We've been back stateside a little over a week. A lot has happened since our uneventful (thank you Lord!) flight home. Bill went straight back to work the next morning, Ella started school the day after that and Jack started preschool the day after her. And I unpacked and started drowning in a very long to do list (which doesn't shrink while you disappear for 1 month, I found out) and lots of back to school papers.
We are treading water a bit better now and mostly righted our sleep schedules, so I thought it was about time to reflect on our trip a bit. I will speak a bit for Bill first. Bill loved Kijabe - he got to see a ton of new things, do a ton of procedures, enjoyed way better hours at work and loved the Christian working environment. Bill was so relaxed during our month in Kenya. At this point I'm going to refrain from talking about what Bill disliked in Kenya and upon our return home - I don't want to misrepresent him. That being said we will be hosting an evening next week where we will be talking about our trip so if you'd like more details, please comment below or email me.
I had a really different experience than Bill. We lacked structure and schedule to our days and I found that difficult. And sometimes it was lonely - being in a new culture and not knowing how things work is intimidating. I struggled when the kids had difficulty with our new place. But on a positive note, I really enjoyed the people we got to know and the chances to learn about life in Kenya. I loved the freedom the kids had and lack of worry I had about where they were and what they were doing. The simplicity of our day to day (in hindsight) was refreshing.
Returning home has not really been hard with "reverse culture shock" so to speak - I notice the differences but I don't feel and struggle with that (to this point). I have a new appreciation for true poverty, the blessings we have here; I find myself worrying less about my to do list (that never gets done!); we've learned how to be really flexible. I guess what I'm trying to say is it's impossible to leave the developing world and not be changed. To find that not everyone lives the same way you do. To move beyond your own circle and subculture you tend to "do life" in and realize there's a whole lot of world out there. I thought I knew those things until I took this trip.
So I think that about wraps up this blog - I realize this last post is perhaps a bit short, a bit abstract, lacking in closure, etc. But that reflects where I'm at right now. I'm still reflecting and processing our trip. But I also realized if I didn't write something now I might not ever get it done!
If you'd like to talk to me more about our trip just comment or email me so we can do that - it might be easier to discuss things outside of the blog. And as I mentioned earlier, we'll be hosting an evening next week to talk about our trip. If you'd like details, get in touch with me (I'm not going to post those details on the web.)
Thanks for journeying along with us and for your thoughts and prayers. They have been much appreciated!
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Better late than never - our Masai Mara trip
Our safari trip was amazing! It is hard to put into words what it is like to be just yards from a lion lounging in the shade or to watch 12 elephants walking across the grass together, a stone's throw from your vehicle. But I will do my best!
Although we had no major hiccups with our trip, we had a slight miscommunication about how we were paying for the trip. We thought we could book partially on credit card - WRONG! Apparently we needed to pay for the whole thing in cash. So, fingers crossed and prayers lifted we hit the ATM in hope that we some how wouldn't reach our withdraw limit for the day. Somehow we managed to make 3 ATM withdraws which was just enough to cover our expenses for our 3 day trip (we literally had the equivalent of $30 leftover). Crisis averted.
The trip down took about 4-5 hrs. About halfway into the drive, you hit the road to nowhere - literally! It took us about 2 hrs to drive about 60 miles due to half the road being potholes and the other half unpaved (which was actually better because you could go a bit faster). I was feeling a bit saddle sore. And once again the ipad saved the day for our journey.
We arrived early enough on our first day to head out for a 2-3 hr game drive. We were not disappointed! We probably saw 15-20 different types of animals that afternoon. And bless our driver, he worked really hard to find the elephants Ella was looking for and finally spotted them on our way out of the park. Hooray!
Our second day was our longest - we spent 8 hrs driving around the Masai Mara on our quest to spot animals. We stopped for a picnic lunch amongst the wildebeests and Jack thought it was really cool to "pee on a tree." The memorable sight of the day was stopping at the river and seeing all the dead wildebeests in the water who were unable to successful cross without being trampled, drowned or chomped by crocodiles. The smell was awful.
Our last day included an early morning rising to catch the sunset and one last glimpse of the animals. We were unable to find the elusive rhino, but we did catch a gorgeous sunrise.
The accommodations did not disappoint! We stayed at the equivalent of a very fancy guest house. It was small and the kids felt at home. The staff was wonderful and the views were amazing!
To recap - highlights of the trip: wildebeest migration (1.5 million migrate from Tanzania to Kenya and we were there to see it!) lion eating a wildebeest, huge groups of elephants walking together, the kids sticking their heads out the top of the vehicle (a highlight for them!) the kids faces when we spotted animals, a picnic on the Mara, our excellent driver, an indoor place to sleep at night
the not-so-highlights : huge spiders and slugs in our room at night, sitting in the car for loooooong periods of time, using "the bush" as a toilet, the road in and out of the Masai Mara, the not so warm shower
I'm going to leave some pics below for your enjoyment. This was a trip of a lifetime - I highly recommend it!
our tour van - literally an 8 person nissan mini bus! these are the tour buses of choice...
Although we had no major hiccups with our trip, we had a slight miscommunication about how we were paying for the trip. We thought we could book partially on credit card - WRONG! Apparently we needed to pay for the whole thing in cash. So, fingers crossed and prayers lifted we hit the ATM in hope that we some how wouldn't reach our withdraw limit for the day. Somehow we managed to make 3 ATM withdraws which was just enough to cover our expenses for our 3 day trip (we literally had the equivalent of $30 leftover). Crisis averted.
The trip down took about 4-5 hrs. About halfway into the drive, you hit the road to nowhere - literally! It took us about 2 hrs to drive about 60 miles due to half the road being potholes and the other half unpaved (which was actually better because you could go a bit faster). I was feeling a bit saddle sore. And once again the ipad saved the day for our journey.
