Don't send donations unless they will help

We received a 40 ft container from America today. It was sent by a certain BIG organization in the states that fund us. After 3 months on the sea, it finally arrived and we were all excited to see what was donated. It was full of medications, hospital supplies, and a few computers. But first is first. It arrived in Mombasa and was opened bu customs. The customs officers informed us they cannot allow this container to come into the country because it was full of expired medications. It is highly illegal to bring expired medications into the country (as it should be) so the officers would not allow it. So it was either send it back at our expense or bribe the officers a little kitu kidogo so we can receive it. See we thought there would be at least something we could use in it.

So after paying over 50,000Ksh, the officers finally released it to Monica and she arranged to have it sent to Kisumu. We received it and began to do inventory only to find out that almost all of the medication expired in January of this year or a few months ago. Of the medication that is not expired, it expires next month. The catgut sutures were expired and the sterile alcohol had even dried out. Of the non-perishable goods, they are of no good use. We received a box of single use, disposable nipples to attach to bottles. What poor mother will use one nipple one and dispose of it? More likely, they would wish to use it for as long as possible, and since the material it is made of is not designed for that, it will begin to deteriorate and could be a choking hazard. Plus, we are trying to promote exclusive breastfeeding. Other things, sanitary bags that are designed to fit a certain electric breast pump (not included) So what good are those?They sent glass syringes, and we use plastic. And the list goes on. At least the computers are semi-working. They are very old and have outdated software but I think they can be used with a little updating.

I just hope this was all an oversight because I hear all the horror stories about clinic trials and testing on the poor Africans, and I just hope this was not intentional. It would be horrible to think that this reputable American organization would not really consider dumping all their trash onto the poor poor Africans. Let's just hope it was a severe oversight. This container has ended up costing KMET more money, time and stress than what it was really worth. I guess the intentions were good but ultimately they failed us.

Mob Justice

It's kill or be killed here in Kenya, thats the name of the game. Remember when I traveled to Nakuru and my driver Mzee stopped and bought a machete to carry since we were going to be traveling at night because "he should kill them before they kill us"? Well, I have experienced this first hand, well not literally but pretty close. So 8 men were killed in my neighborhood a few days ago. I have heard varying stories about what really happened but from what I gather, they were either trying to break into a house up the street, or they were staying there and planning a bank robbery from there. The police were tipped either way and they came and killed the 8 men, just like that. And all the watchmen from the area including mine, went and assisted the police in their efforts. I have asked why don't the police just arrest them and the response is this, they are armed therefore the police just shoot. And this particular squad is called the flying squad and when they are called in, its pretty much a guarantee that someone will die. The general police could show up, the group bribe them to look the other way and nothing gets done. Thats the beauty of the corruption in Kenya. So the neighborhood watchmen have to protect their employers (or they wont have a job) and they come together to get a job done.

I hope this story doesn't scare anyone, and you really shouldn't worry about my safely (mom I am talking to you) because I really trust my watchmen! I mean look what happens when someone just tries to attempt a robbery! Plus, all my neighbors know me and know where I live and they watch out for me. I feel completely safe, that incident was a planned incident and it was either a targetted house, or they were there planning to target a bank. What can they get from little old me? I will give them my 100 shillings I carry...gladly!

So mob justice, people are allowed to retaliate for the sake of the general population. That is why it is dangerous to call out "thief" if someone pickpockets you. Because just anyone on the street will come to your rescue, take justice into their own hands and kill the man. It works if you think about it, why would anyone want to pick your pockets in the middle of a crowded place if there is that possibility that they will be murdered by the mob?

Another example, a friend of mine was giving a man a lift on his motorbike (that's his job). When they arrived at the destination the passenger put a knife to his throat and demanded the kyes and the bike. My friend, not a stupid idiot gladly handed over the keys and watched the man drive off. He called his fellow pikipiki drivers who all arrived and found the man. The 30 of them beat and eventually killed the man who took the bike and my friend got his bike back. See the man threatened him with a knife, so they knew he was armed so they take matters into their own hands, its kill or be killed. And its completely legal, the police cant be bothered with such "petty things".

So thats how it works here, quite different to how things are handled in the States, but it seems to work for them, and I can guarantee you that someone will think twice about stealing a car or breaking into a bank-unless they have a death wish !

World AIDS day and a farewell

Last week was pretty relaxed, and a bit lame if you ask me. I am beginning to feel burned out. I feel like I am working and working, and other people in my office just sit around and watch politics and speeches on TV. Especially when the director is gone, I feel KMET doesn't get much work done. So I took it easy last week. I did get some things done, don't get me wrong, I just wasn't as productive as I could have been.

We finally got the big shipment of Miso in from Cairo so I ran around town delivering it to some providers around Kisumu. I need to schedule the truck to take me to the locations outside of Kisumu, not sure when and if that is going to happen anytime soon. Luckily Monica comes back in town today, so we might be able to push some of these guys in gear and start working.

I finished a midpoint report for both myself, my accomplishments, and the MUE project itself. I am still writing diligently on the Medication Uterine Evacuation Standards and Guidelines, it is turning out to be a huge document, and I wish that I could use that as my thesis, but nope. I have to write an additional paper, that I have only begun to collect research on. I have not yet read up on very much at all.

So Patty left yesterday, he is going back to Nairobi for a final week of classes and wrap us session then he travels for a bit to Mombasa and he leaves the country. He is ready to go, he even changed his ticket to leave earlier than originally planned. So KMET gave him a farewell lunch on Friday, where there were lots of speeches and gifts to be given. It was nice, but went on a little too long. I love how these guys always start a speech with " I am not going to say much" and then go on for 20 minutes. But it was nice none the less. I am dreading mine.

Patty and I went out to a place called Bomas to hear some live Ohangla music and get in his last night of Luo dancing! It was a fun and interesting night, where I proceeded to get the most drunk I have ever been in Kenya. Fun times :) I decided that the beer here, while it is refreshing and extra tasty, it is just not very strong and I just dont feel anything from it. Usually it is fine because I am not looking to get DRUNK anyways, but a little tipsy feeling would be nice. So I have switched to Kenya Cane or Smirnoff when I am feeling in the mood for drunkenness :) And it was on Friday night.

Saturday was World AIDS Day as I am sure you are all aware. Our girls at Sisterhood for Change were invited to perform and speak at the festivities here in Kisumu. It was actually out near a place called Rabuor because they wanted to be more out in the communities. So there were various groups performing songs and dance, reciting poetry, giving skits and talking to the youth and everyone about VCT importance general HIV facts. There were mobile VCT clinics set up offering the tests and counseling for free. All in all I think it was successful. In town there was a marathon for World aids day but they didn't block off the streets or anything. It was interesting watching how the runners had to weave in and out of traffic while trying to keep up their pace, avoiding potholes and ditches all along the way.

Sunday I spent most of the day either watching movies or cleaning the house. I did all the laundry and washed up everything. It was like spring cleaning but in December, and in the heat of the day sweating like a dog. My water still goes in and out so I couldn't even enjoy a nice cold shower when I was done. But I am getting pretty used to the bucket bath.

And this week, I vow to get some stuff done. I get a few weeks off here soon and I should really have some things completed. So off to work I go.....

Thanksgiving in Africa

So we managed to pull off a huge spectacular thanksgiving feast here in Kenya. I am quite proud of myself actually, and we had very few recipes even! The sweet potatoes are a little different here so they turned out just OK, and the homemade pie crust we made was pretty disgusting but other than that, it was delicious! And the Kenyans really loved it too. They had never tasted turkey before so it was a treat, and all the casseroles and stuffing dishes were so weird to them! But all in all, it was great, and we had a blast. About 14 people came in all and it was fun! Hopefully I will get some pics from my friends who were there to put online!

Since then, I haven't really done too much. We are still out of water, and even water delivered is running scarce because apparently the whole city is affected so we really have no water. My house work and laundry is really starting to pile up but what the hey. I can deal.

