I know I have been absent again. This has been a very stressful week. I have been dealing with some BS, you know how that goes.
Tuesday, I did not round on the wards. I worked in the anticoagulation clinic instead. It was really educational because the 2 technicians trained for anticoag just let me go for it. I had a paper with a list of questions to ask the patients. Questions to find out what their vitamin K intake is like, if they are feeling better or worse, if they have been taking their meds, and so on. Collins and Sammy, the techs, taught me how to ask a few of things in Kiswahili. Maembe= mango. Iko mimba= are you pregnant. Mboga ya kienyeji= traditional vegetables. One of the patients I was questioning was Kalenjin, and only spoke her local language. She told me that she was going to teach me Kalenjin, so I could come to her village and meet her sons. Basically, she wanted a Mzungu daughter-in-law, and I was the perfect candidate.
For lunch that day, we went to a restaurant called Cool Stream that is right by the hospital. They were having a fundraiser to support the Tumaini Center. There was karaoke and dancing on Xbox, and there were many people there participating. I did not have much time there because I had to get back to the clinic. I arrived at 2p, when I was told to be back. Collins and Sammy walked in about 210p laughing. They told me that they are on Kenyan time, and I am on Mzungu time. Eventually I will learn.
We went to Sungeel, an Indian restaurant, for dinner on Wednesday. Prior to dinner, we went to Robert’s to take him a bottle of wine as a prop to make our wine bottle stoppers that we requested. We walked to the restaurant early jus to sit down and relax. We ate lots and lots of raw vegetables while waiting for the rest of the group to come. After appetizers and before entrees, Sarah taught us how to do a circumcision using a pepper shaker, a tomato, and an onion. It was very interesting and informative, not to mention hilarious! I am definitely a fan of Indian food now, so friends prepare yourselves to go out to eat with me when I return to the States.
I was back on the wards today, and I got to round with one of the IU Consultants. His name is Geren Stone. I may have mentioned him in a previous blog. He is in charge of the IU students here in Kenya. I actually feel like things are being accomplished with reason behind it. Some Kenyans can be very hard working, but I have found that the med students lack motivation. They can get lazy at times. Who doesn’t, but it affects people’s lives here. It is really starting to get to me that so many of my patients have passed away. I know that by the time they make it to the Referral Hospital they are in bad shape, but I just wish there was more we could do. MTRH has the ability to be a great hospital. They just need something to happen to get them there. What that is exactly, I couldn’t say. I just want my patients to live! I have been told that if you are not frustrated here, you are not doing your job properly. I don’t know if I whole heartedly believe that.
Tonight we watched a movie about the Lost Boys of Sudan. It is called ‘God Grew Tired of Us’, and it is all about their struggle and their move to the USA. I would recommend watching it.
I am looking forward to my weekend trip. We are going to Hell's Gate/Naivasha!
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