Kenya, Africa

Thank You!

2009-07-31T13:40:00.000-07:00

After several long days of flying, I am finally in the comfort of my home eating a wide variety of delicious food. It is weird to walk around and not have people staring at you constantly. I have, on more than one occasion, been wanting to say "asante" instead of "thank you", and "jambo" instead of "hello." These words were in my vocabulary every day and were starting to become natural!

One of the first things I noticed when entering the United States again were all the difibulators lined up along the airport wall, ready for an emergency. This caught my eye because in Kenya, the hospitals didnt even have these, and they were governement hospitals! Although I appreciate the fact that if there were an emergency, a life would be saved, it is hard to see that many of them being unused at a time. I almost wanted to rip one off the wall and send it to Kenya myself!

As stated in a comment by a family friend, I will just have to collect my thoughts and help in the best way that I can. There are people in this country that need help, I just have never been exposed to it as much as I was in Kenya. We will see where the world takes me, and maybe one day I will find my niche here in the US helping others.

As for the pictures, I have hundreds, but I cannot post them all on here. I will have to show them to you in person. I can then also show you the video I took of all the children. If you think these pictures have touched you deeply, wait until you see them laughing and playing. It is wonderful!

Also, I promised everyone a picture of my Kenyan mama. Her name is Priscilla and she is sitting to my right. The lady sitting on my left is Jane. She is the sister of my mama and from Nairobi. They were both very lovely and will never be forgotten. I will be staying in contact with them, so when I return someday I can meet up with them.

Enjoy these last few pictures and once again thank you for keeping interest in my blog!

A Final Note

2009-07-23T06:23:00.000-07:00

Today was my last day at the hospital. It is hard to imagine that I will be home in less than a week and back to a normal lifestyle. I have adjusted to Kenya so well, that it will take me some time to adjust back. To think that I will no longer be the only white person in a town just boggles my mind. I have gotten used to being a minor celebrity here and having everyone say "jambo" to me as I walk up and down the street. In no way am I looking forward to living in a rude and uptight society again. I guess every good thing must come to an end.

Since my last post, I have seen various types of excisions and a skin graft, which is when patches of healthy skin on a patient are shaved off to cover up a wound on a different part of that patients body. In the case that I saw, the patient had necrotizing fasciitis, more commonly known as flesh eating bacteria. The wound spread from her ankle to half way up her shin, and was almost completely wrapped around her leg. In the United States, and most well developed countries, this procedure is very easy given the technology used. Since Kenya is a third world country, this technology does not exist, they are slightly behind. Rather than using an electronic skin shaving device, which harvests perfect skin, all at the same depth, we used a special cutting tool that cuts at the same depth, but it is all manual. This is just as easy and harvests around the same quality skin,the only problem is, every patient has to buy their own blade for the procedure. They cost around 850 ksh, an amount that many citizens here could only dream of having. Luckily, the lady had the money to buy the blade. We gave here the spinal anesthesia and were ready to harvest some skin. This is when we ran into the worst problem of them all, the blade was dull and couldn't cut through any layer of skin. I am sure you are wondering why a blade that was brand new is dull? We were all wondering the same thing, you are not alone. The blade was so dull that even the doctor tried to cut his own skin and it wouldn't. At this time the assistants tried to sharpen the blade at any means possible. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. After failing to sharpen the blade, we gave up and went on to our last option, to manually cut skin off using a normal surgical knife and scissors. This brings many problems though. Try to imagine how thin skin is and how impossible it would be to cut off only the top layer without the use of a special instrument. It just cant be done. The surgeon did his best, but in the end, the chunk of skin that was taken, which happened to be from the thigh, contained some fat as well. The good news was that it could still be used to cover up the wound. The bad news was that the wound we created would have to be stitched up, leaving a very nasty scar. One can only feel terrible for the patient, since she will most likely have to return to the surgical theater, after trying to buy several new blades of course.

Now you may think that things couldn't get much worse than this. I thought the same exact thing, but the next day when we showed up about to attempt a small procedure, we realized that the hospital had no blades. There was not one sterile blade in the hospital to cut with! Suppose there was an emergency, what would we have done then? It is a government hospital, and there were no blades anywhere in the hospital. All we could do was laugh, including the surgeon, at how pathetic it was. The government just doesn't care enough to make sure its hospitals are stocked with enough blades to carry out procedures. I will never forget these two unbelievably shocking moments.

On a semi-happier note, I will be returning to the orphanage tomorrow to say farewell to all the children. I have been trying to prepare for this moment for awhile now, and still haven't figured out how I will explain to them that I will not be coming back next weekend. I plan to spend the majority of my day there and take as many pictures and last minute video as I can. They are amazing children, and I am sure I can speak for everyone when I say that they will certainly be missed.

My time here in Mombasa, Kenya has been a remarkable and life changing experience. If I could do it all over, I wouldn't change a thing. I have learned how little I actually knew. I feel I have grown as a person and will no longer be blinded by all the materialism in our country. When I return, I know I will be quizzed on whether or not medicine is something I would like to pursue still. I will not have an answer. Truthfully, I still need some time to think it through when I return. Part of the reason for this is because the medical procedures I saw were mostly completely different from the procedures done in the states. To add on to this, I witnessed plenty of surgery, when in reality, I don't think I see myself as a surgeon. It was more of a test to see if I could handle the intensity, I think. To sum things up, I did enjoy learning about all the anatomy behind everything. Once again, it just made me realize how much I don't know and how much I will have to learn. This upcoming year at college will be interesting. If I succeed in school, then yea, I will continue to pursue medical school, but if i don't, I will have to start thinking of alternatives.

To everyone who has been reading my blogs weekly, I thank you. I am glad I could share my experiences with you in some way. I hope that I have made each and every one of you more aware of what the world is like outside our bubble. I cant wait to join everyone back in the states and share some more stories over a well cooked meal. See you soon!