I have developed a taste for Kenya Cane, its like a rum but made from sugar cane and it is delish! I will make sure and bring bunches of it back because luckily they pack in plastic bottles! Sugar cane is good too and I was put in the mood for cane this morning and could really use some. But apparently the chang'aa I have been drinking (local brew) sometimes they put chemicals in it that has been known to cause blindness so no more chang'aa for me!

So back to work, although not doing too much this week. I am delivering Miso to the providers which will take three days maybe longer going on African time, but should take three days. I have a side job of transcribing that I have been working on (many of you know I have been doing this for years) and luckily I have gotten work here so I can make a little money! I am slowly going broke so if anyone wants to donate to a good cause (me reducing maternal mortality in Kenya - not my drinking lol) then karibu!

Its looking not so positive on getting the camera back. Boo but my lovely parents are sending another with my Dad next month so my camera happy fingers will be busy at work again. I am excited for that! I have been missing out on so many great moments!

And on to Johnson. I dont think I have written about him. He is a kooky character that lives on the streets here in Kisumu. He hangs out in front of the Aga Khan hospital all the time and he is naked. We have this theory that he used to be a doctor there and sometimes when we don't see him in his usual spot we like to believe he got called in to surgery. He wears plastic supermarket bags at night, covering only his chest. And the bags are engineered in such a way that he can keep things in them like pockets. Sometimes I see him pull out bottle caps, dirt, and paper from his "pockets". And I am guessing he is not Luo because he is definitely circumsized, and most Luo's are not. So really we are not sure of his story, but he is just one of the colorful characters here in Kisumu. I fear that if we gave him clothes or food, he would just sell it, or store them in his bags so instead we just marvel at his ingenuity. Oh Johnson! Haha

So with that... I am out. Time to make a delivery of drugs! Hopefully my life will be more exciting next time. Kwa Heri! Oriti! Good bye

Sleeping in the mud hut of the 2nd wife

So I went to my friends ancestral home in a village called Maseno. It was a compound house, with the man's main house in the middle, each wife's house on either side. Each son had started to build their house on the outskirts of the compound. The houses are ingenious, made of mud packed up to form walls and rooms and hardened with a water/cow dung compost. The roof was grass thatched and provided a cool environment all year round. The compound was on a huge plot of land where the family grew avocado, papaya, guava, bananas, tea, maize, etc. It was beautiful but can you imagine working the shamba everyday, on such vasts area of land? Luckily they had enough bulls to help them manage the garden. And their chickens had free range of the compound, coming inside the houses at night to sleep and brood. Each grandma and mother expected me to join them for dinner and I was not forewarned, so of course I ate too much at the first dinner thinking it was my dinner, but low and behold I had 3 more rounds to make, enjoying the chicken stew (each slaughtered on my behalf) and ugali. Heavy rains crept up in the evening thus making it impossible to leave the area so we spent the night. I slept on a nice comfy pad in the floor of the 2nd grandmothers house and awoke at 6am when the roosters started crowing. The whole compound was awake and working including the very young children. I had to make the four rounds again that morning, taking tea and mandazi with each family. This time I was prepared but I was wired from all the tea. All in all it was a good experience to see how rural families live and get by with no electricity or running water. Life was good that weekend!

Since returning, I have gone back to work and continued to crank out reports and documents for the MUE project. We still haven't gotten the miso from Cairo. Apparently it is being held in Nairobi at the customs office because the amount of medication looks like we are importing for distribution. So Monica has traveled to Nairobi to explain that it was donated for private use, fill out documents and get the process moving again. I still have not received the monthly data from October so I cannot continue with analyzing the data and making sure the project is on track to meet its objectives.

I got the package from my mom with all the fixens for thanksgiving dinner and we managed to find a frozen turkey at the local butcher. It was extremely expensive but worth every penny. Luckily we didn't have to buy a live one because we Americans have no clue how to slaughter, clean and prepare a turkey for baking. There will be 15 people at our dinner this weekend (we have to celebrate it this weekend because its not a holiday here and the clinic where the oven is will be closed so we have private use).

So today, I am on a hunt for new contacts. Mine are really bugging me and of course I came ill prepared with enough supply. But I heard they are here somewhere. I am also going to the immigration office to see about getting a residents card because with one I am able to get Kenyan rates on the touristy stuff instead of the tourist price. With my Dad coming and the amount of traveling I will be doing with him and by myself at the end of my stint here, that will come in very handy. Soon I will be a Kenyan resident! YAY!

So my PC peeps are coming into town tomorrow for the dinner. I am stoked, mainly to have some company at my house. It really sucks living there all alone, and when Monica is not around in the main house it makes it even more lonely.

The rains have started to be more heavy and longer, and the bumpy Kenyan roads are becoming worse with mud. But its still hot. Hardly feels like the Holiday season is upon us!

More next time.

Presidential nominations

So today is the official presidential nominations, much like our primaries. But unlike our primaries, they happen just one month before the election. WEIRD, but its not like no one knows who is running. Its basically between Kibaki (the current president) and Raila the ODM and Luo presidential candidate). So because the nominations are today, all night last night some major campaigning was going on. I mean, LOUD, door-to-door visitations spreading the word on Railas platform, and "ODM" chants periodically penetrating my dreams. Music and dancing, and neighborhood parties until the wee hours of the morning, and I I still hear them today.

People are so passionate about politics here, on every corner I hear the sporadic "ODM" word peppering conversations and flyers, billboards and campaign posters everywhere. I asked my good friend Dr Orero what the voting process is like and he explained that the polls open at 6am, and last time he began to line up at 3:45 in the morning and still didn't get to vote until near lunch time. People treat their voter registration card like gold, locking them in a safe so they wont be stolen, and only bringing it out for the big day. How do we get the youth of America to become so passionate and enthralled with the presidential nominations? If there was a line longer than 10 people at the voting polls in American, I guarantee you many will turn around and go home. I am not sure how it happened or why, but I am very impressed with how serious the general population of Kenya views their government and their freedom to vote! We need to adopt some of these behaviors in the West.

The Camera Heist and updates

Again, sorry for the delay. I have been busy with meetings and it has been a challenge finding time and or access to the internet at times. So there is a lot to talk about, sit down and relax and enjoy…

Since last time…I wrote about my camera being lost, well it turns out it was picked from my bag and I know who did it. Luckily there was a pic of my friend William in the camera and someone approached him and told him that he saw his picture in a camera with some wazungu in it. William acted like he didn’t know what the guy was talking about and asked to be taken to the man who had the camera. So William so the camera and the man was asking 15000 shillings for it, like $250 US. So instead, William (oh he is a trained and professional boxer) decided to plan a heist. He got his cousin who is unknown to the man Sam who has my camera, he is going to act like he is interested in buying and as soon as the cousin has the camera in his hand “pretending to look at the product he is about the buy” William and friends will attack. I think it’s all pretty amusing, but its great that I am going to get my camera back (hopefully).

Last Friday, I traveled to a placed called Sagam for a medical camp. KMET is taking over management of a hospital there and this was the official launch of the hospital under new management. It was an interesting day; my role during the camp was to register patients coming for the free medical care. It was free because they are trying to build up the reputation of the hospital again since previously it had been failing in service quality. So, free treatment was offered this day and it was full of entertainment, food, etc. Quite interesting and people flocked from all around for the medical care. On a tour of the hospital we saw the mortuary. Although not as big and brightly lit as the ones in the States it was not that bad. They had a freezer and the place reeked of formaldehyde and I came up close and person with 4 dead bodies, one in which had this horrible “The Ring” movie facial expression. It was crazy; I don’t think I have ever seen dead bodies before they have been doctored with makeup and embalming fluid. UGH. And one was of a lady who was over 100 years old! WOW considering the average life span is 55-60 for women.

