Nairobi

I'm back in Nairobi for the remainder of my stay in Kenya. For all the negative publicity Nairobi gets because of it's astronomical crime rate, I really love this city.

My 2nd cup of coffee in 2 months is pictured above.

We went to dinner at Carnivore in Nairobi, where they carve exotic meats off a Masaai sword at your table. I didn't care much for the crocodile (picture), but the ostrich was great.

I'm hoping that someone from Amnesty International will take some time out to speak with me tomorrow. I don't have an appointment so the chances are slim. But it's worth a try. We've spent a bit of time in my graduate program focusing on this effort and Kenya struggles with some of the worst corruption in the world.

I fly out tomorrow night and arrive back home Saturday afternoon. I'm sorry to leave but I know I'll be back here again. And I'm ready to return to my life.

Thanks to all of you who emailed, called and followed this blog. I'm looking forward to seeing your faces again soon.

The Masai Mara

Our safari through the Masai Mara was even better than expected. This is the low season due to the rain so you take your chance on planning a safari during this time. The roads can be impassable and the animals can be scarce. We were lucky to have an experienced guide and the rain held off until the evenings. The pictures speak for themselves. The footprint pictured is that of a hippo. The Masaai Tribe is one of the most fascinating in Kenya. From the ages of 15 to 20, boys spend most of their time learning how to jump. The higher you jump, the fewer cows you have to pay for a wife. They also must kill a lion with a spear during this time in order to become a warrior. And I am proud to announce that I won the jumping competition. Mind you, I would not stop until I won. And I insisted on being critiqued (via translator) in order to improve my skill.

Zanzibar, Tanzania

My Kenyan visa allowed me entry into Uganda and Tanzania. I had loved Uganda and I couldn't pass up the chance to go to Tanzania. So I went there solo. I've met really cool volunteers here and had a blast traveling with them but it's hard to live, work and travel with the same people all the time and I was really craving some time to myself. Traveling alone in a foreign country is such a different experience. I loved it.

Zanzibar is a Muslim island in the Indian Ocean. I split my time there between Stone Town and the beaches of Kendwa and Nungwi. Stone Town feels magical when you're in it. You could get lost for hours in it's winding, unmarked, walled streets (picture). Which I of course did. And didn't mind at all. It's also incredibly affordable. My dinner of sugarcane juice and white shark cost about $7.

Zanzibar is known for it's spices. I went on a tour of a private plantation, owned by a friend of my taxi driver to see nutmeg (pictured), cloves, cinnamon, vanilla and pepper.

I went snorkeling at Kendwa reef. I arrived at the beach after the daily trip had left for the day but was able to convince a guide to take me out for the afternoon. Again, being alone instead of with 20 other people made the experience that much better. I couldn't get over the amount and colors of the fish.

I met up with some other volunteers for the night at Nungwi Beach and somehow wound up at a local live music competition off the beaten path. Entrance involved a password. Seriously. And it was awesome.

My banda was right on the ocean and the view (pictures) was incredible.

Lamu, Malindi & Gede Ruins

Lamu is an original Swahili settlement and Kenya's oldest living town - over a thousand years old. It is a stone town with streets so narrow that cars are not allowed on the island. The only mode of travel is by foot, camel, or donkey.

We spent a day on the Indian Ocean in a traditional dhow. We had to catch our lunch. I contributed absolutely nothing to this but did manage to make quite a scene when I thought I had caught something. Turns out it was seaweed. Luckily, one of the guys who came out with us caught enough to feed the whole boat. While the captain cooked our fish on an island, we swam in what felt like bath water. After lunch we sailed to a floating bar for some dawas - which actually translates to "medicine" in Swahili. Just a couple of these was all it took to convince me that riding a camel through town was a completely logical idea. As you can see in the picture, the camel was being led by an 8 year old boy. I was assured that this boy had been doing this "for so long,no worries". I had no idea that I would be at a 90 degree angle when the camel got up from the lying position back-end first. I also had no idea that camels scream. I assure you they do.
Later that evening I also attempted a donkey. Backwards. I love Africa.

The Gede Ruins near Malinidi were amazing. There is no written record of this town's existence but it's estimated that 2500 people inhabited the area in the 13th century. Some of the Arabic inscriptions are still visible on the walls. The place is like a jungle gym for monkeys. Monkeys who really enjoy bananas and will come right up to you and take them out of your hand.

