It's been 9 days since my last confession ... I mean blog!! Sorry it's taken me so long for any updates but Dom and I have spent the last weekend roughing it in Masaai Mara & Lake Nakuru on a four day adventure safari!!! I would put pictures up ... but this computer doesn't seem to want to accept my camera so you can check out Dom's blog, or be patient and wait until I get home to put some up, you choose :)
Masaai Mara & Lake Nakuru are almost too beautiful to put into words, or even to capture on film, but I will do my best to share the experience with you. Just picture everything you've ever seen on television and movies about the "African Landscape", but then add the smells and sounds of nature at its finest, and elephants within ten feet of your safari van, and you're almost there. Then to top it off ... play the soundtrack to "The Lion King" in your mind for four straight days and you'll have an idea of what it was like for me.
Our safari (KiSwahili for "journey") began Friday morning bright and early for a four hour drive to Lake Nakuru with out good ole pal and guide Barry taking the wheel. Once we arrived and settled into our "budget lodge" it was off for a late afternoon game drive through Lake Nakuru. As soon as we got there it was animals left, right and centre. We saw White Rhinos with new little babies, warthogs (to which I consitently sang in my head "when I was a young warthog..."), giraffes, wildabeast and even a hyena which are said to be rare to ever see. We also parked up on this overlook called "baboon point" where sure enough baboons run the place. As soon as we got out of the van a baboon walked right up to it and jumped in before we had time to close the door!!! They are little scavengars ... but we got them out before they stole anything!!!!
The next day it was off to Masaai Mara for the big game drives!! When we arrived we set up shop at our permanent camp site ... tents with real beds, indoor plumbing and everything!! We had a little siesta as it had been a long, and bumpy, ride and then it was off to explore one of the most beautiful parks in the world. Within an hour and a half of being there we came accross a herd of elephants and we even found two lions that were in the midst of their mating ritual. The way it works, a nature lesson for all of you, is that the lion and his missus seperate from the pride for 7 days where they go without food and just "do it" every 15-20 minutes or so until the seven days are up, then its time to feast. Imagine ... all that time without eating, haha a nightmare if you ask me ... haha! We drove right over to them and the lion actually got right up and mounted his lady friend with us no more than 3 meters away from them!! So James ... unfortunately I will not be able to bring you back a lion cub this time round, but in some odd months (whatever the gestation period for a lion is) I know where to go back and get you one!!!
We spent all of Sunday doing a game drive finding our way down to the border of Tanzania and Kenya ... so I've officially been in two African countries and seen the Serengetti, but I don't know if it really counts :) We also happened upon a family of hippos, Africa's deadliest animal, and boy are they a sight!! They just lie there and do absolutely nothing and make intermitten groans and sounds that remind me a lot like the starting of a motor boat ... needless to say Dom and I kept our distance!!!
At the end of the day we were fortunate enough to go and visit a real Masaai Tribe Village. The Masaai Tribe is one of the oldest tribes in Africa, and the world, that still live life according to the traditions of yesteryear. They brought us into their village, showed us their houses ... which are made of sticks and cow poop mixed with mud that the women of the village build. The way it works is that each village has a polygamist chief (which they are quite proud of) and each of his wives builds a house for that relationship. So the more houses, the more wives!! The Masaai also survive on a diet solely provided to them by the cows, goats, and sheep that they keep within the walls of their village, as the village is protected by a high fence to keep the lions and leopards at bay!! They use the milk from the goats and the cows, which they mix with cows blood, and heat before they drink. Aside from that they eat the meat from the three types of animals ... that's it. Imagine... warm bloody milk ... mmmmm!!! They also showed us how to create fire using just two sticks and some hay ... I probably will never be able to recreate it myself, but it was cool to watch!! They ended the tour with a dance and song by the males and then the females which are traditions to them, it was quite neat!!! Finally ... we were allowed to purchase or trade them for some of their homemade crafts should we want and then it was time to go!!
