Medical Camp

My time in Africa started out slow.. Some days I found myself just hanging out and talking with the people, like many typical Kenyans do. It’s normal as you go through town or down the road to see people just hanging around chatting—it’s one of my favorite things about Africa.

But, the past few weeks have been crazy! A team of 23 people came from the US and the UK. It was fun to have more Mazungus around. We set up a medical camp at a slum in Eldoret called Kambi Teso. White tents and ropes to direct traffic and an open field was our medical clinic. The medical camp was five days long and we treated nearly 2,000 people.

I was mainly stationed in the pharmacy distributing drugs to patients. I learned a lot about the drugs and common diseases in Kenya. One of the highlights for me was getting a chance to give injections. OK.. Knowing me and how much I hate getting injections this might sound a little funny. But- it was a good experience because I’m trying to figure out what I want to do in the medical field and this definitely opened my eyes.

Rachel came over and said, “Have you ever given an injection before?” I told her I hadn’t and she said, “Wanna learn?” So of course I said yes! I’m thinking this is crazy, she’s just going to let me give someone an injection when I’ve never done it before?? Now, at home no one would allow this until medical school and what not.. mainly for liability purposes and everyone in America loves suing someone for their troubles.. but, T.I.A (this is Africa)! I turned the corner out of the pharmacy into the next room (not exactly a room, but a curtained off area of the tent) and met my first patient. He was a middle aged man and he had a deep wound from what I think he said was barbed wire and needed a tetanus shot. So, here I am! Haha! Rachel introduced me to him and told him that I’m a student and I’m learning how to give injections.

Now I’m thinking— great, thanks Rachel now I can’t pretend like I know what I’m doing.. but he didn’t even blink and said ok. She showed me how to prepare the injection and to “aspirate back” after I put the needle in before administering the tetanus.. (all very official terminology). Then she showed me where to give the injection and said, “ok, whenever you’re ready.” I’m thinking uhhh.. ok? Am I ready? Wait a second… am I ready?! How selfish of me.. is HE ready??! I looked at him and said, “Ok on the count of three…one.. two.. three…AHHH (and I literally gave a little scream before giving him the injection) hahaha! How pathetic of me! He didn’t even flinch and after thanked me. Ok.. first injection! And I was more nervous than my patient! Haha!

The rest of the medical camp I spent running around the tent giving a few injections here and there and in the pharmacy. It was so hectic, and there was no time to rest. I literally don’t think I sat down once the entire medical clinic. I rarely ate my lunch each day because it was so busy and I didn’t want to miss out. But, by the end of the day the heat and craziness started to get to me and I was happy to pack up by the end of each day.

The next story I have is about an older woman, about 80 years old (I think) who came complaining of joint pain. One of the doctors noticed her eyes were completely clouded with cataracts. The doctor asked her if she could see and she said everything was dark but she could make out shapes. Now, one thing that commonly happens in Africa, unlike the US, is that doctors will treat a patient with medicine, but they will also sometimes pray for the patient. So, this doctor pointed out her cataracts to me and said he was going to treat her for her joint pain, but that there wasn’t much they could do about her vision, but he would pray for her. I just nodded, unsure what he really wanted me to do.

He prayed for her and gave her the prescription for pain relief and sent her on her way. One of the other team members had also been in the room with us. Later, I was back in the pharmacy filling prescriptions and I recognized her name while I was filling her meds. Then the other team member Tara came over and said, “Anna, look at her eyes.” I looked at them and they were clear. Okkkk… what?? I honestly didn’t believe it and I thought it was some kind of joke so I kept looking away and then looking back and then trying to remember what the woman was wearing to make sure it wasn’t someone else.. but no, it was the same woman. I can’t tell you how her cataracts disappeared or if I went a bit delusional from the heat but this was definitely a first for me. It kinda weirded me out…

Babu

When the team of 23 people arrived from the US and UK they brought with them a trombone my family (mainly my mom) had sent for Babu Meshak. “Babu” means grandfather in Kiswahili. Which is very fitting for this man. He is our chief welfare officer at the village. He is the man at the gate and after several of my morning runs and talking with him as I came and went through the gate, it became clear to me that I could learn a lot from him and I slowly began to learn about his life.

Babu spent about 30 years working at a prison in Kenya as a guard. He also told me one day that he had a great love for music. And after that, I realized his was constantly humming to himself or singing to me or whatever other visitor was there. So, it wasn’t long before I looked forward to my morning runs (even though they aren’t close to enjoyable because the altitude makes it impossible to breathe).

He told me about his days as a musician and the various bands he was in and how he used to play his trombone in the prison on occasion. Then one day as I approached the gate he told me he had found something very special that he needed to share with me. He pulled out an old program and he was so excited to tell me that he had found this is town the other day and the reason it was so special was because it dated back to the 1950s and it was a book of several Oregon bands.

After asking him if he still played he told me that he didn’t have the money for an instrument and the instruments he had used in the past were loaned to him by either the band he was in or the prison.

