Clinic medicine-Africa style

The electricity was out last night for a long time so I wasn't able to email, blog etc. Thank you Sandy for my cool flashlight, it saved the day! Jim and I made the kids spaghetti for dinner, they loved it. They call their bellies "pasta bellies" so they don't feel so bad that they're so big. I had my meeting with Sr. Mary, the new head of Nyumnbani. She took over for Fr. Dag, after he died. The meeiting went great, she was very supportive of my project. She said she wanted to tell me how proud Fr. D'ag was of me and how proud to have Nyumbani associated with Fulbright. she told me anything I wanted or needed she would try to provide, she didn't even freak out about teaching condom use. I know Fr. D'ag was still helping me out here. I miss him a lot. still, that was the last hurdle, so Melissa we're a go for April! That's when I should be ready to start with the first classes.
today I went and worked at the Embula Bula clinic. I matatued part way, then Kate and Dr. George picked me up. Another amazing day. We saw over 70 babies. The Kenyan nurse, susan, and the "medical Assistant" and I would be in the room, there was an exam table against one wall, one additional little table, and the 3 of us would sit at a bigger table with a baby scale on it. I would call the patients in, which would cause all sorts of hilarity in the waiting room as I butchered their names, then the moms would line up their babieson the exam table, strip them down, bring thenm over to me where I would weigh them, figure out what vaccines they needed, and mark their imm cards which are like their bibles, they go with them everywhere. Then Susan the Kenyan nurse would draw up the vaccines, hand them to me ansd say baby 1,3,5, oral polio, measles etc. and I would go down the line injecting kids. Of course it would be very quiet until I started, first they would scream because I was mizungo (white person) then they would realize I was mizungo with a needle!!!! There would be a whole room of screaming babies!
Lelizabeth There's a whole bunch of kenyan kids who now hate mizungos! Then the moms would wrap them all up again and we would call in the next 5. Susan was amazing, she knew who everyone was, what they needed etc. Towards the end I was getting better, but I couldn't figure out who needed what by their age because they so often didn't look their age. I have never injected so many tiny creatures. We also gave out mousquito nets. Kate brought Dr. George and I lunch, see I'm eating! a coke and a sandwich which we shoved down, while we compared notes. Then Susan and I went and did the rest of the kids and adults who were there because they were sick, think of it as Urgent Care on crack. She wrote down their symptoms, I did the exams, she wrote the scripts. I told her that in the states only the docs write scripts, she said here there's not enough docs, nurses do it. All in all, a great day, flew by, Melissa you are going to love that clinic. There is usually only the 2 nurses there, they were so grateful for our help and excited to hear about visiting docs.
Elizabeth figured out how to call me: 011-254-724-970-061.
Miss you all, Happy birthday Tim, Timmy be safe out there, xoxoxo to little boy.

Christmas in January

As usual lots to tell. The cultural affairs officer from the embassy called to check, make sure I was settled in and feeling safe. The killing of those 2 women was a big tragedy for the embassy staff, but he assured me that if we continue with our commonsense precautions (which we will) we should be fine. We are also rarely in a car. He also said the PEPFAR people were looking for my contact information so I'm hoping I will hear from them soon. tomorrow, Wednesday, is my first day working at the other clinic, I'm very excited about it and looking forward to it. here is my typical day: up with the roosters, do my back exercises, have my instant coffee. (hey, it works!) the whole staff meets at 8 for prayer, announcements, discuss the day to come etc. It's actually a great way to start the day. Then I work in the "sickroom" helping the Kenyan nurses, nancy and moses, get the meds ready. It's long, complicated, but I'm slowly learning. Each of the 88 kids here right now is on different medications, different doses etc. So you need to know their name, thier place in the med box, looks like a fishing tackle box sort of, what med, what dose, what form of med etc. What I wouldn't do for a good pharm tech here!! I then deliver the boxes to the cottage. then I spend time with any sick kids, give the IV meds etc. tea time is at 10:00, everyone meets for tea, which I hate because it has milk in it, I just drink water. Then I help in the kitchen don't worry I don't cook I wash and dry dishes. It's actually quite fun because the Kenyans who work in the kitchen are very funny and very welcoming. And they play the radio, and the windows are open and the breeze comes in. After that I help with lunch for the kids who are still on the grounds, most of the kids are off to school. From 1-3 is my free time, we usually walk down to the village or just hang out. At 4 the kids come home from school so we help with homework, getting them settled, help with dinner, getting them ready for bed. I'm usually done about 8 or so. Every day can be a little different. The pace is slow, and you know I move fast so I'm still working on letting go and getting into the rhythm.
Yesterday my best Cottage D boy, John, who is 11, fell at school and cut his leg very badly. he had to go to the ER (!) and get stitches. Which they covered with adhesive tape, he is much better today but of course is milking it for all it's worth.
Last night we finally had our Christmas party. Each child got a t-shirt with their name on the back, and cottage D we are family on the front, thank you movin shoes. They absolutely loved it, they never have stuff of their own, (they still all have their blankets though) they would come and show me their back and show me their name. Then we did the Santa, it's one of those mechanical toys, about a foot high, that I got for $10 from walgreens. It's a black santa in sunglasses with a saxophone and when you push the button it dances and plays Santa Claus is coming to town. Thanks to Sarah K's great packing skills it got here intact and working. They went nuts, eyes were big, incredible giggles, we all ended up singing along with it. It was just a magical night i will never forget. hopefully we got pictures that I will someday figure out how to get on the blog.
I will try to blog again tomorrow after the clinic so I can tell you all how it went at the clinic. I hate to rub it in but it's absolutely gorgeous here, warm and sunny during the day, cool under blankets at night. Life on the edge of the Rift!