When we got back to camp for the night I had an interesting run in with a dung beetle. I got smoked in the head with, what I thought, was a rock or a ball ... which happened only after I got up to make a new cup of tea since a moth decided to dive bomb right into my first cup and drown itself. Whatever had hit me in the head, which hurt if you cared to know, fell to the ground and when I looked closely it turned out to be a huge dung beetle. This thing was bigger than a golf ball ... it was crazy!!! And ... everyone laughed at my expense on both accounts ... felt just like I was back at home :)
On Monday we headed for an early morning game drive before it was back to Nairobi for our last bit of time with both of our projects, which is where we will spend the next few days. I will be unlikely to make any more posts before I get home so bear with me!! And for those of you reading this wondering if I've been emailing as well, I haven't been doing the mass email thing, so don't think I've forgotten about you all!!! Look forward to sharing it all with you sooner than later and I have more than enough pictures that we can arrange a slideshow anytime!!
To all of my readers ... thank you for taking the time and interest in this adventure of mine. It is one I'm unlikely to forget anytime soon and without all of your help this whole thing probably wouldn't have been possible. If you ever have time in your lives to visit this wonderful place please do so ... Kenya, and all of Africa for that matter, is not what people want you to think it is and it's a truly magnificent and wonderful place that is entirely misunderstood.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Kenyan Hospitality
I'm starting to realize that a lot of the stories and posts I've shared with you have been heart wrenching and sad. My intentions are not to paint the wrong picture of this truly wonderful country ... so hopefully this post will prove to you just how great (aside from the crazy drivers...) this place truly is.
What I have been struck by since the moment I stepped off the plane is the hospitality these people have shown to a complete stranger. Dom and I are continuously greeted with a smile and a "Jambo" as well as a handshake and a willingness to help us find our way. These people are quite proud of where they come from, and it shows in the way they are willing to share everything they have from you be it a story, a meal, a drink or a helping hand. Though there are sometimes those looking for something in return, you can hardly hold it against them as they have been taught that white skin is a sign of wealth and we all possess it. However, when we tell them that we are volunteers and we don't have a lot of money they always seem to back off and let us be. The Kenyans are a very gentle people and I find it quite sad that the media has painted them in the light that they have painted many African Nations. Though I would be lying if I said everyone was perfect as there is a lot of corruption, starvation, poverty and disease that plagues this country, and this continent, it's not as bad as the media would like to have us believe it is.
More than once we have met people that are only looking out for our safety and nothing more. The night we were waiting for our bus in the sketchy part of town, one of the bus company employees found us a bench to sit on and made sure to shoe away anyone that came close to us that might have dishonorable intentions. In Mombasa on the way back to Nairobi, after we paid our cab driver he gave us his phone number and told us to call him no matter what if anything happened to us with the bus company. He didn't have to do that, we had already given him our money, but he wanted to make sure we were safe. On more than one occasion total strangers have called and arranged taxis for us, waited for them to pick us up, and negotiated prices with the driver to ensure that we would not be overcharged. None of these people had to do any of these things for us and they just offered it out of the kindness of there heart. I think we could all take something from this, don't you?
Dom and I spent Saturday night in Kibera at a beer garden with one of the locals where we drank cold beer (when you order you can have warm beer, or pay more for cold) and listened to live music. When we first walked in it became immediately apparent that we were the only white people, but we weren't met with stares and sneeres, but instead with smiles and the effort to find us each a seat. The patrons were quite friendly and even bought us each a beer when clearly we should have been the people buying for them, but they are just that generous and more than happy to share their traditions with us!!! When the evening was over our friend Peter made sure we arrived home safe and sound to our front door even though it meant going completely out of his way to do so, and spending money on matatus to accompany us that he most likely didn't have to just throw away.
I know that six or so weeks will not be enough time here to change the world, or really change the lives of very many people here, but if I can change the attitudes and the views of the people back home who, more often than not, think this is a scary and bad place I have accomplished something. I hope you believe me when I say this is an incredible place full of some of the most generous people I've ever met and if you ever have the time to come here and visit you should consider yourselves quite fortunate.
What I have been struck by since the moment I stepped off the plane is the hospitality these people have shown to a complete stranger. Dom and I are continuously greeted with a smile and a "Jambo" as well as a handshake and a willingness to help us find our way. These people are quite proud of where they come from, and it shows in the way they are willing to share everything they have from you be it a story, a meal, a drink or a helping hand. Though there are sometimes those looking for something in return, you can hardly hold it against them as they have been taught that white skin is a sign of wealth and we all possess it. However, when we tell them that we are volunteers and we don't have a lot of money they always seem to back off and let us be. The Kenyans are a very gentle people and I find it quite sad that the media has painted them in the light that they have painted many African Nations. Though I would be lying if I said everyone was perfect as there is a lot of corruption, starvation, poverty and disease that plagues this country, and this continent, it's not as bad as the media would like to have us believe it is.