Long story short, I thought it was necessary to find a way to get Babu his trombone. So, I talked with my family about it and my mom somehow found him a trombone. (after what was a LONG -and if you know my mom, RIDICULOUS escapade to find Babu a suitable trombone—because my mom wouldn’t just give any trombone. That would be too simple) So—after several years with no instrument, Babu finally received his trombone.

When he opened the box his hands were shaking and he couldn’t seem to get it put together fast enough to play it. And the first song he played was Amazing Grace and if you looked closely you could see he was crying. Which, had lots of people crying- and I was crying too (obviously—because if you know me you know I can cry during nearly any sad movie or whatever). But, it has been so fun to see him with something he loves so much! He has played it for us on several occasions and when the team left we had a camp fire on their last night and he played almost the whole night. Thanks mom for all your hard work! I wish you had been there to see him and hear him play Amazing Grace for the first time.

A Night On The Streets

This is Morris>>>
After hearing from Morris that the street kids had asked him to bring me with him to see them at night, I didn’t know whether that was the best idea. I’m thinking hmmm.. they want me to come to the street?? For those of you who don’t know, street kids in Eldoret live a terrible life. Not just because they live on the street, but because of how the police treat them. Many of the kids are orphans, kids who lost their families in the post election violence in 2007, kids who have run away from abusive homes, and kids who are simply thrown out by their families… and they have nowhere to go.

So, thousands of kids walk around the streets begging for money or whatever people are willing to give them. They have no shelter. Many of them sleep and live in the dump on the edge of town. They sleep in the piles of garbage for warmth. To many, street kids are seen as a nuisance. Authorities have been ordered to find a solution to the problem. So, they were given an old warehouse in the center of town where the kids could go for shelter at night and sleep. But that didn’t last long. The police here are miserable men. They are so corrupt. Many of them are drunks with terrible tempers. So- instead of protecting street kids and the people in Eldoret, they make their lives a living hell and everyone fears them.

At night, many of the policemen are drunk so they torment the street children. Now, all the policemen carry guns. Not guns that they have holstered- massive guns that they carry loaded and ready at all times. They chase the kids away from the shelter and beat them. The other day, a young boy was shot on Sunday at around 10am- in broad daylight. Apparently, he was selling phones and the police accused him on selling fake ones and so they started beating him. As he tried to run away, one of the police shot him in the back of the head. I’ve met the young guy and he had left the streets and had newly married and a newborn baby. Hearing about this was really difficult. How can a police officer shoot a young man in the back of the head and get away with it??!—That’s just a glimpse of what the street kids have to deal with.

I was a bit nervous, but I decided that I should go. So, Morris and I went to town last night and I was blown away by what I saw. I had heard about the terrible things that happened and I thought I was prepared. But, seeing it made me sick to my stomach. As we pulled into town, kids immediately spotted us and ran up to his car before he could park it. It was as if they wanted to climb through the windows. Morris told me that they were afraid of the police who were chasing them and they didn’t know where to go. At first, I tried to shrug it off and blame it on the glue –I thought to myself, they’re not thinking clearly and they’re just paranoid. But, as soon as I looked behind me, I realized I was wrong. Here came a group of kids running through the street with four police chasing after them with their guns pointed. I froze.

Morris and I got in the car and drove to another street and talked with kids and tried to help them find places to hide from the police. As we were walking Morris pointed to a place in the alley and said, “I used to sleep there to hide from the police when I was a young boy”. I looked over and realized that what he was pointing to was a bathroom stall. Can you imagine? He laughed because I had no idea what to say and said, “it’s ok because it kept me safe”.

We found a few more kids. Several knew me and told me how happy they were to see me and asked me why I hadn’t been to see them in a while. They’re fun, sweet kids and they can make you laugh so easily. But Morris told me that he couldn’t figure out where everyone was.. he said there was usually hundreds more. So, he asked two little boys where everyone was. That’s when the whole night changed. They told him the police had arrested them all. After we gave the kids some bread and milk Morris asked me if it was ok with me if we went to the police station.

I said yes without hesitation. I wanted to see the awful people who had arrested the kids and tell them a few things. We got there and most of the police knew Morris and so we were told we could feed the kids. Now, this is because the police don’t feed them and they can hold them for however long they want and there’s no real reason for arresting them in the first place—Absolutely ridiculous!! I’m like- YOU CANT DO THAT!! But they don’t care..

Morris requested to go in the cell to see the kids and surprisingly they let him. At first I didn’t want to go in, but for some reason I just followed him in. As you turn the corner, I expected to find a hallway and cells on either side. Not exactly what I found. A long, thin hallway and one main room at the end and it was packed and I mean packed of kids. I literally could hardly squeeze my way through. I stood there and the smell of urine and the state these kids were in was overwhelming. There’s no bathroom so they just go on the floor. Morris quickly pulled me out but as we walked out the young deaf boy, Brian grabbed my pant leg and gave me the thumbs up. Morris told me that he always asks about me. But I asked him how he knew because the boy is deaf and cant speak.. he said that he moves his hand along his face indicating long hair and then a thumbs up and that his motion for me. I turned to the guard and asked him why this boy had been arrested. The guard gave me an empty look and I knew there was no reason.

