Monday, September 27, 2010

Lindsay's new name

I have a new Maasai name, and I think many of you will laught!  It is quite common for people here to have two names - an English name as well as a tribal (Maasai, Kikuu, etc) name.  Well, Kimare only has one name so one day when we were enjoying a meal, he decided his other name would be Simba.  This has been pretty funny because every time he sees us, he smiles and says "SIMBA" in a very deep and growling voice and then laughs.  Well, I thought it fitting to ask for a Maasai name.  After days of thought, yesterday Simba informed me that my Maasai name is Naasisho, which means "active one" or "the one who is always working."  I had to laugh.  Even in the bush in the middle of nowhere, I have to be doing something! Only a few days in the bush and these men already know me so well, even with a huge language barrier.  Simba plans to give Mike his Maasai name soon; he is still discerning.  I will keep you posted.

We are headed back out to Karero today, having loaded up with supplies in Tanzania and Namanga.  We had a restful day yesterday. We were able to post a few pictures and, of course, check the Seahawks score this morning (Go Seahawks!!!)  Hope to write again soon!

Lindsay's new name

I have a new Maasai name, and I think many of you will laught!  It is quite common for people here to have two names - an English name as well as a tribal (Maasai, Kikuu, etc) name.  Well, Kimare only has one name so one day when we were enjoying a meal, he decided his other name would be Simba.  This has been pretty funny because every time he sees us, he smiles and says "SIMBA" in a very deep and growling voice and then laughs.  Well, I thought it fitting to ask for a Maasai name.  After days of thought, yesterday Simba informed me that my Maasai name is Naasisho, which means "active one" or "the one who is always working."  I had to laugh.  Even in the bush in the middle of nowhere, I have to be doing something! Only a few days in the bush and these men already know me so well, even with a huge language barrier.  Simba plans to give Mike his Maasai name soon; his is still discerning.  I will keep you posted.

We are headed back out to Karero today, having loaded up with supplies in Tanzania and Namanga.  We had a restful day yesterday. We were able to post a few pictures and, of course, check the Seahawks score this morning (Go Seahawks!!!)  Hope to write again soon!

Here are a few pictures!

Loading the water tanks onto the tower at Oloile Secondary School in Kimana

Mike, Tyson and Kimara (aka "simba") standing by the new table Mike built

Doing a little teaching at the clinic with Faith and Joyce (Thank you EFM for the otoscope and all the supplies!)

Scraping the floor and filling in the cracks with concrete at the clinic

Mike enjoying soup with the guys (Baba Nanoia, Simba, and Tyson)

The meeting of the men (similar to a trial)

Sunset in Karero

Tyson's house and our lovely home while we are in Kimana. Mike is playing catch with Tyson's nephew.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Life in Karero

Our life in Karero sort of goes like this:

We wake around 7:30am to the sounds of one of the following:
1)      1) KiMaasai being sung or spoken directly outside of our tent
2)      2)  Children singing at the adjacent primary school
3)      3) Donkeys walking right next to the tent in route to deposit our daily water supply in a large basin behind the clinic

A wonderful woman brings us tea every morning which we enjoy with our very traditional meal…PB&J.  We have introduced PB&J to a few of the Maasai men who seem to like it, but always note that it is very sweet.  I think they prefer roasted goat meat and goat soup as they enjoyed it one morning with much delight. Mike has enjoyed many types of goat soup with the guys (i.e. goat soup made from goat intestines, goat ribs, and goat head). I always come close, but graciously decline (just can’t do it!).

We get to work after breakfast.  Mike and I in typical American/”get to work” fashion set out to work right away.  We are soon joined by Tyson, Kimare (aka “simba”…a nickname he recently gave himself), and Baba Nanoia (named so after his first born “Nanoia”). You will have to excuse my spelling! Several other Maasai men and women stop by through the day to help with work or to visit. Work consists of endless scraping, sweeping, mopping, building, and painting.  I cannot begin to explain how much dust there is in the bush.  The other day, the wind and dust blew so hard that it blew down a metal kitchen at the school.  The dust is 2-3 inches deep in some areas.  This makes it difficult when you are trying to paint the floor!  Anyway, I work with the men doing the repairs, but am often interrupted to also assist with patient care and teaching.  The other day I was in my work clothes, mask and goggles, covered in dirt, bugs, and God knows what else, when I was asked to see a woman who was possibly having a miscarriage…quite a contrast of work, but it keeps me on my toes and I love it.  

The clinic is pretty much open 24 hours a day.  Things are starting to pick up and we are trying to help bring it back to life. It has been wonderful to work alongside members of the community.  The hope is really to empower the community to take ownership of and pride in this clinic.  We will see.
Joyce, Faith and her son, Alex, all live at the clinic as they await suitable housing to be built.  Ester is the laboratory technician.  Faith is the medical assistant who also helps with intake and Maasia translation.  Joyce is the new nurse who has been hired to see patients and is quickly taking ownership of clinic.  I will have to postpone an explanation of the Kenyan healthcare system, particularly roles of healthcare workers, as it would take way too long and I am still trying to understand (Alas, a “system” just as confusing and crazy as the American healthcare system!).   We exchange ideas and I have been doing some teaching. I have given her my old Sanford Guide to explain all about prescribing antibiotics, antiparasitics, etc.  Thank you to the entire Edmonds Family Medicine team, the Karero clinic is greatly benefitting from a huge donation of medical supplies. 

