home in Johannesburg. You have been so welcoming since the moment we corresponded via Facebook call and have arranged my stay in Johannesburg down to the details - first 5 weeks at an Airbnb near you, then the main house and finally the cottage.
My most poignant memory of you was in my first week here; the Airbnb I was staying in had an outage, and I was sitting in the dark pondering about my life choices. You replied almost immediately and welcomed me to Swanage for electricity and a hot shower. You delivered coal in the bitterest of winter for me, and that will always be how i remember you - always showing love and making the world a better place for those around you.
6 months is neither a long time nor a short one, but it has allowed me to meet so many like-minded individuals from all over the world from Leo's batch until Paolo's. I am so grateful that you have created this safe haven for all of us to come together and share this moment of our lives with each other. I will always remember the times we cooked and shared a meal together with everyone; the food was always in abundance - just like the way your love overflows for your swans.
It has been an honour knowing you and being your swan. This is not good-bye; I will be back, and we will cross paths again. Thank you 5P (Peter, Priest, Pulmonologist, Park Ranger, Pianist)!
Deepest appreciation,
Norman Lin
wrote on September 25, 2024
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8:33 pm
Dear Alan
Thank you so much for your hospitality and all of your help with the univesrity paperwok.
I was worried of the crime in Joburt, but your Swanage felt like a safe place - a hoem.
I enjoyed our talks about God, the world and the meaning of life a lot, it was a huge inspiration.
You created a wonderful atomospher with the amazing Pilanesberg Safari and all the social events.
Also thanks for the recipes. Chakalaka - the Pad Thai salad and the homemade ICE CREAM - I love it.
My fellow roomates, - I had a wonderful time, talking about Emergency medicine, the horrors you see at Bara, sharing meals, drinks nad laughter. Paulo, Jeniifer, Philipp, Jahin and Katie.
Thank you a lot.
See you again !
wrote on September 7, 2024
at
8:27 pm
To my dear roomates and our host Alan, I have a longed looked forward to this 4 months that I wanted to spend in South Africa. I have enjoyed my first two in Cape Town and met amazing people.
However I was less happy about my living situation there, that is why it was really special to arrive to the second half of my advnenture and meet all of you amazing people!!
You have all made my time here so much better. Here is to Nick (2x), Ollie Frankie, Norman, Jennifer, Paolo Karim, Jahin Katie and of course Alan. And here is to all the things we learn at work, to the exciting trips we have gone on together and all those little moments we had we had the last two months.,
Thank you and enjoy the rest of your stay.
Philipp
wrote on September 6, 2024
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6:07 pm
To my darling Swans!
What an adventure we have all had, and all made possible by have a home to return to at the end of the each manic shift.
Swanage did feel like a home, with the closeness and bond of a community of like-minded souls all on the same journey.
Thank you to all for helping to make my time here a special one.
It can often feel like humanity is missing, lost in action at Bara, but coming home and sharing a space with you all was a potent reminder that all was not lost.
Here's to our future as doctors, may we meet again, here's hoping.
Take care my friends, with all my love.
Jennifer (Final Year GEM Uni of Sheffield)
wrote on August 3, 2024
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8:52 pm
Dear Swanage.
Thank you so much for being my safe haven. Alan how you find the time, energy and enthusiasm to host and protect a vibrant and dynamic place as this is truly beyond me.
I am in awe of your lifestyle and your committment to the betterment of everyone who passes through these gates.
I will never forget Pilanesberg sunsets, Ubers at dawn, birthdays at Fahrenheit, nor Braais in the back garden.
Six weeks has been a blur, thgrough which trials have been ended and only triumphs and joy remain.
I cannot wait to be a doctor, and I hope to retunr here when I have grown more, to see if I can further hlep and learn from the fantastic people of this country and of Charlotte Maxeke Hospital.
To all future swans, make the most of every second, and dont you dare waste a moment being apprehensive.
Thank you to recent Swans, Sophie, Georg, Frankie, Nick, Philipp, Ollie and Jen for making my stay so special.
Nick Carter 5th year, Girton College Cambridge
21 June to 3rd August 2024.
wrote on July 23, 2024
at
9:02 pm
Dear Alan
Thnk you so much for the craziest 8 weeks of my life!