The truth of what was happening is a policemen recently shot a street boy in the back of the head. They know the street kids have the ability to cause a problem and kill a policemen in return… so they are locking them all up. I feel completely hopeless in how to help these kids..

Elgonview

There have been a lot of changes at the village I’m staying at lately. One of the women at the office, Renee, left and has moved to Mexico to get married. Because she just left, they currently don’t have anyone to do the work she was doing. This is probably the busiest I’ve seen things since I’ve arrived. There are currently three children homes at the village, and an office (that the office in town will move to once the village has electricity). They are building three visitor homes, and a baby home. The three visitor homes and the baby home are still under construction and I’ve seen them go up from the very beginning- brick by brick. They look amazing! But, in Kenya nothing and I mean nothing runs on time or on much of a schedule- no matter how hard you push. So, they were supposed to be completed in the beginning of June- but now they are hoping that only one will be completed by the time the medical team arrives in the beginning of July. Yup- that’s about two weeks. So… because of everything that has to be done by then and with Renee gone and all other things that happen Rachel has asked me to move out of the village to the office and stay in Renee’s old room. So I’ve partially moved my things to Renee’s room and I’ve been working in the office and babysitting the babies here and doing medical inventory to prepare for the medical teams.

I miss everyone at the village and all the time I spend with the children. But, I love the work I’m doing in the office, a proper meal (I had ham, mashed potatoes, and cucumber salad the other night- which if you had been eating ugali & green grams for the past 2 months you’d understand my appreciation). I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the office staff and Rachel & Ruth. We have a good time. We played spoons the other night- it got so competitive that Rachel dove across the table to snatch the spoon out of my crotch…yeah… seriously. And we had guests there as well. (Guests= donors- a few older aged British men- who didn’t exactly have the same idea of “fun” as we did) And the next hand Ruth threw me to the ground trying to get a spoon—I was afraid for my life and so were the donors -they had a look of horror on their faces… But I came out victorious both times =)

Anyways- I’ve started the medical inventory so that Rachel can order more supplies for the up coming medical clinics. I’m really excited for the clinics. The little medical work I’ve done so far has been really good for me. I know I’ll learn so much and I’ll feel like I’ve helped a few people. Rachel also helped me discover I had worms and gave me the right medication to get rid of them. Ohh I’m so happy I don’t have worms anymore. I really got uncomfortable the last few days I had them. I can’t imagine how so many people in this country can live with them for years without help. So I felt guilty complaining. But trust me, no one wants worms. EVER.

driving in kenya

Morris taught me how to drive the truck today!! =))

So.. no rules, wrong side of the road, manual transmision with my left hand, big truck,
haven't driven in about 2 months, in kenya, dirt bumpy roads= ok GO!

you rarely ever see women driving in kenya- let alone a mazungu like me.
Morris really enjoyed watching people's reactions as i drove around.

P.S. NEVER DRIVE IN KENYA. i did fine and we lived.. but i honestly nearly had a heart attack. (honest- at one point Morris said, "Anna remember to breathe!"

And then the Engrique Iglesias song "Hero" came on as i pulled over and he jumped in the drivers seat. = we were in "stitches" ( a knew phase Morris used to describe our time) means we laughed really hard...

