Down But Not Out

The past two days have brought a wave of illness throughout the compound. I fell victim to the epidemic yesterday despite my obsessive compulsive hand washing and sanitizing. It started with an overwhelming feeling of exhaustion after my morning run, then proceeded to my head and nose. I truly believe that if my body were not rejecting every morsel of food that I try to eat then I would have been able to stave off this plight, but in my weakened state I fell victim with the rest of the inmates. The only real medical advise I was given was by saintly Monica at lunch who offered me an orange mystery powder which, despite tasting like bile, did make me feel better.

So, I have spent the entire day within the confines (ten foot brick walls topped with an electric fence) of the IU compound.....I found myself wandering around at one point quoting lines from Shawshank Redemption: "Funny thing these walls. First you hate em'... then you get used to em'... after a while you start to depend on them. That's what it means to be institutionalized." Although I was able to lose myself in preparing lesson plans for this fall, I realized that I cannot spend the rest of my days locked behind these walls. As much as I detest the cratered, muddy, cow-poo filled streets of Eldoret I need to find something to take me out of camp. Even though my daily goal may not be as grand or important as many of the objectives being pushed here; I am a worker and I need a job.

Daily Observations:

1. They must be administering the cows here laxatives. I've seen cow patties before, but my GOSH this is disgusting.

2. Do not expect any type of medical attention here unless you are literally on your death bed. When I finally told her that I was feeling really bad Dr. Jill prescribed me a tall glass of get over it with a teaspoon of come see me if you are dying....."other than that there is nothing else you can do."

3. Although I still object to the term "developing country" there are some people here (Marc, Rose, Jill, Joe, and more) who have really made progress and continue to amaze me with their perseverance and hope.

Until next time,

CG

Dodge Ball

Thursday night is dodge ball night here at the pen. I was surprised to find out that Kenyans are dominant dodge ball players, especially Manji who looks like he just arrived from a group of Serengeti lion hunters. It was a nice break from an otherwise very bizarre world that was infiltrated by yet another group of short-timing eccentrics yesterday. I am quite certain that there is not a spare bed in the entire asylum. The mess hall was full of people comparing their third world triumphs, each trying to outdo the other in a battle royal of piety. They were real Sons of Thunder; I felt like I was witnessing a debate of who would sit at the left and right in the Kingdom. I don't want to sound like a cynic, I am a believer, I just feel like a little modesty could go a long way with some of these people.

This afternoon I witnessed true suffering and true servanthood, perhaps that is why I am so aggravated with our current medical tourists (don't get me wrong their not all bad). Jill showed me her children's ward today, she warned me beforehand that it was bad and that many doctors can't handle it. She was right it was bad, it was worse than anything that I ever could have expected. But it was worth it. It was worth it to watch Jill work and it was worth it to feel like such a fool for pitying myself in this place. The first patient that we saw was a ten year old boy who was born with AIDS. He was in bad shape, he just laid there coughing. Jill wagered that he would make it "he's very tough," she said. He has survived two operations already and although he looks like he is in bad shape, she is optimistic. The second patient that we saw looked better, but Jill said that the little girl would definitely not make it (kidney failure) and she spent most of her time just comforting the grandmother in Swahili.

In happier news I had a fabulous dinner last night and made many new friends. I really did meet some very nice and very genuine people.

Daily observations about Kenya:

1. You can pee anywhere as long as you turn your back to where you think the majority of the people are.

2. The mechanics of throwing a lion spear are uncannily similar to the mechanics required to drill me in the ear hole with a dodge ball.

3. I may not have fallen in love with Kenya on this trip but I most definitely fell even more in love with Dr. J.

Peace and goodnight,

CG

Chai

"Tale me abote yo-ah pole-atics in Ah-medica Kah-see," said my new friend Benjamin. I pretty much spent the entire day talking political history and restaurants with the General Manager of the local AMPATH restaurant. All of his political and historical knowledge about our country is based on what he has learned on CNN. I quickly realized that he must tune in religiously in order to have formed so many intelligent questions about, what I now realize are, some very puzzling situations for most of the world to witness. We covered JFK, MLK, Obama, de jure and de facto segregation, MAC Donalds (as he called it), health care, immigration, and the difference(s) between Republicans and Democrats. Have no fear.....I was fair and balanced in my assessments and interpretations.

I also discovered the secret to life in Kenya today. CHAI!! Chai tea is the most incredible thing that Kenya has ever produced, I could only describe it by saying it is like drinking a candy bar. I'm not sure exactly how much sugar they put in this stuff but I had a cup at 3:30pm and it is now 8:00 and I my pupils are still the size of quarters.

