Yet Another Culture Shock

In some ways these past 4 weeks have gone by extremely fast, while at other times it seems like it has been forever. I am now officially done working at the orphanage and will be starting my work at the hospital on Monday. Last night I went out to a beach bar and then a club with the doctor of the male ward. It is amazing how knowledgeable he is, and not just about science either. I am looking forward to spending my next month working there. There is a possibility of seeing my first surgery Tuesday. They are supposed to be reversing a colostomy on a patient.

I apologize for not posting in quite some time. I have been very busy with various things and trying to get ready for next week. I haven't said my official goodbye to the orphanage yet, I am trying to postpone it as much as possible. I am already going to return to the place today to try and get a game of soccer going with the children and get some last minute photos with them. There are plenty that I have yet to even introduce to you. Here are some pictures that I have taken the past few days. Nothing new really, just a few lovely faces to see again.

Jolly, and the typical face she makes as she points at things trying to explain what she wants:

Prince doing his homework, like the good student he is:

Melody:

Purity, being tickled:
This past week I took a visit to a village, close to where I work. I was shown around by a Kenyan friend I met the very first week I was here, at the beach. His name is Musa, and he is around the age of 16. He has always been trying to meet up with me and hang out, but every time he showed up to the orphanage, I was always gone. Finally, one morning he stopped by and I was there. I took him out to lunch, and we chatted for awhile. This is when he offered to take me to his village. I was not expecting to have such a culture shock this late in my journey! Once you think you have seen it all, something new comes along and opens your eyes even more. He lives in a home made completely from dirt, stone and wood. Sitting in his home, and noticing holes in his ceiling, dirt walls, and doors that are just a piece of wood that you move to the side, turned me into a complete state of awe. I could not believe the conditions he lives in every day of his life. This is going to sounds cliche, but it really does make you appreciate the more simple things in life, like having a legitimate roof over your head. I did not happen to take any pictures, perhaps I will on my return visit, but just imagine a homes made strictly of earths materials. It is just like you see on the television set at home.

Speaking of television, none of you realize how lucky you all are to be able to watch the things you are at home. I really miss having more than five channels and a wide variety of things to watch. Instead, here all I can choose from watching is "Tormento en el Paridisio" or "Mother-In-Law", a kenyan soap. I guess I should be thankful that my host family even has a TV set.

Enough about the things we should be thankful for. I would hope you all know most of that. If not, then this is a good reminder.

Last night I saw the tourist side of Mombasa. This is where all the Americans and English go to visit and say they have "experienced" Africa. They are completely wrong though. They have no clue what it is like and are oblivious to certain aspects that are kept hidden, away from their all-inclusive resort. Dont get me wrong, I guarantee I would be right alongside them in their expensive hotel room, looking over the ocean, with hot water and good food, had I went on this trip with my family (Sorry mom and dad, it is not your fault). This would have left me with the thought that I had seen it all, when in reality, I saw nothing. Kenya can be a place to get away to and lay in the sun, if you want it to be, but you might as well go to the caribbean instead, if this is what you want. The resort was incredible. It made me feel like I was in Hawaii again. It had the amazing infiniti pool overlooking the ocean on a cliff. Who could ask for more? With all this around you, why would anyone ever want to leave the hotel. No one goes on vacation wanting to see massive garbage dumps, homeless kids with glue bottles stuck under their noses, or dirt homes. That just isnt what comes to mind. All the tourists want is the picture perfect safari and the classic picture of a women carrying her African child on her back, that is all. These type of people then travel on home and go back to their air conditioned home, not realizing that they missed the heart of Africa. It is depressing to think about, and this is why I would like to be thought as being seperated from them. I am not here on vacation, I am here to work and gain experience. It is easy for most Kenyans to tell a volunteer apart from a tourist. We just are not the same and wont pay the prices that they pay. For example, I bought a carved giraffe a few days ago at the manufacturers woodshop. Tourists are not allowed to shop here, only Kenyans. I paid 500 Ksh for it, while a typical white American would pay several thousand shillings for the same giraffe on the streets. It feels good to be thought of as a Kenyan and not a tourist.

That felt good to get off my back. Well its time for lunch and a good old pick up game of soccer. Take all this in and if you are ever planning a trip to Africa, remember what I have said. This isnt meant to insult anyone, it just depends on what you are looking for and how far you are willing to dig in order to see the real Africa.

That is all for now.