An Amazing Gift

2009-07-19T07:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had a very rewarding experience. I got the chance to hand over a Playstation 2 to the children of the orphanage as a gift. This was all made possible by the scholarship money I received from Augmentity (a technology company that works with my dad), and the money given by my grandparents. Being here has made me realize that this kind of money doesn't deserve to be spent on me. This is why I took the opportunity to give a gift that would last. In order to understand how big this was for the children, you must realize that there are specific stores/shacks alongside the road with playstations that you can pay to play. Now the children of Calvary Zion will forever have a gaming system to play, free at their own will.

All together I presented them with the Playstation 2 system itself, two controllers, five games (street racing, wrestling, Madagascar, soccer, and a warrior game), and a 8 gb memory card. To say the least, their faces were ecstatic when they got it. They asked me on multiple occasions whether or not I was going to take it with me when I left. They couldnt seem to grasp the fact that it was going to be theirs for good. I really wish you could have seen their faces and the state of awe they were in as they played it for 6 hours straight while I was there. Here is a picture of a couple of the kids:
Once again I would like to thank the people who made this gift possible. It is a great feeling to be able to give a gift of such quality. They will be the coolest kids at their school, thats for sure!

Next, I know that all of you have been asking for a picture of the hospital. Given that it is a one story complex and spread out among many acres, it is almost impossible to capture it entirely. Below is a picture of the front desk, where it then spreads to the right and all the way around to the back of where I am standing. I will try and take more specific pictures in the week to come, since it is my last week here in Kenya.

This last picture is for the pure joy of making my father have nightmares. This is one of many spiders that hang around in the trees outside the hospital. This picture is taken at a fair distance as well. Click the picture to enlarge!

That is all for now. It is sad to think that my time here is coming to an end. It has been a great experience and I have learned a lot. It will be interesting to see how I change as a person. I am ready to come home and enjoy the company and good food. I will pay my last visit to the orphanage next weekend. It will be difficult, but it has to be done. All I can hope for is that one day I will return and see all their lovely faces again.

Psychiatric Ward

2009-07-17T07:38:00.000-07:00

I know I have been slacking on the posting lately, but it has become a hassle. This past week I took a few visits to the psychiatric ward. It is one of the few they have here in Kenya. Lets just say it was quite an experience to be face to face with schizophrenic patients as they convince themselves that you are their son. I attended a group therapy session where one by one each person stood and explained different things going on in their life. It reminded me of the film One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. It was surprising to see that quite a few of them spoke English, not to mention one of them is German. He kept on telling me to go to the German embassy for him and spoke of some letter he has. In addition, I was offered tea, which was actually just water, and when I turned it down, the man seemed offended. This explains only a few of the people I came across. I haven't even started on the patients with major depressive disorder or the patients having manic episodes, but I imagine you could figure out what they act like.

Among the calm patients there are the violent patients, so they must be locked up in strong rooms. I don't know too much about them, but I can explain what I saw to the best of my ability. First of all, the rooms are not padded like they are in the states, they are tile all around. This means that patients are easily capable of inflicting pain on themselves. I can't see how this can be good. Walking past, the patients, who happen to be all male, are constantly jumping up against the door windows yelling stuff at you. It is probably a good thing that I dont speak kiswahili or it would have been way more terrifying.

On Tuesday, the psychiatrist came in and evaluated patients. Unlike in the US, there is no confidentiality, so we were allowed to sit in on it all. Although it was a very interesting experience, it got kind of boring since the majority were drug abusers. Also, I was very disturbed by how the students of the hospital reacted to ever patient. They would all break out in laughter if the patient said something funny. It is hard enough for a person to let out their feelings and thoughts to one person, not to mention a group of 30 that just laugh. Things are obviously done differently here.

Next week is my last week in Kenya. Although it is hard to believe, I am ready to come home. It will be interesting to see how I react to society and change as a person. I already know that some things will irritate me beyond belief, for example how people take things for granted. I will definitely miss all the children and my host family. They have been good to me and have made me feel comfortable here in Kenya. The food will not be missed to much, although ugali has grown on me and I may have to make some for the family. Get ready Mom and Dad, because this time I will be forcing food down your throat!

Well I havent decided how I want to spend my last weekend here. There are thoughts of going snorkeling tomorrow or Sunday, but I do know that I want to visit the orphanage again. They deserve any free time I have. I will report back with pictures on another day. Sorry if I have been losing interest, it is just difficult to write these so often. Talk to you soon and I cant wait to join all of you back in the states!

A Few New Pictures!

2009-07-12T07:49:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the long wait everyone, but I have finally been able to get some new pictures. Since the internet is moving extremely slow today, all I could upload are the following three pictures. First, below is a picture of Moses and Brian with the house dog, Rex. I don't recall if I have mentioned Moses before, but he is around 7 years old and is a big help when it comes to cleaning. I was told that he will be moving to Finland to be with a family when he reaches a certain age. I don't know if this is completely accurate though.
Next, is a great picture of Peter. He is the one who wrote me the lovely letter, which I shared in an earlier post. I spend a lot of time talking with him while at the orphanage. He has aspirations to become a pilot and has told me that I can fly for free once it happens. I will truly miss this kid. Believe me when I say that it is different when you miss a child who can carry on a conversation and when you miss a child who cannot.
Lastly, here is, in my mind, one of the best pictures I have taken. Not for the reason that I am in it, but for the reason that all three children have a different expression and are all looking at the camera, for once. With me are Prince, Melody, and Levis. Enjoy!

