This was our last full day in clinic – hard to believe. Our pace really picked up this week and we saw nearly 500 patients yesterday. We’re not seeing as many really sick people, so we can handle the numbers although it means very hot long days. Everyone is pitching in where needed and all understand the need for flexibility – without that attitude our days would stretch into sunset. Two ophthalmologists from a mission clinic about 2 ½ hours east of here, came and examined patients yesterday. They will return in January to transport those who need surgery to their clinic. The cost is about $40, which is too much for some of the villagers. One of the ophthalmologists spoke at breakfast this morning and described the jubilation of people who were nearly blind from cataracts, not seeing for years, who by the day after surgery return to near perfect eye sight. We hope to continue to collaborate with them and to find ways to support those who need the surgery.

Because of rain that makes some of the roads impassable, we’ve had to hike into the clinic a couple of days, picking several inches of mud on our shoes despite our efforts to avoid the wettest spots. Any shoes that aren’t tied tightly risk getting sucked into the mud. Although, our bus got stuck once, we’ve not had to push this year (I’m knocking on wood as I say this).

Tomorrow, we work a ½ day so that everyone can get a chance to shop, pack and just relax. We still, however, will still meet for breakfast by 6:30 so there is no sleeping in. Sunday we meet our guide at 6:15 a.m. for a sunrise boat ride on Lake Victoria. The next day we leave for safari where we won’t have internet or cell phone access.

Last Wednesday we celebrated SHARE Kenya’s 15th anniversary with a party at the clinic. Bonyo hired a fabulous band – voted number 1 in Kenya 2 years in a row. Despite the heat, most everyone got up and danced, stopping to cool down under a large tarp, and then joining the dancing again. We left around 4 and dropped people at the craft market – a long row of sellers who try to out shout each other to attract attention to their items. They will bargain, usually quite vigorously, and one student “bought” a small purse for bug spray and a couple of other items.

Before traveling to the clinic on Wednesday, we toured one of the local hospitals. There are 3 in Kisumu: private, district and regional. The quality differs significantly between the 3 and I think most everyone who toured the district hospital, would not want to go back as a patient. The private hospital is modern and our friend, Dr. Allibhoy, ensures that anyone in our group who needs medical care is well attended to. Dr. Allibhoy comes and lectures to us every year on the major diseases we’ll see and his wife, Nuni, is always willing to assist with nonmedical issues.

We have wireless internet for the first time in the lobby of the hotel and most mornings and evenings, people congregate in the lobby, emailing and texting friends, checking Facebook, sharing pictures of the snow back home and any news they receive. We’ve noticed less homesickness this year and believe that easier access to home helps.

Tomorrow night we’ll hold a party for our interpreters who make all of this possible. We pay them a very small stipend, yet every year there are people turned away from the position. Several of our interpreters are planning to attend medical school and one is in pharmacy school. Their days are as long as ours, but we hear no complaints – just jokes about how we’ll need to spend the night at the clinic and not get any dinner.

One of the many things that surprises on a first visit here, is the number of cell phones. Seemingly everyone carries one. For example, we see women in traditional clothes, carrying large containers or baskets on their heads, talking on a cell phones. All of our interpreters have one and, in fact, one of our interpreters owns a small cell phone business.

I think that everyone likes the hotel food and our breakfasts and dinners offer a range of food. Lunch at the clinic is mostly bread with peanut butter and tea. The most important thing here is water. We take large jugs, but it is hard at times to keep up when seeing one patient right after another, but we keep emphasizing it and everyone is trying to stay hydrated. Many of our patients are dehydrated so we fix large jugs of pediolite each day for the kids and give some of the adults Gatorade.

There are several things that we don’t or rarely see in this area of Kenya: people smoking, obesity, fire stations/trucks, road kill, washers and dryers (the hotel washes all the sheets and laundry by hand and hangs them to dry on the roof), large strip malls, SUVs, Christmas lights and trees, snow, people eating snack food and Pepsi (Coke, however, is everywhere).

This is a great group. They work hard, are kind and compassionate, and love to share a good laugh. I’ve heard several students say that they’d like to stay longer and/or return. I do hope that they do!

Debbie Meyer

December 5, 2010

We finished our first week at the clinic where we saw around 1,000 people of all ages – from newborns to a woman who says she is 100. Too many children come in seriously ill, usually with malaria. We now have the ability to run rapid tests to confirm malaria, the right meds to give and can even start IV’s and hydrate those who need it. Many, however, complain of the aches and pains that come from bending over in the rice fields, standing mid-calf deep in water for hours on end and from the women who carry large heavy containers on their head with amazing grace.

Speaking of Amazing Grace, we were supposed to sing it this morning during mass in Masara, Bonyo’s village, along with a few short verses of Christmas song, but were delayed by one of two marathons the past week that tied up traffic. We did, however, still get the opportunity to sing it at the church. We were followed by a small choir of children who sang and danced.

Once we arrived at Masara, the villagers prepared a large feast for us. The village gathers water from wells. There are still way too many people throughout the region, however, who don’t have access to wells and must walk long distances to collect it, often from the same places where they water their animals and wash their clothes and vehicles.

