Chapter Six: Baada ya kazi...

Well, sorry for not posting in such a long time. A lot has happened in the interim. I've set up a picture website and have the link posted above. Pictures can say a lot more than mere words. I've been busy with patient issues, residency stuff, and traveling.

This easter weekend I've been able to relax. I decided not to travel because I wanted to be able to attend Mass. Tomorrow, I'm helping put on a day of Easter fun for a special group of kids. There's about 17 girls and boys that are either being treated with ARVs for HIV or someone in their family was. Now, either they were not being treated well, were abandoned and stigmatized, had mismanagement of their drug regimens, or were orphaned by AIDS and have now been taken care of in the OVC Eldo View orphan home. This is part of the AMPATH program. We are taking them to Mass with us tomorrow and have lots of neat food and cake and games for them afterward. They look forward to it every year.

Last night I went out dancing with friends. It was really fun and since we had guy friends with us, we weren't as plagued by some of the persistent Kenyans if we didn't want to DANCE with them. "Baada ya kazi" means after work in ki-swahili. It's the slogan for Tusker, the popular national beer in Kenya. I had a few last night before going out. :)

So trips I've been on so far: Jinja, Uganda White Water Rafting on the Nile, Kerio View/Kruger Farm, Maasai Mara and Serengeti Mara River, and lastly Kakamega Rain Forest. Traveling is wonderful but the drive there is often akin to torture. The roads here are terrible. I was joking with one of my Kenya counterparts here. She say a driver driving straight on the road and said he was drunk driving. LOL If you aren't dodging potholes and cows, then it makes a lot of sense that you're driving under the influence!

Love you all!
Jess

Chapter Five: Mazungu choma

I am so burnt from rafting. My skin started peeling badly a few days ago. Sunburn is called "mazungu choma" because only mazungus burn. Myama choma is barbacue in ki-swahili meaning "burnt meat." Pretty funny.
Yesterday, we went on a major hike and saw giraffes 20 ft from us and impalas and antelopes. We also went to kerio view which is at the tip of the one side of the Great Rift Valley.Bbeautiful view. The tectonic plates that formed the valley are still basically visible. There are 3 different flat areas. The top, the middle and then the valley which is semi-arid. They call it heaven and hell. The dichotomy is due to the aquaphor and flow of water. On top and most of the middle layers, most of the water resides. Tons of vegetation and very good farmland is there. Looking over the valley, you can see patches of dry earth, almost desert-like in some areas.
I've walked through town a few times now. The street boys really seem to like me. It was kind of intimidating at first. But now, I'm used to the flow of bodies. One in particular said he loved me and wanted to know if I love him. Haha, he was pretty funny. As I walked away, he exclaimed, "My wife, my wife is leaving me!"

Miss you all alot!
Jess
PS I'm super sore from hiking.

Chapter Four: Jinja

So I'm exhausted and burnt on my hands, knees and a little on my face. Gosh but it was worth it. White rafting on grade 5 rapids on the Nile was AWESOME. Pretty scary, I feel out 3 times including the time the whole raft tipped over. The last one was most intense, the water somersaulted me and I swallowed quite a bit. I had to fight to get up. The day was unreplacable though.
We're out more in rural areas. Houses and livestock and people are different out here. Basically no fences just goats, cattle, and their babies hanging out. Little adorable girls and boys run after us waving usually with both hands. The scenery continues to be lush. Banana trees and sugar cane galore with palms and flowering trees in purples, reds, magentas, oranges, and yellows.
I'm going to head to bed soon. It was great to finally hear from family and Donnie today. Skype is not as reliable as I thought it would be. Love you all!!!!
Jess

Chapter Three: Mazungu

Yes, I am a mazungu. For everybody in the States, this means foreigner (originally term for white colonists). I do feel foreign to this practice of medicine. It's very frustrating to know the resource constraints and try to provide the best care I know possible. I had my first day at the hospital today. The Kenyan medical students had a test today so rounding starting early and ended early.....Sooo I didn't get to attend rounds. I was pretty disappointed.
Those who know me well, know I have a fairly sensitive nose. I grew up on a pig farm so I can take the manure/fecal odors, but the stench of all the patients' body odor is pretty uniquely strong. Kenyans don't really have the American obsession with deodorant and perfume, basic suppression of body odors.
I am going on a pretty awesome trip this weekend. The only way you'll be able to get a hold of me is through my cell phone, which I'll post next to the address. We're heading to Uganda to do Nile River rafting. I'm going tomorrow afternoon and getting back later on Sunday. I'm excited and tired.
We had an AMAZING game of dodgeball today. Fourteen people wailing each other with balls. My preceptor played, which is awesome. I'm kinda sore though.
LOVE YOU ALL!
Jess

Chapter Two: Eldoret and Jet lagged

So I am finally here in Kenya! Right now it's almost noon here and 3 am CT in the states. I am so incredibly tired. Did not sleep that well last night. We went to bed around 1:30 am local time and woke up @ 5 am to get ready and leave for our flight from Nairobi to Eldoret. I spent a good amount of time last night trying to get the prepaid phone cards to work with the hotel phone, but we weren't allowed to make ANY outside calls. It was so frustrating. It's been fairly rainy here already. Our driver said that rainy season is starting early. :(
The drive into town from the airport was great. It's a beautiful day here and the air smells so sweet, like oranges. There's cattle everywhere! LOL They were crossing the street as we were leaving the airport. Tons of little calves and baby goats. I love how lush and green and bright everything is. There's so many gorgeous flowering trees and bushes. Bright pinks, fuschias, lavenders and deep purples. I can't wait to take pictures of all of it. One strange thing was the number and frequency of butchers. Not what you'd see back home. Well, I'm going to go nap before lunch. Miss you and love you all!
Jess
PS I already have both the family's and Donnie's pic up in my room.

So still packing...it takes FOREVER! Just a reminder to everybody- Nairobi and me will be 8 hrs ahead of ET and 9 hrs ahead of CT. I fly around 5 pm on Monday to Heathrow and then onto Nairobi after a short layover. I will arrive in Nairobi around 9 pm local time, so around noon on Tuesday in central time zone. Love you all and wish me luck!
Jessie

Chapter One

So I'm setting up my blog for my International Medicine pharmacy rotation in Eldoret, Kenya. I'm really excited about this experience and can't wait to go. I think I'm going to miss home a little more than what I thought I would. There's so much left to do to get ready to leave. I have so much going on right now. Hopefully I will blog on a regular basis, but I've never been the diary type. You'll have to forgive me if I don't complete multiple posts a week. I can promise that I will take tons of pictures while in Kenya. I love pictures, but usually don't take many of myself.
Love you all!
Jess