Clouds of .....?

    The sun is shining, but the sky is hazy and dark.  The air is literally full of "lake flies."  Walking outside leaves one looking like a car's windshield after a long trip - plastered with bugs.  Due to their massive numbers there is no safe way to breathe; the bugs are either going up your nose or down your throat - your choice.  However, I've been told that people here do eat lake flies so I guess i can just count them as extra protein for the day
    When I went into the medical ward this morning there were dead bodies everywhere.  The floor was covered in a brown carpet of "lake flies'" bodies.  They were so numerous there were even brown snow drifts of bugs along the walls.  In the space of three hours, the counters and medication carts were washed three times in an attempt to create a clean and usable workspace.  Unfortunately, as soon as the surfaces were cleaned they were within minutes inundated with more bugs.
    Luckily it is not like this on a daily basis.  The infestation only lasts about 48 hours before it begins to slowly taper off and has only occurred four times since I have been here.  The locals tell me that there arrival is indicative of imminent rainfall; then they clarified "imminent,"  to be some time in February when the rainy season beings.

My Favorite Questions

    So there's no poor people in America?  I have been asked this repeatedly.  When I reply that there are may poor and homeless people, people are quite incredulous.  The general consensus seems to be that everyone in the United States is wealthy and able to have anything money can buy.  Thus the dream is to be able to go to America and once that is accomplished they will soon be wealthy as well.  I guess that explains why everyone asks me for money.
    What do your donkeys do?  Imagine my surprise at this questions.  Well,it pales in comparison to their surprise that neither I nor my family have a donkey or any livestock.  Here there are donkeys, cows and goats wandering around just about everywhere.  The donkeys are used primarily for carrying water.  Imagine all the things we use water for in the U.S. and how many times a day we turn on the faucet.  No can you fathom having to walk a 1/2 mile or for many significantly farther for each bucket of water you use?
    Do you use charcoal for cooking?  People here cook on small one burner stoves with a very pungent charcoal.  Electricity is a luxury few have so electric ranges are not used here except by "rich" mzungus (white people) who have electricity and a generator as the power goes on and off unpredictably throughout the day.  To have a gas stove top you have to purchase heavy and unwieldy containers of gas.  Not only is it too expensive for most people, there is also the difficulty and expense of transportation since most people don't have cars and would have to hire a piki-piki (motorbike) to transport the cylinder.
    What is your mother tongue?  Here people speak first their tribal tongue, which in Karungu is Luo.  In school Swahili and English are taught, but children and many of the elderly only speak Luo.  I tried to explain how in the United States there are people from every country, thus there are many languages.  However, many people only speak one language - English.  People here identify very strongly with their tribe and are very proud of their language.  Therefore my response was not understandable in their frame of reference and the same people ask me this question again and again as though seeking an understandable explanation.

Things I Miss

    It's is funny the things you miss when they are gone or not available.  Before coming here I probably would have said that cold showers and bugs were things I really was not so thrilled about as part of my volunteer experience.  Surprisingly I have found that cold showers don't bother me and bugs are just bugs.  They are everywhere so you just learn to ignore them.  Although I will admit I am not quite so calm when frogs jump at me in the shower; then I have to stifle a scream.  I have found that I don't even miss television, which still surprises me a little as I was quite certain I was a addict.
    I do miss however many comforts and conveniences from home.  A fan is something for which I would be willing to pay many thousands of shillings because I am always so hot.  Tropical fruits are plentiful here, but what I wouldn't give for a nice cold apple.  Previously I never worried about whether there would be soap or gloves when I went to work, I took it for granted that they would be there.  So entitled was I that I would be perturbed when the previous shift left rooms without my size of gloves.  I miss that certainty that I would have the needed supplies available when I got to work.  Now I am thrilled when there is one box of gloves for the whole 40 bed ward. 
    The realization that Christmas is just a few hours away is what started me on this train of thought.  So many Christmas traditions that I cannot partake in this year.  No Advent wreath, no familiar hymns at church, no  lessons and carols, no cool weather or snow, no Christmas family gathering.  I miss the familiar sights, sounds and smell that I associate with this time of year, especially the noisy and familiar sight and sounds of family. 
    However, like at home, patients need care on Christmas just a much as any other day.  Being a nurse on a holiday is a familiar and comfortable role.  As for the rest, I guess I will learn how Christmas is done in Karungu, Kenya.
    Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Rollercoasters

    Driving or being driven in Kenya is a frightening and exhilerating experience much like an outing to an amusement park.  The road can go from well paved to a treacherous course of holes and craters in a matter of seconds.  This in turn sends one careening from one side of the road to the other as the driver skillfully chooses which massive hole will be most easily traversed.  Its truly like a rollercoaster ride except it has no safety features and you can't anticipate the turns by looking ahead.  I was lucky (or unlucky) enough to have a front row seat to what I was certain would be my demise.  However I was not solely preoccupied with the road condition; I also spent a fair share of time trying not to jostle the driver or the stick shift as I was in the middle seat in the front row.  I feel as though my balance has greatly improved due to all the practice I had during the drive.
    The road quality is not the only challenge, no the driver must also face an ever changing obstacle course, which consists of cows, goats and donkeys; pedestrians; and other drivers.  There are times when another vehicle will be driving straight at you only to swerve away at the last possible second.  In fact this happened pretty often as vehicles rarely seemed to stick to their side of the road.  The prevasive motorbikes particularly act as though the whole road is theirs and others are just present on their sufferance.  They will pass you on the left and on the right, zip from one side of the road to the other, or ride three abreast, which makes it a little difficult for other roadway traffic.  However despite the harrowing and adrenaline filled drive from Nairobi to Karungu, I arrived dusty, but all in one piece and am currently in my seventh week of work in the medical ward at St Camillus Mission Hospital

Getting ready for Kenya

          I can't believe that in less than 2 months I will be heading for Kenya.  The prospect is exciting and terrifying at the same time for there is no good way to prepare for something so outside of my normal pervue. However, I'm doing my best to prepare - getting immunizations, researching Kenya, trying to figure out what to bring and of course doing plenty of paperwork.  I am looking forward to starting work at St Camillus Mission Hospital. I can't wait!