More than once we have met people that are only looking out for our safety and nothing more. The night we were waiting for our bus in the sketchy part of town, one of the bus company employees found us a bench to sit on and made sure to shoe away anyone that came close to us that might have dishonorable intentions. In Mombasa on the way back to Nairobi, after we paid our cab driver he gave us his phone number and told us to call him no matter what if anything happened to us with the bus company. He didn't have to do that, we had already given him our money, but he wanted to make sure we were safe. On more than one occasion total strangers have called and arranged taxis for us, waited for them to pick us up, and negotiated prices with the driver to ensure that we would not be overcharged. None of these people had to do any of these things for us and they just offered it out of the kindness of there heart. I think we could all take something from this, don't you?
Dom and I spent Saturday night in Kibera at a beer garden with one of the locals where we drank cold beer (when you order you can have warm beer, or pay more for cold) and listened to live music. When we first walked in it became immediately apparent that we were the only white people, but we weren't met with stares and sneeres, but instead with smiles and the effort to find us each a seat. The patrons were quite friendly and even bought us each a beer when clearly we should have been the people buying for them, but they are just that generous and more than happy to share their traditions with us!!! When the evening was over our friend Peter made sure we arrived home safe and sound to our front door even though it meant going completely out of his way to do so, and spending money on matatus to accompany us that he most likely didn't have to just throw away.
I know that six or so weeks will not be enough time here to change the world, or really change the lives of very many people here, but if I can change the attitudes and the views of the people back home who, more often than not, think this is a scary and bad place I have accomplished something. I hope you believe me when I say this is an incredible place full of some of the most generous people I've ever met and if you ever have the time to come here and visit you should consider yourselves quite fortunate.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Night of horror as 28 killed in bus crash
The wreckage of the bus which collided with a lorry on the Nairobi-Mombasa highway, killing 28 people on Sunday night. Photo/MOHAMED DAHIR
By MUCHEMI WACHIRA and JOHN KISUPosted Monday, January 19 2009 at 21:32
Police were on Monday seeking witnesses to a horrific road accident on the Mombasa-Nairobi highway in which 28 people died.
Another 24 people were injured in the 1am accident, which occurred on a bridge at Machinery market.
Police blamed speeding for the head-on collision between a bus travelling from Mombasa to Nairobi and a lorry heading in the opposite direction.
The bus, which belongs to Smash Company, and the lorry were reduced to wrecks. It was a miracle that one of the 24 survivors escaped unhurt even though he was taken to hospital for check-up.
Traffic Commandant James Adoli described the accident as the worst road tragedy this year.
He said the cause of the accident could not be immediately established because of the time it occurred. However, police officers had been dispatched to Mombasa to question motorists who may have witnessed the accident to provide details.
President Kibaki and Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi sent condolences to the families of those who died in the accident and the survivors and urged traffic police to take immediate action to avoid recurrence of the accidents.
A 15-year-old survivor of the of the accident was on Monday looking for his mother and five siblings who were on the bus.
Kelvin Ngala, who said he was travelling to Nairobi to secure a transfer to a school in Nanyuki, could not immediately tell where his mother, four brothers and a sister were several hours after the accident.
“I don’t know where they are. Since I was brought here at the hospital, I have not seen them,” he said from his bed at the Makindu District Hospital where he was recovering from a hand injury.
In a statement sent to newsrooms by the Presidential Press Services, President Kibaki said: “We have lost not only our loved ones but also valuable contribution to nation building.”
Of the 51 passengers, 26 died on the spot while three people who were in the lorry, including its driver, were killed in the incident. The driver of the bus was also among those who died.
Survivors of the accident were admitted at the Makindu District Hospital while bodies of those who perished were taken to a mortuary at the same hospital.
Five survivors who were critically injured were referred to the Kenyatta National Hospital for specialized treatment while another was moved to Machakos District Hospital.