We arrived early enough on our first day to head out for a 2-3 hr game drive. We were not disappointed! We probably saw 15-20 different types of animals that afternoon. And bless our driver, he worked really hard to find the elephants Ella was looking for and finally spotted them on our way out of the park. Hooray!
Our second day was our longest - we spent 8 hrs driving around the Masai Mara on our quest to spot animals. We stopped for a picnic lunch amongst the wildebeests and Jack thought it was really cool to "pee on a tree." The memorable sight of the day was stopping at the river and seeing all the dead wildebeests in the water who were unable to successful cross without being trampled, drowned or chomped by crocodiles. The smell was awful.
Our last day included an early morning rising to catch the sunset and one last glimpse of the animals. We were unable to find the elusive rhino, but we did catch a gorgeous sunrise.
The accommodations did not disappoint! We stayed at the equivalent of a very fancy guest house. It was small and the kids felt at home. The staff was wonderful and the views were amazing!
To recap - highlights of the trip: wildebeest migration (1.5 million migrate from Tanzania to Kenya and we were there to see it!) lion eating a wildebeest, huge groups of elephants walking together, the kids sticking their heads out the top of the vehicle (a highlight for them!) the kids faces when we spotted animals, a picnic on the Mara, our excellent driver, an indoor place to sleep at night
the not-so-highlights : huge spiders and slugs in our room at night, sitting in the car for loooooong periods of time, using "the bush" as a toilet, the road in and out of the Masai Mara, the not so warm shower
I'm going to leave some pics below for your enjoyment. This was a trip of a lifetime - I highly recommend it!
looking out the top of the tour van
our tour van - literally an 8 person nissan mini bus! these are the tour buses of choice...
Jack with Timothy, who led us on a crocodile hunt - they liked his gun, so he posed for the kids!
Ella's turn to pose!
Wildebeest for breakfast
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Last few days
Tonight is our last night in Kijabe. We just finished packing up our things and are unwinding a bit before bed. Tomorrow we're off early on our Safari - we return Saturday to Kijabe to pick up our bags and then head off to Nairobi for the night. Sunday we hope to visit a friend's church and have our last round of goodbyes before our very late night flight (at 11:30pm!) Sunday evening. Please pray our travels home would be less eventful than on the way to Kenya!
I may not be posting about our Safari until we get back, so this will be the last post for a bit. I hope to share about our Safari next week, as well as recap and reflect a bit about the whole trip. We'd appreciate your prayers for our final days of travel to and from our Safari, to Nairobi (around town and to the airport) and for the way home to Pittsburgh.
And just so you know - we are returning with 4 bags instead of 8. I can't believe how much stuff we were carrying for the hospital and other people! (glad we were able to do it)
I may not be posting about our Safari until we get back, so this will be the last post for a bit. I hope to share about our Safari next week, as well as recap and reflect a bit about the whole trip. We'd appreciate your prayers for our final days of travel to and from our Safari, to Nairobi (around town and to the airport) and for the way home to Pittsburgh.
And just so you know - we are returning with 4 bags instead of 8. I can't believe how much stuff we were carrying for the hospital and other people! (glad we were able to do it)
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Carnivore and a visit
Bill has been wanting to find time to take me to a restaurant that is near and dear to his heart - Carnivore. With our time getting close to a close here in Kenya, we decided it was this weekend or never. So we made plans to travel to Nairobi (which I have gotten quite sick of since (1) the road out of Kijabe is awful and (2) the traffic in Nairobi is beyond awful) on Saturday to enjoy a feast of meat at Carnivore.
Carnivore - the name says it all. They specialize in spit-roasted meat, everything from chicken and lamb to crocodile and ostrich. Servers bring your meat to you on spears and slice it in front of you onto your plate (Jack found this fascinating). When you have had your fill, you then turn down the flag on your table and they stop serving you meat. If the presentation wasn't enjoyable enough, the monkeys that visited the dining area sure were. They would sneak onto the outside dining area periodically to steal food!
So needless to say, we loved Carnivore. The kids enjoyed the chicken and the playground next to the restaurant. Bill and I enjoyed eating crocodile meat, but we decided to pass on trying the ox balls. (not a joke, they were really on the day's menu!)
Making our day even more enjoyable was the company we had joining us for lunch. When Bill was previously in Kenya, he spent his 3 months with a Kenyan host family. Fortunately we were able to reconnect with them on our current trip and invited them to join us for lunch. Ella and Jack took quickly to the teenage girls and we enjoyed catching up during lunch. After lunch We traveled back with them to their hometown of Thika and spent the night - the kids were excited to "sleepover" in the girls room. But I think they most enjoyed the cable tv (we don't have a tv where we are staying in Kijabe) and the satelite service include the nick jr channel. It was hard to convince them to do anything else.
So minus having to spend extended time in the car (again) we thouroughly enjoyed the weekend. We were sad to have to say goodbye to our friends, but hope to see them again next year if their plans to travel to America fall into place.
Carnivore - the name says it all. They specialize in spit-roasted meat, everything from chicken and lamb to crocodile and ostrich. Servers bring your meat to you on spears and slice it in front of you onto your plate (Jack found this fascinating). When you have had your fill, you then turn down the flag on your table and they stop serving you meat. If the presentation wasn't enjoyable enough, the monkeys that visited the dining area sure were. They would sneak onto the outside dining area periodically to steal food!
(menu at Carnivore)
(where the meat is cooked)
(getting a picture with our meat)
So needless to say, we loved Carnivore. The kids enjoyed the chicken and the playground next to the restaurant. Bill and I enjoyed eating crocodile meat, but we decided to pass on trying the ox balls. (not a joke, they were really on the day's menu!)
