A day at the farm, April 11, 2011

To continue the theme of random experiences while on PEI, I went to a farm.

So Many Spuds!

Yup I did. I don’t think I have been to one before. I even missed that time you go when you’re in 4^th grade when they try to scare you into being a vegetarian. I’ve been to ranches in Texas and near very dry crops in Kenya, but not a real farm, so this was a big day! I went to a friend’s potato farm. The directions I received to get there were so quaint I couldn’t have made them up. ‘Go through Hunter River and when you get to a giant lighthouse, turn right. You’ll pass a shooting range and when you see a yellow house on your left you’re nearly there.’ I love PEI!! Oh and somehow I totally found it, even with my appalling sense of direction.  Granted, I passed it then flipped around and came back....twice.

During the grading process post cleaning

 I was shocked how much mechanization is involved with delivering potatoes. They had a giant storage unit, more commonly called a barn, with millions of potatoes. There were so many spuds, they looked like peanuts. Then a tractor takes a load of these potatoes into a wagon. From there they have an assembly of conveyor belts that successively remove the dirt, then using density drop the rocks out, clean the potatoes, separate them to two lines to be graded (QA check), then lift them into the truck. Neat! There was one person on the tractor, one moving the conveyer along the truck, and four people to perform the grading. A team of 6 can fill a truck of potatoes in only tem minutes. It’s amazing! I can only imagine how tedious this must have been before machines were widely available.

I left the farm much more aware, covered in PEI red dirt and hungering for some McCain fries after seeing the main ingredient. Oh and did I mention it was cold? like 0 degrees celcius cold. These farmers are a tough lot!

NY Birthday Bash!! March 18-19, 2011

As part of my third cross-country trip since July, this time from Arizona to PEI, I stayed in New York for 27 hours. Since I didn’t keep up with these posts during the trip, I figure I’ll include one of the trip highlights on a day when nothing particularly interesting happens in the present. That’s what we often do during slow times, isn’t it? Reminisce about the past, get out the photo album, go through old home movies?

Anyway over Spring Break, I drove up from Washington DC to NY with three friends: two high school friends (as in we were friends in high school…not that they’re in high school now) and one of girls’ sister. I have been to New York many times before, though rarely for longer than 2 days. These fast trips are always centered around a Broadway show, so I have done few touristy activities. Luckily, my friends had not visited the Big Apple before so they had done all of the prep and had big ideas.  

We arrived on Staton Island, parked, and took the free ferry across to Manhattan to do all of the activities on the southern tip. On the ride across, there was a fantastic view of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. We wandered around Wall Street, ate a NY street vendor hot dog while sitting on the steps of the original US capital and where the Declaration of Independence was signed, went by the 9/11 ground zero site, wandered into a few gorgeous old churches, and strolled through the park back to the ferry. We then drove onto Manhattan and tried to arrive at our hotel on 46^th without any new scratches on my car. This should be an easy task but the street was 6 lanes wide, without any discernable lane markers, and a million cars moving without the restraint of a speed limit. I’ve never felt so hillbilly and back country as I did driving around NY. I was hoping they couldn’t see Granny sitting in her rocking chair on the roof, but frankly I was skeptical.

We arrived at the Staybridge Suites, a hotel with the comfort of a chain but hip and individual style made it look like it belonged in NYC. Unfortunately, like most hotels in NY, there is a $150 non-refundable deposit for pets. I had looked into a doggie hotel for Sampson, my 10 lb Pomeranian who has been my travel companion, but he doesn’t have the distemper shot within the prescribed time. So since I was clearly not going to pay $150, I took my chances with him being caught, especially for one night. This means I had to sneak Sammy upstairs in a black duffel bag. He’s a good 14 year old dog and was happy to sleep the day away once I got him in the room, but the rides on the elevator were tense. On one trip down to let him relieve himself, my black zippered duffel started moving. I just smiled to the man in the elevator with me and pretended like I moved it. By the end of the second day, Sampson was not happy to be zippered up and it took some coaxing to get him in there one last time.  