Update

2009-07-10T08:19:00.000-07:00

I know I promised everyone new pictures today, but the computer I am using at the moment doesnt have any working USB ports. I was supposed to try and take some pictures of the hospital today, but due to some last minute plans last night, I was too tired to go into work this morning. It is hard to build up the courage to take pictures when I hate looking like a typical tourist. Ill get it done for all of you eventually.

Tomorrow there are tryouts for the Tusker Fame Academy, Kenya' s version of American Idol. My friend Sam and I are considering going. Who here wouldnt want to see two white kids be embarassing on TV. It would be almost guaranteed that we would make the bloopers. I will have to build up some courage first. If I dont end up trying out, I will spend my day at the orphanage. I dont have much time left here, so I must spend every bit wisely.

I dont know how much I have told you about the hospital, so I am sorry if I repeat some things. So far I have been bedside to two cesarean sections, two colostomies (one being the reversal), an appendicectomy, a hydrocele, an ectopic pregnancy, and the most recent, a hemorrhoid surgery. Given that the anesthesia machine is still not working, all these procedures can be quite risky. I have yet to scrub in and assist, but for now I am perfectly content with just watching. It is all very interesting.

It is hard for me to think of what to write on these posts. I have been here so long that I tend to forget which things would seem interesting to you. It is all starting to seem perfectly normal.

I dont know whether or not some of you have heard the news, but I have contracted ringworm recently. It has spread all throughout my beard and can be quite itchy at times. It doesnt come as a suprise to me that I got it since Purity, one of the little girls in the orphanage, has it as well. I did not know how contagious it was until now. All that is necessary to treat it is a cream that the hospital gave me to treat fungal infections. It should clear up within a couple of weeks. At least I dont have malaria like one of the other volunteers here!

Well I feel as if I am just rambling on. A post without any new stories/pictures is not so interesting. I will work on that. Only two more weeks left!

A Letter From Peter

2009-07-06T10:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I returned to the orphanage to see all the kids again. I was greeted immediately by at least 5 kids jumping on me. It was nice to see that none of them have forgotten me yet. Given that I have not taken any new pictures lately, I have posted some older ones that you have not seen yet. These should give you something to look at in the meantime while I try and get some fresh ones of things you havent seen.
One of the main reasons I am posting today is because I wanted to share with you a letter that I received from one of the children. His name is Peter, and he is 10 years old. I am sorry that I cannot provide a picture at the moment, I will make sure to get one next time I return. Here is what it says word for word:

Cover-"Kiss before you open it"

Inside-"Dear Kevin, How are you? How do you feel when your here with us? Please tell us how you feel. The aim of me writing this letter is to inform you that were very happy with you we feel loved and we feel like you are our brother. May God continue giving you knowledge and wisdom in your learning. We pray for you every now and then just because we love you. May God help you and get work and help you not forget us when you go home or anywhere. May God make your way back home to be just soundly and nothing happens to you. We hope that when you go back to your country your going to tell your relatives about us and how you enjoyed here. Bye thanks for your love and care that you have shown us. Bye have a nice day and goodnight. From Peter"

Reading this letter reassures me that I have touched the lives of these children. They dont ask for much and appreciate the littlest of things. He is a brilliant kid. In school, he is constantly getting in trouble, not because he is a bad student, but because he is too smart for everyone. He is constantly playing jokes while still succeeding in school. I have never met a 10-year old that uses words like "inform", especially when it is not their first language. This kid really deserves a good future. It is sad to think that such a gifted child has such a small opportunity to succeed. He deserves nothing but the best.

It is going to be nearly impossible to leave these kids behind in 3 weeks. I dont want them to just be a memory. Sponsoring a child is one thing, but I want to be able to hear from them and know how they are doing. It will be difficult, but there has to be a way.

Well I better get going. I think the internet cafe is about to close. I saw another cesarean section today. It seems like they are quite popular. I did not scrub in completely, since I showed up late, but I will soon.

I am glad I could share his letter with all of you. I hope it has touched you as much as it has touched me.

My First Cesarean Section

2009-07-03T08:54:00.000-07:00

After a late night out on the town, I still felt urged this morning to make it out of bed and get to the hospital, and I am glad I did, because today I was bedside to my first cesarean section! I was about to scrub in and assist, but given that I didn't have much breakfast, I figured I'd sit the first one out to see how it is done. There is nothing like some good old ripping and tearing inside the body of a patient who is still awake. It is probably best that most women don't see what goes on behind closed doors, because our population would seriously dwindle. Lets just say that the procedure is very violent and takes plenty of strength. It was weird to see a retired rugby player doctor put all his weight into pulling a baby out. No wonder a lot of surgeons are always in good shape!

By looking at the size of the woman, and her stomach, I was expecting a very small baby, not one the size of her whole chest. After some serious work, the baby was finally pulled/pushed out by the head and let out its first cry. It was, of course, brilliant to see. After all it is the miracle of life. I cant wait to assist the next one!

That is all I wanted to post for today. I will try and get some pictures monday to give everyone something to look at. Tonight I am off to the cinema just outside of town. I may do some bowling as well. Have a great 4th of July everyone! I will be forcing everyone here to celebrate it, including the doctor who did the cesarean today. Talk to you later.

Reversing A Colostomy

2009-07-02T06:43:00.000-07:00

After two and a half hours of surgery, we finally completed the reverse colostomy. It was a very dirty procedure, that would take too long to explain through a post, so I will spare all of you the details.

Although I had to leave the room a few times in the beginning to get some fresh air, I was bedside to the patient the whole entire time. I saw inside the body cavity with great detail as they cut the small intestine and re-stitched it all back. It is truly amazing how man-handled surgery is. Most think that precision and delicacy is used, when in reality a lot pulling and tugging is involved. Tissue is by no means weak, so you must use force when it comes to making incisions.