It wasn't us, we're alive!

I promise this one will be shorter.First,you might have heard about the 2 American women carjacked and killed in Nairobi yesterday.It wasn't me!! It's very tragic, scary, but everyone says very unusual. They are very surprised they attacked the car because it had diplomatic plates. For some reason the Americans had been sitting on the side of the road for 1/2 hour. Anyway, I'm sure the security guy at the embassy is all over it. We are being very careful, not taking any chances. Everyday. It's been a great few days, getting to know the kids better again,Sammy K is finally better though still getting IV antibiotics. Thursday night it was so frustrating, his fever was so high, he was breathing at 40/min, HR over 100. I could only imagine the medical response in the US< here he had me and luckily Dr.George available by mobile. Long night, but we both made it through. Sure would have been nice to see the Peds ID boys though! The international board of Nyumbani was meeting in Nairobi this week so Friday night they took the American volunteers out to dinner. It was very nice but I was so incredibly exhausted, I think it was the height of my jet lag plus being with Sammy. I sat next to Fr.D'AG's brother Joe, (ali he wants you to come to his house for dinner in March after he gets back from Fl), the dean of the medical school of Nairobi University and the former Kenyan ambassador to the US. I kept trying to have a good conversation, they were all asking me about my Fulbright, but I could hardly stay awake, and my chair was broken so it took all my strenght not to slide under the table.Quite a night. Sarah and I took John My favorite Cottage D kid)to the village yesterday, he had so much fun.He has to high five every policeman,smile at everybody. Greet everybody,he even made the British people smile. Today Sarah jim and I went to mum ann'es house for lunch and met some of her family. They were so welcoming, it was like coming home. They really consider themselves our Kenyan family. Carol has to have mores surgery on her leg in March,I'm going with her to the hospital and will take care of her there.She says she will be the only one with a mizungo nurse!! Should cause quite a stir but will hopefully get her good care. Their house is lovely and since that's where you will all stay when you come I can assure you that you will be very comfortable!. Rachel & Carolina: the Spanish board members came to the restaurant after they returned from the nyumbani village and I was able to ask them how their trip was etc all in Spanish! They were impressed. Another volunteer is coming tonite and will be staying with me and Sarah, will be a little crowded, hope she's cool.
Miss you all, hope to do pictures this week, and don't worry we will always duck and cover!

Don't Worry

Guest Post by Oldest Daughter:

My mom emailed us this morning- she's just fine. There was a report on cnn.com about 2 american women killed in Nairobi and our imaginations got the best of us...

