little bit of an update

Things We Said Today…
There is so much to say about this past week or so, and I know I’ll manage to leave out about 50% of what I intended to say. Last Wednesday was one of the most stressful days I have had here in Nairobi. I worked over at Cheryl’s Orphanage on this particular day, and a simple class exercise turned into a considerably long ordeal. We asked the students to write down what they did today in English (no shorter than five sentences). Here is an excerpt from one boy who cannot speak English well.
“Man is cat. Sun is car. Fis is sun. Fan is rat. Man is ran. Cat is sat. Fulac is mauda. Rat is ran. Madan is sun.”
This boy clearly needs extra tutoring because he is not working at the correct level.
This was probably the best one…
“We talked about first aid because 4/four boys fell down. So they had to be dan first aid to them. And also we played and eat we had music songes too. We played with the teacher too much. The music was so nice we had Shakira song, Chris Browns, and Akon we were very happy to here the music very much we learnt maths, English, science, social and C.R.E. in C.R.E. we learnt that Jesus was the son of God and in English we learnt about nouns and adjectives.”
One little girl named Susan was having significant difficulty when I asked her to read what she had written. It turned out all along she has been getting another student to do her work in both Swahili and English because she cannot read or write. This was really disappointing, and we tried our best to deal with the situation. We informed one of the other teachers, and she explained that they would hopefully be giving her some private tutoring. I really hope so…I have a newfound respect for teachers I have had in the past, and those who stick with students to work through problems. Side note: I felt like McGuiver today... the one boy who was hurt (about 1.5 inch by 1 inch open cut) was bleeding considerably. I did not have any first aid materials so i managed to use some sterilized water to clean it, some clean tissues as gauze, and then you know those strings in your shirts used to hang them? Yeh, well i ripped them off my shirt, and tied them around the tissue as tape? Well, it's only temporary anyway, but it seemed to do the trick!

Octopus’ Garden…
On to Zanzibar (off the coast of Tanzania)… this was unquestionably the most backwards and strange 5 days of my entire life. We left for the Nairobi airport at 4am, and I was really nervous being out at this time. As we pulled up towards the airport Joseph (the taxi driver we are friends with) lectured us about the police. The police here are so corrupt, and all they want is your money. For example, police stopped our Ethiopian friend, Garter, who is actually a U.S. citizen, on several occasions because he was around a group of other white people. The police thought he was a tour guide (basically, that he had money), and threatened him. He refused to give them any money, and so they threw him in jail. He now carries a copy of his passport with him everywhere to prove he is a U.S. citizen. So anyway, as we near the airport I see several policemen as always strapped to their AK-47s. They slowly approach our stopped car, and take numerous long looks at Emma and I. They asked to see Joseph’s information, and then after a few minutes they let us go. We got off easy, and I could finally stop holding my breath.
Now for our flight, the flight was just filled with completely awkward and crazy individuals! For example, Emma and I were admiring this adorable young boy (probably 8 or so) who was hardcore overly enjoying his sugary strawberry jam that the airlines provided us for our croissants. After he finished the jam he kissed the container- yes, initially we thought this was ADORABLE. This kid really loves sugar right? Yeh, then it hit strange when they boy started to kiss his armrest, the napkins, the window, the tray, the seat, and the crawled under the tray and started kissing it. Behind were a British woman and her son who acted more like a married couple, and kept making odd noises resembling gorillas. The great part about the ride was DEFINITELY Mt. Kilimanjaro. We flew directly over it, and I got some awesome pictures! As we arrived in Zanzibar airport, which for the record is no bigger than my kitchen and family room combined, yes seriously! I found out the hard way that the Tanzanian government had boosted up the visa to $100. Thinking it was only $50, like it typically is, I was short of money (they only take U.S. dollars). So… my passport and my paper work was taken from me, and they told me I’d have to go back to Kenya. Lovely right? Considering this airport is so pathetically small there is not even an ATM within it. Luckily there was a bureau de change that allowed Emma to buy $50 U.S. dollars with the Tanzanian shillings she had just previously purchased. She happily lent me the money, and we thought the stress would end here. No, not even close. Turns out the travel agency either lied or was simply misinformed, but all power and running water was still off on the entire island. It has been off for a month, and we just found out it would not be back on until around August. So, no ATMs work considering there is no power. Our driver was making us really nervous for several reasons…
1. He hit a person while driving us
2. He would not let us take our bags out of the car, and kept saying, “what you don’t trust me?”
3. While driving us down south he pulled over on the side of the road, and we did not know why. We sat there for a moment until a man came up with a machete, and the two started speaking Swahili. We thought we were going to be killed, but after a few minutes we discovered that the driver and man were getting us freshly cut coconuts to drink out of. How nice, right? Now we love our driver, Abdullah, and call him our “Islamic Santa Claus.”