Throughout the procedure, Dr. Mwea would sometimes pause and lecture us on some anatomy. While doing this he by accidentally ripped some tissue surrounding the intestines, causing a blood bath. No worries though, it was nothing that couldn't be fixed by some simple stitching and sutchering.

After reattatching the bowel, in order to clean out the cavity of blood and other fluids, saline and iodine were dumped in and sucked out via a tube, similar to the ones you see at the dentist. All that was left was stitching up the two wounds. As a result, part of the colon was removed, since it had been expsed to the outside air for some time, and the patient awakened about 15 minutes after complete. It was truly remarkable. Oh, and I forgot to mention that this was all done with a broken anesthetic machine. By broken, I mean that there is a leak somewhere, making it impossible to tell how much of a certain drug is entering the patient. The hospital doesnt have enough money to fix it either. Procedures like this should not be done with such a risk anymore. Our technology is too advanced for this to happen. The doctors have told me that they have been trying to get a grant from anyone wealthy enough. On top of this, in most countries, surgical tools are thrown away after one use. This is because it is cheaper for them to buy new ones rather than clean them. Hospitals, in countries like Kenya, have been using the same tools ever since their oppening, while others are disposing the same tools after a single use! It doesnt taking a genious to realize that there is something wrong here.

Now that I have experienced my first surgery, it wont be long before my hands are inside a body cavity. Cesarean sections here we come!

A Sad Day

2009-07-01T09:18:00.000-07:00

Today the ward rounds were done by the head doctor, Dr. Mwea. He is exceptionally good at making sure everyone knows what is exactly happening inside the body of every patient. It is very interesting to see how the things that I have learned in school, so far, are related to real life situations. Normal the rounds take about 2 and a half hours, where as today they took 4 hours. It was both physically and mentally exhausting.

Remember the man that I spoke of who was in a coma yesterday? Well he finally passed away. It is sad to think about, but there really wasnt much hope for him. On top of this, the man who had his bowel removed, who happens to be the same man who had the hernia down to his ankels, was alive this morning, but died while I was there. He basically starved to death since there was no way for him to digest food. Its quite a sad story, but once again there wasnt much that could be done. Lastly, the old man who has a history of smoking unfiltered cigarettes for 40 years, was finally taken to the main hospital on the island to hopefully get a tracheostomy done so he can breathe. Every breath is a struggle for him at the moment since he has so much phlem in his throat, from a tumor we are assuming. The ony problem with getting this procedure done is that Mombasa currently doesnt have the equipment for it. The main hospital told us that if we want one done, we have to bring our own supplies. That is just unreal!

Tomorrow morning I will be witnessing my first surgery. We will be reversing a colostomy on a patient who had a perineal tear all the way from her vagina to her anus. I have never seen a surgery before, so I am quite excited. Also, I wont be behind a glass window in a room either, I will be front a center with scrubs on just like every other doctor. This would never be allowed in the states.

Dr. Mwea finally has postitioned another girl, who is also from the U.S., and I in the maternity ward for the remainder of this week and next week. Here I will be assisting on delivering babies and even getting involved with cesarean sections. This experience sounds is extremely hands on. I hope I dont take after my dad and get nauseous!

One final thing that I learned today, that I found interesting and is worth sharing, is that patients here can be difficult to deal with. This is because of all their weird cultural beliefs. One man doesnt want to go into surgery, to fix a wound on his leg from a stingray, just because his beliefs are that once you enter the surgical theater, you will never come out. He will regret this decision as soon as the maggots come and start eating away at the dead skin, leaving only viable tissue. Another intriguing aspect of work here, are the people who believe in witchcraft. You will constantly notice patients with specific wristbands on, which are supposedly meant to help cure them. Adjusting to these different beliefs can be hard, but one culture here actually can make things easier, and that is the islamic culture. Since these patients are so religious, when a relative dies, they immedieatley take them away to be burried. It may sound terrible, but this makes things easier on the doctors since they dont have to deal with the relatives pointing the finger and blaming their death. There are no lawsuits involved like there are in America.

Well the rest can only be explained as specific questions are asked. It is hard to cover every aspect of what goes on in the hospital daily. Feel free to comment with things you may be curious about. I will post again tomorrow hopefully to let everyone know how my surgery went. Wish me luck!

A Brief Introduction

2009-06-30T09:35:00.000-07:00

Well, to say the least, the hospital is full of new experiences. I havent yet participated in much, but I have been offered to insert branulas, similar to an IV, into patients. I was about to until I saw how difficult it is and how many tries it took. Next time I may be up for it. Other than that, I have been walking around with the doctor and interns in the male ward for the past 2 days. My first day I had an opportunity to help catheterize a patient in a coma, but I backed out at the last second. I felt I should ease in more slowly. I might end up regreting that in the long run...

Today we were supposed to perform a lumbar puncture, which, from what I understand, is very similar to a spinal tap, but people get lazy here and tend to push things back. There was also a cesarean section going on, but I didnt find this out until it was over. There are plenty of them, so I am not too worried that I missed it.

The patients are a complete mess. I will try to explain their circumstances with the best detail I can, but I am no doctor. I warn some of you to not read on if you have a weak stomach for this kind of stuff. First off, it is always assumed that everyone has malaria and TB, since they are all compacted in the same room. On top of this, some have menengitis, AIDS, or cancer. One older man, whose age is unknown, has been in a coma for a long time and was laying in his own urine and feces up until yesterday. No wonder there were maggots on him. His diagnosis is unknown, since it is hard for them to run tests while he is in a coma. On top of all this, his scrotum is enlarged to about the size of a softball, most likely from a hernia that he has lived with most of his life. This is a very common thing to see here. One patient was living with 95% of his intestines in his scrotum for 31 years. It reached down to his ankles, so a wheel barrel was used to carry it. I didnt see this personally, but my close friend did, and from what I have seen so far, it seems perfectly possible.