People at the scene of the accident said the lorry was overtaking another vehicle when it collided with the bus. Some of the survivors who were receiving treatment at the Makindu Hospital said the bus was speeding when the accident occurred.
Said Mr Benson Karani: “We tried to tell the driver to stop speeding but eventually we fell asleep”.
He said he was awakened by a loud bang as the bus was rolling after colliding with the lorry.
Wishing the survivors quick recovery, President Kibaki regretted that in spite of the traffic rules in place, the country continues to witness loss of lives through road accidents.
He directed the traffic police to be extra vigilant in their work of ensuring strict adherence to traffic regulations. He also urged commuters to be involved in ensuring road safety by obeying traffic regulations and by reporting drivers who disobey traffic rules.
And Mr Mudavadi urged drivers to exercise caution while on the roads. “We would not be losing so many lives on the road if our drivers exercised caution.”
Four students were among the 26 survivors.
Hussein Mwahui 20 and Abdallah Mwameri 18, are both students at Evalyn High School in Naivasha. The two said they were travelling to school from Kwale when the accident occurred. They received minor injuries.
The fourth students Elizabeth Mwero 15, said she was travelling from Kinango to St Claire Secondary School in Naivasha. The Form One student suffered head injuries, but the doctors said her condition was not serious.
Students
It was the same case with the three other students whom the doctors said are expected to recover any time. Since they did not sustain serious injuries.
Mr Alfred Magumbua 50 and Hussein Karan 45, are both traders in Mombasa, but they were going to Nairobi to buys goods for their businesses when the accident occurred.
The two where among those who were critically injured. “I have been operating along this route for several years, but I have never encountered such a bad accident. Magumbua who is recovering from a broken rib and head fracture said.
His friends Karan who suffered a big cut on the face could hardly speak as he was in pain.
Another trader Mr Simon Muicho 52, who said he has been operating between Mombasa and Nyahururu, suffered back and neck injuries.
Mr Karani 30, was among the lucky few who did not suffer serious injuries during the accident that left 28 people dead. He was going back home to Meru after visiting a friend in Mombasa.
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/517052/-/u1bo5t/-/index.html
CARNIVORE
CARNIVORE is a restaurant that is exactly what it sounds like it should be. Voted one of the 50 best restaurants in the world on more than one occaision, this restaurant is a meat eaters heaven!!!!
When you first walk into Carnivore the first thing you see is the giant grilling pit where sword upon sword of meat (as you can see in the picture) sit coaxing you into what is going to come!! What I also noticed as soon as walking in was just how big the place was. It could have easily sat a few hundred people, and left me pondering just how much meat this place must go through each week!!! The way it works is that each table is given a white flag and the waiters will continue coming by with different choices of meat until you "surrender" by letting your flag down!!
Once you are sat down and drink orders are taken the fun begins!! They start you off with a bowl of squash soup and bread, a clever ploy to try and fill you up before the meat comes. They ovbiously didn't know a Giacomantonio had entered the building because obviously this wouldn't detract me from the main event!!! Once we finished our soup and the plates cleared, our waitress came over with hot plates that were so hot they could have cooked the meat right infront of us!! They also provided the table with a turntable of various sauces and side dishes to choose from. Then came the meat!! Basically ... every two minutes or so a new waiter comes by with a sword of meat for you to choose. Each sword had things like stacks of sausages, chicken wings and pork ribs that they slid right onto your plate!! After all the "usual" stuff came by it got interesting!! They then came by with whole legs of lamb, giant roasts of beef and even an entire turkey!! They simply shaved off as much as you'd like for you and continue on!!!!
Finally it was time for the "exotic meats", and the guys came by with crocodile meat and ostritch meatballs (Dad, I couldn't help but think about our search for pulpette di carne everytime he came around, haha). Crocodile is a little salty but good, and the meatballs were amazing!!! Well ... as you can imagine by this point they are hoping you are full so they don't come around as frequently, but as you all know me I wasn't ready to surrender just yet!!! After a couple more rounds of turkey, crocodile, lamb and ostrich we finally gave in ... leaving just enough room for some dessert!!!