Making our day even more enjoyable was the company we had joining us for lunch. When Bill was previously in Kenya, he spent his 3 months with a Kenyan host family. Fortunately we were able to reconnect with them on our current trip and invited them to join us for lunch. Ella and Jack took quickly to the teenage girls and we enjoyed catching up during lunch. After lunch We traveled back with them to their hometown of Thika and spent the night - the kids were excited to "sleepover" in the girls room. But I think they most enjoyed the cable tv (we don't have a tv where we are staying in Kijabe) and the satelite service include the nick jr channel. It was hard to convince them to do anything else.
(at one of the waterfalls in Thika)
So minus having to spend extended time in the car (again) we thouroughly enjoyed the weekend. We were sad to have to say goodbye to our friends, but hope to see them again next year if their plans to travel to America fall into place.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Meeting Kenyans
The one thing that I didn't count on this month was that it would be a little tricky to get a chance to know a few Kenyans. Except for the friends Bill made from a previous trip to Kenya, it's been a bit difficult to get to know the folks here. Why? Kijabe has a large amount of westerners here. Between the missionary kids boarding school and the hospital, there are just a lot of white folks around!
Now don't get me wrong - it's been nice to have familiar faces here and people I can ask questions of. But it's good to try and get a feel for the local culture too. And thanks to a certain 3 year old in our family, we had that chance this week.
Part of the agreement with where we are staying is we get house help (laundry, cleaning) 2-3 times per week. The kids have grown quite fond of the lady who comes to help us out - so comfortable that in fact I heard Jack exclaiming "When can we come to your house?" I guess when you are 3 it's ok to skip formalities and invite yourself over :)
So last night we were invited to visit for part of the evening. We tried to prepare the children that the house would be very small, but apparently they weren't listening. Pretty much the first words out of their mouths was "it's so small" followed by whining about wanting to go home. I was mortified, but our hosts were very gracious and smiled and laugh.
Eventually the kids got interested in playing with other children outside and we ended up visiting for more than 2 hours! Kenyans tend to eat dinner much later than us, so I was suprised the kids were doing alright with a banana and a bag of potato chips - I guess it means they were too busy playing outside to notice that it was way past their dinner time!
We had a lovely evening learning about Kenyan culture, language and sharing a bit about our home in America.
I am still struct though, by the amount of space that 6 people were living in - and their home is a very typical Kenyan home. In fact, they do ok by standards here - they both have steady work, they have a house girl, they are able to afford school fees, etc. But it is literally half the size of the 3 bedroom apartment that we are staying in, and maybe even then I am being a bit generous by saying that.
At first, it's hard not to feel a bit guilty about all that I have - house, cars, yard, etc - but I don't really think that's the right response. It's not wrong that we've been the recipients of so many blessings; what would be wrong is not sharing my blessings with others. So I've been challenged to think about that - how we use what God has given us...am I seeking only to bless myself with my things or am I seeking to share and bless others?
I think the thing I enjoyed most about the evening was just how nice it was to be there in our new friends' home. Appearances didn't matter - the warmth of their hospitality did. That's invaluable.
Now don't get me wrong - it's been nice to have familiar faces here and people I can ask questions of. But it's good to try and get a feel for the local culture too. And thanks to a certain 3 year old in our family, we had that chance this week.
Part of the agreement with where we are staying is we get house help (laundry, cleaning) 2-3 times per week. The kids have grown quite fond of the lady who comes to help us out - so comfortable that in fact I heard Jack exclaiming "When can we come to your house?" I guess when you are 3 it's ok to skip formalities and invite yourself over :)
So last night we were invited to visit for part of the evening. We tried to prepare the children that the house would be very small, but apparently they weren't listening. Pretty much the first words out of their mouths was "it's so small" followed by whining about wanting to go home. I was mortified, but our hosts were very gracious and smiled and laugh.
Eventually the kids got interested in playing with other children outside and we ended up visiting for more than 2 hours! Kenyans tend to eat dinner much later than us, so I was suprised the kids were doing alright with a banana and a bag of potato chips - I guess it means they were too busy playing outside to notice that it was way past their dinner time!
We had a lovely evening learning about Kenyan culture, language and sharing a bit about our home in America.
I am still struct though, by the amount of space that 6 people were living in - and their home is a very typical Kenyan home. In fact, they do ok by standards here - they both have steady work, they have a house girl, they are able to afford school fees, etc. But it is literally half the size of the 3 bedroom apartment that we are staying in, and maybe even then I am being a bit generous by saying that.
At first, it's hard not to feel a bit guilty about all that I have - house, cars, yard, etc - but I don't really think that's the right response. It's not wrong that we've been the recipients of so many blessings; what would be wrong is not sharing my blessings with others. So I've been challenged to think about that - how we use what God has given us...am I seeking only to bless myself with my things or am I seeking to share and bless others?
I think the thing I enjoyed most about the evening was just how nice it was to be there in our new friends' home. Appearances didn't matter - the warmth of their hospitality did. That's invaluable.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Souvenir shopping
We spent Friday afternoon doing a little souvenir shopping in Nairobi - on Fridays they have a Masai Market set up in one of the shopping plazas in the capital, and we heard it was definitely a place to check out. It was a bit overwhelming actually! Lots of vendors with lots of wares (many selling the same thing).
The name of the game in this shopping experience was haggling. The thing is since you are a Western tourist, they tend to mark the price quite a bit. So, you just have to barter a bit (and pretty much still get a bit overcharged, but not quite so bad) and come to an agreement. The tough part is as soon as you express any interest in an item at a stand, the seller comes straight over to begin selling to you. This made it a bit tough to browse, so we just had to work hard to do a big loop of the place and then sit down and figure out what we wanted to buy from where.
