Swimming was really fun yesterday, and I think we will go again this weekend and probably take some video of Claire. I got a floatie seat for her at the Nakumatt, as she was trying very hard to swim by herself yesterday, totally unaware of the danger she faced. I just got a text from Casey that he is on his way home; evidently there was a freak storm that knocked trees down and transport was running late. I'm looking forward to this weekend!
Ok, so today, Lynne and I went to Mega City for some groceries. We decided to just grab a tuk tuk instead of calling our usual drivers (Owino and Washington). (Small back story: yesterday, our usual driver, Owino, was far away but said he was coming. We decided to take other transport, though I felt bad about it, we didn't want to wait an hour.) Well, when we arrived, both drivers were there as well. One of the guys waved and came over to shake hands. I started saying "sorry about yesterday, we were waiting so long..." when over walked Owino to shake hands. Awk. Ward. I mistook Washington for Owino, and I felt like a total ass, not to mention that we had "cheated" on our usual drivers with a new one. I think Claire is sucking out my brain cells with the milk today! I think Casey would have been mortified at my faux pas if he was there. Oh, me. Anyway, I don't think it was really a big deal, but it was surely awkward, and Lynne and I laughed about it for a good several minutes.
Not much more to report, except that Lynne, Claire and I had a dance party in our room, which was very fun. I find it hard to get exercise these days, but dancing around is always good for that. Also, I looked into joining the gym, and it may be reasonable for Casey and I to do so and even have personal trainers to work us out. Having Lynne available actually makes going to the gym and even out on dates (!!) real possibilities.
Friday, June 25, 2010
We're starting at the begining...
Hello everybody,
so I have gained back most of my strength, my appetite is still not quite up to normal, and these long days exhaust me a bit, but I'm getting around and am able to work which is nice.
so, the first day in the field was yesterday, and I started with the biggest facility that will be part of our pilot, the Yala Sub-District Hospital. I started off the day with a Community Health Worker (CHW) focus group where I went over the proposed software with them and got their feedback, I was able to add some specific time things in the software outline, like to send the reminder for the appointment to the CHW 3 days before the appointment itself is due, as well as to wait two days after the appointment date to see if the mother has shown up before sending another request to the CHW and that after that they should be transferred onto a list for the Ministry of Health HIV tracers to go follow up five days (three days for the reminder to get to the mother and for to her to prepare to go to the clinic and two days of potential showing up time) after that. The other big thing that came out of this was something that I had as sort of an afterthought feature but the CHWs seemed like they were very interested in. That would be the part where they could receive a request from someone in a household to have an HIV counselor to come to the house and help them disclose their HIV status to their partner, and the CHW could text in the persons info and it would generate a weekly report for the HIV counselors at the MOH site of people to go and follow up with. They thought that this would be very helpful. The more that I go and talk to people, the more I realize that this module is less about a reminding schedule (though that is still the cornerstone) and more about helping the MOH and CHW coordinate their activities for the improving of services for patients.
So the head of the HIV unit and the head nurse in charge of Maternal and Child Health at Yala both were very interested and enthusiastic about the project and said they would be willing to take on the extra workload, and in fact they were emphatic that they be included in the original 3 clinics selected for the Alpha phase of this project. So, needless to say, the day went very well indeed.
I also met some other people from SIPA who were here at the MVP field office, I was a bit surprised because I didn't know of them before this, but they were nice to talk to as I had quite some time to wait between arriving in the morning and when we would be going to Yala. And again, after Yala and lunch, I went back to the field offices and had about 2 or 3 hours to kill before the transport back to Kisumu. And of course, I had decided not to bring my laptop to work with me that day to keep my bag light, but regretted it when I was sitting here with work I could be doing, but no means to do it.
I got home around 6:30 and Katie, Claire and I decided to head to Mega City to go to Mon Ami for dinner. It was nice and we ate and hung out for a while and then headed back home around 10. I was suprised by how tired I was, by the time we got ready for bed and I laid down with Katie and Claire, I fell asleep almost immediately. It was crazy, I normally have a bit of a hard time falling asleep, but not then.