So this week has been the Hindu holiday called Diwali, from what I understand its similar to Christmas for the Hindus. They have been shooting fireworks all week long and the other night I stumbled across a field where they were shooting big amounts of fireworks. It reminded me of the 4th of July! And my Kenyan friends had never seen then up close and personal like that so that was fun to see their expressions.

I slaughtered a chicken! One was given to us as a gift so over the weekend we decided to prepare the kuku for dinner. I was very freaked out, it took myself and 4 other people to catch it (those suckers are fast!) but we finally caught it. I held it in my right hand and the knife in the left and worked up the nerve….OK OK I never worked up the nerve so I passed it over to my friend to do the dirty work. I just couldn’t do it. Haha. It was my first time even witnessing a chicken being slaughtered so I couldn’t do it, but I think I can after I get used to the idea. My friends want to slaughter a goat for when my Dad comes so I have to get prepared for that! The chicken was good though, much better than store bought meat. Maybe because it was extremely fresh?!?
A few nights ago I was invited to dinner at a friends house in the slums of Kisumu. No power or running water, and as soon as I arrived on the motorbike, the entire neighborhood came to investigate why the mzungu was in the slums. I drew quite the crowd but it was exciting. That time we had chicken too, but I arrived too late for the slaughtering. And they served my favorite, Chapati which is like tortillas but thicker and flakier. YUM. After dinner we drank Kenya Cane by the candlelight and talked for hours. It was nice. This weekend I have been invited to my friends ancestral home in Maseno. From what I understand it is a huge compound, with each son having built his own mud hut, and the grandma is going to denounce me 3 times telling me I cannot stay in her home, but then she will open her doors with joy and welcome me in her home after the third time of telling me to leave. I am glad I was warned because I would probably cry if she told me to leave and I didn’t know any better. Not sure what that is all about, but us wazungu should have a good time there. I hope to work in the shamba a bit and gather food for dinner. I hope they don’t ask me to slaughter to meat.

I went to Kibuye (the big Sunday market) and went shopping. I got these really awesome shoes made from tires and called Akala. They are awesome although they are very uncomfortable. Apparently I have to break them in and eventually they will form to my foot and last the rest of my life. I am stoked. When I get my camera back I will be sure to send pictures.

I had a project coordinators meeting the past 2 days, which no one informed me about. I was so angry because I was expected to present and have a big report prepared. So now I am scrambling to finish the report and I had to prepare the powerpoint presentation over my lunch break on Monday. And you better believe I put as one of my project challenges the communication barrier I experience all the time. I am always left out of the main communication because I am “just a student” but my role here is of a project coordinator, along with 10 others so I really shouldn’t be left out of things, pretty much my job is equal to everyone else in this office. Oh well, I am flexible and can adapt (thank goodness!)

Well, that’s about it. I am still waiting on the year supply of Misoprostol that is coming from Egypt. It was donated for our project from Planned Parenthood and as soon as it arrives I can make my rounds again and distribute it to all the providers in our network. And planned for the next 2 months (the rest of my internship) this is what I have planned:
1. Create a newsletter for the providers about the MUE project and its successes, motivational tools for them to promote and provide more every month, etc
2. Distribute Miso to providers
3. Find funding and write grants for educational and advocacy campaigns
4. Organize a better way to collect data from each of the providers monthly
5. Create IEC-information, education and communication- materials (one idea was to make t-shirts with positive messages about family planning and safe abortion for the motorbike and bicycle drivers to wear around town)
6. Recruit and train 20 more providers on the MUE method
7. Publish the standards and guidelines I have been writing
8. Print and laminate message posters for clinic use.
9. Provide contraceptive education sessions to our staff and the girls at SFC
10. Travel to ugunja with the girls for a training of the trainers session. Our girls are training new girls to become RH peer educators
11. Create IEC materials in Swahili and Luo for the inhabitants of the slum areas.
12. And write reports and more reports on everything I am doing.
13. Leading a last meeting in January before I leave to update the next person on my project and the progress.
Enough? I think so. UGH busy busy. So that’s it for me. Hopefully it wont be so long before I blog again, and hopefully I will have my camera back to post some pictures.
Email me please!!!!!!

Booo Hooo I lost my camera

It has been another week since I last blogged, sorry for the delay. We have been having internet problems (among other things).On Halloween, I made up small bags, drew a little ghost on them and filled them with candy for both my colleagues and the children at the clinic. I had a lot of fun trying to explain the significance of Halloween and what candy has to do with it, but I think they got the gist of it.

First is first, I wish I could send pictures but I lost my camera over the weekend. We were at a place called Tamiez dancing and drinkin the night away, and I handed the camera off to Patrick to snap a pic of me dancin on the stage (thats become a regular occurrence for me - who knew?) and last thing I knew he said he slipped it back in my bag later in the evening, and it was not in my bag. Hmmmm, so it has been lost. I feel like crying, not for the camera but for the amazing pictures that I had yet to download. Oh well, that's life I guess. I looked into purchasing a new one, 20,000 shillings about $300 US, No thank you. I am going to have to go back to old school film I guess. BAH!

First is first, A group of friends and I traveled to Migori to attend the Peace Corps Halloween party this past week, and to my chagrin no one else dressed in costume. Patrick had a little boys school uniform, and I dressed in my Sugar Momma outfit. The party was fun, there was tons of food and people but we had a slight electricity problem and could not have the stereo on for longer than one song, but you better believe as soon as the stereo cut on, we all jumped up and got as much dancing in as possible! The matatu ride down there was very crowded and long - about 3 hours, and we had to transfer 3 times! At least the roads were decent, I am thankful for that. On the way home, we took a bus, and it was direct (in the sense there was no transfers) but we still stopped every few minutes to let people on and off. And when the cops came on the bus, I got a good yelling at for not having my belt "tied" - scared the bejeezus outta me!

Another issue we have been having, which isnt that bad, we have been out of running water for about a month now. My "momma" has bought tanks and has "water pushers" come by periodically to fill them. We have started to refer to our bathing routine as whore baths, grabbing a bucket and washing up that way. I never thought about it before, how much water I actually use, but flushing the toilet, bathing, brushing teeth, laundry, dishes, etc...it really takes A LOT of water. Between 2-3 people we are going through 500 liters of water every 3 or so days. WOW. Pretty sad, and it has really made us realize and cut down on the amount of water we use, and this excludes drinking water. The neighborhood has been digging for water pipes and in the meatime, all of us who already had running water does not. Oh well, it could be worse.

Somewhere between that crowded matutu ride, holding babies, or just general dust in my face, I managed to get sick. I knew it was just a cold, but my colleagues insited I go get a malaria screen. I guess that was my first ( I say first because i am sure its not the last) scare with malaria. But there were no malaria bacteria in my blood, I saw it with my won eyes, so I got a dose of antibiotics and an antihistamine and was sent home. That set me back little over a dollar for the clinic visit and medicine. Nice! And I am feeling much better, thanks!

Patricks program has found him a new home stay family. I guess the homestay component is a requirement of his semester abroad and he runs the risk of failing if he stays with me, so I am all alone again, well aside from my momma, but she travels so often I fear I will be alone most of the time. My watchman is slowly but surely gaining my trust so at least I have his company, although he asks me for money periodically. He owes me 200 shillings so far! But luckily, Patrick will be just around the corner from me, and I hope his host family will feed me sometimes :)

So about work, since Kristen has left, Patrick and I have decided to carry out the last leg of her project. The SFC girls were to go to a town called Ugunja and train a group of girls who are beginning a program similar to ours. The project is still on, it was just not approved for the NOvember budget, so we are going to try again for December. Hopefully, sooner or later we can accomplish this 5 day workshop and get the data back to Kristen so she can finish her thesis/public health practicum.