We arrive in Jambiani, and realize we cannot pay for the taxi or the hostel. Finally, we reach an agreement to write IOUs, and that when we leave for good they would come with us to town- we’d find a generator, and use an ATM. Right, well…let’s just say out bungalow was absolutely gorgeous. It was right on the beach and only 12 bucks a night- can’t beat that. The water was crystal clear in some places and in the others it was a phenomenal blue. The sand was pure white – it was paradise. That was until nighttime. Emma and I were the only mzungus anywhere in the area. We tried walking to dinner, which was only a few buildings down, but when all you have is one candle between two girls walking in the water trying to find some building it’s pretty difficult task. We get there and it’s pitch black. The “cook” tells us in terrible broken English that dinner will be ready soon. We are sitting in this room completely dark being the only people around for about an hour, and we decide that not only is no one coming back- but also if they do they’ll be killing and eating us. Yep, we were 100% convinced we were going to die that night. Eventually, the man came back with a candle and gave us our vegetable curry. We ended up eating nothing but vegetable curry for the next 2 days because it was the only meal that they made. As Emma and I held hands on the way back to the bungalow (this time with no candle at all) we fell completely in awe with the stars.
And When The Night Is Cloudy There Is Still A Light That Shines On Me- Shine Until Tomorrow
The African sky is the single most beautiful piece of work I have ever seen in my life. It appears like a black blanket strewn across with considerably large white Christmas lights pulled threw it. The stars were BIG and flashing bright- we even saw some shooting stars as well. I don’t even think the best poet could arrange words in the any way to give this spectacle enough justice. Our attempts to sit and observe the stars were spoiled as in the darkness a dog ran up and scared us. At this point we simply retired into our bungalow (again completely convinced we were going to die tonight), and went to bed (at 7pm).
I’d have to say the next night went a lot better. The next morning another mzungu couple showed up so we were no longer alone! They were a British middle-aged couple doing an overland trip, and decided after a couple days of no power or running water they needed to escape the island. We hung out with them for a bit, and planned an escape for the next morning. They were kind enough to offer to pay our bills, and we could find an ATM powered by a generator when we got further north. We spent the day on the beaches, and at one point during low tide we walked more than a mile straight out into the ocean. The water was perfectly clear, and we lay down and observed the women who were farming seaweed. I’ll tell you what- I don’t think there is anything more relaxing than soaking in the African sun while listening to UB40’s “Red Red Wine.” At this point I started to feel completely guilty for ever leaving Nairobi. My purpose here in Africa is to be volunteering and working hard, and here I am lying in the sun. I know it was only a few day vacation, but I think after you see those children and the families it’s hard to get their faces out of your mind.
The next morning we escaped to Stonetown, and finally an ATM was working. We also found a hostel that would keep on a generator from 6pm-midnight. We could shower! Yay! This was good because we started to break out in rashes since we hadn’t been able to wash the salt water off of us for 2 days. Stonetown is a really pretty little city with really lovely architecture. The Islamic influence is reflected in every aspect of the town. The women are covered from head to toe as well so we wore our scarves most of the trip. We spent the next couple of days mainly wandering about. It was very weird being in a place where you can walk around at night after living in Nairobi. Nairobi is known to be the mot dangerous city in Africa, and about 37 people die each day. Stepping outside once the sun has started to go down is absolutely out of the question. We headed over to this really beautiful place called “Africa House” in the evening. Africa House had a fancy porch area looking over ocean. The sunset was not the only great sight that the Africa House allowed us to observe. Right in front of us some younger men were diving and doing flips off of the cliffs into the water. It gets even better! To the right of them there was a large circle of men and boys performing some very interesting form of martial arts. It was really cool, and Emma and I decided to get a closer look. As we walked towards the cliffs this man put a monkey on my shoulder- totally random, but I didn’t mind! We continued this on the next night as well, and shopped in the little stores during the day. We also got to eat lunch at Mercury’s! This is a restaurant dedicated to Freddy Mercury who grew up in Zanzibar. Ugh, there are so many more stories to tell, but I’ll tell you all when I get home! Overall, Zanzibar was a beautiful location, the people there are kind and live by the phrase “hakuna matata,” and if there were running water I would happily return. As a side note- cholera has started to break out all over Zanzibar now.