We break for lunch sometime between 1 and 3, depending on the meal (beans and rice vs. slaughtering a goat).  We work a bit after lunch until the early evening.  Every day varies depending on what is going on in the community, available supplies at the clinic, and tasks that need to be accomplished and how that is affected by supply (i.e. whether we have water that day).  Unlike in America, you can never assume or take for granted that you have anything, such as light or water. 

During our week at the clinic, there has been a lot of activity in the surrounding Karero Maasai community.  I cannot really explain our “typical” day in Karero without interjecting some of the week’s headlines.  Unfortunately, much of the activity has been that of violence among the Maasai men resulting in several community meetings. The Maasai judicial system works like this:
1)     1)  an event/crime  occurs such as a fight or theft *
2)     2) The next day, there is a meeting of all the Maasai men (only those who have been circumcised and older) in which all members have an opportunity to voice their opinions
3)     3) The elders then decide the punishment, which usually consists of a payment of Kenyan shillings, animals, and beer given to the victim’s family (the beer is usually for the elders)
*Note, the crime or event only includes those in which men are the victims.  For instance, there is no “trial” or punishment if a man beats his wife or if a woman is raped.  (Needless to say, this is a bit frustrating!)

I am acutely aware of the happenings in the community, as I have been seeing and treating the victims in the clinic.  The first night we were there, Joyce had left for the evening and the only people at the clinic were Faith, Alex, Mike and me.   Mike and I were just about to go to sleep when a few Maasai men and women came to the clinic.  There had been a fight and one of the men had been beaten over the head with a club, which resulted in a large open wound on his head.  Luckily, Faith could translate and I ended up suturing this guy’s head in the dark with a few broken flashlights to assist me.  Looking back, it was quite a comical scene...
 Picture this: a dark room in the middle of the bush with one broken flashlight that kept going on and off and one that continued to run out of batteries and a white American girl who speaks about 7 Maasai words (“thank you,” “how are you,” “yes”, and “no”) with an intoxicated patient who refused local anesthesia and insisted on moving his head every 2 minutes.  Ahh, it was a frustrating comedy to say the least.  Thankfully, I was able to repair his wound with ten stitches and not stick myself in the process!

The other event was that a man whipped a child with a branch across his face and the poor kid presented with a facial wound and swelling.  We bandaged him up and the man is awaiting punishment. 

These sort of violent activities are not acceptable and the community seems to take action quickly in order to establish punishment.  I hope that soon that their legal code will also apply to women. 

Mike and I sleep in tent outside of the clinic.  We prefer camping in our cozy tent to sleeping inside the clinic.  We are guarded through the night by our Maasai warrior watchman, Baba Nanoia.  Baba Nanoia (aka “leg guy” as he has a deformed foot from falling in a fire as a child and everyone calls him “leg guy” without question of insult) protects us through the night from the hyenas, donkeys, lions, and other animals that I try not to think about.  Despite his deformity, he was one of the best and fearless warriors of his tribe.   He is quickly becoming our good friend, teaching us KiMaasai language and learning some of our American slang.  We really enjoy spending time with him through the day and wish we were able to communicate better.  His KiSwahilli is a bit limited and our KiMaasai is very limited.  Despite the language barrier, we feel close to him and he protects us well.  In a sincere moment yesterday, he generously offered to give us one of his daughters as a gift.  I know this sounds absolutely crazy, but, apparently, Maasai families will sometimes give one of their children as a gift to a woman.  As much you know I would love to adopt a child from Africa, I could never imagine taking a child from his or her family.  We graciously declined…and were a bit speechless as I am not sure the proper response to this sort of offering. 

So, then, we usually fall asleep to the sound of donkeys and birds. I often wake in the middle of the night to the sound of cackling hyenas, which, if I were to think about it too closely, would scare the crap out of me!  Don’t worry mom and dad, I promise we are safe! 

So, that is a summary of our  “typical” day/week.  As you can tell amid all the digressions, there is nothing routine or typical about it.   We are in Mali Tisa and Namanga for a few days to gather more supplies before we head back out for another "week"...remember, no such as thing as time in Kenya!  

Thank you to all of you who have supported us with your generous donations. You are helping to provide a functioning clinic to this wonderful community.


Saturday, September 18, 2010

You know your in Africa when...

You know you are in Africa when you drive 200 miles with a live sheep in the back of the car:)  Apparently, you also know you are in Africa when you see people walking down the street with Sonics jerseys!  Mike had another spotting of a Sonics jersey - this time it was Gary Payton!