Today, it was off the the field again, with the goal of going to Sauri and Marenyo health centers. So of course, like all other days, I got to the office way too early, which was fine as I just hung out and chatted with people and got to catch up with Dickson and James, who are the programmer and head of Health respectively.
We left for Sauri and when I arrived, I found a very helpful in-charge and they of course wanted in on the alpha run as well, which works out well because they share quite a few patients with the Yala sub-Dist. Hospital. When meeting with the Maternal and Child Health Nurse (MCH), I found out that they have all the HIV+ pregnant women come in the same day once a month. This was something that we hadn't taken into account and so I'm very glad for talking to people first, as it's an easy fix, but not one I would have seen on my own. I got the information from them on their PMTCT (prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV/AIDS) and antenatal procedures, as well as their organizational structure and their TB system and joined the car to Marenyo. When we arrived it seems as though the in-charge had a commitment and had left his MCH nurse in charge off all patients, I couldn't take up her time with questions and delay care for all the patients lined up so I decided it would be best to just come back there on Monday. Even with the Malaria delay and this one, i think that I will finish the initial field research portion well ahead of schedule, which is nice. So, I arrived back to the field HQ to find it pretty well deserted, and I've commandeered a desk and am writing up this and my notes for the day and waiting for the car to Kisumu which I think arrives at 4 on Fridays.
That's about it for today, tonight we are headed to Simba Club for their famous friday night buffet, Kaniko and Yoshi from the guest house and Francis from MVP are joining us and then tomorrow we have many competing offers from people wanting to hang out, and then it's off to the bar to watch Ghana vs US on a big screen for World Cup, I've been very conflicted, but i have to keep supporting my team, and besides, it's the first African World Cup so we need an African team in the finals, so Go Black Stars! But in a way this game is the best case for me as I'll be happy even if my team loses. Sunday i think that the plan is for us to go to the market to buy a charcoal grill and some cloth and then it's off to Kiboko Bay Resort to go swimming!!! Okay, that's it for now, time to get back to work!
so I have gained back most of my strength, my appetite is still not quite up to normal, and these long days exhaust me a bit, but I'm getting around and am able to work which is nice.
so, the first day in the field was yesterday, and I started with the biggest facility that will be part of our pilot, the Yala Sub-District Hospital. I started off the day with a Community Health Worker (CHW) focus group where I went over the proposed software with them and got their feedback, I was able to add some specific time things in the software outline, like to send the reminder for the appointment to the CHW 3 days before the appointment itself is due, as well as to wait two days after the appointment date to see if the mother has shown up before sending another request to the CHW and that after that they should be transferred onto a list for the Ministry of Health HIV tracers to go follow up five days (three days for the reminder to get to the mother and for to her to prepare to go to the clinic and two days of potential showing up time) after that. The other big thing that came out of this was something that I had as sort of an afterthought feature but the CHWs seemed like they were very interested in. That would be the part where they could receive a request from someone in a household to have an HIV counselor to come to the house and help them disclose their HIV status to their partner, and the CHW could text in the persons info and it would generate a weekly report for the HIV counselors at the MOH site of people to go and follow up with. They thought that this would be very helpful. The more that I go and talk to people, the more I realize that this module is less about a reminding schedule (though that is still the cornerstone) and more about helping the MOH and CHW coordinate their activities for the improving of services for patients.
So the head of the HIV unit and the head nurse in charge of Maternal and Child Health at Yala both were very interested and enthusiastic about the project and said they would be willing to take on the extra workload, and in fact they were emphatic that they be included in the original 3 clinics selected for the Alpha phase of this project. So, needless to say, the day went very well indeed.
