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!