I couldn't have wished for a more welcoming host, mentor and friend and I know I will cherish my time at Swanage for the rest of my career. Your generosity and beautiful home was a haven when getting home from Bara.
I would love to come back in the future and I hope Swanage is still going strong when I am finally a consultant! Cheers for the memories and for makiing me feel at home and for being such an excellent role model.
Ollie - Auckland New Zealand
wrote on July 23, 2024
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6:30 am
Dear Alan
It is hard to describe what I have felt in the past 6 weeks. My senses and emotions have been struck from every angle. It has been both a pleasure and a terror to learn South Africa's culture and societal make up that constitute "normal". So far removed from my life inthe UK, I found myself forgeetting what my values were during a busy night shift in the hopsital. It has not been easy. Thinking back, it is obvious that Swanage has been my rock. I must be honest, I was confused about what this place was I arrived, this is not your normal holiday accommodation. Yet slowly it has become clear to to me, this is a family. The culture is to help your neighbour (quite literally), despite arriving as a stranger, to bring a sense of normality to our life. Your food, chats and advice have made this feel like a home. You are "petros" Dr Peter, Thank you.
Nick - Friend of Frankie Postles.
wrote on July 23, 2024
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4:30 am
Dear Alan
Bara hospital in the the midst of a long night shift often feels like a place of darkness. It was Swanage which every morning produced the cleansing power of light. Quiet contemplation with a cup of strong tea around the table in the morning sun, with churning cascade of the fountain in the background became something of a daily ritual. Punctuating those long shifts in Bara were countless moments of profound humanity. Beneath every blanket in that cold cluttered, machine filled resus bay were men and women in moments of deep consequence. Every blood taken, each line inserted, every chest drain placed, one comes up against the acid reality of the fleeting nature of life. All too easy to dilute the potency of each encounter, all too easy to disassociate from the weighty responsibility one has to their patients. It was a home to return to and the warmth of its inhabitants which made this work both possible and deeply meaninful. I am one of many to spill ink reflecting on a time spent in Swanage, reading through many entries. Themes of family, peace, community are common currency. Common currency as they are worth so much. Thank your Alan.
Frankie x Friend of Nick Monioudis
wrote on June 27, 2024
at
3:27 pm
I could have written my name under Sophie's review and be done. But not this time.
So what's left to say? Time had been flying for the past two months. It's really weird to leave this place., Bara and everything else behind. We met and became friends with so many people from all around the world and I think I will miss sharing our meals and talking to each other the most. After all I can say that SA and especially Bara was not what I expected. It's an amazing country with a beautiful landscape, amazing views and fascinating wildlife. On the other hand, you have this big disparity between blacks and whites, poor and rich and all these people inbetween who love their country and try their best to make SA a better palce. It took some time to find my way to handle the things that happed in Bara and overcome the prejudice toward Soweto, but talking to Alan and Luyanda, they have shown us a different picture. So now for our host! Thank you Alan for having us and all your efforts to make Swanage a home. Thank you for all the good talks even in the mornings when I was barely alive, all the fantastic travel tips, lending us your camping equipment and everything else. You really made Swanage and our stay unforgettable and we difinitely will come back to learn more about your infinite knowledge about wildlife. So "KLARTEXT" ....every cygnet has to leave the next at some point so farewell and see you soon. Georg,
wrote on June 27, 2024
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12:51 pm
Dear Alan, dear Swans and future Swans, our time here has come to an end and we both cannot really believe that this adventure is already over. But looking back at the two months, we know it wouldn't have been the same without you, Alan! Gathering people around the dinner table to meet, laugh and enjoy each other's company is only one part that makes Swanage a home for all of us. You take care of every soul that joins the family. Thank you for that! And thank you for being probably the most underpaid travel agency in South Africa. Kruger - Tamboti camp four overnights and night drives in the South of the Park. Garden route - Robberg Nature reserve 9 km walk with seal and whale watching and the Pilanesberg Safari ++++ So whater your plans are and you need some inspiration --- ask Alan. He might just get you to enjoy watching birds in National Parks and look them up in books he lends to you. Trust us, looking for eagles while having lunch is amazing. We could fill pages with places to visit here but most importantly we always looked forward to come back to Swanage. So while we had our last cup of coffee this morning, we finish this entry with the same words we said goodybye. See you in a few months for a big Safari. Anso and Georg
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