Modekai

Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve posted something. I’ve been going into town to visit the street kids with Morris quite a bit. For those of you who don’t know Morris’ story I’ll do my best to tell you. Morris lived on the streets for eight years. He was addicted to glue like all the other 99% of kids on the streets- meaning he had a bottle of glue stuck to his lips and he inhaled the glue to get high for 10 hrs a day- give or take. To many, this sounds like a strange addiction, but after learning about life on the street, it starts to make more sense. The glue masks hunger and the high pulls them away from their reality. Now, to me this makes perfect sense for a street kid. Most have been abandoned and are starving and have nowhere to stay, so they sleep in the dump on the worst side of town. To me, glue seems like a sufficient, but terrible solution for most of them. Anyways, Morris lived on the streets for eight years and then some how someone he met tried to help him and he accepted. He says that person changed his life forever- which is obviously true. He slowly started to make better choices and he stopped sniffing glue, etc and he now works with the Open Arms International group that I’m working with. He has dedicated his life to the street kids and he is an amazing man.
The first time I met Morris is what stands out the most to me. He picked me, Morgen, and Catherine up from the Nakumat (grocery store) one afternoon and was going to take us back to the village. As we drove through town kids started to follow our car and were yelling “Morris” and started tapping on the windows… so he rolled them down and started talking to them. To those watching it was probably a strange sight- a Kenyan and three Mazungu girls driving through town with what seemed to be all the streets kids surrounding and following the car. I asked Morris what was going on and he started laughing and said, “These are all my friends. These are the street kids”. When Morris walks through town everyone seems to know and respect him. The kids start to follow him and talk to him and businessmen stop him and say hello and what not. And here I am, sticking out like a sore thumb completely at a loss of what to do- but completely in awe of how the entire town seemed to respond to this man.
Anyways, back to my story about one of the times I went with him on his daily visit to the street. Morris tells me he’s just come back from taking a few kids off the street back to their families and helping them reconcile their differences so that they hopefully wont end up on the streets again. He tells me how the rains caused flooding in the city and he couldn’t get out for a few days and that he had to drink the water there- so he got typhoid. So, here’s Morris sick as a dog on his way to hang out with the kids on the streets. (just a glimpse of who he is)
Morris tells me a little bit about what I’m about to experience so I try to prepare myself. He says I may feel a bit unsafe but as long as he’s with me I’ll be ok. (I start to wonder how this is going to go) We pull into the worst part of town in what seems to be a few feet from one of the nicest restaurants. Looking out my window as we drive further in I notice a young boy asleep on a mound of garbage. We pull up to a somewhat empty area (literally in the dump) with piles on top of piles of garbage and he parks the car.
As we get out he says, “Oh, Anne by the way I told them you were a doctor.” I’m thinking uh.. Morris why? You know I’m not. He then tells me he thinks a few may need my assistance as a swarm of “kids” (mostly young men and a few younger kids) start grabbing my hands and greeting me. They mumble “Habari”( how are you?) through the bottles of glue they have stuck to their upper lips. Many of them are so high they don’t make any sense.
Morris gets the medical bag out of the truck and the kids start showing me their various wounds. Now- these aren’t your typical cuts and scrapes.. these kids are so filthy and they haven’t been clean in god knows how long that something that could have started out as a simple cut has progressed to infection and for some their legs were literally rotting. At first, I didn’t know what to do first. But Morris told me they wont go to a hospital and all we can do is try to help. So I started cleaning them.. but when each cloth seemed to be dirtier then the one before he told me it was as good as it was gunna get and to just bandage them up. Meanwhile, through all of this they were talking back and forth Mazungu this Mazungu that and Morris told me they were very happy I was there to help them. Some it seemed were almost competing to see who I would help next- it was like they wanted to have a cut or something so that I would help them and so a mazungu would touch them.
But, what happened next is possibly the hardest thing I’ve experienced. A young boy (probably 10 or 11?) walked up to me and tugged on my shirt to get my attention. I thought that was kind of odd at first because all these kids were pretty vocal when getting my attention. But I quickly realized that he was deaf. Morris walked up and said to me quietly, “if you can’t do this, he will understand”. Unaware of what he was referring to I quickly said, “No, no I’m fine I want to help.” He sat down and showed me his foot (he had no shoes on) and it literally made me sick to my stomach.. they call if foot rot in some places. He was so dirty I looked up at Morris and asked him if we could take him somewhere to clean him, but he said we can’t. So I started to clean his foot. As I was cleaning, I noticed he had about an inch deep cut that ran along the crease on the bottom of your foot where your toes meet with the rest of the foot.
I showed Morris and he simply said, “just do the best you can”. So I told him to tell the boy this would probably sting a bit but then I remembered he was deaf and that wouldn’t be possible. I couldn’t help but put my head down and cry while I poured hydrogen peroxide into the cut.. and the next thing I know the boy puts his hand on my leg to get my attention and I look over and he’s giving me a thumbs up. Instead of screaming and pulling away he gave me a thumbs up.
I don’t really know how to explain the feeling that gave me but it changed me forever. I told Morris we were going to get him shoes after. As we were getting ready to leave- the kids all started talking to Morris and motioning to me. We left soon after that. As we were walking down the street looking for shoes for the deaf boy I asked Morris what they said about me. He told me that they said, “This Mazungu (white person) will always be safe. We will watch her when she’s in town, wherever she is and no one will harm her.” Then Morris explained to me how big of a deal that was and that in all the years he’d been doing this and all the Mazungus he’d taken to the streets, and of all the doctors he’d taken, I was the only one they had ever said that about and the only one they accepted.

I Kill Snake!!

I’ve become much closer with the two farmers. Mainly, because I have increased the number of trips I take to milk the cows and Deewas had her baby calf earlier last week. It was sooo exciting! I missed the birth, which upset me, but I got to see then end of it and the delivery of the placenta. I know-Gross. But, it’s actually really amazing and fun to experience, especially in Kenya! Anywho- I’ve become especially close with Festis because he speaks good English and he actually jokes around and is pretty funny and is always making us laugh. He’s an amazing runner and he was supposed to go to the Beijing Olympics, but he injured his knee running on the road when he stepped in a pot hole—very typical in Kenya! They don’t have much- wait, actually no concern for the shape of the roads. I’m so sad for him to have lost out on the Olympics. But, he and I believe that he will make it there soon. So, I’ve been spending more time with him learning about being a farmer and whatnot.. Annnnddd we end up killing a Black Mamba. Yupp! An incredibly poisonous snake.. Goggle it!