We had a great evening there, and after four hours of great food and conversation (we went with two other volunteers from Canada who were celebrating a birthday) we headed home slightly uncomfortable but so satisfied it didn't matter!!!!! James ... you would have been in heaven here and everytime they came around with a sword of spare ribs all I could think of was you!!!
We had a great evening there, and after four hours of great food and conversation (we went with two other volunteers from Canada who were celebrating a birthday) we headed home slightly uncomfortable but so satisfied it didn't matter!!!!! James ... you would have been in heaven here and everytime they came around with a sword of spare ribs all I could think of was you!!!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
The Overnight to Mombasa ... A Story of Fate
This past weekend Dom and I decided to head to the coast to enjoy a relaxing weekend of sun and sand in a place called Diani, which is a small seaside town south of Mombasa. This place came highly recommended by many people we have met that have been to Kenya, and since traveling is so inexpensive here we figured why not ... how many times do you get to enjoy white sand and clear blue water in Africa? So we rounded up a few other volunteers, all from New Zealand and Australia, and booked our tickets for the overnight bus to Mombasa.
When we booked our tickets to leave Friday night our travel agent informed us that there would be a waiting area off the street that we could use while we were waiting for our bus to arrive, as all of the buses in Kenya seem to depart from the sketchiest parts of town. Since this side of town is quite dangerous to wander once its dark if you are of fair skin color we felt quite relieved that we would have a safe haven to sit in while we waited for the bus, especially since nothing ever runs on time here and we weren't sure how long we would actually be there waiting. So, after supper we all hailed a cab and headed over to the "waiting area" we were told about to wait the hour and a half we had to wait for our bus. Well, this so called waiting area happened to be a seedy bar no bigger than my tv room where a bunch of greasy guys were drinking and carrying on. Since we had no choice (as standing on the street and waiting wasn't an option), the six of us took a seat in the bar and ordered Coca Cola's while we waited. As you can imagine, six mzungus attract a lot of attention, and the patrons did not leave us alone the entire time we were there. Luckily there was a guy with us so they backed off a bit, but near the end we were starting to get frustrated and couldn't have been happier when the bus showed up.
When we got on the bus we found out that people had sat in our seats and were unwilling to move so we all got shoved to the back of the bus to cramp ourselves in for the 8 hour bus ride ahead of us ... which is especially fun when two of the girls with us have motion sickness!! Once the bus started to go it went from bad to worse. This bus, which was as filthy was ever, had a bus driver that decided to take off-road "shortcuts" to try and save the bus some time since it left an hour later than it was supposed to. These little excursions consisted of flying through dirt roads and trying to overtake tractor trailers on small, two lane maximum, roads while trying not to run into the people coming the other way. It was absolutely terrifying at times and all I could do was close my eyes and hope I could sleep through most of it, which for some amazing reason I was ... but the poor girls with motion sickness I thought were going to lose it with the mix of bumpy roads, back of the bus, and the fact that the windows didn't open so it was a glorified sauna on wheels. We also managed to hit a traffic jam on one of our shortcuts which is when the bus decided to stall for an hour ... super, just super!!!! I would also like to add a side note that we are pretty sure, as it is quite common here, that our driver was intoxicated for the trip... comforting isn't it.
Well we finally made it to Mombasa in the early hours of Saturday morning ... safe and sound and happy to get off the bus as soon as possible!! When we arrived we were informed it would be best to book our return tickets before we headed down the coast, mainly to ensure we had a spot coming back as these buses all tend to fill. We had intended on taking the bus back on Sunday night to be back in time to volunteer Monday morning which was what we were planning to do, but after talking with everyone about our experience getting here we decided that we had earned an extra day on the coast and instead we would book our overnight tickets for Monday Night instead ... for which we'd make up the volunteer day at the end of the trip. We also decided to book seats in the front this time so some of the girls would have an easier time on the way home with all of the motion sickness.
