Goodbye

     Goodbyes to me are like the New York Yankees. Not only am I not a fan, but I simply hate them. 

    On our last Saturday night, Kevin and I bid our farewells to the host family. What a perfect name for them too, "host family." Although they were our "hosts" and that term seemed proper given its informality, they were also a "family" to us. They fed us, housed us, and spent quality time with us.

     One person I will never forget is Steven - the father of our host family. Steven lives amongst what we would see as the greatest and most overwhelming of inconveniences. He has 5 children to send to school, even though his broken car might jeopardize his ability to pay for any one of them. Like most Kenyans, he is on a constant quest to fend for water. When he gets it, he must make a fire to heat it up for a hot shower, then ration the rest in order to give each family member an adequate supply to drink. When he has the money, he will be incredibly grateful to use the equivalent of 1 American dollar to recharge his cell phone. His back has been injured for several years, but he cannot afford the medical costs to stop it from constantly paining him. 

    Despite these troubles, I have never met somebody so cheerful, so happy, and so good-spirited as Steven. He laughs and finds humor in nearly everything, and he is so appreciative of the very little he actually has. When Steven laughs hysterically in the living room, I never know whether I feel more saddened or appreciative about him. On one hand, I see this wonderful man who is such a good person yet struggling so much and it makes me sad. Yet on another, I see it as such a blessing that no amount of poverty can take away his happiness. 

   It was getting dark in Kenya, and it was time to say goodbye to the family. As they all lined up in front of us, I first shook Peter's hand, and told him how grateful I was to have had the opportunity to befriend him in the short time we were there. I then hugged Mrs. Kamau, and thanked her for all she had done to make us feel so welcome. Then I hugged Steven, which for me, was the hardest of all. He had a wide smile on his face and wished me a great journey home, and said I was welcome back anytime. 

 

    As we sat in the car, we rolled the windows down to hear the final shouts and goodbyes of our family. They all waved, several of them saying some things, as Steven walked parallel to the car while we rode away. He waved and ducked his head down facing Kevin and me and said "God bless you!" At this time I waved and said goodbye, but I had to turn my head to the side cause I didn't want to show him how sad I was. 

 

    As our car strolled slowly through the red rocky dirt paths, it began to hit me about how special my journey here has been. Several memories ran through my head at once and instantly reminded me how sad this really was. As I peaked out the window, I saw before me the path to my work every morning. Immediately I thought of the rooster crows, the orphans singing in unison from a distance. I thought of the children who laugh and smile and point as I walk by. I thought of the countless lines of Kenyans waiting for medical care, all staring at me not saying a word - all patient, graceful, and kind despite being in such poverty and inconvenience. I thought of Steven, and his prayer before dinner when he blesses his family, me and Kevin, and all of our friends and families he doesn't even know in the states. I will never forget this place.

  What a great land. What a great people. What a great experience. 

    TOMMY

   

  

   

Low Tide and Trust

Other than pure relaxation, the last couple of days have not been particularily eventful. We swim, we sleep, we have good food, and we enjoy the marvelous views on the Indian Ocean. It is the perfect break from our rather hectic and demanding experiences in Nairobi.

Today the tide was EXTREMELY low so Kevin and I walked nearly 200 yards out on shallow water which is normallydeep sea. Two Kenyans walked with us, pointing out sea urchents, sea slugs, sea cucumbers, and other sea creatures that we had no idea existed. I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone a little, as the coast was very far yet we were walking on what was normally the deep sea. It was almost as bizzare as when the drunk English man tried to explain what Oxtail soup was to us on that overnight train.

Trust is nearly non-existent here in Mombasa. Nearly every human who approaches you here is exclusively interested in your money, even if their actions and words seem to suggest otherwise. They will walk you out during low tide and give you a tour you never asked for. They will jack up nearly every price, shorten nearly every activity, and guide you in any direction they can where you will wind up spending more money that you asked to. None of this is surprising. A lot of these people are very poor, and any extra shilling they desperately need. Kevin and I are both respectful and mindful of this, and so we compensate all of these individuals when it is so rightly deserved.