Mombasa, Kenya

The train from Nairobi to Mombasa was reported to take between 10 and 12 hours. After 18 hours on a train with fans that stopped working, "Oh, about 5 years ago ma'am. So funny", we arrived.

We spent the afternoon at Fort Jesus, a Portugese fortress built at the end of the sixteenth century (picture). It was poorly preserved, but beautiful nontheless.

We sampled some paan (picture) - a betel leaf filled with areca nuts, coconut and spices.

We met up with another volunteer who was working in Mombasa for the best cup of chai tea I've ever enjoyed, on the banks of the channel. It's remarkable how much different your experience can be as an outsider in these places when you know someone who actually lives within the community you're visiting.

Our nightclub experience was interesting to say the least. I would estimate that 90% of the women in the club were prostitutes. The signs outside the club promised the latest and greatest hits. Upon entry, we were treated to Shania Twain. Over and over and over again. All in all it was a great time.

Sarah Obama

I paid a visit to Obama's grandmother in Kogelo, Kenya the day before I left for the coast. She lives in a remote village not too far from Kabula. She said that she was proud to attend the inauguration but has no interest in returning to the U.S.

Lake Nakuru and Hell's Gate

This was by far my favorite adventure since arriving in Kenya. We spent Saturday on safari in search of hippos and flamingos in Lake Nakuru. And we found them. I had no idea how massive the hippos were or how hard they are to find. Some of the other volunteers had spent many days on previous safaris trying to find hippos without success so we were lucky. Hundreds of thousands of flamingos made the lake look completely pink. We basically had the park to ourselves and were able to spend quite a bit of time on the lake shore outside of the van. The sound of that many flamingos was unreal.

We spent Sunday in Hell's Gate National Park. This is the only game park that allows you to bike through without any barrier between you and the animals. It's really wild to have a zebra racing alongside you three feet away. Njorowa Gorge was one of the most beautiful places I've ever
seen. It's a volcanic canyon with sandstone walls and natural hotsprings and waterfalls. It has to be one of Kenya's best kept secrets. We spent hours climbing and never saw anyone outside of our group.

Our safari guide was arrested on Sunday afternoon because our park tickets had somehow gotten ripped. I know, it sounds ridiculous. The police were willing to drop the matter for about $30 U.S. dollars. And weren't the least bit shy about asking. After much debate and refusal to pay the bribe, our guide was eventually released. Corruption has really gotten into everything here, it's disheartening.

I leave the farm on Friday morning for Mombasa. A 9 hour bus ride, followed by a 16 hour train ride will deliver me to the Indian Ocean. The plan is to head up to Lamu for a couple days and then Malindi before going to Tanzania. My last few days in Africa will be spent on safari in the Masai Mara.

I can't believe how quickly time has passed here.

2nd Women's Health Group

The church we taught in had a tin roof, making classes a bit challenging when the heavy rain came every afternoon. But this group of women was so much fun.

Jinja, Uganda

We travelled a couple hours into Uganda for the weekend to go whitewater rafting on the Nile River. It was amazing. And absolutely terrifying. Class 5 rapids. And as you can see our raft completely capsized. I managed to swallow about 2 liters of the Nile in about 20 seconds. I owe my life to Tutu, the 'safety kayaker' who rescued me. And then offered me a lollipop as some kind of consolation. Or at least to disguise the taste of the river. I was fortunate to share the experience with 6 other girls who are all traveling throughout various African countries for various reasons. Which lended itself to some great conversation for the 6 hour rafting trip.

Saturday night was spent in an intense jumbo Jenga tournament at the bar. And I have to say I had no idea how skilled I was until some friendly bets started being placed.

We went to the source of the Nile on Sunday morning. And I had my first cup of coffee in 5 weeks as well as a moment of silence to mark the occasion.

Opposing Muslim factions met to 'discuss their differences' in the middle of Jinja on Sunday afternoon as dozens of Ugandan troops stood around them armed with machine guns.
A bit unsettling as the crowds of people became larger and louder.

We did eventually make it back to the farm. Another Women's Health group started this morning and they're great.

I can't believe I leave Kabula in 10 days but am looking forward to seeing the coast. Everyone I've spoken to who has done it says it's incredible.