I also met some other people from SIPA who were here at the MVP field office, I was a bit surprised because I didn't know of them before this, but they were nice to talk to as I had quite some time to wait between arriving in the morning and when we would be going to Yala. And again, after Yala and lunch, I went back to the field offices and had about 2 or 3 hours to kill before the transport back to Kisumu. And of course, I had decided not to bring my laptop to work with me that day to keep my bag light, but regretted it when I was sitting here with work I could be doing, but no means to do it.
I got home around 6:30 and Katie, Claire and I decided to head to Mega City to go to Mon Ami for dinner. It was nice and we ate and hung out for a while and then headed back home around 10. I was suprised by how tired I was, by the time we got ready for bed and I laid down with Katie and Claire, I fell asleep almost immediately. It was crazy, I normally have a bit of a hard time falling asleep, but not then.
Today, it was off the the field again, with the goal of going to Sauri and Marenyo health centers. So of course, like all other days, I got to the office way too early, which was fine as I just hung out and chatted with people and got to catch up with Dickson and James, who are the programmer and head of Health respectively.
We left for Sauri and when I arrived, I found a very helpful in-charge and they of course wanted in on the alpha run as well, which works out well because they share quite a few patients with the Yala sub-Dist. Hospital. When meeting with the Maternal and Child Health Nurse (MCH), I found out that they have all the HIV+ pregnant women come in the same day once a month. This was something that we hadn't taken into account and so I'm very glad for talking to people first, as it's an easy fix, but not one I would have seen on my own. I got the information from them on their PMTCT (prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV/AIDS) and antenatal procedures, as well as their organizational structure and their TB system and joined the car to Marenyo. When we arrived it seems as though the in-charge had a commitment and had left his MCH nurse in charge off all patients, I couldn't take up her time with questions and delay care for all the patients lined up so I decided it would be best to just come back there on Monday. Even with the Malaria delay and this one, i think that I will finish the initial field research portion well ahead of schedule, which is nice. So, I arrived back to the field HQ to find it pretty well deserted, and I've commandeered a desk and am writing up this and my notes for the day and waiting for the car to Kisumu which I think arrives at 4 on Fridays.
That's about it for today, tonight we are headed to Simba Club for their famous friday night buffet, Kaniko and Yoshi from the guest house and Francis from MVP are joining us and then tomorrow we have many competing offers from people wanting to hang out, and then it's off to the bar to watch Ghana vs US on a big screen for World Cup, I've been very conflicted, but i have to keep supporting my team, and besides, it's the first African World Cup so we need an African team in the finals, so Go Black Stars! But in a way this game is the best case for me as I'll be happy even if my team loses. Sunday i think that the plan is for us to go to the market to buy a charcoal grill and some cloth and then it's off to Kiboko Bay Resort to go swimming!!! Okay, that's it for now, time to get back to work!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
goin' swimmin'
Today, Casey went to Sauri, the Millennium Village where he will be doing his work this summer. Claire and I are going to go swimming with Lynn at the Kiboko Bay Resort--so exciting! Kiboko is Kiswhahili for hippopotamus, and near the resort is Hippo Point, where you can take a boat 15 minutes out to see pods?/families? of hippos. I've made a list of things we want to do while in Kisumu, and that is definitely on it. There is also an impala sanctuary right across the street that is on the list as well. I think Claire will enjoy seeing the animals.
Claire is currently enthralled by an empty toilet tissue roll; I don't know why we even buy her toys! Yesterday, we got her a baby keyboard that plays kid songs, but I think Lynn and Janet are more into it than Claire, though she does like to dance to the songs.
The other day, Casey, Claire and I went to a restaurant in town called Green Gardens, where we met a Kisumu local from the Sikh community who invited us to be his guests at the Simba Club on Friday night. I think Kanako and Yoshi will come with us--it's sure to be a fun time!
It's pretty cool to be in Africa while the World Cup is going on--and USA won last night! I think Casey will feel conflicted, as USA and Ghana are up against each other on the 26th. We will have to find a big screen to watch the game on :)
Yesterday, Lynn and I had a ladies day and got pedicures. They were 500 shillings, which is about $6. Evidently, a full body massage can be had for 1000 shillings for one hour!! We will definitely be making that happen soon.