Since trust is not a value held highly here, we too use this for our advantage - yet purely from a humorous perspective. We constantly give out fake names to the aggressive beach vendors. One moment I was P.J. The next I was Dennis. At night by the bar I was Vincent Pageworth, even though moments before he forgot my name was Dan. Kevin has been Clemson, Andre, and my personal favorite - Lloyd Wright. We both thought of the hardest name for the Kenyans to pronounce. When he introduced himself as such, the Kenyan vendor laughed and said Lloiyye Wryyy...Loyee Rye....to which he then said, "That is very hard to pronounce." Mission accomplished.

I hope nobody finds us to be insensitive. We are simply overwhelmed with the aggression and dishonesty before us sometimes, and so it is extremely tempting to bite back a little. I have always believed in the saying, "When in Rome."

Tonight Clemson and I are heading back to Nairobi on the overnight train. On Thursday we are going on a safari! We will be sure to update you as much as possible! Thanks again for reading, hope you enjoyed!

Dennis

Mombawesome

Alas, Kevin and I have arrived in Mombasa! For those who are unfamiliar, Mombasa is in south eastern Kenya, and fortunately for us, it lies smack on the Indian Ocean. We absolutely love the place. The beach itself looks like paradise. The sand is white and soft, the ocean green and shiny, and the waters are filled with sailboats, jetskis, windsurfers, and old wooden fishing boats.

Kevin and I are staying in a really cool room. For just 25 bucks a night, we have a ton of space, including an outdoor patio where tons of monkeys like to jump over our clothes. I threw an un-ripe avocado out there and an entire family of them were chewing on it. Our room is just steps from the ocean, and if you peak within the cocunut trees from the patio you will be able to see some of it. To make things even better, Mombasa is known for its authentic Italian cuisine. Kevin and I downed 2 pizzas last night!

Aside from the gorgeous scenery I have little more to say about the place. Pictures are essential. Nothing I say will be able to capture this.

I did not have the time to blog about my last day at the hospital so I will mention some things now. I thoroughly enjoyed my last day. Before work I went to the local supermarket and bought many materials for the hospital. Some items included: pens, white-out, clipboards, tea, chili sauce, post-it notes, a broom and dust pan, and name tags for the staff. Just around 25 dollars made a significant difference for the staff. They now do not have to shell out their own money to buy break food, office supplies, or materials to clean the units. It will slightly ease the burden on their shoulders, but needless to say this is not enough. More has to be done.

Dr. Jarred set up a bank account for the hospital and gave me a copy of the information I will need to make deposits towards it. In addition, we exchanged numbers and I received information regarding exactly what the hospital needs and what it will cost. The doctor will scan copies of the receipts he gets while purchasing these items, and then send them to me via email. This way the hospital will remain accountable for all dollars donated to them.

I will meet one more time with many of my coworkers next Saturday at the Homeland Inn. We are all going to have one last meal together before I go back home. On the menu will be roasted goat!

I am time-crunched at the moment so I must go! Thanks again so much for reading. I will keep you all posted.

TOMMY

Panama, Fresh Rabbit, and a Sick Goat

Today I had the privilege to visit Kevin's school and teach the children. I have never taught anything to anybody in my life before, so it was definitely a unique experience for me. Since Kevin knows nothing about U.S history, I started off with a general overview of it. I often quizzed the children throughout my lecture. Some thought Panama was a U.S state, others shouted Texas for every other answer they gave, even if shouting Texas made no sense at all. We briefly went over the Civil War, both world wars, Lincoln, and basic U.S geography. The kids wrote everything down meticulously, as we stressed the importance of knowing this information later on.

We broke the class into 3 teams and made them give each of themselves names. One team was "The Tigers." Another was "The Lions." The third was named "The Chameleons." Kevin and I formed our own team too. If all 3 of their teams missed the answer Kevin and I would receive 5 points. Did I say Kevin and I? I meant "The Super Giraffes."