My manual is still in the works. The director keeps looking at my work, and getting bigger and brighter ideas. Now, she wants tables, and diagrams, and a page for acknowledgements, etc. And instead of it being just a providers manual, it has turned into something that will be published and distributed Africa wide, as we are the pioneers of the MUE provision in Africa. Its nice that I will be published (finally) but stressful at the same time. Every time I approach her with my final product, she gets new ideas. Oh well. It will be an astonishing piece of work when its done!

OK enough for now, the day is over. I will write more soon. PS- I love to get emails so feel free. Karibu emails!

We got a new student!!!

Sorry it has been so long since I last updated you all. I guess its been about a week so lets see if I can remember everything that has happened. Last week I traveled to Nakuru to visit a clinic and distribute the goods. It took about 4 hours, but the drive was beautiful! We went through a town called Kericho (its where my friend Marcus is living) and it’s the tea harvesting capital of Kenya. It is beautiful, the rolling hills in the middle of the rift valley, covered in a bright green, lush tea plantations. It was a nice drive, but unfortunately I accidentally fell asleep and the potholed roads gave my head a good beating and I developed a migraine headache the rest of the evening. My colleagues dropped me off at a nice hotel while they went to stay somewhere else. I begged them to take me with them, that I can “rough it” and stay where they are staying, but they insisted that I stay there. It worked out well in the end because my migraine got the best of me and I spent the evening vomiting and unable to sleep. It would have been horrible if I was sleeping somewhere else. But it was nice to take a hot shower!!!

So we visited with Dr Rose, gave her the supplies and that was it. But Rose’s receptionist sat me down while I was waiting and very seriously explained to me that she was looking for a mzungu husband to take her to America and asked if I could help her. So many of these women think all their problems will be solved if they could just marry a white man and get out of Kenya. So if anyone is interested let me know, I got the hook up with some cute Kenyan girls! Haha

The next day we drove back to Kisumu stopping on the way for some fresh tea and vegetables when we passed through small towns. When I got home, I wrote up a quick field report and was done. Now I just wait for all the data to come in from the clinics. It’s the end of the month, and I am baffled that it took a month to get the medication and paperwork out to the providers, but at least it is done now.

We got a new student last week and he is a ton of fun. He is an undergrad in Minnesota and this is part of a semester study abroad program. He spent the first 6 weeks in university in Nairobi studying the medical systems, issues and the like, and then he came here for his internship. He is part of 37 students in Kenya, 11 of which came to Kisumu for their internships. So its nice to have a few more friends. He is not staying with us though, he is staying with a host family, and he explains that his host mom is bipolar or schitzophrenic or something. She is always snapping at him one day then telling him how much she missed him the next day. Hmmmm,

Kristen got a bad phone call yesterday from her dad and he informed her that he mom is very sick so she is leaving Kenya today. Finding a ticket on such short notice, you can imagine is very expensive, and not many places take credit cards here. So it was a challenge finding her a way out of here. But we did and she is leaving tonight. I am trying to see if Patrick (the new student) can leave his home stay and come and take her room seeing as how I am going to be so bored without her company, and I really hate cooking for one (I have withheld the food from this new guard until he proves himself to me). Hopefully he can be my new roommate.

Oh, so Patrick already has one bachelor’s degree in modern dance, so he is quite the character at the clubs we go to. But before we get into that, I finally found this grate type thing that sets atop the jiko (outdoor cooking stove thing) and it works great as a grill. I visited the neighborhood butcher and got some steak and chicken and cooked it up Texas style on the grill on Friday night. Minus the barbeque sauce, I was able to make a pretty good marinade and went to town with steaks and mashed potatos. On Saturday, We went to Tamiez a club that I hadn’t yet gone too. It was pretty fun, and Patrick busted his dance moved out. He looks like he came straight from a Duran Duran video ☺ So he was quite popular at the dance club.

Sunday I went to Impala Park with my friend Ben. It’s an animal preserve with impalas (really?) and lions, and ostriches. But of course they wanted to charge me the tourist price, even though technically I am a resident but I couldn’t prove it. Ben tried to negotiate in Luo for a cheaper entrance fee for me but it didn’t work. So we didn’t go. I will have to get Monica motivated on filling out the paperwork for the resident card so I can go to these places cheaper. So instead we went to Dunga beach, watched the fishermen come in with their catch of the day, and watched the neighborhood women all rush around the boat to buy the fish stock to sell in the market. Its was quite entertaining, and it amazes me that the fish go straight from the lake to the market. YUM! Tilapia, Nile perch, catfish, and minnows (which they pop whole into their mouths like a snack- not me).

On the work front, I am not very busy. Waiting for data to come in is an easy job. So I have decided that I am going to try and finish up Kristens project with the SFC girls which entails creating a manual for them, so they are equipped with all the materials, activities and educational materials so they can be great peer educators. Once they have the manual, we are taking 8 of them to a town called Ugunja where there is a similar girls group trying to get started. Our girls are going to teach those girls all the ins and outs of reproductive health so they can then turn around and empower/educate their youth in their community. It sounds like a great opportunity and I am excited to finish it out for Kristen. Hopefully, if we finish the project, report the pre and post test data back to her, along with the demographics of the girls in the new group, she will have enough info to finish her report and thesis/practicum requirement, even though she is leaving early.

Last night, we had some friends over to kind of give her a farewell dinner. We stayed up very late and I am extremely tired today. After running around tying up her loose ends, I will see her off to the airport. That’s what is in store for my day. This weekend is a Peace Corps party for Halloween in Migori, which is about 2 hours away. I think most of the Peace Corps volunteers in the country will be there. It should be fun. I will be wearing a big burlap sugar bag, pregnant underneath and going as a sugar momma. Hey – it’s the only thing I could think of in this low resource setting.

Sorry it’s so long, but like I said, it had been a while and a lot happened. So deal with it ☺
More later - bye

Hyacinth and guard trouble

Maybe its the pesky mosquitos buzzing outside my net, or the several feral dog fights that occur nightly, or maybe it’s the random Muslim mosque prayers beginning at 4:30 in the morning, or our new guard that marches around the compound in full riot gear and TB mask, whatever the reason, I have not been able to sleep all that well at night. It’s not too bad because I discovered as part of this “Kenyan clock” concept, the employees in my office either sleep on their desks for 2-3 hours (“this Kisumu heat is terrible, we just need to sleep it off after lunch”), and luckily for me my house is around the corner so I have been “going home for lunch” and taking naps.

We got a new guard because our old one resigned, all we know is he left when his wife became ill during childbirth. We don’t know anything besides he is no longer a guard for the security company. We got another guard George who was about 18 years old and thought he had life good guarding the mzungu girls. Understanding that we fed our guards a good meal, he began to take advantage of us. We didn’t like his behaviour (cutting down our garden, taking his clothes off and working in his underwear on hot nights, and asking for money from us) we requested a new guard. This one wears full riot gear and a TB mask. He literally salutes us as we enter the compound, and marches around “on patrol” around the wall. One night I woke up when I heard crunching leaves behind my house right outside my window, then a heard a series of farts. That fool took a dump right outside of my window. It freaked me out, so needless to say, I went with some guys from the office to request yet another guard. We will see what happens with this new one tonight…

This past weekend, we celebrated Moi Day – Moi was also a previous president. There were basketball and football (soccer) tournaments all weekend at the Jomo Kenyatta sportsground. Ben, a piki piki driver that I have come to rely on for transport, took me there with his family on Saturday. We spent all day sipping sodas and watching so really good matches between the various East African university sports teams.

He also took me down to the Lake to see the hyacinth phenomenon. Just Friday, the crazy overtaking hyacinth blew in with the winds and completely covered the Kisumu side of the lake. What used to look like a lake now looks like a field. I tried to ask where hyacinth comes from, whether it grows on the bottom of the lake and rises up, or what but all they tell me is that “it comes with the wind”. It is quite strange, but the worst part is it disrupts fishing and water treatment activities, and is killing off all the native vegetation and animal life. The hippos get stuck in it when they try to come on shore to eat.. I heard that the government has introduced a type of fish that feed on in, or something to try and control it, maybe that will save Kisumu!