Time to feed Claire again...I really wish she would eat some food, but she is really not very interested. Let's hope that changes soon, as mtoto (baby) is wearing this mama out!
Claire is currently enthralled by an empty toilet tissue roll; I don't know why we even buy her toys! Yesterday, we got her a baby keyboard that plays kid songs, but I think Lynn and Janet are more into it than Claire, though she does like to dance to the songs.
The other day, Casey, Claire and I went to a restaurant in town called Green Gardens, where we met a Kisumu local from the Sikh community who invited us to be his guests at the Simba Club on Friday night. I think Kanako and Yoshi will come with us--it's sure to be a fun time!
It's pretty cool to be in Africa while the World Cup is going on--and USA won last night! I think Casey will feel conflicted, as USA and Ghana are up against each other on the 26th. We will have to find a big screen to watch the game on :)
Yesterday, Lynn and I had a ladies day and got pedicures. They were 500 shillings, which is about $6. Evidently, a full body massage can be had for 1000 shillings for one hour!! We will definitely be making that happen soon.
Time to feed Claire again...I really wish she would eat some food, but she is really not very interested. Let's hope that changes soon, as mtoto (baby) is wearing this mama out!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Malaria is over!
Hello everybody,
Well, I have recovered. I'm at like 90% full power now after spending the last few days doing varying degrees of nothing. Today was the most nothing I have done and I pretty much just ate breakfast and lunch. I have also been getting together all the stuff that I'll need to be gathering tomorrow when i head out to the field. I know I keep saying that, but this time I'm 100% sure it's going to happen. I really appreciate Katie taking such good care of me and all the love Claire gave me while I was sick, it really helped me feel better. Well that's about it for today, nothing really new to report, but tomorrow should be really cool, i'll try to post as soon as I'm home.
Well, I have recovered. I'm at like 90% full power now after spending the last few days doing varying degrees of nothing. Today was the most nothing I have done and I pretty much just ate breakfast and lunch. I have also been getting together all the stuff that I'll need to be gathering tomorrow when i head out to the field. I know I keep saying that, but this time I'm 100% sure it's going to happen. I really appreciate Katie taking such good care of me and all the love Claire gave me while I was sick, it really helped me feel better. Well that's about it for today, nothing really new to report, but tomorrow should be really cool, i'll try to post as soon as I'm home.
Monday, June 21, 2010
oh, malaria...
The last 24 hours have been much easier for me than for Casey, and I'm hoping that the malarone will kick in and drive the malaria out very quickly so he will feel better. Claire finally went down for a nap after much dinking around, and I have had a little time to myself, which is very nice. However, as there is much to do and it is difficult to do with Claire getting into everything, I will make this a short post. We made chili last night--it turned out very nice, and we made some cornbread from a recipe out of my head that turned out quite tasty. I'm not used to being the one to direct traffic in the kitchen (usually a Casey role), but as he was feverish and generally feeling craptastic, I happily did what was needed.
Needless to say, Casey's first Father's Day wasn't exactly celebratory, but we will have to make up for it when he is feeling better.
Yesterday, I ventured to the Mega City for some groceries, and I admit to being a little scared. I'm still learning so much about the culture and the area, and who I should trust/not trust. So far, so good, and I even negotiated for my tuk-tuk rides :)
Ok, off to do some wash and fix lunch--let's hope Claire stays asleep just a bit longer!
Needless to say, Casey's first Father's Day wasn't exactly celebratory, but we will have to make up for it when he is feeling better.
Yesterday, I ventured to the Mega City for some groceries, and I admit to being a little scared. I'm still learning so much about the culture and the area, and who I should trust/not trust. So far, so good, and I even negotiated for my tuk-tuk rides :)
Ok, off to do some wash and fix lunch--let's hope Claire stays asleep just a bit longer!