Teams competed for points, having to answer anything from "Name at least 1 thing Americans put on their hot dogs" to U.S history and geography. For our U.S culture question, we made each team bring up a member who could sing an American song. We heard one song we had never heard before and still don't know. We heard Amazing Grace. The last kid threw a curve ball at us and belted out "Sweet Home Alabama." We have that on tape.

For the final round we asked each team to perform a song and dance for us and both Kevin and I, along with the other teachers would judge them based on their performances. All three performed wonderfully, and we have all three of their acts on tape. The Tigers ended up taking the cake. I have never seen kids so happy to win something in my life!

After school Kevin and I went with one of the teachers to his farm. It was absolutely gorgeous. His farm is atop a high hill and is filled with coffee, avocado, mango and guava trees. He has many goats, cows, roosters, and rabbits! In fact, he slaughtered a cute rabbit the night before and we ate it for lunch! It was so fresh tasting. After lunch he served us tea made with fresh cow's milk and fresh ground soybeans. That too tasted so fresh. The entire experience was really special. Later on we toured the farm and walked back to town.

Many people here are constantly asking Kevin and I for some kind of financial assistance. It is simply impossible to provide assistance for everybody's needs. I am focusing 100% of my efforts on the health center, as I know that this will be the most effective way to help the most amount of people. If Kevin and I helped everybody here, this is what we would have to do....


1. Pay for Janet's son's secondary school.

2. Buy flights to America for Janet's sister, Dr. Jarred, Chris, Alex and the nursing staff.

3. Let Janet's sister, Dr. Jarred, Chris, Alex and the nursing staff stay at our homes as they apply to training programs and find jobs. This would be one heck of a reality show. Tom and Kev + 8,000.

4. Purchase an anti-hemmoroidal injection for Kimani's ill goat.

Now, as we understand it, the injection is quite cheap, so Kevin might actually be able to buy this for Kimani's goat. The poor thing can hardly walk.

We are now off to see a local artist who is making a picture of my grandfather out of banana fibers he finds around town. I gave him a picture of my grandfather in Kenya during the 40's - petting a leopard. He is going to make an exact replica of it out of these fibers! I am now off to see his progress.

Thanks again for reading my blog! I cannot wait to post pictures and videos. I will do so when I return to the states. Right now these are all words to you, yet I hope it is conjuring up some sort of image as well. The pictures are out of this world, so stay tuned!


- TOMMY

Jammin With Janet

Work was very eventful today. We billed and registered an unusually high volume of patients. In addition, I got my chance to meet with the head of the hospital - Dr. Jarred. The goal of the meeting was to figure out a way I can help the hospital once I get home. Here is what happened..

Jarred and I made a list of nearly 50 things the hospital is in dire need of. This ranged from paint jobs to office supplies to blood pressure machines. The sheer volume of the hospital's needs really didn't surprise me. If you look around for even 2 seconds, that much will become very clear to you very quickly. What surprised me was how incredibly cheap each item they were asking for was. Pens, index cards, bedsheets, masks, gloves and pregnancy packs were all items almost any American could easily provide without even the smallest of sacrifices. If you added up all of these items, about 5,000 dollars would significantly improve the quality and efficiency of care in this health center. It is truly remarkable.

I told Jarred that if people donate to this cause, they will inevitably need to see some form of accountability. They want to know their dollars are spent towards the items they want to buy for the center. He understood completely, and so we devised a rough, tentative plan. I will send him donations specifying exactly what these donors want to contribute and for what specific items. After he sends me a receipt proving he bought these items, I will then move on to more items and more donors. I cannot provide additional donations until I see that previous ones have gone towards rehabilitating the hospital. He said this process would be rather easy, and he welcomed it as a good way for me to measure the progress as well.

Aside from renovations within the health center itself, I told Jarred that specific donations would go towards covering the treatment costs for the slum of Soweto. As I mentioned before this cost would be rather marginal, as it only costs the equivalent of an American quarter to treat each person.

The tricky part about all this is creating a way by which people can easily donate and simultaneously see the results of their donations. People will be a lot more willing to donate if they know and see how much of an impact their donation will be.