Anyway I skipped over Friday night and Saturday’s activities, and there were many! We went to great Greek tapas joint on 10^th avenue and met up with two high school friends that live in New York. We had some interesting dishes, including a dandelion salad that had no yellow flowers, only spinach looking leaves. Then a friend and I went to see the Addams Family on Broadway with Bebe Neuwirth (Lilith on Cheers) and Richard Reeves (one of the bad guys on Robin Hood: Men in Tights). It was a quirky show that had many laughs and great special effects, but our awful cheap seats definitely took away from the magic of broadway. Dang this unemployment! We enjoyed the sights of Time Square at night on our way back to our hotel.

Saturday morning I ran off to my favorite bagel shop only a few blocks away and enjoyed ordering an everything bagel, toasted, with heaping mounds of scallion cream cheese. This was the right way to start my birthday! We then jumped on the subway and went over to see the UN building and split up from there. My friends went to the top of the empire state building and a few other sights I had seen. Meanwhile another friend and I went to the Chelsea Market. It’s this really hip market in the old Nabisco factory. (Sidenote: Nabisco stands for National Biscuit Company…duh that makes so much sense!) The market is made of brick and has many little stores that as expected of pretentious NY shops only sells one item. We went to a sample sale, perused the cupcake shop, which was right next to the brownie shop, sampled some olive oil in the oil shop, went through an Italian market, a sushi & seafood store, bookstore, and even a nut shop! We had a great lunch of fantastic soup and sushi, and finished it off with a chocolate cupcake with a big poof of pink frosting. This was the first birthday dessert which would eventually be followed by 3 cakes over the next week by loving family and friends.

We then got back on the subway and rejoined our friends at Central Park. As they were headed to get pizza, I ran to my favorite H&M store on 5^th Avenue and bought a couple of great shirts that I really really needed (really). I went by St Patrick’s Cathedral, Rockefeller Center, NBC Studios, Bryant Park, the NYC library, and many more sights I flew by as I fastwalked back to the hotel. I felt confident based on my quick pace and sneer at slow-walkers that I could have been a local. (Not once did I get my camera out during this walk to reveal myself as a tourist.) I got back to the hotel and had a quick birthday celebration with my friends before sneaking Sammy down to the car one more time and dropping them off at the Rock so they could go to the Nintendo store before catching the train back to DC. I drove on to Buffalo, NY in a much less Clampet-style than when I drove onto NYC only 24 hours before.

Really my birthday had begun weeks earlier. I celebrated with my sister in Arizona at Target while bathing suit shopping, and then a week later with my parents and a beautiful rose bouquet with gift cards smattered throughout. My birthday celebration didn’t end in New York. I stopped in Scranton, PA for dinner, and couldn’t resist seeing the building ‘the Office’ was supposedly set in. I went to Five Guys for dinner and enjoyed a burger that was as tall as it was wide, in addition to really greasy fries. This is what you should do on birthdays! I was able to celebrate three more times in Canada: once in Lynden Ontario with friends from Kenya, once with my cousin and her kids in Toronto, and once the day after I arrived on PEI with a cousin and her family. What a treat! Plus I got to enjoy this last cake for a whole week of birthday breakfasts! I couldn’t have celebrated with more lovely people and feel quite fortunate to know them let alone to have them surprise me with cake and presents!

(PS I didn't turn 25 but that was a really great year. I turned 28).

A PEI day at the beach - Monday April 4, 2011

Today I went to the beach. Now if I had been in Mexico I would have worn a different outfit. But since I’m on PEI and it’s still winter, when I woke up this morning and decided to go to the beach, I went to my closet. I put on a tank top, long sleeve shirt, hoodie, knee high socks, bicycle shorts, and yoga pants, in addition to the attire I would normally be found in a beach environment.  Yes, I did wear a bikini underneath, because that’s what you wear to the beach, even if the sand is covered in snow. Oh and once I got to the beach, I added my knee length wool Jackie O powder pink trench coat, gloves, and powder pink snow cap. I was ready!

The motivation for this trip was that I have been on PEI for 10 days now, and haven’t exercised once, unless you count all the work my thumb has been doing during commercials on the remote control. I’m definitely not complaining. The fact that I have been able to lay in bed and watch tv for the first time in months is fantastic! I wasn’t sure if I still could lay perfectly still and not move for hours. Turns out I can. It also turns out that if you continue to eat while doing this non-activity, you can gain a few pounds in as short as a week. Haha. Also, the cold is a bit shocking, but really, 10 days should be an appropriate acclimation period. You can only claim having been to Kenya for so long. Oh and as if that wasn’t enough, there have been baby seals washing up on shore and the possibility of seeing one provides fantastic motivation for a lovely walk!

