Something new.

I am having a hard time writing about the last few days- not because they were sad and depressing, but because I have so many things I want to talk about and I don’t know where to start. One of our drivers, Safari Steve, told me yesterday, after we watched a bunch of baboons cross the highway: “In Kenya, there is something new every day.” I believe him! I’ll start with yesterday morning. The bunch of us- nurses and nutritionists- piled in the combis with Safari Steve and Driver David- and headed up the hill to Machaka to the children’s home. This was the adventure that most of us were looking forward to and dreading the most. We arrived and were greeted by Alice. Alice is a student, studying to be a sister in Nairobi, but is doing a placement at the children’s home. She is 23-years-old and wise beyond her years. She spoke softly, but with so much confidence and wisdom. And beautiful- she was absolutely gorgeous. She took us on a tour of the facility- they have crops and farm animals for food. We saw some chickens, cows, rabbits and some pigs- one of which scared the crap out of us! All of the pigs were tiny little pink guys that were snorting away at us, and then we looked over the last gate and there was this GIANT black pig face staring back at us. I’m proud to say that I wasn’t the one who screamed the lord’s name in vain in front of a soon-to-be nun! The facility is almost completely self-sufficient. They buy things, like sugar, that they don’t produce themselves, and some vegetables and fruits are donated by community members. As the tour was finishing up, we heard some giggling and looked up and saw two little children peeking out of a door and waving: the moment we had been waiting for. I really think that Alice wanted to continue the tour, but our excitement and the children’s excitement won and the tour was over! I don’t think I can accurately describe how I felt during those hours that we spent with the kids. One of the other students and I wondered that if that is what having children feels like. My heart was broken, but at the same time, so full of love. The kids sang for us and we picked them up and high-fived them, and hugged them. As soon as we put one down, there was another pulling at us to pick them up. There are some children that live there, and another 50-some that come everyday for lunch. After lunch, they’d walk home- some of them 2 or 3 kilometers, unsupervised. They are all under 5 years old, by the way. It was an experience that I will never forget.



We left the children’s home and stopped at the Kiirua market to meet Irene who has a reputation of providing the best pedicures on this side of the globe. We will all be seeing her soon. Then Jennifer and I hoped in Safari Steve’s combi to go to another market to find mangoes. Silly white people… mangoes are not in season! We were laughed at. However, we met the cutest little boys and Jenn took their picture. She asked another woman if she could take hers and the lady pulled me in close so I would be in the shot too. We picked out fruits and vegetables and Steve negotiated the price. We bought the biggest avocadoes that I ever did see. Like the size of a cantaloupe! The trip to the market was honestly one of the most joyful moments of my life.
So the road between Kiirua and Meru (which is where the market is) is jungle-y and you have to be on the lookout for crazy animals. The other day, we saw an elephant, and that day, on the way back from the market, we saw baboons. A ton of them!! Steve threw one of the baboons this weird fruit that we bought at the market and we got some great pictures. Steve is supposed to let me know the English name of the fruit is- no one seems to know.
So that brings me to today. We went to the Ruuju school which is close to Micanduri. We had a meeting with the Ruuju Women’s group, and then Allison and I left to do some data collection with Kim and Kevin for a research project that they want to do. They are measuring lung function in women use wood stoves with open flames and without chimneys) for cooking compared to women who use these new, more efficient stoves that contain the flame, produce more heat, and have chimneys. Communication was a challenge. We will be returning to see the group at some point to do a blood pressure clinic. The women spend so much time caring for others that they really appreciate the assessments and attention that we’re giving them.