Duck and Cover

What an amazing 24 hours. Yesterday I slept through the roosters wake up call, so didn’t get to see the kids in the morning. I spent the morning in a daze, just getting reacquainted with any staff that were here when I was here. Then early afternoon Kate showed up, she ‘s the woman who was my roommate when I was here in 2003. She’s 67, has started a school for girls in the village and is thriving here. She had Dr. George with her, he’s staying at the school with her. She drove Sarah and I and Dr. George down to the village center to the new grocery store. It’s so big, called Nakumatt. Kind of like the Kenyan Wal-mart. Has everything, but not a whole lot of Kenyan shoppers, mostly the British and American people who live here and the few Kenyan middle class villagers, The regular Kenyans still shop in the shanties that surround the center. Anyway, I was able to pick up a few staples, it’s all pretty expensive. Then we sat and had some iced tea and caught up on things. Kate feels pretty comfortable here but still struggles with the inefficiency. She then took us to this clinic down the road (for a country with as many clinics, at least by and in Nairobi you would think people would be healthier) that’s run by a Catholic church. We met the priest who was from Ireland and really nice, very funny. They have a dental clinic, counseling center, optical dept., pharmacy, once a week they do a mom/baby clinic.They say they see over a hundred patients that day alone. Dr. George and I have been invited to come help in the clinic. I’m pretty excited because I will get to do a lot and I will see a lot. They were very grateful for our help, say American medical people are a gift. The site is very nice and clean, very open and airy. The waiting room is actually an open atrium. Lots of flowers around, very well cared for. I am anxious to start, probably the week after next.
Then we went and visited Kate’s school. It’s in an old house, she has 43 girls living there, from 2 ½ to end of high school. She has created this warm, calm nurturing environment. Well structured, the kids go out to school.. They have all these responsibilities but also wonderful activities. They are all doing well in school, often would rather stay there then go home over break. They are all HIV-, which is less of a burden for kate, but they are also very poor. It was so fun to see the school bus arrive and all these girls get off in their uniforms and greet us so warmly. I think I will be spending my off time there!
When I got back to Nyumbani the Cottage D kids were there waiting for me. It was so fun, they have grown so, a few I didn’t even recognize. We laughed we cried we hugged and kissed and they pretty much didn’t leave my side. They showed me all the presents I had sent them, we talked about the 2 who had died. They are so glad that I am here for a long time. Sammy K is pretty sick, has a painful belly and a high fever. I talked to the nurse this afternoon and he said they had switched him from augmentin to rocephin Iv today and they thought that he was better. Its so weird, they don’t ever seem to really know what’s wrong, they just throw things at it until it hopefully gets better.
Mum ann is on her off days she will be back tomorrow, we are celebrating Christmas tomorrow night. Sarah, the Santa arrived intact and I know he is going to knock their socks off! Actually all our luggage arrived, nothing missing. I had dinner with the “big girls.” Now that ARVs are more accessible Nyumbani is transitioning from a hospice to a home, and the kids have to learn life skills. The older girls and boys are now in 2 new bigger cottages donated by Italy . They are learning to cook, take care of a home etc. My project will fit right in there. We had a great time and decided that they would teach me Swahili (goodluck!) and I would teach them Spanish! Thank you Rachel and Carolina !! When I left they all said “Buenos Noches Susan!” They invited me over to watch a movie on Saturday. I’m glad that I’m getting to know them better because they are who need to take my classes and it will help if we have a relationship.
This morning we headed over to the US Embassy, an ex-volunteer from England who now works at the British Embassy hooked us up with his roommate, a Kenyan named Martin who drives a cab while he saves money to go to college and study wildlife preservation. He picked us up and drove us there, took over an hour and a half, traffic here is like nothing you’ve ever seen. There’s no lines on the road, huge potholes that everyone has to stop and maneuver around, no stoplights, every kind of vehicle you can imagine, including animal, people walking and bicycling everywhere. Plus they all drive on the wrong side of the road. The noise and air quality are awful, but somehow it’s full of energy and everyone usually remains good natured. Since the downtown embassy was bombed in 98 they moved out to a different part of Nairobi . What was fun was seeing parts I had never seen before. Gated wealth and undescribable squalor all in the same block. The embassy is a fortress across the street from the UN complex, security is everywhere. I had to show my passport numerous times, get wanded, answer questions, Finally made it to the office of the Cultural Affairs Officer, who had met my plane. He took me to the security briefing.that was given by the head of security, About a dozen new state dept employees, or new to Kenya and me. He was a jerk, very cowboyish, insulting to Kenyans, it was especially funny after I found out he had been here only 6 months. I can’t imagine ever going to him if I was in trouble, his whole attitude was if something happened to you it was your fault and how stupid could you be. The embassy employees live in special residences, every one has a safe room where they go if their house is broken into or the embassy is being attacked. It locks down and they have special radios in them. The whole thing seemed kind of overdone and hysterical (which was also the opinion of some other people I met who have lived here for many years including the cultural attache) he also told us if we are in the embassy and hear a siren it means “duck and cover” we had a lot of laughs about that, I think it does though serve as a reminder to be careful and aware, like you are in any big city. We do live in dangerous time. I then met the educational attaché who was also very cool, he was the one who approved my Fulbright, he told me how glad he was that I had reapplied, they felt bad they couldn’t offer it the first time. He said that one of the differences in my application from the hundreds of others was that I had been here before and it showed my commitment to Kenya . His wife is head of USAID/Kenya and they are having me for dinner in the next few weeks. The life of a Fulbright scholar!! I was then introduced to the country coordinator for President Bush’s Pepfar program. He invited me to their next interteam meeting, in 2 weeks with CDC, UN UNAIDS, USAID, a whole alphabet of groups!! He said they are very interested in my project and would like to incorporate the curriculum in their work. It was all a little overwhelming, but very exciting. Fulbright really does open doors that I never could have gotten through before.
Sorry this is so long, I’m sure the next ones will be a lot shorter.
I bought a mobile phone, to call me you dial 011-250-724-970-061 the cheapest way to do it is to go to callingcards.com, click on Kenya then mobile Nairobi $20.00 buys a lot of minutes. I will gladly accept calls anytime day or night.
We then went and met a friend of my sister Barbara’s. John Squires, who is on his way to climb Kilimanjaro. We went to another part of Nairobi called Westlands, and met at this great Mediterranean restaurant, the best food I’ve ever had here. We were joined by some friends of his who work for Land Of Lakes in int’l development, Great food, great conversation. More interesting connections. I am now so tired, and I’m sure you are tired of reading all this. I will post again tomorrow and I’m sure I will have lots less to say. I hope you are enjoying the blog, it’s so much easier for me than individual emails though I will respond when you email. Even though there is wireless here, it’s still a little slow.I will also work this weekend on putting some pictures on it. No pictures of the embassy though, they would probably shoot you on sight. Miss you all, always remember “duck and cover.”
PS wireless was not working on Thursday night so this is a little late. Pray for Sammy K, he is very ill. When he woke up long enough to wrap his feverish (temp is 40) arms around me he whispered I’m glad you’re here to take care of me, I knew I had come back to the right place.