Next up, there is a man who has had his whole bowel removed. With that being said, he cannot eat any food since there is nowhere to digest it. He is left in his bed to slowly die. There is not much that can be done.

There is an amputee in the ward who has no movement below his waist. This all happened from a matatu accident he was in. It is scary to think that I take these everyday when traveling to work. Oh well, its probably best I dont think about that.

Lastly, there is a man who has been smoking unfiltered cigarettes for 40 years. He doesnt look like he is in too good of shape.

Overall, it is very difficult to give each patient a specific diagnosis, since they have a bit of everything. It is hard to tell which symptom is from what. Most of the time doctors just end up treating the symptoms since they have no idea what the real problem is. Alongside this, none of the patients have money, so they cant even afford x-rays to be taken, let alone medication.

Tomorrow I will learn a lot more about the patients since the head doctor, Dr. Mwea, is doing the rounds. He makes all interns speak english only and asks them plenty of questions. I will bring my notebook to take some notes and get a better understanding.

This post was only meant to be a brief introduction. I will have plenty of stories to come once I get comfortable. It sounds like it is going to be a more hands on experience than I inititially thought. Thursday there is rumor of a surgery. I am really hoping for this. Stay tuned.

Yet Another Culture Shock

2009-06-27T01:51:00.000-07:00

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.

Lamu

2009-06-21T08:23:00.000-07:00

Our weekend away to Lamu has finally ended. Although it is sad to leave such a beautiful place, it is good to be home. Here are some pictures of the breathtaking island.
While there, the only motorized vehicles I saw were a motor bike and a tuk tuk, used as an ambulance. Donkeys were the only method of transportation around the towns, while boats or dhow could be used to get to the beach. We walked to the beach on the way there and took a boat back. It is hard to catch the vastness of the beach in one picture, but I tried my best. Just imagine a beach that stretches for miles with no one in sight and sand dunes all around. It is weird to see sand that has no footprints on it.

As far as our accomadation goes, we stayed at a place called "the Lamu Guest House." It is owned by an old islamic man who has been living in it all his life. Even his great grandfather lived at this house at one point. The price was cheap, and we had the whole place to ourselves. At night, we would lay on the roof and watch the stars. The Milky Way was very visible here as well.

Food on this island was simply amazing. I was even able to have a milkshake and smoothie for every meal. My life was complete. During breakfast one morning, a man approached us and saw that we were reading The Lonely Planet tourist guide book. He asked us if we have read about him in the book at all. Given that we are constantly approached by people wanting money, we thought nothing of it. Then he persisted for us to look him up. His name was Ali Hipy, and he was indeed mentioned in the book. He is known on the island for inviting people over for dinner and entertainment, for a small fee. We discussed it and decided it would be an amazing experience. Our dinner included prawns, lobster, kingfish, and plenty of rice with chipatti. I have never been so full in my life. It was a classic swahili dinner, so we sat on the floor to eat. Below are some pictures of the group and one of me with Ali Hipy himself.

As you can see, the house had nothing to it. This is how many families live. No light, and no decoration. It makes you think about how fortunate we all are. Even the less fortunate in the United States live no where near the lifestyle some people live here. Yet Ali Hipy is as happy as ever. Hes been providing tourists with dinner for 38 years now. With his high blood presure, he is not allowed to eat the food. He just gets joy out of seeing others moan and groan in appreciation.

Well, it is back to work for me tomorrow, and I have never been happier. I shouldnt even call it work. It is my last week at the orphanage, and then I am off to the hospital. Although I am looking forward to delivering babies and helping with patients, I am going to miss all the kids around the orphanage. I most likely will be spending my weekends visiting them all again. The kids that I have grown most attatched to are Purity and Melody. Purity has ringworm, so her hair can't grow at the moment, but her long eyelashes make up for it. Melody has been mentioned before as being the girl who I help with homework. I am looking into sponsoring one of the children, but I just cant make up my mind. Although I make no income at the moment, I will do all I can when I return home to support a child in some way. They all deserve it.

The Childrens Home

2009-06-17T04:27:00.000-07:00

I am publishing this post for the sole purpose of showing everyone some photos that I have missed on the previous post. All these pictures were taken at the orphanage to give you an idea of what the place looks like. This first picture is of the front of the house. As you can see, there is no yard for the children to play in, just cement and rocks. The new home, on the other hand, will contain a playground and maybe even a pool for the kids. From what I have heard, it seems like it is going to be a very special place. Note Levis trying to get into the picture. This is proof that he loves being the center of attention.
Next is a picture taken from the front door of the house, looking outward. The black tank on the right is their water source. This is common for every house to have in mombasa. Faucets are very rare and can only be found in the wealthier places.
The home can get quite dirty with 30 kids running around, so it is important that the women work very hard. They are all something else. With only one day off a month and working 24 hours a day, there is no time left for traveling, even inside their own country. I respect them all so much for what they are doing. It is great to see that someone has the heart to give their life to these children.

Lastly here is a picture of the grumpy child, Isaaq. Although this is no longer the face he makes, I am glad I got a picture of it to share with you. He is the one with the ear infection and malaria. As I said before he is doing a lot better.
Well my lunchtime is over. I better get back to work before the young ones wake up from their afternoon nap. I hope you all enjoy the new photos. Take care!

Brief look into my everday life

2009-06-14T06:33:00.000-07:00

Today I went into the orphanage to help out and get some extra hours in. All I ended up doing for the most part was peel potatos and say hello to all the children. I dont know if you recall the child who rarely smiles and has malaria. I beleive I mentioned him in one of my first posts. Anyway, his name is Isaac and he is just getting over malaria and has some sort of bug living in his ear that has laid eggs. He was found in a trash site similar to the one posted below, and is an incest child from his moms dad raping her. Today I saw a completely different Isaaq though. He greeted me and hugged my leg. This is EXTREMELY unusual for him. He usually moans whenever you try to touch or grab him, not today though. I was allowed to carry him around the house and he had a great big smile on his face. It was very rewarding to see. I feel this is a sign of the new Isaaq and that he is getting better. Little things like this brighten the day.