Several of our team registered for the first marathon, which raised funds for AIDs/HIV. It was supposed to start at 5:30 a.m., but since we’re on Kenyan time, the race hadn’t started by 7 a.m. so they returned for breakfast with new t-shirts and stories of people they met.

This year I’ve noticed things they may indicate somewhat of an improvement in conditions – motorcycles are replacing bicycles (still very unsafe with many deaths), more cars, more tractors in the fields, many of them fairly new, electrical wires in rural areas (the government has a stated goal of wiring all schools) and rice fields that stretch for miles filled with green reeds. In the past, many of the rice plots were fallow. Even the cattle that roam everywhere, many tended by young boys, are fatter. Throughout the fields are white ibis, heron, black ibis, roseate spoon-bills, crown cranes, ducks, a bird similar to our red-wing blackbird, kingfisher, weavers, sandpipers, and others that we can’t identify.

They grow basmati rice – we can smell it in the air: sweet and earthy. They cut it, dry it in a circle, thrash it, spread it on large tarps to dry again, and then sack it and take it to a weight station via bicycle, donkey, on their heads or, if lucky, on tractors where it is sold per silo.

We also met a charcoal vender who goes to the mountains by bicycle, traveling up to 5 days, to collect 2-3 bags of charcoal that he can sell for 700-800 schilling bags (about $10). Everywhere are tin shacks that sell everything from colorful plastic bowls to beds, vegetables, meat (we’ve seen meat drying on a butcher’s tin roof, sodas, and most anything else you’d need for day-to-day life. One of my favorites are the stalls draped in colorful fabric with women sitting at trundle machines who can turn the material into outfits. A seamstress brought material to our hotel and a large number of our group were fitted for clothes.

Many of the roads are still potholed and rutted so our hour-long ride to the clinic is rough on anyone with a weak stomach or who doesn’t tolerate jostling. Gas is $5/gallon and so our buses only put in what we need each day because of concerns about theft.

Although, some of our team has felt a bit homesick and we are experiencing our first wave of travelers’ diarrhea (lasting about 24 hours), things are going well. Last night we went to dinner at a lovely place on Lake Victoria where we watched a sunset and eat a fabulous meal. The frogs that sound like our peepers were drowned out by laughter. We met two other groups from Ohio – once again proving that this is a small world.

One of the greatest joys on these trips is getting to know our interpreters. Many have worked with us for years, so we veterans return to old friends and the newbies make new friends. They are truly an wonderful group and we couldn’t function without them.

I hear that it is snowy and cold at home. Here it is high 90’s and brilliant sun most of the day. Twice thunderstorms moved through late afternoon. If we’re at the clinic, we scramble to get out quickly since our buses can’t make it out once the roads become muddy and slippery.

Our engineers left yesterday and we will miss them. They not only worked on developing an autoclave for the clinic, but also pitched in at the clinic, helping distribute eye glasses and assisting at intake. And, much to the delight of everyone, they built a corn horn game, using socks filled with beans as the bags. They built it for the kids, but the initial games were among the adults working the clinic. We are already betting on how many we’ll find here next year since they used all common materials.

We’re back to the clinic tomorrow.

Debbie Meyer

December 1, 2010

We completed our second day seeing patients. Thus far, the number of patients is very manageable, which is great since it takes a couple of days to get up to speed. We run 3 intake rooms with 2 stations in each where we get patients BP, temps, etc. before they move on to see a physician. We added a lab for the first time and it is a quite a hit even though we still have limited capabilities. Our eye glass room continues to draw large crowds for sun, reading and corrective glasses. Next week a team of ophthalmologist is coming to examine patients and determine who would benefit from surgery that they provide for free or very or discounted cost. And, as always, the pharmacy is invaluable both in the education they provide and the medications.

As always, dozens of kids spend their days at the clinic, interacting with everyone and asking for bics or anything else we'll hand out. They never fail to win everyone's hearts and they eagerly join any game or song we initiate. I'm sure that all of you will see multiple pictures of these kids when you're family member/friend returns.

Despite the heat, poverty, new experiences, and full days at the clinic, everyone is doing well and the different groups are meshing. We meet for breakfast every morning at 6:30 and get reports concerning our upcoming day as well as student presentations on various conditions. We leave the hotel around 8 for a 45 minute drive along pot-holed roads and dirt roads that force our drivers to weave among deep trenches, bicyclists, walkers, cows, goats and sheep. Evenings are spent together outside eating food cooked by female chef who fixes an array of foods.

Debbie Meyer

November 28, 2010

We arrived in Kisumu and checked in by noon Sunday. The trip went without incident and though we're all exhausted, everyone is in good spirits. A large contingent toured London yesterday during our 9 hour layover, braving the city's first cold snap of the year.

Tomorrow we will go out to the clinic and sort supplies so that we're ready to start seeing patients on Tuesday. We must unpack over 30 crates of supplies and get everyone oriented, which should consume our entire day.

Debbie Meyer