Fortunately, the market is attached to an upscale "mall" of sorts and there was a playground for the kids to play on so we could take turns walking the market and purchasing items. I am not a haggler by any means, but it was not as bad as I had thought it would be. Bill (true to form) managed to have an eye for the most expensive items and kept returning with things I didn't know he was going to buy! They were worth it though...
Sadly, I won't be posting any of the pics of the stuff we bought (yet) - don't want to spoil the surprise for those we bought for!
The rest of the week has been less eventful. I have not been posting much because there really hasn't been anything major to write about. Bill continues to press on at the hospital and the kids and I have been poking around at home and trying to get outside when the weather has been decent. So my apologies for the lack of posts!
The name of the game in this shopping experience was haggling. The thing is since you are a Western tourist, they tend to mark the price quite a bit. So, you just have to barter a bit (and pretty much still get a bit overcharged, but not quite so bad) and come to an agreement. The tough part is as soon as you express any interest in an item at a stand, the seller comes straight over to begin selling to you. This made it a bit tough to browse, so we just had to work hard to do a big loop of the place and then sit down and figure out what we wanted to buy from where.
Fortunately, the market is attached to an upscale "mall" of sorts and there was a playground for the kids to play on so we could take turns walking the market and purchasing items. I am not a haggler by any means, but it was not as bad as I had thought it would be. Bill (true to form) managed to have an eye for the most expensive items and kept returning with things I didn't know he was going to buy! They were worth it though...
Sadly, I won't be posting any of the pics of the stuff we bought (yet) - don't want to spoil the surprise for those we bought for!
The rest of the week has been less eventful. I have not been posting much because there really hasn't been anything major to write about. Bill continues to press on at the hospital and the kids and I have been poking around at home and trying to get outside when the weather has been decent. So my apologies for the lack of posts!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Life at the hospital
Well, I thought it was probably my (Bill) turn to write something of my antics since arriving in Kijabe. Things at the hospital have been somewhat different from what I anticipated since the attending surgeon (or consultant in the local vernacular) that I had arranged to work with here has been ill and unable to work for several weeks and now has returned to the US for further evaluation and treatment.
I have spent most of my time working, instead, with an Australian surgeon, Dr Bird, who is the Chief of Surgery here and has been here for 11 years. The first day, in fact the first case, as I was preparing to assist in a thyroidectomy the OR supervisor pulled me out and said: "You are a general surgeon right?" I told her I was a general surgery resident and she took me to another room where a patient with a HUGE lipoma (fat tumor) was being intubated. The rest of the day I was in that room doing cases with a Kenyan intern. The attending would poke his head in from time to time to see how I was doing but otherwise I was on my own. The cases were mostly minor ones that I was well familiar with. If it was something I hadn't seen before Dr Bird would show me how to do it, but most days for most cases I run my own room.
I do get a chance to scrub in with Dr Bird and the Kenyan upper level resident on the service quite often as well on more sophisticated cases and often he will let us do large portions of those operations without him as long as I am comfortable doing it. This has given me many opportunities to teach and learn from the residents here. Coming here after beginning my senior resident year at home is like coming to college out of high school. I felt reasonably competent to deal with most things I have encountered at home, but here the rules, the patients, the diseases and the resources are so different I feel at times quite lost and not infrequently frustrated. I knew life would be different without ready access to a CT scanner but I never thought how heavily I rely on other things that are unavailable to me here such as Arterial Blood Gases, Arterial Lines, and reliable laparoscopic equipment.
Kijabe hospital is remarkably well equipped with subspecialists for a mission hospital. There are training programs in General Surgery, Pediatric Surgery, Neurosurgery and Orthopedics but still the range of things I see are so much broader than I have ever experienced. I will in one day operate on a breast, a toe nail, a colon, a tongue and an anal sphincter. It is fascinating and humbling to again be made aware of just how much I don't know. God has been good to bring me to this place where I am well-supervised and supported so that I can see that despite my 14 years of preparation for this field I still have a LOT to learn. Continue to pray that I will serve effectively and learn fast.
Things I do not want to forget: praying before every surgery, operating on people who have no where else to go, teaching Kenyan residents, eating breakfast while looking out over the Rift Valley, walking home for lunch with my family, watching my children play with Kenyan children, learning from career medical missionaries, sending people away with advanced disease because they were not caught in time, losing patients to resource limitations, trusting in the plans of a Holy God
-Bill
I have spent most of my time working, instead, with an Australian surgeon, Dr Bird, who is the Chief of Surgery here and has been here for 11 years. The first day, in fact the first case, as I was preparing to assist in a thyroidectomy the OR supervisor pulled me out and said: "You are a general surgeon right?" I told her I was a general surgery resident and she took me to another room where a patient with a HUGE lipoma (fat tumor) was being intubated. The rest of the day I was in that room doing cases with a Kenyan intern. The attending would poke his head in from time to time to see how I was doing but otherwise I was on my own. The cases were mostly minor ones that I was well familiar with. If it was something I hadn't seen before Dr Bird would show me how to do it, but most days for most cases I run my own room.
I do get a chance to scrub in with Dr Bird and the Kenyan upper level resident on the service quite often as well on more sophisticated cases and often he will let us do large portions of those operations without him as long as I am comfortable doing it. This has given me many opportunities to teach and learn from the residents here. Coming here after beginning my senior resident year at home is like coming to college out of high school. I felt reasonably competent to deal with most things I have encountered at home, but here the rules, the patients, the diseases and the resources are so different I feel at times quite lost and not infrequently frustrated. I knew life would be different without ready access to a CT scanner but I never thought how heavily I rely on other things that are unavailable to me here such as Arterial Blood Gases, Arterial Lines, and reliable laparoscopic equipment.