We went to the Nakumatt for lunch and then headed to see another women’s group (Muchui) and their newest members. We did similar respiratory assessments with 6 of these women, and again, we will be returning to do blood pressure clinics with them. I had to leave the session to take a few pictures. Amazing. Then Martin, who works for the group, took us on a tour of the greenhouses and showed us how they graft different varieties of mangoes, avocados (he says avocando!) He said that they take the bottom of the plant with the best roots and the top of the plant with the best fruit (the fruit is very ju-eecy!) and graft them to produce the best product. Stephanie wondered why we don’t produce humans that way. Martin showed us a tree that they grow that is used in rock quarries. They have strong roots that can penetrate the rock. Millipedes eat the leaves and excrete manure that becomes the soil, and when there is enough soil, other plants are able to thrive. Then we realized that it was getting kind of late and we high-tailed it back to the combi. Martin told us not to worry though- if they left without us, he would drive us back in his gypsy, which I guess is a small car. On the way home (over the bumpiest road that I have ever seen) we picked up a man who works for Mama Jenny. He had a chicken in his hand and was holding it by the feet. Driver David found a Nakumatt bag, he shoved the chicken in and handed it to Kim. And then it started moving!!! So we shared a ride home with a live chicken… incredible! So safari Steve was absolutely right- there is something new in Kenya every day!

We're here!!

Jambo! (Hello)
I am in Nairobi, Kenya. How crazy is that? I have been having moments all day where I am dumbfounded by my surroundings and am completely amazed that this is happening in my life right now.
So we left Charlottetown on Thursday, June 23rd. After a tearful so-long, we boarded our flight to Montreal. Then we got to Montreal and waited for several long hours. We walked, we talked, we read, we ate, we waited…….. We flew to Brussels, Belgium. Too bad we didn’t have eight hours there instead of Montreal. It was an overnight flight, but because we were travelling through time (Brussels is 5 hours ahead of PEI) we only had about 3 hours of nighttime. That was odd and disorienting. Our descent over France and Belgium was beautiful. Europe (a thorough tour) is next on my travel list. We had a short stop in Brussels then aboard another flight to Nairobi via Entebbe, Uganda. That was long. Before that flight, we were feeling sweaty, dirty, hungry, tired and all-around yucky. Imagine how we felt after… not good. But soon, we met Henry and David. Henry is the travel agent who arranges everything for us and takes care of us. He is pretty much our dad while we’re here, I guess. He told us the same thing that he told the nutrition students last week: “Don’t look at your watch. If there is something wrong, call me- I am available for you at ANY time.” So, Mom, stop worrying- we are being well taken care of! David is our driver. He will be with us for the next week. He is hilarious.
So, we got to our hotel- the beautiful Fairmont Hotel in Nairobi. There are plants and trees, flowers, and birds everywhere. Our room is pretty. Beds hard as a rock! Amy and I started our first night off with a bang… plugged in our power bar and blew a fuse! That was our first of many giggle fits, I am sure. Today, we ate a delicious breakfast and headed to the Nairobi National Park. Pretty amazing. We saw a ton of animals: giraffes, jackals, warthogs, zebras (in the distance), a buffalo (from behind), and these beautiful cranes. They were HUGE. Our talented driver, David, spotted a lion in a patch of lion-colored grass. We saw him flick his tail a few times- the lion, not David. After the park, we went to the Kazuri bead factory. Over 300 women are employed there. They are mostly single mothers who otherwise would not have a job. The women and their families receive free healthcare. An amazing spot. And beautiful work…. We spent a lot of time picking out jewelry to take home. After that, David took us on a long drive through the city, back to the hotel. Lots of traffic, lots of sights, sounds and smells. I am feeling overwhelmed with all of the things to look at. Even while sitting at our table at the outdoor restaurant, I couldn’t stop looking at all of the different plants around me. Beautiful.
So we got back to the hotel and went for lunch at the poolside restaurant. Pizza and beer… how’s that for experiencing the Kenyan culture!! It was great, though. The beer, Tusker, was delicious. We had another beer at supper but I can’t remember the name right now. I have a picture. We had supper with Kim and Kevin in the gazebo. It was starting to cool off so our waiter brought us these charcoal burners that warmed us up and kept the bugs away. Not the cat, though! The hotel cat wandered around the restaurant all evening! I had a delicious chicken dish. It was kind of like a curry, but with less curry and more cilantro, which happens to be one of my most favorite flavors. It was great. We shared some wine and laughed our heads off. Henry joined us and we laughed some more. He told us that he would take good care of us, and that he had some things planned for us for after Kim and Kevin leave- he said that they were things that you just don’t do with your parents around!! Sounds intriguing!
I love it here. I am having a wonderful time so far. I am excited to get to Kiirua and get settled, meet the sisters at the hospital, and get to work. Tomorrow, we will be up early for a quick swim, some breakfast, and then a long drive to Kiirua with a stop at the equator. Wow.
This is probably the best internet connection that we will have for a while, so we’ll see when the next update happens. I’ll try to keep you updated!

