Spam I AM

 Starting week 4, getting into a routine. Last week I tried goat and I liked it. This week I have mastered Spam in several ways. Prior to my leaving for Africa, I had mailed myself 2 packages filled with books and snacks. The first one arrived and I was so excited to see canned chicken breast and precooked bacon, as well as granola bars.

There was some confusion as to my role here just some miscommunication between the hospital and cmmb. I am really limited as to what I can do clinically because of the language barrier and just the way they do things. The nurses are highly skilled just need to be brought into this century. The hospital has asked me to rewrite their policy and procedures for the maternity department. As much as I love delivering babies, and I will still have the opportunity to do that. Making policy change and staff education can improve maternity care, save money and save lives long after I leave. 

I also started teaching at the college one afternoon a week. I have 40 students who are very serious and respectful. They don't have text books. They have some reference books in the library, some are older than me, considered classics! Or they get their information from the internet and You tube. There is a skills lab which has several old mannequins in beds and old skeletons and models of body parts. It looks like a torture chamber out of a Stephen King novel. I brought a lot of recent texts books to donate to the cause.

I went on a safari this past weekend to Tsavo West National Park. It was fun, There were mountain vistas, plains, watering holes and animals such as elephants, zebras, water buffalo, giraffes ,monkeys and waterbucks and gazelles. It was good to get away for the day.

Some thing new happened this week for me, it rained! For the first 3 weeks it had been dry. The dry season is supposed to start next month.  I woke up to the sound of piterpatter on the metal roof. It was a comforting sound and immediately the air was cool and sweet. They have an elaborate gutter system, there metal roofs channel the rain water into gutters which carry the water into a pipe that empties into a giant tank . That is your water supply for the year. They don't recommend us westerners drink that water but the locals are used to it. Water is so precious. For the people who don't have metal roofs like the people who live out in the community, they have grass or thatched roofs. They have to come into town every day or so usually have a donkey that carries large yellow plastic tanks that they fill at the local water distribution center, I will never take for granted turning on a faucet again!

If you go to town and you see a tall man in a plaid skirt, it is not a Scotsman or a Kenyan crossdresser, It is a Masai tribesman. The Masai tend to keep to themselves and are scattered about.

I posted pictures of my laundry room 2 platic basins and a bucket. You have to wash by hand, ring out rinse and hang on the line to dry. I am so glad I don't have to wash in a river some where.

The goats have gotten used to me and they come by to see what organic stuff i have thrown away and go through my garbage, There is one brahma cow I have named Lovey because he has a heart shaped spot on his forehead. He is not skiddish or agressive. I usually greet him. I give the work for the day. It has been ribeye, prime rib and steak fajitas. He reciprocated by leaving a big cow patty on my walk way to my patio.

Happy Memorial Day and thanks to all who served our country. Thursday is the Kenyan Independent day so I have the day off which I plan to spend preparing lesson plans, and reading up on World Health Organization policy and procedures.

Miss you all very much. I appreciate your thoughts and prayers.