One week in Kenya

On Saturday, in Nairobi, we had a few hours to do some grocery shopping before heading to Tenwek. I did a whirlwind 1 hour tour of Nakumatt, very similar to a Walmart...but nowhere near as big and with fewer selections. We picked up some meat at a butcher and fresh fruits/vegetables that we can't get at Tenwek. We then made the familiar 3 1/2 hour trek upcountry, through the Great Rift Valley.

The roads have improved in some areas, and have deteriorated in others to the point of not being paved at all. Overall, it was a pleasant trip and the kids handled the bumps well. On our way out, we did see zebra and gazelle grazing along the side of the road, along with hundreds of cattle, sheep and goats with their Maasai shepherds.

We arrived at Tenwek just after 4 pm and got settled in our apartment. We unloaded all the bags and quickly tried to find a place for everything so we could at least get through the first night. We were warmly greeted by several old friends and felt at home again. The kids were a little hesitant at first, but started to explore our "new home". We ate a quick supper of PB & J and cereal but then were given an entire pizza to heat up, so we saved that for Sunday.

We have a nice apartment with two bedrooms, nice sized kitchen and dining/living room area. It is small, by American standards, but oh so easy to keep clean and organized. We are on the ground floor, so the kids can come and go outside as they please. There are lots of kids on the compound - a few the same age as ours. There is a rope swing just outside our door and the perfect tree for climbing.

It is cool in the evenings, but sunny and warm every morning. It usually rains for an hour or so every afternoon and cools off again. The soil is a deep red color, and is nice and moist almost all the time. It's a great place to grow just about anything - corn, lettuce, bananas, avocadoes, cabbage, carrots, cilantro, potatoes, tomatoes, pineapple and other basic garden fare are just a few items that we see regularly for sale around the compound.

We've been here in Kenya for one full week now. It's been a super busy week - more so than I imagined. The kids are adjusting well - it just takes a lot of time. We were greeted so warmly by so many people - other American missionaries and Kenyans. So many familiar faces to see and catch up with. It's amazing how much time it takes just to get from one side of the compound to the other, as you run into 2 or 3 people and have to take the time to shake hands, inquire about their family, and exchange other pleasantries. It's all good!

The kids are making lots of new friends. Our Kenyan neighbors spend a lot of time outside and there are many missionary kids here now to play with, even though most are a little older. It's fun to watch our kids interact with others - younger or older. Nathan is fascinated by the older boys. He watches them and listens to anything they say. With younger kids, he is gentle and friendly. Julia seems to be more shy at the moment, but she is coming around. The second night we were here, some good friends of ours who are studying medicine in Tanzania visited with their two children. Julia and Nathan were both shy at first and wouldn't leave our laps. But by the end of the evening, all four kids were running around the apartment and playing happily with each other. Nathan shared his beloved motorcycles and the two boys drove around every piece of furniture, all around the apartment. Julia finally opened up and shared her artwork and books. They were all jumping on the beds, at one point.

Each day has been a challenge for the kids, as they are still adjusting. Luckily, their sleep patterns have been good - that is one thing we vowed to do - keep their sleep times the same even though everything else around them has changed. They've made comments about going home, or missing our house, missing grandparents. They ask questions about our house and who's watching it, how far Ohio is and when we're going back. But the times they seem homesick are short and they are having fun overall. And of course, they always have each other. They are becoming good friends, even though they can really fight too. They are eating better than ever, which is surprising, as many foods are different here. But with fewer options, I guess they have realized that they need to eat what's available or go hungry. But they're too smart for that sometimes - they know where I keep the stash of goldfish and treats in the cupboard. I did manage to fit a few comfort foods in our suitcases, so we're not suffering too much.

Cooking has become a bit of a challenge. When we lived here last, it was much easier preparing food for two people who like just about anything. Having children here is so different - in terms of food, how time is spent and how we communicate with others. Before we came, I enjoyed collecting recipes and have quite a large selection. Plus, several around here have sent me some good recipes, using local foods. Even though I bought a bunch of staples in Nairobi, I still feel a little unsure of myself in the kitchen. I guess that is my biggest adjustment this time around. I don't mind being at home most of the day with the kids - in fact - I had looked forward to that part of our time here. They do take afternoon naps still, so I am able to catch up on emails and around the house. And I have done some work already for the Visiting Staff Coordinator at the hospital - so this is no vacation by any means.

The missionary families here have really made us feel welcome. We have eaten a few meals around the compound and are enjoying catching up with some, making new acquaintances with others.

We've received some nice letters and emails from many of you. I especially appreciated the birthday wishes today. We're having a simple bday meal, complete with a red velvet bday cake, made and decorated by Eric and the kids. It doesn't get any better than this!

Thanks for all your prayers and support. We feel comfortable after our first week and are excited about what the upcoming weeks will bring. Eric will enter a blog with medical info. - some of you may be more interested than others!

We have internet access...most of the time. It is slower than we're used to, so it takes much longer to catch up on emails and to create this blog. But we have internet and are very thankful. Our blogs may be weekly...not sure how often we'll be able to do this. But we'll try to let you know - or you can visit at any time.

Until we blog again - take care!

Jodi

Week One at the Hospital (Eric)

As it turns out, a lot of the volunteer docs recently left to go back to the U.S. It was obvious that this is a very good time for me to have come because help is very short and the docs that are here are tired. I was happy to have been here before, because there was no one to train me if I did need it.