Friday, June 18, 2010
Meetings- Check! Field here I come!
So Thursday, 6/17, I went into the MVP offices here in Kisumu, I really wish I had my camera as the tuk tuk driver was wearing a really really inaapropriate t-shirt that I doubt he even knew the meaning of, it said "My safe word is DONKEY PUNCH"... I don't really know what to say other than wow. Anyhow, I arrived and sat down with MVP's programming team of Dixon and Moses. We ran through what I wanted to do and then we worked through the proposed system, they had some really good insights on aspects of the program and were pretty stoked on the whole thing. They pointed out a way around one of the things that was worrying me the most, what happens if the pregnant woman isn't already registered in Childcount? i was worried about having the medical center staff needing to go back through and register women who weren't already in the system, this had the added difficulty of needing to assign the appropriate CHW to the mothers record as well. Dixon and Moses pointed out that there is a CHW in each medical center already, so we can have them register any mother who is not already in the system before they see the doctor for their appointment. Problem solved.
And after a very nice tea break courtesy of Katie we're back.
They also said that they would have time to work on the coding themselves. This was fantastic news as before we had thought that they were too busy to do it. They had said that they would rather do it themselves since I was here and we could communicate more easily. So, we are set on the programming side, and the draft plan for the software is looking doable for the programmers.
After I got home, we relaxed a bit and then we prepared Saag Paneer with the local kales, it turned out nice and we all ate well. Our hosts, Janet and Lynn both enjoyed it as well, I was worried as it was pretty different than the food they are used to, but so far all the cooking has gone over well. The night before i made Guacamole and tonight We are making roasted chicken, tomorrow Thai curry and Sunday Chili and cornbread. Yum! I'm having fun cooking while I am around earlier in the evening.
Today I went in to the offices to meet with Dr. James Wariero who is the head of health here and Dr Shemsanga who is going to be the head of Health in Tanzenia, I went over the whole plan, and after talking about the preliminary research that I wanted to do, James went over the roadblocks they had come up against when trying to come up with a program in the past. As I listened I got excited because I thought that our program addressed many of those. I pitched our sketched out plan and James was satisfied and is looking forward to the program going forward.It looks like on Monday I'm on target for the beginning of fieldwork! Okay, that's all for now, I'm watching the US losing in the World Cup and Claire hurt herself :(
more tomorrow!
And after a very nice tea break courtesy of Katie we're back.
They also said that they would have time to work on the coding themselves. This was fantastic news as before we had thought that they were too busy to do it. They had said that they would rather do it themselves since I was here and we could communicate more easily. So, we are set on the programming side, and the draft plan for the software is looking doable for the programmers.
After I got home, we relaxed a bit and then we prepared Saag Paneer with the local kales, it turned out nice and we all ate well. Our hosts, Janet and Lynn both enjoyed it as well, I was worried as it was pretty different than the food they are used to, but so far all the cooking has gone over well. The night before i made Guacamole and tonight We are making roasted chicken, tomorrow Thai curry and Sunday Chili and cornbread. Yum! I'm having fun cooking while I am around earlier in the evening.
Today I went in to the offices to meet with Dr. James Wariero who is the head of health here and Dr Shemsanga who is going to be the head of Health in Tanzenia, I went over the whole plan, and after talking about the preliminary research that I wanted to do, James went over the roadblocks they had come up against when trying to come up with a program in the past. As I listened I got excited because I thought that our program addressed many of those. I pitched our sketched out plan and James was satisfied and is looking forward to the program going forward.It looks like on Monday I'm on target for the beginning of fieldwork! Okay, that's all for now, I'm watching the US losing in the World Cup and Claire hurt herself :(
more tomorrow!