Kijabe hospital is remarkably well equipped with subspecialists for a mission hospital. There are training programs in General Surgery, Pediatric Surgery, Neurosurgery and Orthopedics but still the range of things I see are so much broader than I have ever experienced. I will in one day operate on a breast, a toe nail, a colon, a tongue and an anal sphincter. It is fascinating and humbling to again be made aware of just how much I don't know. God has been good to bring me to this place where I am well-supervised and supported so that I can see that despite my 14 years of preparation for this field I still have a LOT to learn. Continue to pray that I will serve effectively and learn fast.
Things I do not want to forget: praying before every surgery, operating on people who have no where else to go, teaching Kenyan residents, eating breakfast while looking out over the Rift Valley, walking home for lunch with my family, watching my children play with Kenyan children, learning from career medical missionaries, sending people away with advanced disease because they were not caught in time, losing patients to resource limitations, trusting in the plans of a Holy God
-Bill
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Lake Naivasha
Bill had the day off, so we took the opportunity to discover the wildlife in our neck of the woods. We headed north about 45 minutes to Lake Naivasha to discover some of the African wildlife up close and personal.
Of course no trip is complete without some type of mishap, and this one was no exception. Less that halfway into our trip, the car we had rented (as in we hired someone to drive us) broke down. Fortunately we had packed a lunch and waited alongside the road for another car to pick us up. (Ironically the next car that picked us up looked absolutely awfully but successfully got us to and from our destination).
We were not disappointed after having to wait on the side of the road! We reached a part of the lake called Crescent Island and were treated to a walking tour of the wildlife. (Impala above)
We enjoyed walking amongst gazelles, wildebeests, zebras, waterbok, giraffes an assortment of birds and vegetation. As you can see, we were able to literally walk amongst the animals!
(the kids standing in front of wildebeests)
The kids really enjoyed the walk (ok, maybe not the part at the end where we had downpours of rain and we really needed a wetsuit, not a couple of umbrellas) and we were amused by their fascination with the many types of animal poop. Go figure - we travel all these miles and walk amongst incredible wildlife and they are fascinated with animal droppings!
Although the video doesn't do it justice, enjoy a glimpse of the beautiful area we enjoyed today. It was simply breathtaking and makes us anxious to take our big safari to the Masai Mara later this month!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
The lost bags return and wireless internet brighten the day
Our two missing bags have returned! We had made arrangement for them to be delivered last Friday. Well, I guess the day they will be delivered is more of a guideline than a rule. Fortunately for us, we had a friend at the airport last evening who did a little poking around for us and found the missing bags. They were just kind of sitting around, waiting for someone to do something with them. So our friend sent the bags on back to Kijabe with his driver and we have been digging through them today. A bit like Christmas. It is nice to not have to wash underwear and scrubs every two days!
We also now have wireless internet through the hospital and we're hoping that it will be reliable enough so we can ditch the prepaid cell network modem thingy. It's nice to just hop on the internet and not have to worry about how many MB I have been using.
The kids have been having a good day. We haven't had to resort to shows on the computer yet! :) Getting a bag of legos in the lost baggage helped. They have also been a bit more receptive to pretend play and keeping themselves occupied today. And a morning playgroup helped especially for Ella - there was a 5 year old girl that she hit it off with.
I guess it's these little things that help brighten my day. My mood has tended to go the how the children are feeling, so it can be a bit up and down and unpredictable. Trying to steady them in the midst of a new place is a little challenging when I'm not always sure of my own footing and place in a different culture. Finding ways to build a little routine has been helpful, and perhaps today has been the most successful with that.
I think I've gone a bit backwards with the whole culture shock thing - haven't really felt that whole euphoria of being here (don't get me wrong, it's beautiful and lovely, peaceful and simple in our neck of the woods) first. I've skipped right on to the "I'd like to get back to where it's a bit more comfortable and I know how it works, thank you very much." So getting a few things like missing bags and wireless internet brighten things a bit and helps with our transition here for the month. So I'm grateful for a day that feels a bit more "normal."
Now if I could only figure out how to get the gas oven at a consistent temperature below 400...
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Weekend in Nairobi
Midday Saturday we rented a car and driver and set out for Nairobi. Bill has a couple of friends who live there and they were anxious to see us. So to best describe our weekend, I will write about the highpoints, and the not so highpoints.
*Highpoints*
Bill's friends were very good to us during our stay. We had time to simply relax, chat and enjoy each other's company. Since everyone has married and had children since last meeting, we had the oppotunity to meet wives and children as well. The kids enjoyed having other children to play with and I had an opportunity to eat some traditional food. We also had the chance to attend church together and experience the vibrancy and life of praise and worship. (And also somehow the preacher seemed to get through most of the bible in one sermon, or so it seemed!)
We also had a chance to go to the Giraffe Center in Nairobi, where you can feed giraffes from your hand (or mouth, if you like to be slobbered on). Although not a huge place, it was a good stop to enjoy Saturday afternoon. The kids both managed to get the giraffe to eat from their hands, and they had a chance to pet her too.
Sunday afternoon we had the chance to eat American-style at a Pizza place and Jack and Ella were thrilled to eat something familiar. We also had a chance to stop at the grocery store (Nakumatt) which tends to carry imported goods that are familiar to us. We stocked up on things that we had overlooked or can't get here in Kijabe (such as fresh milk - the shelf life milk isn't cutting it for the kids. Doable, but not my fav either).