I drove up to the north shore and got out and had a lovely walk on the red sand. The water was crashing to my right and the frozen red cliffs covered in snow were to my left. It was such an odd mix of winter and summer scenes held together by a mixture of sand and red dirt, oh and extreme cold.  I left all technology back in the car: cell phones, ipod, laptop, etc, and had only my camera with me…just in case a baby seal were to appear. I could see my breath and was surprised that the sand moved underneath my feet the same way. Physically speaking, I knew sand wouldn’t freeze, but when you see snow nearby, you expect something different to happen.

Despite the cold weather, one of the things I love about PEI is that the sky is clear and blue. There are nice puffy clouds without being overcast. The air felt crisp. It was a nice serene walk, without the interruption of music, tv, or talking, and I found that my mind was ready for 90 minutes of this. After that, I needed more noise than the sounds of the waves crashing. Since no one was around, I started singing out loud. Unfortunately, I don’t know the lyrics to that many songs so I belted out the broadway tunes that I do know to the wind. The nearby seagulls got to hear selections from Wicked, Gypsy, and a bonus song by Ceelo Green. I rounded out my nice 10km walk after about 2 hours. It was beautiful, and I even got a glimpse of a seal. Sadly, it only used to be a seal and was now a pelt. This was sad and a bit of a surprise to see, but it was good motivation to get me out and enjoying the nice day. I’m glad to be back on PEI and happier still to be out and about. With a big start like this, who knows where this summer will go!

Taking back the blog – Sunday February 27, 2011

So just to warn those of you that have been following the blog to see what your friends and family are up to while in Kenya, I’m taking my blog back. Feel free to check in if you want to track my travels, as this month will be around the southern US states, but just a warning that it no longer is the official MCOH blog. The tone may become more sarcastic and random. There… you’ve been notified.

(If you are leaving….thanks for reading the blog! I’m sure it means a lot to your people that they know some of your stories already!)

Stalling before getting on combis

So on the drive back to the airport, it was long. Really long! We were hoping to lounge by the pool at the safari until 2 in the afternoon, since it’s a 4 hour drive and our flight isn’t until midnight, but our drivers were worried we were not leaving enough time, so they changed it to eleven. Well poo. That’s barely any pool time! Oh well, we made the best of it and the combi I ended up in had so many fun people in it, that we had a blast on the drive. I had my music playing on the laptop for the first two hours, then when the computer died, we took to singing ourselves. We sang every song anyone knew at least three of the lines to, from country to the beatles, p!nk and even lion king. I feel bad for Greg and Charlie, our male companions, and Heather who were very good sports, and even helped out with a line or two. Adrian, Courtney, Jenn, Shawna and I had the best time belting out songs that made the long, hot, dry drive go much faster than I ever thought it could.

I loved everyone in our combi and could have spent another month with them without any qualms. That was one of the best things about being on this trip: you’re surrounded by kind, loving people with the same desire as you, simply to help people, for a whole month! It’s so great to be around so many nice genuine people for such a long period of time, that it seems odd to join the real world again and get shoved in the airport line or to say hello and not have someone even acknowledge you said something. It’s also really nice to have such a single-minded focus and purpose. To know exactly what it is you’re doing – anything this poor town needs to improve: schooling, food, health concerns, etc. It’s such a selfish thing to go on these missions, because while you’re there, life is so easy. Sure you’re busy, barely sleeping, eating weird food, totally thrown out of your comfort zone, and working 24/7 in some capacity, but there are so many benefits that you reap, it no longer seems like altruism, the only word to describe it is selfish. Odd, huh?

There was some virus that hit almost everyone during the three weeks. There were a few of us who avoided it though, and oddly enough, it was the people who drank the most that were immune. Karen attributed this to the alcohol itself, but I disagree. I think it’s because we all took a few hours of each day to gather, giggle, relax, and unwind from a hard day. Laughing is a great thing, and I think it is what protected us from the explosive bug that rendered the unlucky patients to stay within 10 feet of their longdrop for a day or two at a time. Ick! I bring this up because some people were unfortunate enough to be experiencing this on the long drive. I don’t envy them at all and vow to laugh more to keep my immune system up! I may go back to my normal drinking habits of once a week or so, as my liver can’t take the Mikinduri routine for a long period.