With all of this in mind, I think creating an interactive website is the best bet. The health center can be visually drawn out on a web page. People can then see how bare the center is, and they can then click on "upgrades" to make it better. The best part about all of this is that none of these items entail donating even a moderate amount of money. We are talking 3 or 4 dollars at a time, sometimes more, sometimes less, to improve this place drastically. The entire plan is currently in its earliest stages, but I am definitely leaning towards an interactive-type website to get this thing running.

At the end of my work day Janet and I closed the windows and doors and began "jamming." This involves Janet singing Kikuyu folk songs as I drum with my hand and ruler on the hard, flat table. Janet composes songs for her Sunday school children, and she brags that she usually wins all of the awards that go to the top composers. She sang me two songs today. One was called "God Loves a Cheerful Giver" and the other was "What a Friend we Have in Jesus." Janet would raise her hands in the air and shake her head as she sang these songs. She was so passionate about them! I think Janet is religious.

Today Janet looked upwards and asked me who is taller, me or her. She wanted me to reach something for her. It was the first time, and hopefully the last, that a 4 foot 9 Kikuyu woman wondered if she was taller than me. I am slowly but surely getting a reputation for being a small man.

Thanks again for reading! For the record I am feeling a lot better! I still ate 2 avocados today, but I have been drinking plenty of water. Both Kevin and I are super excited for the Indian Ocean this Friday! Below is a link to the place we are staying for 3 nights...


http://www.bamburiresort.com/

The title picture is that of an acacia tree - my favorite kind of tree in Africa. I absolutely love these trees, and take pictures of them whenever I am lucky enough to spot one.


TOMMY

Avacados, Dehydration and Sick Day

Today I had to stay home from work. I felt incredibly tired upon waking up, even after receiving over 9 hours of sleep. My body felt very weak and woozy, and I knew I was not up for the work day ahead. I have been contemplating several reasons why I feel this way, and I think I am leaning towards one hypothesis more than the other.

Hypothesis number one is that I have eaten too many avocados. I ate about three yesterday, and just ate another one today. That makes 4 in just two days. Although possibly the culprit behind my malaise, I simply cannot pass down the fresh, mushy avocados. They are good with just about any meal you eat, and their nutritional benefits are staggering...

"About 75% of an avocado's calories come from fat, most of which is monounsaturated fat. Avocados also have 60% more potassium than bananas. They are rich in B vitamins, as well as vitamin E and vitamin K.^[19] They have the highest fiber content of any fruit - including 75% insoluble and 25% soluble fiber.^[20]"

The most surprising part about all that is that avocados are fruits. I always thought they were vegetables.

They are also proven to significantly reduce bad cholesterol and increase the good. But 4 in just 2 days? They do say too much of anything is not good. Let's move onto hypothesis number two.

This weekend we biked 15 miles, went out almost all night, and definitely did not drink enough water in the process. My nursing brain kicked in and said, "Wait, we MUST be dehydrated!" Dehydration is known to increase your body temperature, hence making you feel febrile, weak and defeated. It makes perfect sense to both Kevin and myself, and after this blog we intend on drinking a ton of water. We will also buy a lot of Cadbury chocolates.

Although I do love our town and our work, I am ready to kick back and relax on the Indian Ocean this weekend. I feel like the time differences, the meals, the work, and change of lifestyle is catching up to us faster than we are ready to handle it. The ocean might be the perfect respite to a rather hectic two weeks we have had.


I will leave you all with a few things you may find interesting...


1. I have learned a general rule here and that is to never shake hands with any strangers, no matter how nice they may seem. Strangers tend to never let go of your hand, and they often will use their other one to try and take things from you. Although nothing has been taken just yet, my hand has been grabbed, and the drunk bastard wouldn't let go! Luckily drunk people are clumsy and weak, so it is almost inevitable that you can escape their firm grip.