Settling into Kisumu
6.17.2010
It’s been a couple of days since I wrote a blog, mostly because we have been getting adjusted in Kisumu. My initial reaction to arriving at our guest house (for about 30 minutes) was disappointment. I had it in mind that we would have more privacy and not be in such a shared situation. Then, after some processing I realized that this is actually the best possible place for our family. Our housemates are very nice—2 of them are researchers from Japan who have been here since April and will be staying through until December. There is another woman who lives in the apartment out back though I can’t recall her name as we just met last night, and there are two caretakers, Janet in the daytime and Lynn at night.
6.18.2010
We have been cooking dinners together as a “family,” and it has been really nice! It turns out to be a very nice thing to have community—we are quite happy. I’ve made a couple of trips to the shopping center called Mega City, and it does live up to its name. It makes Super Wal-Mart look like a 7-11. There is pretty much everything one might need, though the quality and selection is still better in the States for the most part. I’m happy we have it so close by though, and it is proving to be very inexpensive to live here, and would be more so if things were within reasonable walking distance. I think Kisumu proper is about a 15 minute walk, but the Mega City is 2-3K away, and with Claire and groceries it would be a tough walk.
We have hired Lynn to be my helper, which has been great! She is going to help me 4 days a week with anything I might need, and I am so grateful. When we go to the Jubilee market (gigantic farmer’s market), they see a mzunga (white woman), and the price automatically goes up. So, Lynn is helping me negotiate this, and hopefully by the time we leave I will be able to negotiate as well.
I did laundry by hand for the first time yesterday alongside of Lynn, and I have a new appreciation for what goes into this task. I no longer will call a piece of clothes dirty unless it truly is!
On Sunday, Lynn and I will go to the Sunday market and buy some cloth for Casey, Claire and I to have some clothes made. Casey starts his first full day of work on Monday, although he has had meetings this week in both Nairobi and Kisumu.
I think it is time for tea, so I am going to go fix us some—bye for now!
It’s been a couple of days since I wrote a blog, mostly because we have been getting adjusted in Kisumu. My initial reaction to arriving at our guest house (for about 30 minutes) was disappointment. I had it in mind that we would have more privacy and not be in such a shared situation. Then, after some processing I realized that this is actually the best possible place for our family. Our housemates are very nice—2 of them are researchers from Japan who have been here since April and will be staying through until December. There is another woman who lives in the apartment out back though I can’t recall her name as we just met last night, and there are two caretakers, Janet in the daytime and Lynn at night.
6.18.2010
We have been cooking dinners together as a “family,” and it has been really nice! It turns out to be a very nice thing to have community—we are quite happy. I’ve made a couple of trips to the shopping center called Mega City, and it does live up to its name. It makes Super Wal-Mart look like a 7-11. There is pretty much everything one might need, though the quality and selection is still better in the States for the most part. I’m happy we have it so close by though, and it is proving to be very inexpensive to live here, and would be more so if things were within reasonable walking distance. I think Kisumu proper is about a 15 minute walk, but the Mega City is 2-3K away, and with Claire and groceries it would be a tough walk.
We have hired Lynn to be my helper, which has been great! She is going to help me 4 days a week with anything I might need, and I am so grateful. When we go to the Jubilee market (gigantic farmer’s market), they see a mzunga (white woman), and the price automatically goes up. So, Lynn is helping me negotiate this, and hopefully by the time we leave I will be able to negotiate as well.
I did laundry by hand for the first time yesterday alongside of Lynn, and I have a new appreciation for what goes into this task. I no longer will call a piece of clothes dirty unless it truly is!
On Sunday, Lynn and I will go to the Sunday market and buy some cloth for Casey, Claire and I to have some clothes made. Casey starts his first full day of work on Monday, although he has had meetings this week in both Nairobi and Kisumu.