We went shopping once we arrived 3 hours early in Nairobi. I’m not complaining that nothing went wrong, but frankly I would have preferred 3 hours at the pool watching animals. We had a great Brazilian steakhouse dinner, which if you’ve never been, is an endless array of different meats on spits. The Kenyan version of this was camel, goat, lamb, beef, chicken, and sausages. You have a little card on your table that when the green side is showing, they keep bringing you meat until you flip it to red. Basically it’s a buffet you don’t even have to stand up for. How gluttonous and delicious! I was especially fortunate to sit with more of my favorite people at dinner, and just savored the last few moments of friendship on this trip, before I went my separate way. At the airport, everyone else flew together to Montreal (with a few exceptions) so they still have a long day together, but I left an hour before they did, so I had to say goodbye early. This year there were no tears as I was actually able to say goodbye. Last year, I had planned to meet up with them after security, but since that never happened, I was suddenly in a solitary state after being one of 30 for a month. It was such a shock in London when I arrived, I could do nothing but cry at my sudden seclusion. This year though, was great to give everyone a hug, get closure, and plan to see them soon. A month from now I’ll be back on PEI so will get to see many of them again, whereas last year I just had a tentative plan to move to the Island, which even my mother thought was just a retreat high and would eventually dissipate. Some things just stick.

In London airport, I was treated to wait my 7 hour layover in the lounge. I arrived a 5am London time after 9 hours on a plane, and wasn’t scheduled to leave until noon. The first plane ride wasn’t too bad, despite being squeezed in between two tall men, one of them being both wide and tall and needing to use the bathroom every two hours, forcing me to wake the poor sleeping tall man next me on many occasions. That was a long 9 hours; not going to lie. Luckily the lounge was peaceful with no announcements and even fantastic free food. I got up to go to the bathroom at one point and stumbled across some showers. Oh my! I had the hottest, most rejuvenating shower, and it couldn’t have come at a more perfect time! It was the start of a new day and this evening I would see my sister and mom! I was even able to brush my teeth, dry my hair, put on make-up, and put a new shirt on that I had bought just to feel clean! This was the start of a great day, even if it was only separated by a catnap to the last day.

It’s funny the things you appreciate away from Kenya (and thus back in civilization). I had a toilet in the bathroom. I know! It wasn’t just a hole in the floor. I still get excited when I see that pristine porcelain luxury. I hope that takes a while to wear off as it’s great to be excited that many times a day. Plus…I was in London! That means candy, chocolate, and gummies! The three years I lived in England in high school, I learned more about the sweets than anything else, and it’s what I remember most! I filled up a nice big bag of snacks, and hopefully there’s even one or two left by the time I get to Phoenix to share with Ma and Linds.

So random story. (Just for Jamie…she likes random stories). All my gadgets are breaking. My headphones don’t even work. How is that even possible? Within the last 10 hours, my crappy backup headphones broke, my fancy noise reduction ones don’t work, my ipod has called it quits, and the light in plane over my seat went out halfway through the flight. What is up? I am fearful to use my computer or kindle for too long as they might succumb to the virus. Hey –maybe I successfully avoided the flu everyone had but my gadgets caught it. Oh no!

The flight to Philadelphia has been less eventful, though equally long as the first flight, and my computer is telling me I would be going to bed now in Nairobi instead of landing in Phili with 9 hours left in the day. Huh.

Plan for the next month: Phoenix for a few days, San Antonio for a few days, Alabama girls trip for a few days, Washignton DC spring break with the other girls, then back to PEI for end of March. Oh yeah, my birthday is somewhere in there too! This is an exciting month! Oh and did I mention I’m driving for all of that. The idea of sitting in a car after all the combi and plane time does not sound appealing, but since twitching my nose doesn’t have the same effect that it does for Elizabeth Smart, I suppose I’ll drive.  Oh – coming back to civilization also means returning to my cell phone. Bummer. I didn’t miss it. I love this blog as I feel like this is communication. Why do I need the phone too? If everyone just kept a blog, I wouldn’t have to call anyone at all. Get on it people.

Safari! Friday, February 25, 2011

Sweetwater on the equator!