Well ... let me tell you this might have been the best "selfish" decision we have ever made. When we got back to Mombasa on Monday night to catch our bus we were informed that we would be travelling with a different company as the bus intended for us had been in an accident. We figured the bus had broken down, so we got on our new bus, but because of the change of plans we were forced again to sit in the back against our will. As all of us felt quite put out this time, we were complaining to eachother that we were mad we weren't sitting in the front seat since we booked so far in advance and this wasn't fair. Well as soon as the man sitting next to me heard this he politely interrupted and said that things could be worse, we could have been on last nights bus. It turns out that the Sunday Night bus (the one we were originally planning on taking) had been in a head on collision with a tractor trailer and 29 people were killed. This was the worst accident the bussing system has seen in over 10 years... and everyone was either seriously hurt or dead on impact. Such a tragedy it was, but it could have been us ... and we thank our lucky stars that we decided to stay longer. Chilling isn't it.
The man who informed us of this changed my perspective on life in mere seconds and made me realize that complaining about something you can't control is a waste of time, especially when you don't know the true reasons for why you are being put off in that moment. I felt like such a jerk after for even opening my mouth after finding out that my reality could be so much worse off and I thank that stranger for teaching me an incredible lesson in humbleness. The world works in mysterious ways ... and for some reason this time fate was on our side and someone was watching out for us.
When we booked our tickets to leave Friday night our travel agent informed us that there would be a waiting area off the street that we could use while we were waiting for our bus to arrive, as all of the buses in Kenya seem to depart from the sketchiest parts of town. Since this side of town is quite dangerous to wander once its dark if you are of fair skin color we felt quite relieved that we would have a safe haven to sit in while we waited for the bus, especially since nothing ever runs on time here and we weren't sure how long we would actually be there waiting. So, after supper we all hailed a cab and headed over to the "waiting area" we were told about to wait the hour and a half we had to wait for our bus. Well, this so called waiting area happened to be a seedy bar no bigger than my tv room where a bunch of greasy guys were drinking and carrying on. Since we had no choice (as standing on the street and waiting wasn't an option), the six of us took a seat in the bar and ordered Coca Cola's while we waited. As you can imagine, six mzungus attract a lot of attention, and the patrons did not leave us alone the entire time we were there. Luckily there was a guy with us so they backed off a bit, but near the end we were starting to get frustrated and couldn't have been happier when the bus showed up.
When we got on the bus we found out that people had sat in our seats and were unwilling to move so we all got shoved to the back of the bus to cramp ourselves in for the 8 hour bus ride ahead of us ... which is especially fun when two of the girls with us have motion sickness!! Once the bus started to go it went from bad to worse. This bus, which was as filthy was ever, had a bus driver that decided to take off-road "shortcuts" to try and save the bus some time since it left an hour later than it was supposed to. These little excursions consisted of flying through dirt roads and trying to overtake tractor trailers on small, two lane maximum, roads while trying not to run into the people coming the other way. It was absolutely terrifying at times and all I could do was close my eyes and hope I could sleep through most of it, which for some amazing reason I was ... but the poor girls with motion sickness I thought were going to lose it with the mix of bumpy roads, back of the bus, and the fact that the windows didn't open so it was a glorified sauna on wheels. We also managed to hit a traffic jam on one of our shortcuts which is when the bus decided to stall for an hour ... super, just super!!!! I would also like to add a side note that we are pretty sure, as it is quite common here, that our driver was intoxicated for the trip... comforting isn't it.
Well we finally made it to Mombasa in the early hours of Saturday morning ... safe and sound and happy to get off the bus as soon as possible!! When we arrived we were informed it would be best to book our return tickets before we headed down the coast, mainly to ensure we had a spot coming back as these buses all tend to fill. We had intended on taking the bus back on Sunday night to be back in time to volunteer Monday morning which was what we were planning to do, but after talking with everyone about our experience getting here we decided that we had earned an extra day on the coast and instead we would book our overnight tickets for Monday Night instead ... for which we'd make up the volunteer day at the end of the trip. We also decided to book seats in the front this time so some of the girls would have an easier time on the way home with all of the motion sickness.
Well ... let me tell you this might have been the best "selfish" decision we have ever made. When we got back to Mombasa on Monday night to catch our bus we were informed that we would be travelling with a different company as the bus intended for us had been in an accident. We figured the bus had broken down, so we got on our new bus, but because of the change of plans we were forced again to sit in the back against our will. As all of us felt quite put out this time, we were complaining to eachother that we were mad we weren't sitting in the front seat since we booked so far in advance and this wasn't fair. Well as soon as the man sitting next to me heard this he politely interrupted and said that things could be worse, we could have been on last nights bus. It turns out that the Sunday Night bus (the one we were originally planning on taking) had been in a head on collision with a tractor trailer and 29 people were killed. This was the worst accident the bussing system has seen in over 10 years... and everyone was either seriously hurt or dead on impact. Such a tragedy it was, but it could have been us ... and we thank our lucky stars that we decided to stay longer. Chilling isn't it.