The first day I was put on the OB service. After starting rounds with my two Kenyan interns, I couldn’t help but think that these were some seriously complicated patients. I then remembered that every normal patient was delivered by the midwives. We only saw the patients that I usually refer to someone else. I also realized that there is no one to ask for advice. I am, for the time being, the most experienced OB here. Ouch.

I was a little nervous about doing my first C-section since coming back. I have only done about 3 in the last 4 years. So I was hoping for a nice easy one to start with as I started my night of call.

Not so. 5:07 pm I got the call for an emergency C-section for a cord prolapse. Oh, so not the way to start out. When that was finished we went straight to a lady that had delivered the first twin 9 hours prior, but had a leg of baby 2 sticking out since then. The fluid around the baby was infected by then. After a quick supper break, I went back up for another C-section.

As I was writing a note on the chart for her, I heard panic yelling for me in the OR next door. Some man had a 6 inch gash on his neck cutting several arteries and completely severing his jugular vein. I naturally assumed as I ran in the room that the OR staff was screaming for me to stop the blood that was flowing and shooting all over the room. But, alas, that wasn’t his biggest problem. The bleeding also was under his skin to the point that it blocked off his airway and he could no longer breathe. So went my first emergency tracheostomy. This means cutting into the neck until I found his trachea, cutting a hole in it, and putting a tube in it. Thankfully there were surgeons soon at hand to take care of the bleeding neck vessels.

Did another C-section immediately after that before going to bed exhausted. I had another C-section before the night was through and they kept coming on day 2.

If you are wondering, all of the above mentioned patients are thankfully doing great.

After day 2, I am tired but having a ball.

The next couple of days I worked in the ER, with lots of interesting cases. People only end up in the ER here if they deserve it.

Day 4 at the hospital is call night again. I assured Jodi that med/peds call will be a piece of cake compared to OB. It turned out to be the night of death.

Half-way through supper I got called up to resuscitate a 25 year old man with TB, who then died. At 11:30 I went up to the ER to help the intern resuscitate a 35 year old lady with an asthma attack, who then died. At 3 am I got called to the nursery to resuscitate a one month old baby with heart disease, who then died. As I was writing the death note for that baby, a 2 day old premi twin tanked. I coded him for a half and hour before looking across the room only to see an intern bagging yet another baby. All I could do was yell, “You have got to be kidding me.” The twin then died, but the last baby survived for now. My good record from call night number one was really starting to look tarnished.

The next day I talked to the chaplain that had to keep waking up every time one of my patients died. He said that 9 patients died in the last 15 hours. That is pretty impressive for a 300 bed hospital. People here are sick.

Aug 21 - 22

We had a nice visit with my parents in VA. The kids were spoiled and had a wonderful time with grandparents, cousin and aunt/uncle. On Thursday we packed up the truck (over 500 pounds of luggage) and headed to the Dulles airport. We arrived, unpacked, said good-bye to Grandpa and checked in. The kids were excited to be at the airport but a little overwhelmed at all the people and especially at the security checkpoint. Nathan didn't like having to take his shoes off! Funny, as now he lives barefoot around Tenwek!

Our flights were all on time and all went smoothly. We had a 7 hour flight to London, a 3 hour layover, then an 8 hour flight to Nairobi. From leaving the house to arriving, it was a full 24 hours. The kids enjoyed the flights, granted we allowed them to watch videos for almost half the time. With individual tv's, you can watch anything, so all of us were happy. Nathan just couldn't believe that we allowed him to keep watching show after show. The food was iffy, but we had lots of good snacks. I had packed a bunch of little toys/gifts to bring out, if the kids got bored or claustrophobic, but didn't have to bring them out. I'll save them for the flights back or give them here on a rainy day. In London, the kids ran around and stretched while we enjoyed a Starbuck's coffee. A new experience for them was the escalator...what a trip!

Upon arrival in Nairobi, we had our first delay. Just before reaching the gate, we hit something. Yes, literally hit something - we don't know if it was a pothole, an animal, a piece of equipment or another plane. That kept us in our plane for almost 1/2 hour, as they had to get someone to push the plane back and then go forward again. No small feat at 9 pm at night in Kenya. The longest delay on top of that then was waiting in line for a Visa. It was almost 10:30 by the time we got to our luggage. All but one of our ten suitcases arrived - and the one that didn't belonged to one of the missionary families. So we were thankful to have all the others.

Patrick, the Samaritan's Purse driver met us outside the luggage claim and took us to a huge van. We belted the kids in and headed to the Mennonite Guesthouse. The kids fell asleep almost immediately and missed the scenic night drive through downtown Nairobi. What great memories it brought back! At the Mennonite, we unpacked all the stuff, then whisked the kids off to bed. What a great place - an oasis in the big city! The kids woke up again and wanted to stay up, but were exhausted. We all finally fell asleep - our first night in Kenya!

The Week Before...

We are busy preparing to leave for Tenwek Hospital, Kenya. So far we have 10 large suitcases - we are allowed 12. No small feat getting these plus two toddlers to the airport. Join us as we travel to Kenya to work at Tenwek Hospital for 2 1/2 months. It's going to be a fun ride!