I could see Festis walking up the field to get grass for the mama cow and I was instructed to wait for him with Meshak. So as I watched him his body language completely changed and he quickly froze. I run over to see what’s wrong with him. He’s starring at something and as I approach he very seriously tells me to stop and stand how he is. Festis is rarely serious, so I know he means it and I stand in the ridiculous position—legs crossed over one another and my right hand gripping my left wrist….Ookkk. I stand there for a few seconds and then when I’m about to tell him to stop joking around I see the black mamba snake he’s been starring at!!

Ohh goodie!! Hah ha! Let’s see how this little game turns out. He can tell I’m skeptical of the bizarre positions we are standing in and explains to me that when you stand like that near a snake in Africa, it is said that the snake will not bite… I’m like- Ok Check! I’ll just stand like this, no problem. At this point, two of the welfare officers have shown up. Meanwhile, Festis tells me he’s going to kill the snake… (I’m thinking- ohh great idea, get closer to the deathly poisonous snake… I agree.. hah! NOT!!) While I’m thinking this, I realize the two officers are yelling at Festis because I’m there. They tell him it’s too dangerous and they try to get me to leave. But, I refuse. Of course.

After some “planning” all the men grab sticks and begin to surround the snake preparing to kill it. As I’m still standing in the position Festis put me in. He positions himself between me and snake so the officers can’t keep a good eye on me… perfect! Festis whacks the snake and stabs it with his stick. (not killing it, just making it incredibly angry) And the two officers instead of joining in take a few slight steps back. (what wonderful watchmen) I’m not impressed and tired of standing in the silly position as the snake strikes at them and gets closer and closer to biting them. So— I grab a rock. One of the officers sees me (unfortunate) and grabs me trying to get me away. I tell him I’m going to kill the snake. He is not pleased but I creep up behind Festis and smash the rock over the snakes head! ☺ ☺

I’ve done it!! The snake is dead. Quite the crowd has appeared at this point and they’re all cheering and shocked and they all think I’m crazy for being that close to a snake. But, someone had to. Festis is impressed because he pats me on the back and says, “Sawa sawa”. (means ok, ok ) He disposes of the snake by putting it into the toilet hole.—and I mean hole. It is very common to go to the bathroom by squatting over a hole in Kenya.

The gaurds Still cant seem to understand why I was there with a snake. They kept asking me, “do you not fear?” and I kept trying to explain to them that it was my fear of snakes that helped me kill it. But, they just nodded and looked at me like I was mad.

Henry Jr.

Deewas had her baby cow last week! It was soo exciting! Unfortunately, I missed the birth. But, I got to see the end of it and the delivery of the placenta. (kinda gross-but soo cool) oh and for those of you who know how rare it is to see me awake before mid-day... i was awake with the sunrise to see this!
And for those of you who don't believe me.. if you know anything about telling what time it is by the shadows from the sun.. note the shadow in the picture :)
Cows are a big deal in Kenya!!
They asked me to name the cow. (i felt so honored)
I named the cow Henry Jr. after Henry Sr.-- the fabulous farmer

milking a cow

here is a picture of me learning to milk a cow-- special just for Grandma Lois. I love you!

ELDORET- May 8, 2010

Leaving Nairobi and Heidi’s family was hard. I really had a great time with her and her family. They are so fun! We went on safari to Lake Naivasha my last day there. It was amazing! The drive was beautiful and as we entered Naivasha we came over the top of some huge hills that over look the plains. There are lots of volcanos there too. It I can’t remember the names of them :/ but lake Naivasha is beautiful. We went on safari and I got to see lots of wild animals. We saw zebras, gazel, warthogs, giraffes, bafoons, and lots of birds. I could hear the hippos when we ate lunch on the lake but you can’t see them. They come out at night and they are really mean and dangerous, but I could hear them grunting.

Sunday, I went to the airport to fly into Eldoret. That was a scary experience in many ways. The security is nearly non-existent. You walk in and put your bags through the check point and if you look behind the counter the people are laughing and talking while your bags go through instead of watching the monitors. Haha I don’t think people in Africa are too concerned with terrorists. I guess that can be good and bad? Next you check in and they don’t ask for any identifcation…okkk.. and then they tell you to proceed to the gate. I walk to up the next “check” point and they ask me where I’m going. I politely tell them I’m going to Eldoret and they smile. I try to hand them my boarding pass and passport, but apparently in Africa that is not necessary. They laugh at me and push it away. Haha! Silly me. Next, a man walks up and asks me my name and where I’m going. So, I respond with the same information I gave the first woman. He raises his eyebrows and says, “hey! I’m from Eldoret. My home is in Eldoret .” I’m like oh really? What a surprise haha! He then says, “Are you married in Eldoret?” I’m thinking to myself- married in Eldoret? How many places can you be “married” in? haha I tell him no. He then says he would like to marry me in Eldoret. I’m like ok.. no thank you. And I offer an innocent smile as I walk away. Apparently, men like to “marry” several women so that they can have someone (or many) in each town they go to. For instance, if they work away from home, it would be common to have one “wife” at home and another where they work. Basically, getting married here is rare unless you have money. They usually just say they they’re “married” and then they “marry” another… and another. Well you get the point. So, I was unimpressed with this man’s offer.