Many have been asking about the place where I stay. Here are a few pictures of the outside, my bedroom, and the living room. It is more of an apartment than a house. If you look at the picture that is of the outside of the complex, and follow the stairs to the top floor, my family lives in the first door on the left. It is small, has one toilet and one bath. the water tends to run out a lot, so our apartment is stocked with barrels upon barrels of water. This is a very common thing in Kenya. If this happens, bucket showers are the only way to get clean. It doesnt take long to adjust.

This next picture below is of the street that I walk down daily in order to get to work. It is incredible to see and can be quite shocking at times. It is even a shock for them to see a white kid walking around. Since there are too many pictures to take, I may video tape it instead to get the best effect possible. Although, even this will not do it justice, since the smell is also a huge part about the experience in Africa.

Lastly, I was going to post a picture of the outside of the orphanage I work at, but I cannot post more than 5 pictures at a time. I will have to wait to post them later. At the moment, the orphanage rents a small home. They are building a new home on a larger piece of land that will have a seperate building for volunteers to stay in even. Hopefully I can return one day and stay there.

I know I said in my last post that I was going out on the town, but I ended up staying in and having a few Tuskers while watching a movie. Turns out that there is a bar just below our apartment where we can go to buy drinks and bring them home, as long as we return the bottles in the end. It is quite convenient!

Next weekend we are planning on heading up to Lamu. It is an island off the coast up north that only has two cars on it, one for the sherrif and one for the mayor. Everyone else gets around on donkey. I hear it is supposed to be an incredible place to visit. It is suggested to visit towards the end of your stay since you will not want to leave, but then again most of Africa is like that for me.

Two Weeks In...

2009-06-12T08:25:00.000-07:00

Today the other volunteers and I brought the children to the beach. Their faces were full of smiles the whole time. Due to not wanting to get my camera wet, I did not take that many pictures of me with the children. Sorry. Here are pictures of some of the children that I have not introduced to you yet. They are normally away at school all day and come home in the afternoon.

First, my favorite, is Melody. I still need to get a better picture of me with her, but this will do for now. She comes home from school every day and grabs my arm and says"teacher", but it sounds more like "teacha", and points to her feet saying "there." This is her way of telling me to take off her shoes and school socks. She then drags me into her room where she picks out some clothes from a bin that she would like me to change her into. After all this is done, I then have to help her with homework. This usually involves drawing something simple and coloring it in. When finished, it is not long before she will be begging me for many upon many of piggy back rides. Its as if me being tired does not matter.

Next is Prince. He is one of many of the children who were found in the local dump sites around town. For those of you who need help imagining this, I will take a picture and post it sometime. They are completely disgusting and have an endless amount of flies, not to mention cattle digging through it trying to find food. It amazes me how someone could possibly throw a day old child in this mess as if him/her were trash. Anyway, enough with the rant, he is growing up to be a smart and wonderful kid. Just like the typical young boy, he is constantly trying to fight me and antogonizing me so I chase him around all day. I have now learned to mix the two needs and carry Melody on my back while running around chasing Prince. It is a lot of work, but they enjoy it, so that is all that matters.

One of the girls that I have just recently started becomming attached to is the one pictured below. Her name is Purity. The combination of her bright smile and long eyelashes can make anyones heart melt. This picture obviously does not capture that well, so I will have to take plenty more, today just wasnt the day. I dont have any stories to tell about her yet, since she is just now growing comfortable with me, but I am sure there will be plenty to come. From what I have seen she will grow up to be a very happy and beautiful girl.

The last child I will talk about is not an orphan. He is a child of one of the mothers that work at the home. His name is Brian, and the picture tells all. He has the best smile in the house with two teeth on the bottom and four on the top. Being one of the youngest around, he is looked after a lot, even by the young children themselves. It is adorable!Well, that is all I have for now. I came straight to the internet cafe after the beach, so I did not have time to take pictures of the place where I sleep, sorry. They will be posted soon.

Since today marks my halfway point at working in the orphanage, it is giving me an excuse to hit the town tonight with my friend Sam and some doctors that he works with. This will be my first time experiencing the night life here, so I will have to tell all about it. It should bring some interesting stories. I hear the women do not leave "mzungus" (white people) alone...and not in a good way. Great.

Talk to you later.

P.S. I Cant wait to start eating western style food again!

Watoto (Children)

2009-06-09T03:09:00.000-07:00

Alright everyone here are a few of the pictures I have taken of the children so far. As you can see they are all very lovely. The girl on the left below is Marsey, while the boy on the right is Levis. They are roughly the same age and have great personalities. Marsey has a sassy attitude, while Levis uses his baby face to get what he wants.

Next is Jolly. She is quite the handful. If you remember, I mentioned a girl who would not let go of my arm the first few days. This is her. Since we think she cant hear, it is hard to yell at her or even call her over. At times she can be quite naughty and hit the other children in the head to make them cry. It is important to keep your eye on her at all times, especially since she refuses to take a nap during the day like all the other children. Below are a couple of pictures of her.

Levis, as talked about above, can go from being completely happy to sad in seconds. I have grown very attached to him. I think he has figured out that if he gives me his sad face, he can get whatever he wants. It is just so hard to look away from. Here is a close up of him and I. He tends to fall asleep in my arms a lot.

Pictures of the older children will be taken later, maybe this afternoon. As said in a previous post, we plan on taking the children to the beach either Thursday or Friday. Pictures will be taken.