The man who informed us of this changed my perspective on life in mere seconds and made me realize that complaining about something you can't control is a waste of time, especially when you don't know the true reasons for why you are being put off in that moment. I felt like such a jerk after for even opening my mouth after finding out that my reality could be so much worse off and I thank that stranger for teaching me an incredible lesson in humbleness. The world works in mysterious ways ... and for some reason this time fate was on our side and someone was watching out for us.
Day 2 At Ushirika
So you probably thought that our first day at the clinic in Kibera was pretty cool and that we got to see so much more than we thought we would ever get to witness, which was exactly what we were thinking ... but boy were we wrong!!! This story is not for everyone, but I was so blown away by it that I feel that I have to share this with all of you so you understand how different the mentality in this country is compared to home.
Dom and I arrived in the morning to Ushirika to spend the day helping out with more HIV counseling as well as shadowing some more doctor visits, much like the day before. Well, as soon as we arrived we were rushed into one of the examination rooms to wait while the majority of the staff was dealing with an urgent issue. As we sat in the room we could hear someone screaming in agony next door and were both quite curious as to what was going on ... so of course we asked one of the counsellors to fill us in on the details.
WELL, the screaming we were hearing was coming from an 18 year old female who had overdosed on a mix of pain killers and amoxycillin (an antibiotic) in an attempt to abort her pregnancy. As abortion is very frowned upon in this country, girls young and old are forced to take the matters into their own hand when these accidents happen. Because this young girl didn't know how far along she was she had assumed that by overdosing on these meds, which she purchased illegally in the slum I might add, that she could go off to school for the day and the "pregnancy" would just leave her body in pieces in the toilet. What she didn't realize was that she was 5 months pregnant and as a result of the toxic shock she had introduced to her body she ended up inducing labour and giving birth to a 5 month old baby boy at the clinic (which would explain all of the screaming). The baby sadly did not survive, and once the girl was taken to the maternity wing to rest, the workers brought us into the room to show us everything. Words cannot describe what was going through my mind as this tiny, fully formed, human lay dead in a kidney shaped surgical dish. A sight I will most likely never forget, and a lesson for all of you explaining what it is truly like to live in places like the slums in Africa ... wow.
Dom and I arrived in the morning to Ushirika to spend the day helping out with more HIV counseling as well as shadowing some more doctor visits, much like the day before. Well, as soon as we arrived we were rushed into one of the examination rooms to wait while the majority of the staff was dealing with an urgent issue. As we sat in the room we could hear someone screaming in agony next door and were both quite curious as to what was going on ... so of course we asked one of the counsellors to fill us in on the details.
WELL, the screaming we were hearing was coming from an 18 year old female who had overdosed on a mix of pain killers and amoxycillin (an antibiotic) in an attempt to abort her pregnancy. As abortion is very frowned upon in this country, girls young and old are forced to take the matters into their own hand when these accidents happen. Because this young girl didn't know how far along she was she had assumed that by overdosing on these meds, which she purchased illegally in the slum I might add, that she could go off to school for the day and the "pregnancy" would just leave her body in pieces in the toilet. What she didn't realize was that she was 5 months pregnant and as a result of the toxic shock she had introduced to her body she ended up inducing labour and giving birth to a 5 month old baby boy at the clinic (which would explain all of the screaming). The baby sadly did not survive, and once the girl was taken to the maternity wing to rest, the workers brought us into the room to show us everything. Words cannot describe what was going through my mind as this tiny, fully formed, human lay dead in a kidney shaped surgical dish. A sight I will most likely never forget, and a lesson for all of you explaining what it is truly like to live in places like the slums in Africa ... wow.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Ushirika Clinic - Medical Clinic to Kibera Slum
Dom and my wish finally came true on Thursday when we got to spend the day helping out at Ushirika Medical Clinic, which is the community clinic that serves the Kibera slum. This was the original place that Dom and I had intended on spending all of our time, but instead we will be splitting our time between Ushirika and the project in Lenana as we are hoping for more of a medical experience while we are here. Well boy did we get it!!!
