First week

 I finished my first week here in Mutomo.  Delivered  4 babies.  I tried goat and I  liked it!!! It was in a stew, pleasant taste and texture. The chicken on the other hand was  inedible,  it was so tough that you  couldn't  chew it. It lived up to  the  name road runner.   My housemate left on Monday and  the  pediatric  residents  left on Friday  so I  am the only  volunteer  here and I  think the only white person in town so it is  hard to be inconspicuous!.

My typical day  starts with climbing out of my mosquito net cocoon  over my bed and survey the amount of  dead bugs that my mosquito  night light took care during the night.  Then a very cold shower which certainly  wakes one up! There is no mirrors in the house so don't know what my hair looks like! I have a cup of tea  with an egg, do my morning  devotions.  If I  have time I sweep up the  dead bugs off the floor. Then a 2 minute commute  down hill to the hospital.  Nothing in Kenya  runs on time except  morning  prayer at 8 am which is  mandatory.  They sing and pray,  it is very joyful. Then head to the  maternity ward. Get report from the  nightshift and  see what the day brings.  I  try to run home for lunch, usually the goats show up  to see what I am having. The baboons  have been  gone for  a  week  or so moved up in the mountains,  they'll be back when things get dryer. Usually  after my shift I  go by the cmmb office to  take advantage of  their wifi and  watercoolers.  I  fix something for dinner,  read , sweep up more bugs and climb into my cocoon  for the  night. 

The people  are God intoxicated.  Christianity is  the  majority. The other day we had at least 10 patients  named Mary, 5 named Faith and  several named Joy and a Mercy.  They do have a mass in English  but songs in Swahili.  There is dancing and drumming and interesting  harmonies. There are some other African Christian churches whose services are long and very joyful. The songs float up to my house on the hill. There is a Muslim minaret  here to and the call to prayer 5  times a  beginning at 5 am is heard too.

I was never a girl scout  so I  pleased with  how I am adapting. I went to the big Saturday  market loaded up on fresh fruits and vegetables  which taste amazing. I  have  met some student nurses and will be teaching a day this week.  

Thanks for your prayers,

The top picture is a premie baby born almost 3 months too soon,  they don't  have a neonatal  intensive care  unit, the closest  is hours away. Once baby is relatively stable they do kangaroo care. The baby stays on mommas chest is fed breast milk. There are 3 little babies who are thriving and hopefully  gain a  few more ounces to go home soon. Some others sadly aren't  so lucky. 

Then there are the words the an Audrey Asaad song which has become  my mantra. And lastly a picture of a toilet in the hospital  there is no toilet  just a hole and it  is  BYOTP!!!.