I haven’t had much to do as far as work goes. I still have not distributed the manual, since the person with the final say in the finished product will be in London for another week. I have spent the last two work days on developing an excel spreadsheet to collect data and analyze it. Now I just wait for the data to come in. I am not sure what to do in the meantime since my supervisor is not in the office this week either. It’s going to be a boring week for me., but I am looking forward to watching more DVD’s on my laptop and catching up on some reading.
I discovered a new restaurant which has pretty good food, but the only people who go to it are Indian and Chinese men who are resentful that they even have to live here, they are living and working here on business and really could care less. But I get to practice my Chinese, which I never thought I would do in Africa. I was actually translating (very little) Swahili into Chinese so this man could understand.

More later, I gotta catch my ride to Nakuru

Traveling through the Mountains

So we finally got everything together and made the rounds as planned. Since the truck was repaired, we took off around 9am heading into the mountains to visit 4 more clinic locations. It was such a beautiful drive, the mountains, rivers, stones and villages. We went through several police roadblocks and got stopped only twice. The first time, we had to either give the police a lift into town or give them money. We opted for the lift, so they clambered into the back of the truck with me and stared me down. I felt really uncomfortable with those guys ogling me for the next hour of our trip. UGH but what are we to do?

We finally made it to our destination; first stop Stand Kisii, which is inside the Kakamega forest. It was gorgeous, and had plenty of monkeys running around. I learned that that clinic had been very busy with the MUE procedure, and they had (luckily) been keeping good records knowing they didn’t have any of the record keeping documents yet. I guess the doc is used to the system in Kenya and knew what to expect. So now he has to transfer all his notes on his patients to the documents I provided him. Second stop, Bungoma where I learned that the doctor there was administering the drug under improper protocols because he heard about a “trick” that you could use Misoprostol on women with gestations longer than 9 weeks (9 weeks is the max gestation that we and Planned Parenthood had instructed them to use miso on), by just giving them one pill every 4-6 hours until basically she delivers her fetus. He had been performing them up to 26 weeks! WOW, that’s something to make sure and report about, but the doctor said as long as it is working then he would do it.

We moved on to Kitale where we saw an OB/GYN whose practice was so incredibly busy. I couldn’t believe how packed the waiting room was, which is a good thing I guess. It is great that women are seeking prenatal and antenatal care. We traveled to the district hospital after that because part of our objectives of this trip was to get some contraceptives from the district hospital and drive around distributing it at other lower clinics and facilities, but guess what? The district hospital only had depo provera, no pills, condoms, IUD’s, emergency contraceptive, or Norplant. I have realized what the underlying problem is behind unsafe abortion, lack of family planning supplies. How can we stop these women from becoming pregnant in the first place if they do not have regular access to contraceptives, there is a severe problem somewhere and when I asked the guy in charge of the supply closet, he said he didn’t know where the problem was, so not only a supply problem, but a communication problem. Hmmmm……

On the way home, my driver decided to buy a machete because we would be traveling for a short distance after dark. He said you just never know when a group of street kids were going to try and carjack you, and if for some reason the truck broke down, then we would be finished, so he bought a machete “to kill them before they kill us”. WOW, but don’t worry, nothing happened. It was a nice trip home, and I even got to see a double rainbow over the mountains. That’s got to be pretty rare.

Since returning, I have been diligently trying to create an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of all the data I will be beginning to collect monthly. It’s coming along pole pole.

3 of our SFC girls got chosen to attend an HIV workshop on Monday and Tuesday of this week. It was quite an honor for them to sit alongside doctors, nurses, and other health workers to learn about the issues that are facing health professionals in the provision of ARV therapy and Nevirapine for prevention of mother to child transmission. The girls had never been to a hotel as nice as that, and asked if “that food is for us – WOW its so much food”. I think they enjoyed the food the most, but really they learned so much and even got a certificate at the end of it. Today, as appreciation for all the girls in SFC, and for those 3 girls to relay the information they learned at the workshop, we took them all to Hippo Point and had a picnic. It was nice, and many of those girls had never even seen the lake. Living on the other side of town and not ever having transportation or money to get out there kept them from seeing such a beautiful sight right there in their own city. About half of them decided to strip down naked and jump in (not me – bilharzia and schistosomiasis is a real threat in that lake) and they had a blast.

So now, back at the office, working on the excel spreadsheet (well actually taking a break to blog at the moment) and heading out soon. Kristen and I are hitting up Simba Club again tonight for the all you can eat Indian buffet. We can’t get enough and since it is only open to the public on Fridays, we have to take full advantage.

More later

Work challenges and a broken truck

With my friend Marcus and Hannah still in Kisumu from thier posts with the Peace Corps, we had a very interesting weekend. We went out every night, and for the most part it was fun. But one evening, a piki piki driver took us out to this place called Kisumu Railroad Institute and as soon as we got there, Marcus almost got in a fight with a very drunk man wearing a Shriners hat, he accused us of taking his chair in which the waiter provided for us. He started yelling and telling the waitstaff they were worthless, etc. Needless to say we moved to the back of the club to get away from the drunk yelling man, then had a good night. That was the first time Marcus and Hannah rode on a piki piki because apprently the Peace Corps will not allow them to ride on them(motorbikes) or bicycles, its too dangerous. I mean of course you run a risk of getting in an accident, but you do with any mode of transportation right? So they felt rebelious, it was pretty funny.

Saturday night, they stayed with us at our place, and I made a big ol' country dinner for us, complete with fried chicken and mash potatoes. I just wished I had a peach cobbler or apple pie, that would have been sooo good. But my mom should be proud of me for whipping up a southern dinner in this low resource setting. The gravy was the best part.

Another night we went to the Simba Club, all you can eat Indian food. NICE! We ate so much, it was almost the best meal I have had since I have been here (besides my country dinner). Can you tell I am missing food? I have asked my parents for a package with all the fixins for a thanksgiving dinner. The Sisterhood for Change catering class has a stove/oven so I think I am going to try and give Thanksgiving a try this year. And maybe teach those girls a thing or two about our holidays.

So this week has been a test of my patience. Dealing with the "Kenyan Clock" has become a real challenge. See, the Kenyans are apparently on their own clock I have been told, but really its just a bunch of procrastination. I am told to have this and that done by a certain deadline, but then I can't get anyone to approve it, before it goes out. The whole manual I worked so hard on last week is still sitting on my desk because my colleagues can not get motivated to read it and make sure its OK before I send it out. Its just one of things I have to get used to, the work ethic is much different here, and I am OK with that. I just have to adapt and not let it get to me like it has. What is sad though, is that the providers are already providing the MUE services without a providers manual, without record keeping tools and without counseling guides, because they are all sitting here on my desk. There is not much I can do though, besides "feedback" and make a note of it for my report.

So yesterday, I was scheduled to drive around and deliver some more medication to the clinic sites. We had 5 stops to make, we made one at God's Will clinic with no problems, but on our way to the next clinic, the truck broke down (these bad Kenyan roads of course, not the fact that the back of the truck was loaded with about 5000 lbs of nutriflour) so we spent the remainder of the day looking for a garage who can repair a broken axle. One place wanted to order the part from Nairobi, another wanted to fix it by welding it together, and yet another just tied some rope around it to try and keep it together. Yes, thats a solution to the problem. So of course we got nothing done and I went home with nothing accomplished. Oh, what we deal with in developing countries.

So basically I have not had a very productive week as far as work goes.