Entamoeba Histolytica

I had never heard of it either. But I got it. Bad. Which led to a 5 day hospital stay here in Kenya. I hadn't been feeling 100% since I came back from Kisumu but you don't really want to be the volunteer complaining of a stomach ache when you're there trying to help other people, some of whom are near death. But on Friday morning, the abdominal pain was getting worse and one of my hutmates, Lucy, said she had not slept because she could actually hear my stomach growling nonstop throughout the night. I was driven out of town to a hospital in Mumias. Thankfully, I was accompanied my Emily, a microfinance volunteer here who took over the daunting task of explaining international health insurance to the hospital administrator before I could be treated.

Initially the doctor thought I had malaria, then e.coli and finally diagnosed me with entamoeba histolytica. And apparently this strain of amoeba, if left untreated, penetrates the intestinal wall and leads to brain and liver abscesses. It is transmitted through contaminated food or water. I have no idea when I got it but nobody else in my group did. There's a strong possibility that the one time I accidentally rinsed my toothbrush with tap water in Kisumu was enough.

After 3 days of IV antibiotics, IV fluids, IV Ranitidine, and IV pain meds, I was switched to the next phase of oral treatment with Diloxanide - a drug I had never taken before or even heard of - and I was quite allergic. Within 2 hours of taking the pill I was engulfed in hives. I even had them between my toes and inside my ears - not something I knew was possible. I was started on a large dose of steroids. The only other treatment for this amoeba is a drug called Aminosidine. Which of course the hospital did not have in stock. They had to go looking for it at other hospitals. It was eventully located and I am happy to report that I was released this morning.

I was very fortunate to have taken out international health insurance before I left. I was the only person in the hospital who had such a thing for my first 3 days. Eventually an engineer from India who was there to set up power at the sugar plant was admitted with Malaria. We had the entire wing to ourselves. In Kenya, the insured and the uninsured are placed in separate areas. In the uninsured areas, 20 - 30 beds are in an open room - highly infectious, with 1 shared hole in the ground for a bathroom and no mosquito netting. Having insurance means a private room with your own bathroom, hot water, mosquito netting, 6 meals a day, and your own nurse.

And I learned how to say, "Iko sowa" which means "It's ok". I said this repeatedly as each healthcare worker I came into contact with apologetically confessed, "Pole. I've never taken care of a muzungu". I think some were genuinely relieved, although a bit surprised to learn that my blood, too, was red. They certainly had never seen red hives on white skin. Which elicited some rather alarming gasps at the time.

There's no such thing as "advance diet as tolerated" here and since I can't drink any water-based liquids that haven't been treated, my first meal after not eating for 2 days was lamb stew. Which was delicious, but a bit heavy.

My doctors and nurses were really wonderful. We had a good time comparing health care in Kenya vs. the U.S. We lost power a few times a day and the generator stopped working a few months ago. There are no IV pumps so the careful positioning of your arm determines whether you get your antibiotics over 2 hours or over 5 minutes. The nurses took care of me in flip-flops. And I wore a "dress" in place of a hospital gown - basically a nonbreathing moo moo that could accomodate 4 of me.

My nurses were very maternal, which I really appreciated. Especially when I was covered with hives. They actually started praying for me when I said I needed more than Prednisone. I was thinking something more along the lines of IV Benadryl, but the prayers were a nice gesture. They boiled milk for me so that I could have tea and tucked my mosquito netting around me every night.

All in all, I am feeling worlds better and counting my blessings.

Regarding the pictures:

1. On the 4th day, I let the nurses do my hair. And this is what they came up with. They laughed so hard they could barely stand. One of them actually fell on the bed.

2. Yes, my IV pole was actually a coat rack. And the reused IV bottles are suspended by handmaid contraptions. Very pretty contraptions though, in a variety of vibrant African colors.

Women's Health

This is my first women's health group. They're great. I'm teaching the 4-day class in a tiny tailoring shop. They seem really receptive to the info and I'm learning a lot about their culture as well.

I'm looking forward to Uganda for the weekend.

Hope all is well back home.

More pictures on Lake Victoria...

Kisumu

We went to Kisumu for the weekend to see the hippos on Lake Victoria. I had no idea that I was hippophobic until I was already on the boat. This is basically the face I had the entire time we were on the water. The hippos weigh about 3 tons a piece and don't really look that amused when you're snapping their photos from a few feet away.

The matatu broke down on the way to Kisumu. The exact nature of the problem is still unclear, but it was fixed with some masking tape.

We stayed in a hotel that had electricity! And running water! It was amazing.

We were able to catch some live African music Saturday night and headed down to a tin shack on the lake on Sunday to have some fresh tilapia served whole. Eyeballs and all.