Day ONE

Heads up...no internet maybe for a week.


Right now it is 830am 12/4/2011. It seems I'm usually the first one awake, usually motivated by the fact that breakfast starts at 830, and so far only one other person is awake. I put my ear on the doors of the rest of the group and I haven't heard anything.  Maybe its my ears. I'm so reluctant to be the one to wake people up. We are supposed to leave at 945 to Muranga today.




DAY ONE:


We started out our morning slow. Most of us had a spanish omelete with sausage on the side, toast and fruit. I can get used to that everyday.


Our first task as a group was to unpack all of the suitcases and categorize all of the medications and medical supplies. We ultimately split the majority in half- for Samburu and Muranga; some of the supplies were also set aside for Kenyatta Hospital, which we are hoping to tour later on.


After 7pm we headed to Westgate- "THE MALL". This is very much decorated like at home- they're ready for christmas. We exchanged our money into shillings and attempted to buy "gum boots"- aka rubber boots for the rain. Yes it has been raining on and off here, and the party we're going to is outdoor and we've been forewarned about how muddy it is.


We arrived at house party around 900pm. The backyard had a couple tents, there was a good 40-50 people there...maybe even more. People were sitting down on folded chairs facing the stage. All the young boys (ages 12-14 ??) who were scheduled to be circumcised were standing in a row on the stage. A few people were sharing the mic: This man dressed in a white robe thing, and a furry white hat and a couple men dressed like a preecher. Of course I didn't understand what they were saying. They also had huge speakers, a camera man and professional lights for the stage. They were basically preparing these boys to become MEN. Maybe we should do this back home? maybe...


just saying...haha


It sprinkled on and off. I ate whatever was there- mystery meat (some say it was goat, but it didn't smell like it), tomato salad with onions, corn meal mashed with vegetables (it was green)- looked like guacamole and roasted potatoes.

On the ride home we took the back roads because of traffic. And because of the rain, some of the roads were blocked. I felt like I needed a breast binder and that at any given road bump my skin was going to detach from my chest. The road we were taking was that bad...and yet for some reason I was able to fall asleep. I've always loved long car rides for the nap, but this has definitely brought me to a new level.

Our last member also arrived from the airport last night, a doctor from Seattle.

I sipped on my Tusker beer, tried to use the internet (and gave up) and packed my stuff for the next day.

So here I am eating my eggs and sausage, fruit and yogurt. We're going on a hike today. So far its not raining and the weather is similar to LA. Defintely not as cold as the bay area.