Daily observations about Kenya:

1. There is a secret ingredient in Chai tea that makes you forget that you are in a third world country.

2. Our country and it's politics are watched by the world....and probably serve as good entertainment.

3. Restaurants are restaurants and the problems they encounter are universal.

CG

Safari

Yesterday was an average Kenyan day for us, plenty of plans but few results. We had hoped to get out of here and up into the tea fields for some fresh air and relaxation. Unfortunately, as I am finding is the case for most of the Kenyan service industry, drivers arrive on their time or not at all. The later was our case yesterday, so we decided to take a walk and explore the Eldoret leisure scene. We went to the local country club.....yes a country club, and inquired as to what the rate for a one month membership would be. Hopefully I can at least golf here, even if it is on a really crapy nine hole course. My first trip to the actual city of Eldoret was....interesting. The city is pretty much an overcrowded filthy cesspool of a town; I was shocked at the amount of traffic--pedestrians, bicycles, and automobiles--that was able to be crammed into the narrow crater filled streets. There were no traffic lights, no speed limit signs, and pretty much no traffic rules.

Today was nice, we finally managed to spring ourselves from the compound which feels like a minimum security prison at worst and a really bad summer camp for adults at best. After experiencing Eldoret's traffic, the two and a half hour white knuckle trip to the game reserve today seemed like a walk in the park and the natural treasures, tranquility, and companionship that we found there were more than welcome. Being able to experience the reserve and rural Kenya allowed my mind to detox from the cultural overload that slammed my brain the first week here. I feel at least a little more at ease and maybe even ready to start my first week of work here in Kenya. Additionally, I took nearly 500 pictures of rhinoceros, giraffes, lions, gazelles, antelope, and baboons. I hope to post at least a couple of pictures soon, but the internet here is so slow that I hold out little hope for being able to immediately share this amazing experience.

The past two days of observations about Kenya:

1. Just because a person works at an establishment does not mean that they know anything at all about said establishment.

2. Lack of traffic rules + Crappy highways + Zero law enforcement = Nightmarish driving circumstances. I don't think my mother, who is a more aggressive motorist than most NASCAR drivers, would last five minutes here.

3. Did you know- The Kenyan government does not provide public education past 8th grade? Only in the past ten years did they begin offering grade schools that were free to the public. FREE BASIC EDUCATION, I am now witnessing, is imperative for productive and dignified individuals as well as a just and productive country.

Talk to you all soon.....I hope.

CG

ugh

I don't have a lot of kind things to say about Kenya today.....to be honest I don't have anything nice to say about this place so this should be a pretty short post. Maybe I will get over how third world this place really is and how annoying it is to be wearing the same clothes for FIVE DAYS IN A ROW.

Today's observations about Kenya:

1. The lack of hurry, especially when it comes to my bags arriving here within seven days of me arriving, is not endearing; it's annoying.

2. The place I am staying is like a summer camp for weird adults (with the exception of a few people I met late this evening).

3. Tusker Lager can make a lot of things better.

Peace and goodnight,

CG

First Day

I would consider this my first real day in Kenya. I'm still dealing with jet lag so I slept until about 11am Kenya time. I met with some people at the career training service about consulting on their restaurant. I asked the restaurant manager if I could get a tour of the kitchen and the first thing that he told me was, "someone is donating a modern kitchen this year." Modern kitchen? I thought. Then he showed me their "non-modern" kitchen. I didn't take any pictures because I didn't want to be rude by snapping a series of critical food violations but to paint you a quick mental image it was a dirt floor shack with a tin roof. There was a man cutting tender outside and everything that they were cooking inside was being cooked over a fire on the floor.

After spending some time at the restaurant Jill needed to go out and check on some students that were in a more rural clinic. On the way back we were able to stop and tour a Kenyan farm as well as learn about agriculture in Kenya. The lack of operating capital for farms limits many of the farming methods that I was accustomed to in the States. For example instead of pesticides they space the crops out farther than we do; and in the event of an infestation they use home remedies such as ash, cayenne pepper, and water to repel the invading pests. I took some pictures of the fields that we saw but I am not sure that I can upload them at this time.

A few parting observations from my first day in Kenya:

1. Although I considered my accent to be neutral, no one can understand my American English. I think I am probably going to have to adopt Jill's "Kenyan English" accent which I could only describe as part American, part English, and part talk to someone as if they were an idiot by over pronouncing all of the syllables in each word.

2. There is relatively little hurry here over anything and the expectation of self-satisfaction is virtually non existent.

3. Jill Helphinstine is truly brilliant, it was a real treat to get to watch her work briefly today.

That's all for now, hope to catch up with some of you later on skype.

CG