*Lowpoints*
I'm pretty sure I'm content to not wander far from Kijabe again until we take a Safari trip at the end of the month. We spent INSANE amounts of time in the car and the kids grew tired of it quickly. Driving in Nairobi is not very fun. Traffic is awful - very few lights (the ones that are there don't seem to be noticed anyway) and rules are not enforced unless there is an accident. So it is pretty chaotic, with lots of rulebreaking. And the sheer amount of traffic is just unreal. Unfortunately all of our stops on Saturday (Giraffe Center, meet a friend in Westlands then drive back to other friends house) were all the complete opposite sides of town from one another. The kids let us know quickly and continuously how miserable they were. I can't blame them - it was quite a bit more than we had bargained for.
Kenyan culture and American kids don't always mix. So as you probably know, our kids like to eat at a certain time, sleep at a certain time, etc - they enjoy somewhat of a schedule. Well, let's just say schedules don't really happen where we are right now. Everything takes a bit longer, eating a few hours late is no big deal, etc. It was a hard weekend on the kids in that respect - the amount of flexibility required of them was a bit much and they were over the edge.
*Overall assessment*
We need to be a bit smarter about any other trips we take into Nairobi. We need to stay in a more accessible part of town and not try to get to so many places. We need to do our best to plan what we can before we go and not leave so much up in the air until we get there.
It was good to meet Bill's friends, and I'm hoping that we can get them down to Kijabe so we can enjoy their company on "our turf" so to speak. It was good to go, but it is good to be back at our apartment in Kijabe!
*Highpoints*
Bill's friends were very good to us during our stay. We had time to simply relax, chat and enjoy each other's company. Since everyone has married and had children since last meeting, we had the oppotunity to meet wives and children as well. The kids enjoyed having other children to play with and I had an opportunity to eat some traditional food. We also had the chance to attend church together and experience the vibrancy and life of praise and worship. (And also somehow the preacher seemed to get through most of the bible in one sermon, or so it seemed!)
We also had a chance to go to the Giraffe Center in Nairobi, where you can feed giraffes from your hand (or mouth, if you like to be slobbered on). Although not a huge place, it was a good stop to enjoy Saturday afternoon. The kids both managed to get the giraffe to eat from their hands, and they had a chance to pet her too.
Sunday afternoon we had the chance to eat American-style at a Pizza place and Jack and Ella were thrilled to eat something familiar. We also had a chance to stop at the grocery store (Nakumatt) which tends to carry imported goods that are familiar to us. We stocked up on things that we had overlooked or can't get here in Kijabe (such as fresh milk - the shelf life milk isn't cutting it for the kids. Doable, but not my fav either).
*Lowpoints*
I'm pretty sure I'm content to not wander far from Kijabe again until we take a Safari trip at the end of the month. We spent INSANE amounts of time in the car and the kids grew tired of it quickly. Driving in Nairobi is not very fun. Traffic is awful - very few lights (the ones that are there don't seem to be noticed anyway) and rules are not enforced unless there is an accident. So it is pretty chaotic, with lots of rulebreaking. And the sheer amount of traffic is just unreal. Unfortunately all of our stops on Saturday (Giraffe Center, meet a friend in Westlands then drive back to other friends house) were all the complete opposite sides of town from one another. The kids let us know quickly and continuously how miserable they were. I can't blame them - it was quite a bit more than we had bargained for.
Kenyan culture and American kids don't always mix. So as you probably know, our kids like to eat at a certain time, sleep at a certain time, etc - they enjoy somewhat of a schedule. Well, let's just say schedules don't really happen where we are right now. Everything takes a bit longer, eating a few hours late is no big deal, etc. It was a hard weekend on the kids in that respect - the amount of flexibility required of them was a bit much and they were over the edge.
*Overall assessment*
We need to be a bit smarter about any other trips we take into Nairobi. We need to stay in a more accessible part of town and not try to get to so many places. We need to do our best to plan what we can before we go and not leave so much up in the air until we get there.
It was good to meet Bill's friends, and I'm hoping that we can get them down to Kijabe so we can enjoy their company on "our turf" so to speak. It was good to go, but it is good to be back at our apartment in Kijabe!
Friday, August 5, 2011
Let me catch you up...
(view of the Rift Valley from our apartment)
Now that we've been in Kijabe a few days (and have our internet situation sorted out) I think it is a good time to update on what we've been up to.
Our trip getting to Kenya was quite the adventure. Our flight out of Pittsburgh was mostly on time, but we did not have so much luck in Newark. We boarded the plane, taxied down the runway as far as we possibly could and then just sat. Turns out we had a mechanical issue that could not be fixed that evening, so after 3 hrs on the runway we de-planed, reclaimed our luggage (this was all from 9pm on) and then had pretty much no help whatever from the airline sorting out our rebooking. By midnight we had found a hotel and had a tentative booking for the next day.
Upon arrival for our rebooked flight, we discovered that really nothing was done right so Bill spent several hours running around the airport sorting stuff out while the kids and I camped out and watched videos on the computer.
Finally at 5:30pm Sunday evening we were finally off - connecting in Paris on the way to Nairobi.
It turns out having a 3 hr layover in Paris was a good thing because the airport is ridiculously huge and confusing to us non-french speaking folk. Coupled with tired children and Ella not feeling well, it was extremely stressful. We did eventually get to our gate with a bit of time to spare.
Upon our arrival in Nairobi (after Ella was sick on the plane) we did not have to wait too long to get our Visas and passports stamped. The kids layed down every time we stopped and fell asleep, poor things. Unfortunately collecting our bags did not go as well. Two of them didn't make the connection in Paris, so we had to wait around to sort that out. (They should be here by Monday.) We found our driver and made it to our accomodations that night.
Tuesday morning we traveled back to the airport (under the pretense the bags had arrived, which they had not) and spent a lot of time in city traffic. After our unsuccessful trip to the airport, we had to do some grocery shopping at a Wal-mart-esq store, which was complicated by fatigue and Jack getting sick in the car multiple times. So needless to say shopping wasn't too successful.