My security guard advised us on Friday that he had to go home to his village in Kisii because he got a phone call that his wife was delivering and she was having complications. That was all he knew at the time, so we got a substitute guard. Our poor little Bernard has not yet returned so I fear that something terrible has happened to his wife because he was determined to come back by Sunday he said. I feel horrible for him. And I don't like our new guard. He is arrogant and not a very smart cookie. The lady of the house asked him to keep the grounds a little more some extra money, and he thought he was cutting down weeds but instead uprooted our whole garden. Ugh, and this guy is supposed to be straight from the village, how can he not know that those plants are food and not weeds? Whatever! The nini!

So this morning, I was told to be at the office by 7:30am because the truck would be ready and we were going to try and make all the stops we were supposed to yesterday plus all the ones we had planned for today. So its 8:30 and no one is here yet. I could have still been sleeping. Lets see how well this actually works out today, I doubt the truck is even finished. How can you repair an axle in one afternoon, using garages like the ones I have seen? They must be putting more rope around it!

Well, I guess thats it for me. Nothing new and too excited has happened this week, but I thought you would like to know about the daily life I experience here. Hopefully the next blog will be more uplifting. I am off to ride on the bad Kenyan roads...hopefully.

Peace

Dancin' Luo style

Not much has happened since I last blogged, but I felt I should write something so I don't lose my audience. We had that dinner on Kenyatta day, that ended up being much more stressful that it was worth, but on the positive side, I learned how to make some traditional dishes such as Ugali, Chapati and Sukuma wiki. The party itself turned into a fund raising event for KMET slash farewell dinner for a planned parenthood chick who was leaving slash ODM political rally for Raila. Which reminds me, I haven't talked much about Kenyan politics. In December, they are holding their presidential elections so right now its a madhouse with all the campaigning and political madness. Where I live, everyone belongs to the ODM party (Orange Democratic something or other) where Raila is the candidate ("Raila for Change"). He was apparently wrongly imprisoned some years back so a big part of his campaign is to end corruption and to make primary and secondary school free for all children (currently there are annual fees for school - a major deterrent for education if you ask me). So I guess I am a Raila supporter from what I have heard. I can't really say that though, because I know nothing else about the other candidates, and what I have learned is biased because of where I am. But it doesn't matter anyways, I am not voting, but when people ask I am all about Raila. Its quite exciting to see the whole democratic process at work here, and it seems that the young people here are all about politics which is good since they are the generation of the future. And EVERYONE votes here. Maybe the US can borrow some ideas about how to get the youth involved and out to vote.

I have finished this "manual" that I have been working on all week for the providers who are involved in my pilot project. I am stoked! It was long, boring tedious work, but it looks good and I am proud of myself with the limited resources I have to work with. Its about 25 pages of client record keeping forms, documentation and information on misoprostol, and some literature on clinical trials, advocacy for safe abortion and legality of providing abortions. So next week I hit to road distributing them along with more miso, pregnancy tests, surgical gloves, and Purell antibacterial gel. We are making sure they are administering the drug right.

My friend Marcus who is a fellow BU student, currently in the Peace Corps in Kericho (about 2 hours north of here) was in Kisumu last night with some other PC buddies. We all met for dinner and went out to Kimwa nightclub. Aside from all the commercial sex workers trying to get Marcus to leave with them, we had a great time. (By the way, those girls charge 100 shillings to go "all the way" which is about $1.70 - I think our SFC girls should outreach to them if not to get them to stop their work, or practice safe sex, but to get them to up their prices. Thats really sad what they are doing for a dollar). But the band was all about the mzungu table and a friend Hannah and I were invited on stage to dance to their traditional Luo music. It was so much fun, and I think I am starting to get the hang of the "African Booty Shake" dance moves. Aside from the two more marriage proposals I got last night, I met some cool people and it was just a fun night.

So its Friday, Marcus and some people have plans to go to Simba Room, have some all-you-can-eat Indian food and dance the night away again. Not sure what's up for this weekend, but we have a very annoying house guest staying at our place this weekend, so Kristen and I are thinking of heading to Kampala, Uganda...or maybe to our "ma-ma's" village home somewhere out in the country, anything to get away from Wazimu ( we have given her her Swahili name which means Mad Crazy)

Oh, something funny. I chicken has wandered into our compound, not sure how it got over the 15 foot wall surrounding the place, but we now have a pet. Its name is Sebastian Bock (get it? bock bock bock) and its becoming a nuisance. Sometimes the wind is so strong that it blows open our door, so Sebastian Bock has decided that our home is his home and he poops and leaves his feathers all over our house. I am trying to talk out guard into teaching me how to pluck a chicken and eat it, but he is scared that one of our neighbors will accuse us of stealing his chicken. I say that if no one comes to claim him in a week, that chicken is our dinner!

Ok more later, I am off!

Entertainment and rain

On Work Matters.....

So I have begun the whole work process, meeting with different people to understand the dynamics of OB/GYN services and just how we can get this project off the ground. Beginning next week, we will have 8 network providers on board to start administering misoprostol for completing abortions, or uterine evacuation as we are calling it. It just sounds nicer, don't you think? Plus abortion can also refer to spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) so medication uterine evacuation captures everything we are doing. This week, I have been working on various documents to distribute to each of the 8 providers, consisting of patient counseling forms, patient contact info, record keeping cards, instructions on filling them out and reporting data back to me, guidelines and procedure protocol adapted for the situation here in Kisumu and client information on misoprostol. I have adapted these documents from Planned Parenthood material since we have had a few representatives here to guide me. They were also the ones in charge of training the providers on the protocol and use. I have sent the documents off to a printing location so that I can begin to put together binded notebooks with this information to the providers. Since the project is 1 year long, there is a lot of printing that needs to be done, we are estimating 12-1500 MUE's (Medication Uterine Evacuation-we love acronyms) by the end of the year, but I think we will have much more than that. It has already been popular with the providers since they were trained last week. Later this week, I have to make another pharmacy trip to procure more medication and all next week I will be traveling. Since the mail system is basically untrustworthy here in Kenya, especially with sensitive documents, and confidential patient records, and the medication I get to manually drop of the packages, and pick up data later in the month. I travel to 4 locations here in Kisumu, then more in Kakamega, Bungoma, Nakuru and Kitale. I am stoked to get out in the field a little bit, and get out of this office.

Last night, my roommate and I were called at 1am with an emergency room admittance, seeking post abortion care services. A girl presented with complications from a botched abortion attempt, where her family used a bicycle spoke to try and induce an abortion. She was 4 months pregnant so you can just imagine how big the fetus was, and the amount of blood and complications she endured. Luckily she came to get help, because she would have died otherwise. She suffered a lacerated uterus and cervix and was hemorrhaging. She ended up passing the fetus after the doctor basically induced labor with misoprostol. I was not prepared for that, luckily I didnt see it, but others did and they described it to me. Thats tough. I think if I were to have a medical or clinical background then I might have been prepared for the amount of blood and tissue I saw. I am just happy that she is doing fine now. And now I have a much better understand of the lives we are saving.
Needless to say, I got pretty late and I am super tired today, but hey, thats life I guess.

ON LIFE MATTERS...

Not that I have had much time to have a social life but I have a little bit. Over the weekend, I went out with my bosslady and her cousin who took us to a spot called Bomas Club. That was fun. It was live music, traditional Luo music and I am beginning to learn how to shake my booty like they do. I wish I was as good as some of those girls who shake it so fast! I drank a few Tuskers and called it a night. Oh, before the club we went and had "Chinese" food....yea right. It was pretty nasty, but it was kind of interesting to see Kenyan people dressed in traditional Chinese attire serving their attempt at Chinese food. I got pretty sick the next day, not sure if it was the food or drinking, or a combo of the two but I did not feel good...so what did I do? I went back to the poolside resort and chilled all day, soaking up the dangerous Equator rays. I swear 10 minutes in the sun and I am baked. Warning- you may not recognize me when I return because of the tan I am getting. I am turning African :)

Sunday morning, I hit up the local markets. Its apparently the largest outdoor market in Africa, the 1st being in Nigeria. It was great, they had anything you can think of from handmade wooden furniture to toilet plungers. I am going crazy with the beautiful fabrics. Some I am keeping as a wrap around skirt and others I am having the SFC girls in the tailoring class make me some clothes. I am addicted. I am looking for a grill, but with no luck yet. I talked to a guy who sells jiko's which are outdoor pots that use coal to cook and asked him about a grill for the jiko. He had no idea, so I drew a picture of what I am looking for and he is going to weld me one. How accommodating they are, but I am sure for a pretty price for sure. Its cool though, I dont mind, that is way more than anyone would ever do at a store.