I have not taken pictures of the place where I stay, but I will get on that. You will see a post with those later.

Thanks for all the comments!

Maasai Mara

2009-06-08T10:18:00.000-07:00

I have returned from an amazing safari through the maasai mara. To the left is a picture of a giraffe as the sun was rising. It was amazing how close we got to all the animals, including the ones that could kill you in one swift motion.

The only animal that I can think of that we did not see was a rhino. We tried tracking one down through the brush, but its path led into some trees where our car could not fit. Other than that, we saw plenty of zebras, elephants, giraffes, wildebeast, cheetahs, a leopard, hippos, and hyenas. By the end of our adventure, a group of giraffes was like seeing a bunch of deer in Illinois.

The tents that we stayed in were very nice. I was expecting it to be very rugged, but it was actually almost nicer than my place in mombasa. Every tent had a toilet and a hot water shower. It was incredible! Too bad I wasnt able to use the shower though since I brought nothing to shower with. Oh well, this is Africa, hot showers shouldnt exist.

After dinner at night, we would all sit around a fire with massai warriors and talk. I met a 19 year old named Daniel who had killed 3 lions, his first being at age 15. In the massai culture, in order to prove yourself as a man, you are sent out into the wild with about 5 others and a spear. The goal is to kill a lion and bring back its claw, its tooth, and if its a male, its mane. Alongside this, each warrior has a wife and many "friends". Polygomy is allowed in every village. When asked what their favorite food is, they all reply with blood and milk. I dont think I could fit in too well with them. After finding out that there is

nt much variety to their meals, I made one of the warriors eat a smore. It was one of the funniest things I have every seen. His face was priceless as he took in all that sugar.

Each night, we would fall asleep to the noise of cattle and yelping hyenas. This is probably why massai warriors had to stay up all night and guard our campground.

The most amazing thing I probably witnessed while on the safari was a lion eating a buffalo in the morning. I got it all on video too. Although some will be sad by this, it is a part of nature and if it helps, the buffalo was long dead before I saw it. When I asked our guide what the craziest thing is that he has seen, he replied with a lion eating a human. At first we all laughed and took it as a joke, but later we asked him again and he was completely serious. Supposedly a tourist got out of his car to take a picture next to some sleeping lions. They woke up, and the rest is history.

Today I went back to work at the orphanage. Being away from the children for 4 days has made me miss them so much. Its going to be very hard to leave them at the end of this trip. One girl named Precious is teaching me swahili and has given me homework for tonight. She is roughly 13 years old. Another girl named Melody, who is very young, but knows some english, wouldnt let me leave today. I helped her draw an orange today for her homework. She may be one of my favorites in the orphanage. On the downside, one of the kids woke up after wetting his bed and climbed all over me. Didnt realize it was urine until I smelled my shirt. I got over it pretty quickly.

As I work there longer, I find out more and more about their past history. One girl named Marsey has a very sad background. Her mother tried killing her several times before a neighbor got suspicious and notified someone. Despite this tragedy, she is one of the cutest and happiest girls at the orphanage. One of the younger boys, named Levis, was dropped off at a neighbors house by her mother and told to watch over him while she did some shopping. She never returned him. This most likely explains his personality of being very jelous and upset if you set him down and walk away for a minute. I have gotten very attached to these children as well. One of the days this week we are going to take the children to the beach to go swimming. It should be a fun time.

Well I better get going now. Let me know if there is any specific animal you would like to see a picture of. I have just so many, that I didnt know which ones to post on here. Ill have to remember to bring my camera to the orphanage so you can see the children and their white smiles.

Asante (Thank You)

Jambo!

2009-06-04T03:29:00.000-07:00

I have finally figured out to post pictures! It just takes an extremely long time, so I am only going to be able to post a few. To the left is a picture of one of the beaches I go to on the weekends with the other volunteers. As you can see, camels roam around. They are only 100Ksh to ride. How cheap! When this picture was taken, the tide was very far out. The water is very shallow and very warm. It is so refreshing.

Below is a picture of the one of the giraffes that I fed and me with a giant tortoise. We went to a park called Haller Park. There are plenty of other pictures that I took, including some of the monkeys that roam freely, the crocadiles, and the hippos. If I had more time I would post more.

Look how huge these turtles are! I was so amazed. They have to be several hundred years old and moved about an inch every hour.

I have yet to take pictures of the children, but I will get on that. I know those are the ones that everyone wants to see. I wont be taking pictures of the surrounding village until the end of my stay. The reason for this is because I dont want people to feel uncorfortable and then ask for money. I am trying to blend in as much as I can.

Tonight I am leaving on a train to Nairobi in order to go on a 3-day safari through the famous Masai Mara and Rift Valley. We will also be stopping at a village to see the Masai warriors and their lifestyle. It is said that each warrior must kill a lion in order to become a man. Hopefully they let me take pictures.

A lot of people have been asking about the food. It is very plain and there isnt a lot of variety. I am served the same thing for every dinner. A meal consists of some sort of vegetable, meat (whether it be goat, beef, or chicken), and ugali (a very popular type of bread). Since there is such consistency in the meals I receive, lately I have been heading to a supermarket where many tourists go to eat. Here I can grab a burger and fries, or even just a sandwich. The beer of choice is Tusker. They are not too advanced on creating different tastes to their beer, so it is the standard light beer. It is perfect for relaxing after a long days work.

The children at the orphanage are still great. I met all the older kids yesterday. It is great to see them since they speak english. Everyone is so polite here. They immediately greet you when they see you. Some even jump into your arms, literally too. I help some girls with their english homework and then played some soccer with the boys. One of the oldest girls has offered to teach me swahili today. I have to leave quite early though, so I may have to reschedule for next week.

Well The older kids are almost home from school, so I better head on back to meet them. My next post wont be until after this weekend. Take care.