It has been another busy week, every day settling in to life here. Poli poli (little by little).  We left Kimana yesterday are now in Namanga.  We are leaving today to spend two weeks living and working in the bush at the clinic in Karero.  Mike, Tyson, and many of the Maasai men will be building, painting, and restoring.  I am planning to do some public health teaching as well as some medical training.  I am bringing about 50 empty plastic water bottles in an attempt to teach about clean water - i.e. boiling or leaving in the sun to kill the bacteria.

We are building relationships and learning how and why things are done.  We hope to have an exchange of information, but first we must earn the right to be heard.  There are so many little things that make us laugh every day (i.e. why you wait for an hour to pick someone up, only to drive them 10 feet and drop them off or why when there is a rode that is 10 feet wide, the motorbike will come as close as possible to you walking down the street!).  Little by little we learn.  Despite the insecurities and feeling so out of place some days, I find myself falling in love with the spirit of the people here.  The generosity of spirit is truly humbling.  Thank you again to all of you for helping us get here.

Will write more soon

Friday, September 10, 2010

So much to report....so little connectivity

Greetings to all!  Our internet connectivity is limited, to say the least, so I will try to summarize our last week as best as possible.  We travelled to Karero and then back to Kimana.  We have spent the last week in Kimana trying to settle into some sort of day to day structure.  We have quickly discovered that "structure" does not really exist in Kenya and you just have to go with the flow, as so many of you wise individuals have already advised.  Our moods ebb and flow very quickly throughout the day, fluctuating through points of optimism and frustration, hope and discouragement, and overwhelming joy and total insecurity.  We are learning some sort of balance between our eagerness and "need" to do things/ "let's get things done" mentality and the predominant societal tone to move at a slower pace.  I had a great conversation with one of the public health officers the other day, Muthoni.  She was explaining how there is no such thing as time in Kenya and that things are always disorganized.  I explained that we are very focused on organization, punctuality, and structure in the states...sometimes to a fault, just as in Kenya the disorganization can be to a fault.  We both agreed Americans need to learn a bit from Kenyans about how to live day to day just as Kenyans may benefit from a  little more organization.  In such a short time, I think we have both discovered that most is accomplished by simply sharing stories.  There is so much for us to learn regarding how and why things are done.  Our hope is to continue the conversations so that we may learn and, possibly, earn the right to be heard as well.

There is so much spiraling through our minds so I thought it only fitting that this blog post be just as scattered as my brain right now.  So many things are different here.  You know, there are the little things like walking by camels and monkeys on the way to town, seeing the brightest stars and a different organization of constellations at night, no running water, using the "cho" (ahh, fond memories for all who have travelled:)), etc..  Then there are the deeper differences and ethical dilemmas, particularly when it comes to public health, sanitation and hygiene, women's rights (or lack thereof)...more on this later.  I am seeing and treating tropical diseases I have never seen before and trying to work within the chaos that is the health care system.  Mike is working with totally different modes of construction.  He even built a shelf out of branches and cardboard....we are processing and will expand more on all of this as the days go by.  Now, a recap...

After I last blogged, we travelled back to Karero to help organize the medical clinic.  Mike built several shelves and a new desk.  They were using the birthing table as a desk and are now able to use the birthing table as it is meant to be used. I helped organized all the supplies and medications, and did some medical education for the new nurse who will be seeing patients.  We really love being with the Maasai community in Karero and look forward to returning.

In Kimana, I have been helping at the local health care clinic sponsored by the ministry of health. I have been seeing patients and working with the public health officers. I am trying to learn my Kiswahili as fast as possible as it is very difficult to communicate.  The clinic often arranges for a translator, but it is short staffed.  The supplies and medications are greatly limited. I am afraid the entire community is going to become resistant to sulfa!  I was able to observe and assist with an eye surgery for a trachoma infection.  Next week, I hope to continue to assist in the eye clinic, see patients, and work with the public health officers as they launch a major education effort about cholera.  I am also planning to do some health education at the secondary school in a few weeks. Mike has been working with some of the local construction crews, learning how things are done and trying to offer some insights from time to time.  We both will be returning to Karero next Friday to spend two weeks working at the clinic – doing more medical teaching/training, painting and repairing the clinic so it can be fully functional. 

Life with Tyson’s family is wonderful.  We come together every evening for meals, great conversation.   We joke with Tyson and his wife, Mama Nasieku, about how Mama and I are going to teach each other a few things… soon Mama will be calling the shots and I will be preparing all of my husbands meals:) Nasieku, Siente, and Rachel (their three daughters) are helping teach us the language, always playing and singing around the house.  It took a few days for all of us to warm to each other, but it now feels so comfortable, like we are family. 

I apologize if this is all a bit scattered. It is difficult to consolidate a week into a few paragraphs. I think pictures paint a thousand words so I will post pictures as soon as possible.  We love and miss you all!  Thank you again for all your continuous support.  Hope to write again soon…