Just Call It Dave

Dave speaks again:

Only four days until we head back to the states. The time has sped by and it has been too short a trip. On the other hand, there have been many moments in which I have been very aware of not being in the US, moments when I have missed home terribly. I’ve missed family and friends, and good coffee, and so many of the things we take for granted at home.

Lest I forget, a few things should be noted:
Matatu’s- basically small Toyota minivans, which are one of the main modes of transport here. There is always room for one more on the Matatu. Unless there are two people hanging outside the open sliding door, it is not full. I’ve been taking one to Migori from our flat outside Rongo, everyday for work. It can take 30 minutes or over an hour. In the bay area, traffic is the main frustration for a commuter, but here, you can be held up by a truck hauling sugar cane, by a stop for the conductor to bribe a policeman, by cows or sheep on the road. Sometimes for no apparent reason, the matatu stops, everyone gets out, and then you all board another matatu and continue on as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

We bought vegetables for dinner a few days ago at a little stand near our house. The grand total for a huge bag of kale (~ 1 to 2lbs) and four tomatoes? 30 shillings, or about 22 cents.

Nobody really eats lunch. They have 1 or two chappatis with or without a boiled egg, as well as tea. With the exception of soda, there are few processed foods here. People eat a fair amount of vegetables as well as ugali of course.

There is definitely a middle class here and the vast majority of people that you see on the street appear healthy and well fed. There is paradoxically more and less poverty here than you expect.

The government hospital in which I’ve been working, is underfunded and there are some days when no clinician does rounds on the inpatient ward. Even when we, or others, are there to see the patients, there are overwhelming frustrations. We can’t get CTs or MRIs. The imaging is limited to plain films, essentially. Even basic labs, though dutifully ordered, are often not done. You end up making your best assessment based on history and your exam and treating empirically. (There is currently a disagreement between the nursing staff and the lab over who is responsible for drawing blood, so most often, it is not drawn at all.) When it’s necessary, the doctors or clinical officers draw the blood themselves.

Kenyans are very religious. The country is majority Christian. It seems that many folks here assume that everyone else, including visitors, are believers as well. I haven’t been subject to active proselytizing, but during our weekly Friday morning meetings, things are begun and ended with a prayer. Last week, the gentleman giving the thought of the day spent about ten minutes explaining how to get into heaven. He emphasized leading a good honest life, and at this point we were in full agreement, but then he transitioned to a finale about belief in Jesus as the lord and savior, and his conviction that the only way into heaven was through Jesus. This is at a morning meeting for a secular, university affiliated, non-profit. I asked one of my colleagues later that day, “Are there any Muslims in the staff?” I don’t know any among the staff I’ve met, and if there are, perhaps they don’t mind the lecturing. In the end, though, this is not my country, and “when in Rome”, or something like that.

Yesterday we went to the impala sanctuary. I was skeptical, “why would I go to what is essentially a zoo, when a few weeks ago I saw animals in their natural habitat?” However, it was actually fascinating. We saw a hyena, which was enormous, much bigger than I expected, and very funny looking. We also saw baboons, monkeys, jackals, and a leopard. There was also an ostrich, and I know we’ve all seen pictures, and I’m sure most of you have seen one in a zoo, but I have to say, it remains one of the most bizarre animals I’ve ever seen. I couldn’t get over it. The neck is long, and flexible, and you can see the esophagus just under the surface of the skin, accentuated when it swallows and food travels downward. The neck moves in a more serpentine than avian manner.

The End