Technical Difficulties

Guest Post by Fulbrighter's Oldest Daughter:

Hello everyone!
I spoke to my mom this morning (she called using her new cell phone!) and she told me that she's having trouble getting the blogger website to come up at the Orphanage. Until she can get the site to come up, she'll be emailing me her blog entries, and then I will post them for all of you. Just our luck- apparently her email isn't working correctly either, because I haven't received the email she said was on its way!

Stay tuned...

Habari from Nyumbani!!

I"m here! We arrived late last night, the flights were all packed and late. It felt so strange being here again, walking on the grounds. To be in a place that I have thought about so much. The kids were all asleep when I got here, except for Madeline, who waited up. I knew if I woke up the other kids the mum would have my head so we will have our reunion this afternoon when they return from school. It's warm and sunny here, not a trace of snow. The computer access is so much better, won't have to walk down to the village to get to the internet now.
Sarah is settling in great, the little kids already love her. I miss you all, will update again soon when Im'n not dizzy from fatigue and hunger! Don't worry, going to the village this afternoon for food!xoxoxo to litle boy! Chris, thanks for your email. I was wondering how work was, hard to let go! Tell everyone miss them,

On my way

I am in the Detroit airport, feeling very technically proud of myself because I connected to wireless by myself and I'm even listening to my I pod! I feel like I have more cords, cables and electronic devices with me than anything else! but no cell phone!! First some thank yous: to my sister Kerry and Reuters news service for the laptop, I promise to take exceptional care of it and protect it at all times. To Kevin D for all the technical support, couldn't be using the laptop without all his help and instruction. A big thank you to Sarah K, no one can pack a suitcase like you can! I ended up with 3 bags, 2 under 50lbs one 65 pounds. Now I am just hoping that they arrive in Nairobi the same time I do. Thanks to the Peds ID boys for the great party and great gift, I'm already missing the phone calls.
Thank you all for all the help and support these past few months, I can't believe that the time has come, the kids in the orphanage are excitedly waiting, mum Anne's family is astounded how many Americans care about them.
So many more to thank, all my sibs, Caryl for the best going away dinner, Sharon W for dropping off things I really needed but didn't have, Barb O'Connell for the relaxing and stress relieving manicure and pedicure, Maria and Mary Ellen for enabling me to leave Teen Age Clinic in good hands. Most of all for my family: I hate to sound corny but you all are the wind beneath my wings. Timmy be careful out there, Little boy get well soon. On to Amsterdam, Love Susan