I proceed to my “gate” which I can’t seem to find. Then I realize there is just one common area where several gates are. We are told our plane is boarding. Now this is the first time anyone asks me for a boarding pass.. but still no need for identificiation. But it didn’t really matter because I made it safely to Eldoret ☺

I’m met at the airport by Linda & Dave (one of the couples living in Eldoret that help run the orphanage) and two other volunteer girls- Catherine and Morgan. It was easy spotting me because I am literally the only white person there. And from the airport they take me straight out to the village where I’m going to stay in a house with orphan children. Everyone was so nice and welcoming. When they opened the door to the house I’m staying in (Armani) all the kids jumped on me before I could walk through the door. It was overwhelming! Each one wanted their own individual hug. It was really cute.

Getting to know all of the children in my house individually has been one of my favorite parts of the experience so far. They call me “Aunty Anne”. They just started saying it because for some reason Anna was too complicated. Some of the kids have some terrible stories. There are three brothers in my house- Ken(13), Victor(9), and Zadock(7). Their story was the hardest to hear and the closer I get to the three boys the harder it is for me knowing how badly they were treated. Basically, their father was abusive and tortured them. They were confined to one room and not let out. Ken & Zadock have burn marks all over their arms and a few on other parts of their bodies from where their dad would burn them. And if that’s not bad enough, Victor got the worst of it. Along with the burn marks, Victor’s legs are unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. They told me that his dad used to bind Victor’s legs together and cut them with a macheti (sp??) and several times he cut so deep he went clear through the bones. One of his legs needed a steal rod put in it to hold it together when they were rescued and the other wasn’t much better. The scars are horrific. And his legs don’t quite have a normal structure to them. I cried when they told me. Victor pulled up his pants to show me and I almost had to leave the room. I almost couldn’t believe it. And I really didn’t want to. But the sad part is I can’t tell myself its just a story, or a movie, or some picture on a postcard…it’s real. And when I thought I couldn’t handle anymore and I was seriously thinking to myself that I didn’t want to do this anymore they told me that Victor also has Sickle Cell Anemia and he had just returned a few days ago from the hospital.

I didn’t know what to do or what to say. They said that when the boys were brought to them a few weeks before I got there that when they asked Victor about his legs his brother Ken stood there with tears running down his face. From then on, I felt oddly drawn to the three of them. I figured I could give them as much of me as I possibly could and maybe that could some how help them. It seemed obvious to me that these boys just needed to be loved. Since I’ve been here, I make a point of spending most of my time with those three boys. The two parents in my house (Paul & Sarah) told me they’ve already seen major changes in the boys. Ken has settled in and I’m starting to see more and more of his personality everyday. He is so sweet and kind hearted. He’s also very smart and has great English. He told me yesterday that he was thankful for me. He said that he had prayed for a visitor to come and he was happy with the one God had sent him. (there are two others house on the property and Morgan and Catherine stay in them- so the house I’m in didn’t have a volunteer for a few weeks until I got there) I was completely caught of guard. This kid has been through Hell (literally) and he’s sitting here telling me he prayed to god for a visitor and was happy with the one he sent??? Wow…

Sarah and Paul also told me that Victor used to walk to the door of his bedroom in the morning and stand in the doorway. He would just stand there. He didn’t feel comfortable in open spaces and they said that they would have to tell him to go out and play with the other kids. They said it would take him awhile but he would go out. Then he would come back ten minutes later and sit in his room. This just made me sad… here’s a kid who is too afraid to run around with other kids because of the horrible things he’s been through. But, I haven’t seen him do this since Monday. And on Wednesday, I talked him into going to the field to play soccer with everyone. That was huge! ☺ Part of having Sickle Cell Anemia is that he can have pain in areas of his body. And one of them is his legs, which I expected. Lately, he’s been coming to me and talking to me about it. He’ll show me and point to where it hurts. And we’ll just sit there and I’ll hold the area that hurts for a bit and then he’s up and onto the next thing. One night, we were watching The Lion King (which the kids LOVE!) and he said, “Aunty Ann, it doesn’t hurt as bad when you hold it.” So, I’ve slowly earned enough of his trust to where I told him he could come and find me any time it hurts and I’d sit with him and hold what hurt… and he does.

Zadock (is absolutely Adorable) is much younger and it’s harder to tell if he’s just shy and that’s his personality or what. But I’m trying to get more out of him. He doesn’t have as good of English, so it’s harder for me to communicate with him. But- the kids are teaching me Kiswahili! So I’m slowly hearing more from him. They are the sweetest and I mean THE Sweetest kids. I have to be honest- adopting them has crossed my mind, honestly! I couldn’t believe it. I’ve never really understood the draw some people have to adopt kids, but these three have touched me and I’ve thought of adopting them. Now, that isn’t possible because they don’t allow the children to be adopted (believe me, I’ve asked) and I’m 20 years old and nowhere near ready for children. But, I want them to be with someone who wont leave them and someone who wont abuse them. Which brings up another problem for me. I’ve never seen so many children with bad backgrounds, they’ve been abandoned, and many have serious issues. And here I am, entering their lives for a few months, just to leave them. In a way, I feel like I shouldn’t be here. But then at the same time I’m trying to help. But in the end, I’m going to leave. And I don’t think it’s a good thing for them to having people coming and going. I was walking out to do laundry last night and I was carrying my laundry bag and Naiomi (age 7--one of the girls in my house) put her head in the couch and said in Kiswahili, “I will cry.” Sarah told me that she thought I was leaving for good and that she was really sad. I told her I was only doing laundry and I would be right back. She didn’t believe me so she followed me and helped me with my laundry. See—its things like that that make it really hard for me stay when I know they’ll be hurt again when I leave.
Anywho- I’m done for now. Sorry this entry isn’t as “happy” as the others. It’s real stuff here.