Peter, our tour guide from Kibera last time we were there, met us at Junction and walked us over the Ushirika in the morning to make sure we found our way safely. When we first arrived we were introduced to all of the staff one by one, then we presented them with all of the medical supplies that we had brought with us including stethoscopes, surgical blankets and lots and lots of latex gloves!!! They sincerely thanked us for our gifts and assured us they would all go to good use, which by the look of the place we knew we weren't being lied to!! We then met Dr. Bob who is a retired Retina Surgeon from New Jersey who is helping out in the clinic for the next while. Upon retirement, Bob decided that he wanted to give back, so he spent 2 months reading every book on tropical diseases that he could get his hands on as well as scouring the internet for anything he could find on the subject. Once he felt like he knew enough he headed over to Kenya which is where we met him. (See DAD ... you can do this kind of thing too)!
Bob took us into his office and allowed us to spend the morning shadowing him with all of his patients, while spending time in between patients talking to us about what we knew and educating us on the types of diseases that he most commonly sees while he was there. He was very happy to share everything he knew with us, and seemed to be impressed with the knowledge base that the two of us already possessed. We have a feeling he also really liked us because he has a daughter back home that is the same age as me, but either way we appreciated how welcoming he was with us!!!!
After our time with Bob, it was off to spend some time with Patricia and Lucy who are counsellors in the clinic. When someone comes in to get tested for HIV, the ladies spend a half an hour with each client talking about what HIV is, the ways in which it can be transmitted, as well as ways to protect themselves from contracting the virus. Once the patient consents to the test itself through a signature, the test is taken. While waiting for the results, the counselors then talk to them about the possibilities of each outcome and how the patient intends on dealing with their results. What I found the most fascinating about the whole thing was that while the patient waits for the test to finish they are given a diagram that shows all of the possible outcomes of the test including positive, negative and inconclusive. It is up to the patient to read their test and interpret their results. The psychology behind this being that this way the patient sees it for themselves instead of being told, and this way they not only are forced to take ownership of their result and decide on a course of action. Once this is done, their statistics and demographics are recorded. All of this information is sent off to the government and the end of each month so that every year they can have accurate stats on the prevalence of HIV in their country, look for trends, as well as determine appropriate courses of action based on the information.
Dom and I got to sit through a couple of counselling sessions and unfortunately had one man test positive. He didn't seem as upset as we thought he would, but it turned out he had tested positive a few years ago, and because he was healthy he thought he might have gotten rid of the virus. Though what I remember most about this session was the fact that they ask "how many wives" this man had ... since apparently it's common to have many in this place!!!
After our HIV counselling session, Dom and I spent some time in the pharmacy with Jen who is in charge of filling and passing out prescriptions!! Dom and I even got to take our turns reading, filling and handing out prescriptions to the patients that came to the window!! What was neat was how simple they made the instructions on the prescriptions compared to lengthy pages that they give you at home. All it tells you is how to take it, for example to take 1 pill twice daily you simply write 1 X 2 on the package, simple as that!!! And just think, at home people have to go to school for four years to do what Dom and I did... haha doesn't seem right does it?!?
We spent the remainder of the day talking to Patricia about the relevance of HIV, why it is so high, and why people are still so ignorant about the virus as a huge reality. The biggest problem is that this society is quite promiscuous and marriage doesn't carry the same connotations as it does at home. I would have to drone on for a long time to explain it all ... but I will share one of the most interesting tidbits with you that I found shocking, especially since HIV is not a new virus, but has been around for decades. A lot of people believe that HIV is actually a curse and that it can be cured by either sleeping with a virgin, or sleeping with a young child no older than five years of age. You can see the problem in this kind of thinking ... because then the victims also contract the illness and we are back to square one, but people to this day still believe this to be truth!!! Unbelievable right?
Well this was only our first day, and we have many more to come so I'm sure I will have some more amazing stories. I learned more in a day at this place than the two weeks I spent at the project ... and I can't wait to learn/see more!! I will put pictures up soon, however I'm off to the coast for the weekend, so please be patient with me!!
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