2. At work I sit right next to a small window that always allows me to witness interesting scenes from outside. Yesterday I saw a goat eat an entire banana peel - sans the banana. I then had a drunk lady blabber for many minutes in my ear, understanding nothing other than the fact that it was probably vodka given her breath.

3. I REALLY REALLY miss 80's music. I can't wait to blast it in my apartment when I get home.



Thanks again for reading! Stay tuned for some exciting blogs ahead! Safaris, Indian Ocean escapades and a whole lot more!!!

- TOMMY

Birthday

Last night the lights went out, and I walked into a living room that lit up all of the sudden and began singing to me. My host family was all dressed up. They sang "Happy Birthday" and "How Old are You Now?" After repeating 22 several times, I glanced at the table. On it contained a heart shaped cake with icing, two plates of popcorn topped with the Kenyan equivalent of jolly ranchers, 6 glasses of juice, and an envelope that read "Tommy." I was definitely surprised and very grateful. It was so wonderful to have everybody there to celebrate with me. They snapped several photos of the event, including one bizarre ritual where Kevin fed me a piece of my cake. I felt like I was in a wedding for a moment. A wedding with another man.

Work today was very busy. Mondays are the busiest days of the week so we had to register and bill many more patients than usual. Other than that my day was pretty ordinary. I want to shift gears now and talk a little bit about my life at the home stay.

Our home stay has many family members. Mr. and Mrs. Steven Kamau are the heads of the family. Steven is one of the nicest people I have ever met in my life. He is always laughing hysterically at things, even if they are not funny. He is always in a good mood and is an incredibly good host. He is a devout Christian who accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour in 1977. He usually leads the prayer before dinner, and is always in attendence at his local church. Although I am not particularly religious myself, I know that Jesus would want every Christian to be like Steven. He is such a good person - not a bad bone in his entire body.

Steven has 3 boys and 2 girls. Samuel is the youngest, Daniel the middle and Peter the oldest. His girls are named Faith and Grace. They are both very young. The housekeeper is named Carolyn. Both she and Faith play cards with Kevin and I nearly every night. We sit outside on the sofas and play on the table. It is usually nice and cool and we hear many animals during our time playing. It is a cozy routine no doubt.

On an unrelated note, there seems to be a huge paradox here involving the fertility of the red-dirted soil. It is incredibly dry because of recent droughts, yet it produces the JUCIEST mangos I have ever consumed. I do not understand where the juice comes from. Apparently the red soil is incredibly fertile. Also, it is said that Mombasa (the Indian ocean coast where we are headed soon) has even tastier mangos! I cannot imagine a mango tastier than these. I can hardly wait!

I was supposed to meet with the head of my health center today regarding ways in which I can assist the hospital once I get back. Unfortunately we experienced a very high volume of patients today and he was unable to squeeze some time in for me. I have been thinking a lot about how exactly I can help. I have two ideas...

Soweto is a slum adjacent to the health center. Every day we bill about 5 or so people from that slum. This amounts to only 100 shillings, which equates to a little less than a dollar and fifty cents a day. It is within my budget to cover the expenses of these individuals on a day to day basis. With this idea, the entire slum of Soweto would not have to pay for their health care costs simply by donating a few dollars a month for their treatment.

Idea #2 involves paying for 1 day of treatment for everyone in the health center. This may sound overly ambitious yet the numbers indicate otherwise. We serve anywhere from 30-50 people a day. This equates to roughly 1000 shillings a day, or less than 15 dollars. If I donated the equivalent of 15 dollars twice a month for the next 12 months, 2 days of treatment would be virtually free for anyone visiting the health center that day. Although this option would be interesting to pursue, I am leaning towards helping Soweto first and foremost. The people are poorer, and it is more likely to be a sustainable project as it will not put too much of a strain on my poor college-life budget.

These are simply ideas, and I have yet to finalize anything I have thought up. If you all have any ideas, PLEASE comment and let me know. I am open to anything!

I must go now as Kevin has to use the bathroom pretty badly and can't hold it in any longer. Since I am not too good with directions, I must follow him home now. Thanks so much for reading! Take care.


- Tommy