Needless to say we were pleased finally to make it to Kijabe. We spent the rest of Tuesday settling in and had several people stop by to welcome us.
Our first full day in Kijabe (I believe that was Wed? It has all run together a bit) consisted of Bill starting off to work straight away and the kids and figuring out the day to day stuff. We had a new friend help us around a bit, showing us the local shops (dukas in Swahili) and telling us a bit about the place.
(Hospital where Bill is working)
Since then the kids have made friends with the 4 and 8 year old across the street, as well as another girl about 6 or 7 houses down. (In fact, Ella was crying that she couldn't have a sleepover with the girl across the street tonight). Bill is quite happy with all the operating he is getting to do at the hospital. And I am feeling a bit better now that I am getting over jet lag and figuring out a little bit how things work around here. (I will say I do enjoy that someone comes and cleans and dose laundry twice a week).
Tomorrow (Sat) we are traveling to Nairobi to check out the Giraffe Center (self explanatory - a place that has giraffes you can see and feed) and visiting some old friends of Bill's.
So that's about all - now that we are here, the pace of life has slowed down and we can be lured into thinking it's a bit like vacation at times, with the gorgeous view of the rift valley and the chance to doze on the couch in the afternoon. But we're hoping to continue to find ways to mesh into the community and not just be in vacation mode.
And as a side note, yes it gets pretty chilly at night. Low 50's (maybe even high 40's) and very windy. And with no temperature controls in the houses, you can really feel it. The temperature reminds me of camping - cold at night, warm in the sun during the day. We are definitely going to have to break in the wood stove one of these nights soon!
(Bill enjoying our porch on a sunny afternoon)
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Stuck in Newark
Hi - we are stuck in Newark. After sitting on the plane for 3 hrs last night, they canceled the flight due to mechanical problems. We are hoping to be rerouted through Paris later tonight with an arrival in Nairobi Monday night, but we have to call to confirm that this morning.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Our Departure
Hi everyone-
First of all, let me say a HUGE thank you to all of you who have committed to praying for us during this trip. We are so very aware of God's Providence just through the preparation stage and we recognize that the impact of this trip on our lives and those of the Kenyan people will be greatly influenced by your intercession. God has seen fit to provide us with more than 80% of the expected cost of this trip. The generosity of our family and friends have been absolutely overwhelming and I cannot say enough how encouraging it is to see God's people giving in faith to help us do what He has asked of us.
We will be leaving tomorrow, flying to Newark, then Zurich and on to Nairobi by Sunday evening. There we will stay in a guest house and hopefully meet up with some old Kenyan friends I have not seen in 11 years before heading out to Kijabe. I know only bits and pieces of what will be expected of me there and what opportunities there will be for Jill and the kids, but please pray that we are able to acclimate quickly so that we might make the most of the time we have. Pray also that I my knowledge and skill set would be enough to make me more of a help than a hindrance to the staff and residents there.
We also ask that you pray for the kids. This will doubtless be a dramatic transition for them and it is our desire that they gain an understanding of the joy of sacrificial living for the sake of the Gospel. We hope that there view and understanding of God and of people would be radically changed. There world has been filled with people much like themselves to this point and we hope that this will give them insight to the enormous range of cultures and situations God has seen fit to grant us. These are hard concepts for a 3 and 5 year old but we trust that God can plant those seeds.
Please join us in praying for God's wisdom regarding what comes after residency during this time. We desire to use this time and opportunity to seek God's Will for the next step in the path He set us on so many years ago. We also hope that Jill will gain understanding regarding what all God would have for her in terms of serving overseas. If there is further training or schooling that she needs to accomplish this that those doors would be opened.
Lastly, lift up the people of East Africa. If you have followed the international news at all you will know that parts of Kenya have suffered severe drought. Additionally, Kenya, while itself stable, is bordered by Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia. Many of these nations have seen terrible strife and famine and Kenya is home to many people fleeing those countries. Pray that we can heal them, both body and soul. Pray that they might come for surgery but be affected by the Love of Christ. I cannot overstate how thankful I am for all of you standing behind us during this time.
In Christ,
Bill
Monday, June 13, 2011
Ways you can pray
If you'd like to pray for our trip, below are some specific ways you can pray for us. Thanks for praying for us!
1. Packing/preparation list - that I (Jill) would be able to make sure we have all that we need for our trip; that anything I may need to buy would be easy to come by; that I wouldn't forget anything that would be hard to find where we are staying
2. Safe travels - we leave July 30th. We have a very short layover in Switzerland so please pray that we'd make the connnection. We return Sept. 4th (start flying home on the 3rd). That the kids would do as well as can be expected on long flights. That passing through customs would be easy.
3. Adjusting - that we would all bounce back quickly from jet lag. That the kids will be able to sleep well in a new place. That the kids would adjust to new foods (especially Ella).
5. That the kids and I are purposeful about exploring the community while Bill is working.
6. That during our trip God would provide clarity and a future vision about where he would have us working after Bill's residency is completed in 2 years and what kind of role God has for me (Jill) in that.
7. Illness - that we would avoid it! And if we are unfortunate enough to become ill, that we would not let it dampen our trip.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Support Letter
Hello! Welcome to our blog. This will serve as a central point for information regarding our trip to Kijabe, Kenya in August 2011. Below I'm going to post our support letter - if you would like to get more information about us and our trip, please leave a comment below.
-------
Greetings from the Nelson family! We hope this finds you well.