First Day at the Orphanage

2009-06-02T07:22:00.000-07:00

Today was my first day working at the orphanage. It wore me out! Those kids just never want to rest. It was fun though. Since all the older kids are at school during the day when I work, I only met the young ones. They arent able to speak english yet, but they are still very enjoyable. One of the little girls has got malaria and its so hard to get her to smile. Hopefully one of these days I will think of something to bring it about. Another one of the girls, who was just found recently on the road almost getting hit by a car, does not talk, but is very sweet. She loves to climb on my back and play with my hair. While all the others went to take a nap, she stayed up and wouldnt let me leave her side.

It is funny to see the looks on little kids faces when they see a white person, or what they call a "mzungu". They are in complete awe and almost drool from the mouth. It is quite amusing.

As for my daily ruitine, a rooster wakes me up bright and early every day at 5:30am. I am suprised that everyone can tollerate its obnoxiousness. I eat a large breakfast and take a cold shower (warm water does not exist). I then catch a matatu to the orphanage. It takes about 40 minutes, and costs less than 50cents. Now that is awesome! I stay there until about 3pm or whenever I feel like.

Tomorrow I will leave around the same time so I can post some pictures on here. I wish I could have given you all something to look at today! sorry! Well im off to get some dinner. Leave a comment if you have any questions. Talk to you later.

Kevin

Finally in Kenya

2009-05-31T03:12:00.000-07:00

I know everyone has been waiting to hear from me, and I am sorry that it has taken so long for me to post. I just had to adjust a little and get comfortable. I don't have a lot of time to write much because I am about to go feed some giraffes and giant tortoises.

As far as the country goes, it is amazing! Completely different than anything I have ever seen. The other volunteers I have met are very nice and are helping me out a lot. Yesterday we all went to the beach for the day. Camels were walking up and down. Before I leave I will have to ride one. Its only 100Ksh...meaning a little over $1.00.

Getting around is quite an adventure. They have these buses called "matatus" that have set destinations. The trouble is finding the correct one. Also, if you aren't careful, they will try and charge you 300Ksh, when it is only about 20-30Ksh. They are shocked when they realize that we arent stupid tourists.

I start work at the orphanage tomorrow. I am very excited to meet all the children. Something that has fascinated me a lot is the hospital that I will be working at. The other volunteer who is working there now delivered a baby within the first hour of the first day. He wasnt just watch either, he was the one who caught the baby on its way out! To add on to this, he has also done stitchings on people, seen limbs be cut off, and has stuck his hands inside someones body cavity. Sounds like it will be quite the experience!

I have yet to meet my host mom yet, she was at church when I moved in. The city completely shuts down on sundays. Its incredible. Supposedly she came home the other day and told my roomate that she has malaria again without a worried tone to her voice. I guess it is just so common here that people think of it as being similar to the flu. I will try and stay protected, but I did get my first mosquito bite right outside tyhe gate in nairobi!

I would love to go into more detail about everything I have seen. It is just incredible. Most of the time I am completely speechless. I chatted with a 18 year old kenyan boy on the beach for about 2 hours just because it helps him learn better english. He lives in a home with no power, but still seems to live happy. He told me that his dream in life is to become a professional futbol player. We exchanged numbers, so one of these days I may play in a game with him.

The first day of this trip, I was quite frightened. I have been scammed by people, but that is a part of life and has helped me learn. Sometimes it is hard to distinguish between the people who are actually trying to help or are just there for money. It is only my third day, and I already feel more relaxed.

If you are wondering about Cairo, there isnt much to say about it. It was a very dirty city with no color to it at all. Everything was brown. In the airports they had prayer areas along with a mosque at one end which was unusual to see. As far as the pyramids go, I didnt get a chance to see them because I was sitting on the wrong side of the plane. It was just typical. Hopefully on the way home it will be a different story.

Well I am sure there are things I have missed, but I will be back on a computer hopfully tomorrow to give some more details and maybe some pictures. I just would like everyone to know that I am having a great time and am thankful for the experiences that I am about to gain. We are planning a safari next this upcomming weekend that involves camping and everything. We may stop by some tribes as well. Ill take plenty of pictures for everyone.

I have to run now, the giraffes need to be fed soon! We will be in touch.

Kenya closing in...

2009-05-23T19:18:00.000-07:00

In 4 days I will be leaving for Kenya, Africa to volunteer abroad. Although the trip there will be long and unpleasant, it will be worth it in end. I first fly to London from California. Here I will wait the majority of the day in the Heathrow airport and catch an afternoon flight to Cairo, Egypt. Once in Cairo, I will be a bit rushed, considering it is a foreign airport and I only have about an hour to catch my next flight to Nairobi, Kenya. If I make it this far, which I am hoping I do, the time in Nairobi will be around 4:45am. At this time, I am sure I will be completely drained. I wont be able to rest though, because I cant miss my next flight to Mombasa that leaves at 8:30am. After all this flying, I will have finally reached my destination. With a lot to figure out and see, I am sure all I will want to do is sleep.

At the airport, I was told I will be greeted by a local who will then transport me to the Castle Royal Hotel. This is where I will stay for a few days before I begin my placement at the Calvary Zion Children's Home, which is an orphanage just outiside the city, on May 31st. During this time, I will be living with a kenyan host family. They have two daughters and are said to be very friendly. I am looking forward to meeting them.

I will help out at the orphanage for a total of 4 weeks. After that, I will then move to helping out in a local hospital for additional 4 weeks. I will continue to live with my host family since both places are near the coast city of Mombasa.

As my departure date nears, I am becoming more and more excited. There is still a lot to plan for and pack, but like everything else, it will get done. I will post another blog with updates on my experiences as soon as I am able to access an internet cafe. It should be the trip of a lifetime!