Happy 4th of July!!!

Hello-

I know, I know, it's well over due for a post. We have been quite busy traveling as well as working here in the village so I am not sure where to begin.

On the travel side of things, when we were escorting the youthgroup to Nairobi to catch their plane back to the U.S.A. we stopped by a safari park called Masai Mara. Here we spent the night in tents that made me feel like we were in a resort due to my basic view of living these days. The tents had electricity, a toilet inside, and shower that came from the sky. It was heaven. In the morning when we got to the safari grounds we were able to see lots of elephants, wildebeasts, worthogs, impalas, ostriches, and the wonderful find of a female lion feasting on a freshly killed wildebeast. We were able to get as close as about 10 feet from any given animal and it was really amazing to see (for those that are concerned about safety, don't worry all of us made it out with no injuries or attacks). Just outside the park we saw zebras and a couple giraffes that were right up next to our car, they are sooo tall!!!
A couple of days ago we were also able to go to a town called Kisumu which is about an hour or two (depending on how much the matatu you are in stops) away from the village. We went there to have a day to relax and we went out on Lake Victoria in a boat called a meli for an hour. On this hour trip we were garunteed that if we did not see a hippo we would get 500 shillings off of the cost of the boat ride (about $6.25 USD from a trip that in total cost $25 for all 4 of us). Luckily.. we saw hippos and lots of them. They were also quite close to our boat which made me a tiny bit nervous only because of all the documentaries i have watched on how aggressive hippos can be but not worries... still safe and sound. In Kisumu we had a lovely meal in a hotel that specialized in western and german food. It was the first time that I have eaten cheese since I have been in Kenya and the meal was one of the most satisfying meals I have had in a long time. It was quite the treat and we all cleaned our plates! After lunch we took a car ride for about 20 minutes to see the equator. It was pretty hot and was a point just marked with a big sphere with a sign wrapped around it that said equator. Those are the main things that we have done traveling wise besides visiting relatives in villages near the village we stay in. We leave the village on Tuesday to return to Nairobi to pick up 3 other people who will be staying with Dan and Emily for a couple of months, and then all of us will go to the coast, Mombasa, before Laura and I return home.

Work wise, we have continued to volunteer at the local hosptial and clinic. The hospital remains the same where there is not a lot of use for us but it is a great learning experience and great to figure out what resources it provides so that we can better communicate to the community where they can go for more specific health concerns. And the hospital does a great job of teaching us about disease process and how they have to make due with their limited resources.

The clinic is very understaffed and always has a huge line. Laura and I were asked if we were willing to see patients, diagnose them, and prescribe medicine in order to get more patients through faster. We explained to them that in America, only doctors can do those things and that even if we could, we have limited knowledge on tropical diseases such as malaria and typhoid which are seen quite frequently. It is very grey as to what the nurse's actual role is, but as far as we have been explained, the doctor is the one that is supposed to see patients and prescribe but since they do not have a doctor, the nurses are the ones who take on that role. We have also noticed taht if anyone comes in with any symptom of fever, headache, chills, stomach pain, diarrhea, loss of appetite, or stiff neck, they are automatically diagnosed with Malaria and given medication to treat them for it. I doubt that most people that are diagnosed with malaria actually have it but that is what you get for putting someone not educated properly in a particular position. I am not putting down these nurses because they do a lot and know a lot, but I think many problems are overlooked just because they were not educated to be doctors, they were educated to be nurses.
Laura and my role at the clinic has been a very random role where one day we might be a lab tech testing for HIV and malaria and the next day in the pharmacy counting and dispensing medications and the next sitting with the nurse who is diagnosing and giving injections when necessary. We had a good talk with one of the nurses on Friday where we explained to her that the patients in our village have medications and have no idea how to take them or what they are for so they are in need of more teaching when they are given medication. This was one of the most intimidating nurses in the clinic so it was a bit nerve racking to confront her, but she accepted what we said very well and started more thoroughly educating her patients.

Highlights at the clinic-

*we saw a birth which was conducted fully by one nurse and no one else was in the room except for Laura and I who were merely watching (or more specifically trying not to pass out). I think only words and gestures can fully explain the process, so remind me in person, but in short, there was a lot of blood which just fell onto the floor and sprayed everywhere, after the baby came out it was immediately taken by the feet and hung upside down by the nurse and smacked on the butt to make it cry (for medical people... there was meconium all over the baby so laura and I were fearing that the baby was going to inhale it from crying)and then the baby was placed on a spare bed and left there while the nurse attended to the mother. The mother was briefly brushed off and sent to bed (blood still all over her) for one hour to rest and then she would get up to wash herself up.

*there is no electricity in this hospital

*We brought a girl in from our village with a 105.1 degree fever who was admitted to the hospital and the mother was the one who had to by the IV set and medicine from a local "pharmacy" before she was treated. There is not food provided for the patients so all parents or relatives have to take care of their family member's needs. (the girl had malaria and recovered quite well but it was an eye opening night seeing the process from the patients perspective).

Life in the village has been great. We had a health day today where we screened people's blood sugar, blood pressure, supplied them with vitamins, and gave advice and education where there was need. We found about 60% of the people we tested, had hypertension and only 1 that was at high risk for diabetes.
Tomorrow will be day two of our health day where we will screen those who did not get screened today and then we will also teach on breast health and basic first aid.

Our family we live with here is fine. Vivian seems to be happier with life and starting to fit in with the family more. I think that she may have been confused with what was expected of her and being yelled at for not doing the things that were not clearly stated... which added to the stress of relocating, being a highschooler, and having no biological parents. The other kids are doing great as well and so are Dan's parents and sister. I don't think I mentioned this before, but we live in a house with 11 people total, meaning that there is always something going on.

Tomorrow is a big day. Laura and I were asked today if we could preach in church tomorrow to which we declined and said we would teach the youth instead. So if you could pray for us that would be wonderful, because both Laura and I do not do well with public speaking and then there is a huge language barrier to overcome. After church we are going to do the part two of the health day as explained above, and then the fun begins. WE are having an American Cup futbol tournament in honor of the 4th of July, we will be preparing guacamole for everyone (they have never had it before but to make guacamole for 11 people... it only costs about $1 USD for all of the supplies and they LOVE it), and then finishing the night by introducing everyone to s'mores.

I think this post is long enough but I hope to be able to communicate again soon. Thanks for supporting me through reading this and praying for me!!!

I will be home to tell you all stories in person before you know it.

With love,

Christy