I have also:
Milked a cow (several times now—Grandma Lois, it must be in our genes!!)
Bandaged & cleaned wounds and cuts, given meds, etc. at the village & feeding program
Served food at the feeding program
Eaten little fish (served whole)—NASTY!
Taught classes at the school
Leanred how to make Chipati
Oh.. and ran with a world class Olympian runner ☺ no joke!!

April 29th (Giraffes!)- Nairobi, Kenya

Heidi decided it was necessary for me to see the giraffes! So, off we went to find giraffes. We drove a bit out into an area called Karen. For those of you who have seen Out of Africa, Karen Blixen is the lady who who owned the farm in Africa. So, in Kenya there is an area named after her. My mom would LOVE this. (I've already told her about it)
The farther we drive the less busy it is and there are fewer people around. But the trees, fields and cows on the sides of the roads are entertaining to watch. We arrive at the Giraffe National Park and there is a hotel there where people can stay the night and in the morning while they're eating breakfast, the giraffes walk up to the windows and stick their heads in and eat right along with you. Heidi says she really wants to do this sometime, but her husband Keith says there's much better things to do with their money. lol very practical/reasonable of you Keith.
Well this trip soon changes it's pace as I walk up to this hut- like area where I assume you can see giraffes from. A man greets me and Heidi tells him I'd like to feed the giraffes. He starts chuckling and says something to her in Swahili and she giggles back and says "Ya, ya very good"... i'm thinking um, hi what was that? He grabs my hands and dumps enormous sized rabbit food pellets into them. I turn around and there's a HUGE giraffe, and the face of the giraffe like oh maybe 2 inches from my face!! AH!! I'm kinda scared but it's so fun at the same time.. they'd never let you do this in Amercia. and I love animals so I immediately start talking to it..hahaha and the guy thinks that's hillarious and he says, "oh, you know her?" i'm like no.. just saying hi. Next he starts feeding her, while telling me that, " he has something very important to show me that he never shows others (i'm thinking.. oh, right i believe that-not) I will show you how to kiss a giraffe!" Heidi is loving all of this by the way and is taking pictures while he forces me to hug and pet the giraffe..next he says, "ok, put food in your mouth"...Uh..no thank you?? hahaha you want me to what???! (they have huge, long, BLUE tongues-incase you were wondering) But finally I'm like oh what the heck, it's just a giraffe. I put the food in between my lips and we lean forward and Daisey (the giraffes name) licks my face taking the food with her!!! AHHHH!! okay.. it wasn't that bad. I had fun! I just kissed a giraffe! hahaha weird!
The giraffes are really Beautiful animals! And very gentle.. there were also two babies there that i got to feed too! oh and a few warthogs.. It's sad because there are only a few hundred giraffes left and place like this breeds them trying to keep them from extinction. :(
Anyways, that was fun! On our drive back Heidi told me you can stop and see Karen's house and stuff and we agreed that my mom's obsession with her was enough reason to stop. It's a beautiful house! we didn't go in, but I took lots of pictures for my mom! (would have been fun to have you there to see it in person mom!)
We picked Heidi's kids up from school and hung out.. enjoyed the weather and threw the ball for Duma (one of their dogs). AFter dinner, I went for a run. I have to say, I didn't want to stop. (which is rare for me) but the sun was going down so I headed in..
I'll tell more later