Friday morning we packed up, had our last meal in Mikinduri, and split ways. One combi went to tour a mission hospital called Chaaria. Two combis went to do a bit of shopping in Meru, and one was an express to the safari. In Swahili, ‘Safari’ just means journey, but we were on a safari to what we call a safari! We had a beautiful two hour drive and along the way, saw wild baboons, giraffes, and a huge change in landscape from a tropical green to an arid dryness you expect of Kenya. You could see Mount Kenya growing closer and clearer. We arrived at the safari site Sweetwater and they welcomed us with a cool wet towel to wash our hands and a nice fruit drink. Our rooms are tents, but only because they’re surrounded by canvas. They have nice bed, sheets, plush pillows, granite showers, and electricity.



giraffes!



The rooms open up to the wide open plains, separated with a small ditch and unnoticeable electric fence. As a result, there were animals including giraffes, zebras, impalas, wart hogs, and many different birds wandering only 30 feet in front of us! We sat on our front porch watching our own private nature show! We were so pampered there with a beautiful pool that overlooks a water hole where animals gather. The food was a huge buffet with different cheeses, pompadoms, Indian food, Canadian food, African food, desserts, and salad! Oh how I have missed leafy green salads! The food has been great up until now and we’ve been well fed, but there has been a large concentration on carbs and fruit, not many green vegetables. We were all craving a nice leafy salad for the last week, and oh boy did we enjoy it at the lodge!  

Fantastic tree with Adair and Courtney

A few people went out for an evening safari to find animals. The combi’s that we’ve been riding around in have a top that pops up so you can stand inside the van and look out at the animals. Our drivers went to school for two years to become qualified and knowledgeable in everything Kenya, so any question we had they answered. That group saw giraffes just outside the fence and even a cheetah that evening. We had a wonderful dinner, and all ate quite gluttonously trying a bite of every dish, savoring the flavors we had missed. We all went to ask Grania for advice on dessert as she sampled every one and informed us which were the best! After dinner we quickly dispersed and enjoyed our nice soft beds that were mosquito net free! Some people recalled stories of waking up in the middle of the night all rolled around their net and some even finding they had torn it down! It was a treat to sleep without one again.

Baby Zebra

We all woke up early Saturday morning to go on a safari to look for animals. When you unzipped your tent and came out, everything was so serene, and you could see the sun just starting to come up over Mount Kenya and the animals coming out for their morning coffee. We jumped in the combis full of anticipation and armed with sweaters as it was really cold. You could see your breath and with all the windows open and the top up, it was a chilly drive! Right outside the gate, we saw a cheetah enjoying breakfast, the white rear end of the gazelle. While we were enjoying the view and snapping pictures, a few jackals arrived to finish what the cheetah didn’t want. You could practically hear the British commentator describing the scene on the National Geographic channel.



Sunrise!



 In the next hour, we saw giraffes, zebras, water buffalo, wart hogs, gazelle, impalas, a few rhinos, a baboon, and we thought we had hit the pinnacle of our trip when we saw a zebra nursing, but were soon proved wrong. On the way back to camp, we saw a lioness! She was sitting with her back to us and laying 100 feet away, completely unconcerned with our presence. It was incredible! The people who have been on multiple safaris even commented that this was the best safari in terms of the variety of animals in the 5+ years they’ve been coming! We felt so fortunate and the day wasn’t even over!

beautiful bird

We came back to the lodge, had a wonderful breakfast, and went about our ways to get maximum relaxation. Some of us had luxurious massages, some lounged by the pool, and the more energetic of the group went to a local Masai village where they show you all about the Masai culture, the huts people live in, dances, clothing, and how they make their livelihood. We met back up for a great big lunch, unsure how we could possibly fit more food in our stomachs, but insistent to try the different delights.

That afternoon we went to the Jane Goodall Chimpanzee Conservatory just a few minutes away. They have 41 chimps on the huge facility, each of them rescued from a bad situation. One of the chimps Pogo was subjected to a cage where he could only sit or stand for years at a time until he was rescued. When he came to the camp, he had to be taught by the other monkeys to run on his hands and play. While we were there he stood so erect that you were sure he was a very hairy human. Each one had a similar story that was just heartbreaking, but at the same time it was so comforting to know there was somewhere these monkey could go. The chimps all came to the fence of the enclosure to say hello. They had so much understanding and wisdom in their faces, you could see the distinct personality in each one. One of the monkeys had a stick and was trying to dig his way out of their huge 100+ acre enclosure, that was surrounded by an electric fence. He was so intelligent that he was using one stick to dig and the other to push the electric wire up so he wouldn’t be shocked. It’s not surprising that there’s only 1 small chromosomal different between humans and chimps.