Tomorrow's the big day!

So I head out tomorrow. Almost packed. Just rearranging things and taking out stuff that won't fit. I am feeling a little bit nervous, but not as much as I expected I would. I am sure that tomorrow I'll be a big cry baby at the airport, but for now, I am surprisingly calm.
So, this is a wonderful picture of the four nursing students that are going to Kenya. They might have warned us that they wanted a picture that day... We didn't really come prepared. Anyway, they are a great bunch of girls. From left to right, they are Stephanie Barlow, Allison MacDonald, Amy Somers and me. I travelled to Quebec City with Amy in January and we had a blast. Laughed our heads off pretty much the whole time we were there. And Stephanie was in my last clinical group at the Prince County Hospital. Best group ever!! Allison and I haven't travelled together or been in a clinical group together, however I am fairly certain that we will get along very well. One thing is for certain, we are all excited to share our first Kenyan beer together on Friday afternoon!



I guess I should go finish packing. Starting to run out of time here!! Keep checking for updates. I hope to post words and pictures often.

Hope you all have an amazing summer... I know I will!

I'm outta here.

Sooo.... I am leaving for Kenya in 6 days. Six days from about RIGHT NOW, I will be leaving for the airport. Holy cow. It still doesn't even seem real. I suppose it will when I start packing my suitcase and saying bye to people. We're having people over tonight as a end-of-3rd-year, start-of-summer, going-away party. Maybe after a few drinks and a few goodbyes, it will hit me. I am surprised at myself for not being a complete wreck. I'm sure I will be next Thursday morning!

About 2 months ago or so, there was a notice that UPEI was accepting applications for 2 (possibly 4) positions for internships in Kenya for the summer. The internships is in collaboration with the school of nursing, Farmers Helping Farmers, and a few other organizations. I had heard of students from other years participating in the internship and I wanted to do it, but never thought I would be chosen. So I applied and went for the interview. I thought I bombed... I came home and analyzed all of my answers and was convinced that Kim, Digafe, and Teresa thought I was a complete idiot. I talked to the other girls who were interviewed, and luckily, they all thought they sounded like complete idiots too. I felt a little bit better! A few days later, Kim (the Dean of the School of Nursing) called. On the phone, she sounded like a co-worker of mine, and at first, I thought that she was my co-worker, calling to see if I would fill a shift. I was talking all casual-like, and then I hear her say: "You have been chosen to go to Kenya." WHAT?! was my first response. I don't think I really believed her at first. Anyway, it sunk in- sort of- and now, I am going to Kenya.

So, while preparing to go, I read the blogs of the students that have gone in previous years. I learned that we'd be working in St. Theresa's Mission Hospital in Kiirua on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. The hospital has a maternity unit, a surgical suite (or theatre), a pediatric ward, and a medical unit. On Thursdays, we will be going out into the communities to do HIV/AIDS outreach. And on Fridays, we will be working at an orphanage, feeding and playing with babies and young children. We will all be doing work in each area, but there are 4 main projects and we will all take on a team leader role for one of the projects. I am taking on the maternity/breast feeding/labour support project. I am convinced that this will be one of the most important things that I ever do in my life. It's going to be amazing.

So... I will be updating this as much as possible. I understand that we have lots of time in the evenings, but that the power goes out often and the internet connection is slower than rural PEI's high speed connection.... So, we'll see how it goes.

Hope you all have a great summer!