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
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
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
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
Friday, October 19, 2007
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
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
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
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
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
Friday, October 12, 2007
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!
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!
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
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!
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!
Thursday, October 4, 2007
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.
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.
Monday, October 1, 2007
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
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
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