We are writing you this letter because of an exciting opportunity we have this August. Over the past year Bill worked in conjunction with his surgical residency program to find a way to incorporate a one month international rotation into his training program. Earlier this year, his talks met with great success as Bill received approval to go to AIC Kijabe Hospital (http://www.kijabehospital.org/) in Kenya. Bill opted to pair his training with a missional opportunity and is currently arranging the details of the trip through World Medical Mission, a ministry of Samaritan's Purse.
As a surgery resident in Kenya, assisting the staff and training Kenyan residents are Bill's main duties. He will experience general surgery in its broadest context with exposure to procedures and disease processes that he would never get to see in the United States. While in Kijabe, Bill will partner with an organization called the Pan African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS) (http://www.paacs.net) whose mission is to train and disciple African physicians to work in their home countries as surgeons. Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa have only one surgeon of any kind for every one hundred thousand people, so Bill sees as a tremendous opportunity to forward God's Kingdom and serve "the least of these."
Upon discussions with PAACS program directors, we began to evaluate the possibility of the entire family traveling to Kenya this summer. If we were to consider serving for a longer term in the scope of medical missions, we decided it would be a good idea to see how life as a family works on a short term trip. Jack (3), Ella (5) and Jill (old) plan to take this opportunity to soak in many things, including learning about life and culture in a different country while getting a chance to see Bill apply his trade and passion.
In order to make this trip to Kenya possible, some important things must happen. The first and most important is prayer - none of this would be possible without God's help. If you would like to contribute to our trip, would you consider being part of a prayer team for us? If so, please email Jill at jillnelson7@yahoo.com and I will add you to our prayer team and send you a detailed request list as well as update you with our throughout our journey. You can also keep up with us at http://nelsonsinkenya.blogspot.com.
The other major component that makes this trip possible is financial contributions. God has already provided for a portion of our trip by finding a way for Bill to work extra hours at the hospital. Currently, we estimate the cost of our trip at $10,000 for travel, paperwork and in-country expenses. If your current financial situation allows you to contribute financially to our trip, would you prayerfully consider doing so? You can make tax-deductible donations directly through Samaritan's Purse on our behalf by visiting: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/giving/wmm_doctors/ and searching for Nelson. If you prefer to mail a check, include Bill's name or reference number 004252 in the memo line and mail it to:
World Medical Mission
Attn: Chad Cole
PO Box 3000
Boone, NC 28607
If you prefer to directly send us a check you may do so, but please be aware we cannot make it tax-deductible - the only way to do that is through Samaritan's Purse.
Please know that we do not desire to pressure you in any way to contribute financially. If now is not a good time for you to be able to help, we certainly understand. In any case, please pray for us while we raise the funds to go to Kenya and while we are overseas. Your prayers will be a great encouragement.
Thank you for taking the time to read about the exciting adventure that awaits our family. We cannot wait to share our experiences with you!
-Bill, Jill, Ella & Jack
-------
Greetings from the Nelson family! We hope this finds you well.
We are writing you this letter because of an exciting opportunity we have this August. Over the past year Bill worked in conjunction with his surgical residency program to find a way to incorporate a one month international rotation into his training program. Earlier this year, his talks met with great success as Bill received approval to go to AIC Kijabe Hospital (http://www.kijabehospital.org/) in Kenya. Bill opted to pair his training with a missional opportunity and is currently arranging the details of the trip through World Medical Mission, a ministry of Samaritan's Purse.
As a surgery resident in Kenya, assisting the staff and training Kenyan residents are Bill's main duties. He will experience general surgery in its broadest context with exposure to procedures and disease processes that he would never get to see in the United States. While in Kijabe, Bill will partner with an organization called the Pan African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS) (http://www.paacs.net) whose mission is to train and disciple African physicians to work in their home countries as surgeons. Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa have only one surgeon of any kind for every one hundred thousand people, so Bill sees as a tremendous opportunity to forward God's Kingdom and serve "the least of these."
Upon discussions with PAACS program directors, we began to evaluate the possibility of the entire family traveling to Kenya this summer. If we were to consider serving for a longer term in the scope of medical missions, we decided it would be a good idea to see how life as a family works on a short term trip. Jack (3), Ella (5) and Jill (old) plan to take this opportunity to soak in many things, including learning about life and culture in a different country while getting a chance to see Bill apply his trade and passion.
In order to make this trip to Kenya possible, some important things must happen. The first and most important is prayer - none of this would be possible without God's help. If you would like to contribute to our trip, would you consider being part of a prayer team for us? If so, please email Jill at jillnelson7@yahoo.com and I will add you to our prayer team and send you a detailed request list as well as update you with our throughout our journey. You can also keep up with us at http://nelsonsinkenya.blogspot.com.
The other major component that makes this trip possible is financial contributions. God has already provided for a portion of our trip by finding a way for Bill to work extra hours at the hospital. Currently, we estimate the cost of our trip at $10,000 for travel, paperwork and in-country expenses. If your current financial situation allows you to contribute financially to our trip, would you prayerfully consider doing so? You can make tax-deductible donations directly through Samaritan's Purse on our behalf by visiting: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/giving/wmm_doctors/ and searching for Nelson. If you prefer to mail a check, include Bill's name or reference number 004252 in the memo line and mail it to:
World Medical Mission
Attn: Chad Cole
PO Box 3000
Boone, NC 28607
If you prefer to directly send us a check you may do so, but please be aware we cannot make it tax-deductible - the only way to do that is through Samaritan's Purse.
Please know that we do not desire to pressure you in any way to contribute financially. If now is not a good time for you to be able to help, we certainly understand. In any case, please pray for us while we raise the funds to go to Kenya and while we are overseas. Your prayers will be a great encouragement.
Thank you for taking the time to read about the exciting adventure that awaits our family. We cannot wait to share our experiences with you!
-Bill, Jill, Ella & Jack
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