April 28th- Nairobi, Kenya

Hello to everyone who unfortunately is going to read this blog. I should tell you in advance that I am an aweful speller and I'm not writing an essay for school, so don't expect any fancy grammar. Sorry. And I like to go on tangents and sometimes I lose what I was saying but hopefully what I write will make enough sense. But, I guess I should start telling you all about my trip to Africa so far..
I finally left Oregon, after waiting a week and a half because that silly volcano in Iceland decided to erupt. But, I can't complain too much because I got to fly first class because the airline messed up so much of flight stuff.. boring. But, first class was fabulous!! The first thing they did when I sat down was offer me champaigne (sp? i know there's a 'g' in there somewhere-which, by the way is completely ridiculous in my opinion. where do you hear a 'g' in champain???) ...see terrible spelling! whatever. back to firstclass a.k.a royalty class- they literally won't leave you alone! kinda got annoying to be honest. There was like a four course meal, cheesecake, ice cream sundays :) la la laa, movies, games, fully-reclining seats, empty seat next to me :) ( so that means no stinky men to endure for a ridiculous 21 hr travel), and anything I could think of. I watched Crazy Heart-which everyone should see by the way and half way through I got up and asked if they had any snacks.. haha I made the right move here.. one of the attendants told me they would bring me something.. so I said great! and headed back to my seat.. and then a king sized bag of peanut m&ms appeared on my lab :].... excellent!!
Ok.. enough of dumb flying details. I land in Nairobi. I walk off the plane and first notice the smell of Africa.. which I can't really seem to explain.. then the sticky air.. then the old, worn-down airport around me.. then the people who stare at me so I smile back.. then i realize I'm like one of maybe, maybe 3 white people in the entire airport. Which I think is so cool!! I love all the different cultures! I'm so sick of seeing boring white people! haha sorry if any of you take that personally. Meanwhile, I'm making my way to customs to get my Visa. Hah! Now this is fun.. we all stand in line for a good 30 min- with little movement and then a lady comes over the loud speaker and says, "we apologize, our system seems to be running a bit slow, please bear with us." haha oh goody.. but I don't really mind.. I set my things down and starts moving me legs, cracking my neck, popping my hips, etc. (many of you have seen me do this) And I look up and I have everyone's FULL attention! haha and I just laughed and decided here was not the place. After waiting about an hour I made it to the desk. Now, here I have my first encounter with a Kenyan. So fun! She tells me there's a fee. I'm like ok, how much? she says something and i'm like ok.. i don't know how to give you that? hahaha and gave a shy smile.. she looked at me and said, "ok i help you. i hope you have someone teach you because others wont be honest like me." whoopsy... haha she was nice. and i asked Heidi later and she said the lady really was honest. sorry- my dad is probably having a fit reading this.. Hi dad!
Anyways- she stamps my passport and says, "Welcome to Kenya they will love you here." I get my bags and head to where my driver is supposed to be picking me up. Heidi informs me in a previous email that he will be holding a sign with some green on it and my name.--easy enough right? I walk through the doors and literally a good 100+ drivers are holding signs.. Oooo.KKkk.. let me just find the sign with my name on it. Well, I found him and away we went.. And I didn't know my life was completely in the hnads of a stranger as we pulled out of the airport.
Let me try and paint you a picture.. Wrong side of the road, Not a single traffic light (NOT ONE), and most importantly-NO RULES!! ok go!! hahaha I thought I was going to die several times, but we somehow didn't. He drives me to an area he tells me is called Lavington and says this is a very rich neighbor hood, you like it here, good for you, very safe. Hahaha I'm like ya..if I get there. We pull up to a gate and a man opens it and we drive through. He tells me that this neighnborhood is surrounded by a wall and is gaurded 24hr and each driveway and house is surrounded by a wall and steal gate.. well we pull into a driveway after waiting to be let through and he says ok we're here. so I get out and walk to the door. Two people walk up and I say, "You're not Heidi Wright??" kind of wondering if maybe Heidi has guests? No.. it was not Heidi Wright. My driver absolutely took me to the wrong house. hahaha and at this point I'm cracking up and I apologize and tell them I just got here and have no idea where I am..Long story short, I make it! Heidi laughs at the apparently Outrageous tip I give the driver.. I thought it seems right. Again, Sorry Daddy.. and I head to bed.
Heidi takes me to town the next day to get a phone and Malaria meds and other necessary items. Meanwhile, I'm slowly starting to take in all of Nairobi around me. People are everywhere, little shops/huts, kids, goats, and lots of colors! it's all very busy. I spend time with her and her family the first day which is great! they are all so cute and fun! Love the Wright family! Heidi is already very special to me and I felt at home right away.
The following day, Heidi took me to the slums or Kawangware. She tells me that this slum. where millions of Kenyans live is not even on the map of Kenya. It is a big blank spot. So basically, it doesn't exist to the government. I'm like.. Uh what do you mean it's not on the map? But, we're off to help a group of ladies that Heidi and her friend Ruth have helped start a business making paper beads which they then make necklaces and braclets out of to sell. All these women have aids and near to nothing. We are driven into the slum by Ruth's driver. As we "drive" through (the roads are so bad i wouldn't really call them roads) little kids who see us through the car window yell, "Mazungu! Mazungu! Mazungu!!" (white person) and run after our car. Everywhere you look there is garbage and sewer and people sitting in the garbage and shit and little kids running around with no shoes on through all of this.. I don't even know how to describe this place. And to be honest I would rather not. But- this really changed me. Right then and there. I could almost feel it.. and as you look around everyone, i mean everyone smiles at you. and i wanted sit down and cry. i felt dirty, like the skin on me wasn't mine and my clothes didn't fit.. i felt disgusting walking through there. and i don't know all the reasons why. not that i was disgusted in them, but that i was disgusted that we have let millions of people live like this. how have we done that to one another. but, i'm not exactly ready to talk about it either... but i tried.
I have lots more to tell... i'll try and post another soon.