They then walked us around the corner and we saw a hippopautumus in the water! There were actually a few of them! These are one of the most dangerous animals in Africa because they are mean, and if you’re in between them and the water, they have no problem running you over to get there. We headed back to the hotel and relaxed with each other, trying to savor the last moments of each other’s company and the Kenyan landscape. It’s such a huge dichotomy compared to Mikinduri that it took a bit of time to adjust, but don’t worry, we eventually got used to the pampering.

Just before dinner there was traditional Masai dancers in their tribal wardrobe, and many of the Canadians joined in the dance. The women wore a great multitude of beaded necklaces, to the point that their neck becomes weak if they’re removed. I was told that the women with colored beads are married and those with plain necklaces are single. Since a man is allowed to have multiple wives, the women who decide to leave the arrangement let him know by leaving all of her colored necklaces in the hut and returning to her parents. The man is then forced to go to the parents house with a cow to try to win back her affection! We then enjoyed a traditional African dinner and although it was delicious, we had been eating that for a few weeks so it was not quite as exciting and scrumptious as for those tourists just there on holiday. I did enjoy the chapatti, arrow root, and pawpaw (papaya) mousse, and of course the cheese selection! We went our separate ways that night a bit sad that our vacation was over and we would be parting ways, but a bit excited to get home to our families.

On Sunday we have the 4 hour drive to Nairobi with a little time for last minute shopping and a nice meal before getting on our midnight flights. We savored the last few minutes of pool time watching a herd of zebra getting a sip of water, before climbing into the combis to leave. We’ll see you all soon and thank you for your support of Mikinduri and Chalice. We saw many wonderful things, met amazing new friends, and were all touched at many points. Please ask us about our experiences as everyone has so many stories about patients, local Kenyan friends, and new Canadian friends!




A cheetah and its kill

 



The reflection of a tree in the water

 




A lioness!

 

Last Day of Clinics - Thursday, February 24, 2011

Lions Club Cataract Surgery patients

Our last day of clinics was spectacular! We had a half day and were all ready to fit as many patients in as we could. We saw 60 in medical, mostly young children, 15 in dental as Bill was the only dentist, and 150 in vision. When I arrived, there were 60 people waiting in the medical tent, about to be taken by matatu (Kenyan taxi) to Nairobi for cataract surgery! Our partnership with the Lion’s club is immediately benefitting 60 people!

We also had a public teaching area that Jenny was in charge of to teach the importance of mosquito nets, washing hands, and other information that is so obvious to us that has never been taught to the Kenyans. They go to this tent after registration before going to the specific clinic. In the medical tent, they then speak with Adrian and a Kenya nurse to determine whether or not their case is serious enough for the doctors. Adrian describes this triage area as being a pied piper. Every time she moves slightly, all the people follow!         

We had a great day at clinics, and just before lunch I went with Father B to make a speech to the crowd of patients still waiting. This was something that I expected to be in Ted or Greg’s job description as administrators of the camp, but they were both on medical runs! So I walked out with Father B to address a crowd of hundreds patiently waiting to be seen. I started with ‘Thank you for coming’, then moved on to ‘Sorry we are closed for the year’.  Saying no to patients has become way too easy to easy! I then referred them to the Lion’s club and APDK clinics that are now regularly scheduled, and I encouraged them to support each other in the community to push our community based health care initiative. Somehow, I developed political abilities as by the end of the speech, everyone was smiling and left quietly even though they weren’t seen. Great!

After lunch we tore down camp, did inventory and packed everything up. A few people went to experience the Mikinduri market, a huge flurry of activity, like any market, but this has the bonus that every person there is staring at the crazy looking wazungos! They bought machetes, sarongs, amazing blankets, jewelry, wood carvings, and avocados for only 5 shillings (8 pennies!).

We went to Father Bernard’s complex for the going away party! It was fantastic fun filled night with dancing with the locals to Kenyan, Jamaican, and American music. There was a great goat feast and an open bar. While we were all too tired to do any damage, we did share a drink with the Kenyans. Many of us also received beautiful gifts from the locals, included beaded jewelry, a wooden rosary, etc. They’re so sweet and were so gracious about the difference we made while we were in Mikinduri. We assured them that their town is beautiful and thanked them for being so welcoming.