I saw a movie at the local movie theater on Sunday. I saw Stomp the Yard (wasn't that movie out like a year ago in the States?) I am not complaining, I was pretty surprised to know that we have a movie theater, a bowling alley, and arcades all in one location. Pretty cool! But I have my DVD player on my laptop, and when I get a chance I buy bootleg copies of movies and watch them at home. I am really starting to miss TV, only for the news. Whats going on out there? Maybe I will look at the news online, but its just not the same. I do get BBC on the radio from time to time.

I think we are approaching the rainy season, maybe? I say that because it has started raining every day, mostly right at dusk when the temperature starts to cool off, but here lately around lunch time, so I can't even go home for lunch without getting rained on. They don't last long, but are usually bad enough to knock out the power. And forget about generators or getting anything done. So I can't go home, and I can't even work during those times. Oh well, at least it cools things off.

Tomorrow is a public holiday, Jomo Kenyatta Day. He was the first President after Kenya broke away from British Rule, so basically like an independence day. We are having a big dinner at our house, inviting people from the office and other friends that we have met along the way. That will be fun! And no work, even more fun! I'll will blog about that next time.

Well that's all I got. More next time. I hope things are well for all my readers. Drop me an email sometime!

New Project

Jambo! Habari yako?

I know its been a few days and I have had requests to keep them coming so here goes. This week has been rather uneventful in the "fun" category because I ahve been in a training class all week for my new project called MUE (Medication Uterine Evacuation). Traditionally, the only method of performing post abortion care in Kenya has been the manual vacuum aspiration which is very invasive, very painful and a horrible procedure for women who might have uterine or cervical damages from the induced attempt. Now, with the help of this wonderful organization KMET, the misoprostol is available in Kenya and we are piloting a new project to see how it is received compared to the MVA. A few members of Planned Parenthood in the States came over to teach how to use it, and a few professors from Nairobi came to teach the legality and advocacy issues. After the training class, we had 10 trained OB/GYNs supplied with the medication and the counseling documentation to perform the procedure in their clinics and I get to monitor the results. First, I have to create some coding documents, and record keeping documents that will make it easy for me to collect data on the 10 clinics over the next 4 months. That is my next step. Then I get to travel once a month to pick up the records and interview patients. Through SFC, we will teach the complications of unsafe abortion, give statistics on why you should seek help and try and lobby to get policy changed (this is also what I am focusing my thesis paper on-changing policy). The SFC girls will spread the word that this medication is now available at 2 clinics here in Kisumu, then maybe we can travel with them to the other clinic sites to spread the word there. Its exciting to have my own project though for sure!

Aside from all this training and networking, nothing much has happened. I have found a relaible guy on the street that sells DVD's so I have been watching a lot on my laptop, its keeping me sane as far as entertainment. Kristin is leaving next week and I will have no friends. I need to get out and meet some of these peace corps volunteers or CDC people around town, or just anybody, I guess I need to just get out more. I think another student is coming at the end of October from Minnesota, not sure what project he will be working on, but at least someone will be at the house with me. Monica the director, who lives in the main house is so busy with this NGO, entertaining guests, and completing her thesis herself, is never around.

Oh we haven't had running water for 2 days. I am sure I stint very badly, thank god for deodorant. Apparently there is a water shortage (why? not sure, the Lake is right there) and they periodically shut off peoples water with no notice. UGH.

We have a security guard on our property, he spends 16-18 hours at the house and I noticed that he just sits on the porch or walks around the property. We have started including him in our dinner plans, making him a plate or bringing him our leftovers when we go to dinner. I make him tea and toast in the morning because its really a shame that he is here for all that time with no food or drink. Monica kind of shakes her head when we do this, because its all a caste system and she thinks he does not deserve to be "part" of the family, but I figure he takes care of us by patrolling the property and keeping bad guys out, the least we can do is feed him. He probably gets paid less that $100 a month. His name is Bernard, he has 3 kids and a wife back in his home village and I am not sure when he ever gets to go home and see them since he is at our house everyday.

Well, thats about it. Its the weekend, and I am not sure what is in store, but I am thinking of going to Kakamega Forest for a hike and monkey viewing on Saturday. And I think Kristin is going to do some networking for me tomorrow night and introduce me to some poeple she knos around town.

More later...I have a meeting with KMET lawyers, probably about the legality of the misoprostol to cover our @sses.

Getting to work...

I have been in Kisumu for a week now and I am finally starting to get to know the place. Luckily, I have had someone to tag along with so I now know how to get around by matatu (very crowded city van/bus) and tuk tuk. I can also hitch rides on the back of bicycles (boda boda) or by motorbike (piki piki). This past week has been hectic both with me still getting adjusted to the time difference, heat and new environment and get adjusted to my new work schedule. This coming week we are training community health workers from around the provinces of Nyanza and Western on the proper use of misoprostol. That is a drug that flushes the uterus after a botched abortion attempt. I ran around with Barasa trying to find the drug and we encountered a lot of resistance from the pharmacists, it reminded me of the resistance that pharmacists in the states have towards the “morning after pill”. We finally procured some and got it at a great price, only promising to use that pharmacy in the future.

On Friday, the girls in the Sisterhood for Change project organized and led a discussion with girls in a neighborhood school on STI’s and how to prevent them. They were 7th and 8th graders, and it surprised me how eager they were to learn and have a discussion about such relevant issues. They were asking questions and participating fully. It was very rewarding to see that the girls in the SFC project we able to speak in front of a crowd, about very sensitive issues to empower young girls. Many of the girls in our project were school dropouts, teenage mothers, some are HIV positive, and others have been victims of gender-based violence. They come from various backgrounds and I think they are the perfect role models for the girls of the younger generation. It also shocked me when I heard the young girls in the school talk about why girls are at higher risk of STI’s due to gender violence and other cultural practices. This is the generation of change, and the fact that they are empowered to make the change is promising.

I finally had a day off on Saturday. Kristin and I went to a place called Kiboko Bay, which is a resort-like establishment on Lake Victoria. The lake is beautiful and HUGE! And just like the name suggested, were chock full of Kiboko’s (hippos). After spending the day swimming in the pool that overlooks the lake, and drinking our fair share of Tusker beer, we took a rickety wooden boat out to the middle of the lake and caught a glimpse of some hippos. It was pretty amazing to see them in their natural environment. Unfortunately the group we came across had several young babies with them and apparently its very dangerous to get to close as they are very protective of their young and will knock the boat over. I managed to get some good pics though.

There are a few women visiting from Planned Parenthood, which is a major source of donor money for K-Met. Kristin and I had to show them around town and take them to dinner, all at our own expense ☹ but the food was great at the restaurant called Green Garden who serves a healthy mix of Indian, African, Italian and American cuisine – just what I needed. Luckily the women were tired from traveling all day so it wasn’t a very late night. I say luckily because we had to wake at 6am Sunday morning to prepare for even more visitors, this time from American Jewish World Service – another big $$ source. The girls had prepared a song and dance routine, poetry about the issues young women are facing, and speeches about the organization and its purpose. Its quite amazing the hoops this organization goes through to impress the people with money, but it was great to see the girls come together and welcome the visitors with open hearts.