So back home. I worked at the clinic on Monday, but two women were giving birth (the clinic is very small, only 3 rooms, and one doctor) so they weren’t taking any patients. I decided to go with Sam to Cheryl’s Orphanage to drop off some materials for them. When we got there we found that two children who had severely deep wounds on their legs the week before had never changed the gauze and bandages. If you put something as tiny as a band-aid on a child here they never take it off. I checked both boys’ legs, and the wounds were getting worse. I dressed the wounds again, and hopped on a few matatus to go back to the clinic. It was sad because the boys live together, and had the same wound on the same leg- they would not explain how it happened. This really only leaves you to think there's something happening to these children at home that was likely the cause. I told the doctor we would pay for the treatment as long as he would clean up the boys. He agreed and took care of them. This took up most of the day, but after we returned home I did some of my wash and hung it up on the line. Afterwards, we went out to eat to an Ethiopian restaurant with the four Graceland University students to wish them farewell.
Fixing A Hole…
Yesterday I worked a half-day at the clinic, and then met up with Chris, Sam, and Emma to go do some things for Chris’ organization. At the clinic I administered Polio vaccines to about forty children. The doctor has decided that soon I’ll be able to assist him during the next childbirth. On to Chris- Chris has started an organization called “Eating Stones.” He really is someone to look up to… he is only 22 too. He has been using all his own money to find a group of children (about 37 kids) new land and a home. These 30 some children were all sharing one mattress in one room. It’s just terrible to think of these innocent children born into a life like they have been. It is also hard for Chris because his work is business, but it is often a tricky task to separate your heart from your business reasonably. Chris has now found a new home for these children at a lower price, and has been working on forming budgets to get them food, teachers, mattresses, and all the other essentials. Cyprian, the doctor who works with Chris, has taking a liking to me (only because he likes white women), but offered me the opportunity to start taking blood, giving IVs, and even do a Cesarean section (talk about illegal in the U.S.).

I May Not Have A Lot To Give, But What I’ve Got I’ll Give To You…
As for now I’ve had several thoughts and concerns on my mind. I came here with strong intentions of leaving a mark. I just have this aching urge that I am not doing as much as I could. The clinic is wonderful and while I am learning loads of information I do not necessarily feel like I am doing enough. It’s an unsettling feeling to think of all the things you could be doing, but not yet knowing how to do them. I cannot wait to come back after I have finished all my medical training. I really do hope to have my own clinic here, or participate in Doctors Without Borders. I have been discussing with Chris my desire to have a “Free Clinic” type of day. I really want to get the idea of prevention and counseling out in the public. Chris has some experience in this, and we are going to work together to hopefully make it a big event.

When I Find Myself In Times of Trouble Mother LINDA Comes To Me Speaking Words of Wisdom…
While I have these feelings of inadequacy I have also been flooded with joy from those back home. It is amazing to see how one person really CAN make a beneficial difference, so take that you cynics. By me being here and relaying this information of Kenyans’ conditions to my family people are coming together beautifully to donate materials necessary to the betterment of Kenyan families. Dan’s brother whom I mentioned in a prior entry was crippled by polio at a young age. He has a family of four children and his wife that he attempts to support by selling candies on the street. No one will hire him because of his disability. During the skirmishes, because he was Luo in a primarily Kikuyu slum, he was unable to leave the house at all. Consequently, all his business was taken as well as his wheelchair. The man’s legs are in no way able to function. After explaining this in the blog my mom has worked on getting an organization to sponsor Dan’s brother for a wheelchair. How wonderful this is!!!! Also, the Church my parents attend has been working on a drive to collect materials to send here. The Church is also thinking about letting me be the mission for V.B.S. This means I would be able to distribute around $2,000 in ways to improve lives in this area. I am planning on splitting up this money down the middle for Eating Stones, and the free clinic I hope to plan! This is very exciting news, and its all thanks to you. Thank you, thank you, and thank you!!!! People can make a difference – all it takes is some action. So stop thinking about things and start doing them!


Things I take for granted:
Electricity
Running water (you never realize how much you use it…shower, brushing teeth, drinking, cooking, toilet, man for real!)
CLEAN water
Pillows
Blankets
Washer/Dryer
My family and friends
Internet
FOOD
Being able to leave the house at night!


I wish I could post more pictures and videos because I have some great new ones, but unfortunately it just isn’t possible here. I have so much more to tell you all and show you, but it’ll have to wait until I come home! I’ve been hearing it’s very hot at home, which is crazy because it’s getting cold here in Nairobi! Yep, wearing layers in Africa- weird right?

Oh and Rachel, just FYI- I don’t think it is possible for you to even fathom how much I miss you and Lil Dave.