Libby and Adrian with Local Kids

It is impressive the difference MCOH and Chalice has made in Mikinduri. The children are nourished, there are many more children in school, parents are happy, and based on the welcome we received, we think the people are happy as well. In the 9 days of clinics, we saw 3800 patients! 800 in Medical, 800 in Dental, 1800 in Vision, and over 1200 people got prescriptions from the pharmacy! It’s fantastic to be able to help so many people in a small way, and give 34 volunteers the experience of a lifetime! Helping people has been so rewarding and learning so much about the different Kenyan cultures has been fantastic!  MCOH has made such a difference in this little town’s existence, and what has been especially encouraging for them is that there is a place across the world that cares about them and want to see them succeed. My thanks goes out to everyone who has supported us financially and emotionally, and I wish you could see the impact it has made! Please continue your support as only $20 goes so far in Kenya. We’re all tired and ready for a safari rest, but also anxious to come see our families. We’ll see you in a few days. Thanks for your support! (Www.mikinduri.com)

Routine…for Kenya - Wednesday February 23, 2011

What a cutie!

Our translators are completely awesome! Last year many of them were good, but some had problems being on time and took long lunches. This year, the local MCOH team (Francis and Antony) has done a fantastic job of organizing the patients and volunteers. Things have runs so smoothly all week due to their efforts. The translators arrive before we do, stay until the end, work very hard all day long, and have fantastic translating abilities. You can tell they’re proud to help their community. The patients have  been coming in an organized fashion, with little of the bedlam from previous years, so I have to applaud the fantastic efforts of Antony and Frances, because logistically, this clinic has been so smooth!



Keloid on ear



We had a few hospital runs today, with two little babies covered in burns, a man with suspected TB, though it turns out he was a preacher and had been fasting for two weeks, and a few more minor cases. Luckily, it was a benign day! Today was one of those days where you get to see a big difference made in someone’s life, for very little time and money. In an effort to best utilize the doctors’ time, as it is most demanded during the clinics, we have tried to keep cosmetic surgeries to a minimum as they can be quite time consuming and are not for life threatening conditions. However today, Greg and I intervened for a 15 year old girl that melted my heart. We saw her at the end of Monday’s clinics and she had a keloid on her ear. This is a growth of scar tissue that had grown after getting her ears pierced. There’s no pain associated with it, but this girl was so embarrassed, she kept a sweater draped over her head at all times. She had seen the doctor before but could never afford the surgery. We told this girl to come to the clinic the next day and gave her a referral form. On Tuesday she was referred to the local hospital, since we were minimizing surgeries. On Wednesday she came back. Quite often persistence at the clinics is seen as time consuming and frustrating, but with her it was touching. Dr Jurgen performed the surgery for her within 15 minutes in a room lit only by the window.



Girl without keloid!



 Afterwards, she had the biggest smile! It was fantastic to be able to help her and make a big difference in one person’s life, especially since we had to turn so many people with similar problems away. People often ask what’s the biggest impact of the clinics for me, and the answer is always for the one or two people who’s lives we’ve been able to change in a big way. We see thousands of people that we can help in a small way, but for the few we can help more, it feels fantastic knowing their lives are better because the clinics are there.

In the dental tent today, Nancy mentioned that there was one little boy that was called in for the Kenyan dentist, but he requested to have the ‘mazungo doctorie’ instead. The Kenyan dentist was happy to comply and the boy sat there patiently waiting for Bill’s chair to open up, with a big smile on his face even with all of the screams and cries of those around him. He was just thrilled and Bill was pleased to be able to make the little boy’s day!

When we got back to our hotel, a local merchant had set up wares inside the hotel, so we were able to shop on the ground floor in pajamas if we wanted! It was great and everyone got to see the local crafts and art. During dinner that night, many of us realized that the trip was quickly coming to a close, and while we’re all anxious to go home and see our families, we’re quite sad to leave Mikinduri and the friends we’ve made here. One woman found out via email that her grandchild is telling everyone that ‘her Grammie and Grampie live in Africa’. It must be time to go back! Only a half day of clinics on Thursday, followed by inventory of the supplies for next year, putting everything in storage, then closing with a big celebration with the translators!