During the course of the show, there was an accident right outside the clinic (mind you the clinic was not actually open today). A man driving a car hit a man on a bicycle and injured him pretty badly. The man on the bike was very poor and just trying to make a living giving rides to people around town (boda boda) and he could not afford health services. The nurses at the clinic tried to resist helping him, but then were reminded of their oath they took in medical school and decided to help. The man was severely injured, several gashes down to the bone on his arm, and a pretty deep cut on his head. Luckily we were there and were open so this man got hooked up with some pain medication and stitches. He should probably go to the hospital for an X-ray because of his head injuries but I doubt he will go, he is broke after all, but at least his wounds are taken care of. Only time will tell.

So its Sunday night and I plan on staying in. It has been a long day and I bought some DVD’s on the street yesterday so I may just cook some dinner and watch some movies. I am attending the misoprostol training class most of this week along with traveling to nearby provinces to check on the clinics and projects there. I found out that since I am the sidekick of the manager of 5 of the 8 province clinics, I get to travel with him to visit them and see how they are managing. YAY for traveling at the orgs expense! We will eventually go to a town on the border of Tanzania, to Mombasa, to Embu, Maasai Mara, some islands in Lake Victoria and even some islands in the Indian Ocean.

Oh for those that are interested, there are Maasai here, even some warriors its interesting seeing them mixed with the crowds of the Luo and Kikuyu tribes, because as you know they have kept their traditional dress and traditional ways of cow herding. They believe that their god gave cows to them to protect and rear so they always have their cows with them. I was walking down a narrow road in a slum neighborhood when a big herd of cows came trampling through and of course you have to move out of their way if you don’t care to be trampled. Its quite interesting the daily sights and sounds of Kisumu!

Well more later – leave me some comments if there is anything in particular you would like to know. At this point I am having trouble thinking straight I am so tired. Talk to you soon

Let there be light

I got electricity today! yay!

Some pictures are posted at http://bu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2190821&l=92c2b&id=935745

I am off to the clinic which is 250km away(155mi). It will take all damn night I am sure but I am excited to see some of the country side. More later

Muzungu in Kisumu

I have arrived in Kisumu, my new home for the next few months! The plane trip from Nairobi to Kisumu was interesting, to say the least. Walking across the tarmac and climbing the stairs into a very smaller propeller plane was a new one for me. The airplane had a total of about 15 people on board, and I wanted to so badly to speak with the guy in the seat next to me but it was too loud! The pressurization was a problem and my ears are still popping. But I have arrived safely and that’s all that matters.

Maureen and Christine greeted me at the airport. Maureen is a Kenyan girl, aged 22 who is working here at the clinic for about $100 a month. Christine is a nurse practitioner from Boston who has been here for a month already and my new roommate. They took me to my new residence, which is quite nice. Unfortunately the host family situation fell through so Christine and I are staying in the “servants quarters” behind the house of the K-Met organization director, Monica. She has been out of town this week so I have yet to meet her, but I can’t wait. I hear nothing but nice things about her.

I have a small room with no electricity (getting wired today hopefully!) Christine has electricity so I spend my time in her room. We have a small kitchen with only a sink and a pantry, a bathroom (where the toilet doesn’t work) and a shower with cold water. It’s not so bad as long as you plan your showers in the middle of the day or after a long run. It gets quite chilly in the mornings so showering then is out of the question. The main house has a fully operation kitchen so that is where we cook our meals. We have a security guard on duty over night so I feel quite safe.

Crime is not as bad here as it was in Nairobi. For example, the night before I left Nairobi, the girl I was staying with Esther, her mother got into an accident and rolled her car. A couple of men came up to help her, offered her assistance in flipping her car back over and pulling her from the wreckage. In the meantime, they robbed her blind. They took everything from her car, even the deployed airbag! It was quite sad, but luckily her mother is OK, the other things can always be replaced. We spent the remainder of the early morning dealing with the police and at the hospital making sure she was OK. The health facility there was quite nice, I was surprised!

Back to Kisumu…I am now at the office of K-Met. The facilities here are nice and I have been just getting oriented to the city, the country and its health system and politics. This year is presidential election year so it’s an exciting time. I visited the women’s clinic yesterday where the conditions were not so nice. It is a clinic/learning facility for women and one of the new initiatives started by K-Met is called Sisterhood for change, where local health workers identify young women who could use their services. Most of these women are orphans themselves, with children and are HIV positive. The purpose of this program is to empower the women to learn a trade and take their health and their families into their own hands. Some are learning hairdressing, others catering and still others tailoring. Local caretakers also at the facility care for their children. It is a nice concept and although the program is still new, I am optimistic that it will be a success. The young girls take the classes for 9 months and they are left with the knowledge and skills to gain employment in the community. At the same time, they are getting family planning education, although they have not accepted contraceptives. Christine is busy trying to convince them that the hormones in the pills will not make you fat, and the lubrication on condoms will not either. They believe that the lubrication is oil/animal fat and receiving that inside of them will make them fat. I am sure it was some man that started that rumor. So this week I am busy getting to know the community and recognizing the problems that are facing the community members. After this time, I hope to dive right in and get to work offering program recommendations and evaluating the current programs K-met offers. They are really a good organization with huge hearts so I know they will be successful in this community. They are so far!

I am trying to figure out a way to get my pics from my camera/computer to the computer in this office (they are old and many do not have USB ports) but I am sure I can figure it out by this weekend, even if I have to go to the Internet café. Keep checking back for updates.

Upon arrival

OK so this is my first attempt at blogging so bear with me :) I had a long but interesting flight to get here to Nairobi. I sat next to a Kenyan living in Dallas who was going home to visit. It was nice to talk to him and start to learn some things on what to expect. He actually knew some of the people I knew in Dallas so that was nice. What a small world. Since he was on the same flight as me the whole way, we were travel buddies. I had to actually switch airports in London so having a buddy to make the trip with was nice.

So I get to Nairobi and meet up with Cesar and Esther, the family of some friends back in dallas who immediately take me out to show me town. We go to a place called Carnivore and hence the name, we ate lots of meat. Of course we had the normal beef and chicken, but then they started bringing around the crocodile, ostrich meatballs, and goat meat. It was great! I stayed away from the organs (livers and gizzards - I dont think I am ready for that just yet) but the rest was great. First off though, Dawa - a drink the locals call "medicine" consisting on vodka, lime and honey, stirred with a bamboo stick since the honey tends to stick. We moved over to the other side of the place to the Simba Saloon where there are bars, dance floors and madness :) We danced the night away as we kept drinking. Needless to say I was drunk and jet lagged and having a blast! The next morning I was extremely hung over and slept all day. After sleeping, we we had dinner of delicious goat meat and stewed veggies. We got ready for an early night out and went to a place called Fridays (not TGI Fridays). I had a bottle of Tusker beer and then we headed over to Chillers. This was a titty bar that I have never experienced. The first part of the night was normal, girls dancing on the bars. But as the night progressed the girls and the dances got nastier and nastier, and things were happening in the dark corners that I could only imagine. The girls were young girls from the villages who come into the city to make money, They made good money but not sure its worth it. But its what these girls have to do to survive and provide for their families. At least these places have a 100% condom policy! Thats good at least.

So now its Friday, I got to sleep in and I am managing to get adjusted to the time difference. After waking in the afternoon, Esther and I did some running around, went to purchase my plane ticket to Kisumu for Sunday, went to he markets to buy fresh produce and stopped by the supermarket for other things. You can find anything and everything you could ever need or want at this massive supermarket called Naku Mart! It was great! Almost like the Wal-Mart of the developing world! I got my phone set up and got some money changed so I am all set now! Bring it on!

Tonight I believe there is more partying in the plans, what else is new? I have been told that I need to learn how to keep up with the Kenyans in that sense. I think my hangovers might get in the way of that!

More later, I need to go eat dinner (Ugali - a traditional maize meal served with greens and beef stew). Stay posted for some pics and more from me soon!