I think it is time for tea, so I am going to go fix us some—bye for now!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Nairobi--the end of our visit
6.14.2010
Yesterday (Sunday) we went to the inappropriately named “Village Market” to shop and find internet access. It was less of a village market and more of a rich people mall complete with food court and even an Apple resaler. We had lunch and walked around, only buying some mangoes, passion fruit and some fresh juices to bring back to our guest house. I was able to talk to my mom through Skype on my phone through the wireless internet (how cool is that?!), and it made me really appreciate the easy internet access I am accustomed to in NY. Strangely, however, I also appreciate the lack of constant internet access. It feels nice to be unplugged. Things move at a more leisurely pace, and there is much time for reading and contemplating.
We got our baggage as well, and I was able to wash my hair and take most of a shower before the electricity went out in the whole compound. It came back on after an hour or so in time for dinner.
Ohhhh, I must speak of last night’s dinner. We asked Newton what was his favorite Kenyan dish, and if he could prepare it for us, which he seemed delighted to do. There were several dishes that all came together nicely: a maize/bean dish that you use to scoop up the sliced tomatoes with local hot peppers (yum!) and onions, grilled steak marinated with garlic and ginger, and quite literally the tastiest greens I have ever eaten. He sliced the greens (which were from the arrowroot plant) incredibly thinly and they were flavored quite nicely. There were also two kinds of arrowroot roots that he had boiled. One was purple-ish and the other was white. Claire LOVED the arrowroot, and as I had her in the ergo while we were eating, she helped herself from my plate, covering both of us in arrowroot bits. She is imitating us more and more each day (kind of scary!), and decided to feed me some of the arrowroot she was enjoying. It was adorable.
Claire’s food diary: pineapple, watermelon, arrowroot root.
While we were having coffee after our meal (which I am restricting myself from as it is giving me insomnia), James, one of the owners and husband to Elsbet, came in and we invited him to have dinner with us. It was disheartening to hear that often, Westerners were afraid to eat even the basic rice/potato dishes and terrified of the Kenyan food when they visited. Food is so intimately involved in most every culture, to not experience the food is to miss out on a whole lot.
Our stay in Nairobi is coming to an end, and we fly out to Kisumu tomorrow (Tuesday). We will be staying in a fully furnished place with wifi and satellite tv, which Casey negotiated for an excellent rate. I’m looking forward to it, though I will miss the attention and care that we have received while staying here.
Yesterday (Sunday) we went to the inappropriately named “Village Market” to shop and find internet access. It was less of a village market and more of a rich people mall complete with food court and even an Apple resaler. We had lunch and walked around, only buying some mangoes, passion fruit and some fresh juices to bring back to our guest house. I was able to talk to my mom through Skype on my phone through the wireless internet (how cool is that?!), and it made me really appreciate the easy internet access I am accustomed to in NY. Strangely, however, I also appreciate the lack of constant internet access. It feels nice to be unplugged. Things move at a more leisurely pace, and there is much time for reading and contemplating.
We got our baggage as well, and I was able to wash my hair and take most of a shower before the electricity went out in the whole compound. It came back on after an hour or so in time for dinner.
Ohhhh, I must speak of last night’s dinner. We asked Newton what was his favorite Kenyan dish, and if he could prepare it for us, which he seemed delighted to do. There were several dishes that all came together nicely: a maize/bean dish that you use to scoop up the sliced tomatoes with local hot peppers (yum!) and onions, grilled steak marinated with garlic and ginger, and quite literally the tastiest greens I have ever eaten. He sliced the greens (which were from the arrowroot plant) incredibly thinly and they were flavored quite nicely. There were also two kinds of arrowroot roots that he had boiled. One was purple-ish and the other was white. Claire LOVED the arrowroot, and as I had her in the ergo while we were eating, she helped herself from my plate, covering both of us in arrowroot bits. She is imitating us more and more each day (kind of scary!), and decided to feed me some of the arrowroot she was enjoying. It was adorable.
Claire’s food diary: pineapple, watermelon, arrowroot root.
While we were having coffee after our meal (which I am restricting myself from as it is giving me insomnia), James, one of the owners and husband to Elsbet, came in and we invited him to have dinner with us. It was disheartening to hear that often, Westerners were afraid to eat even the basic rice/potato dishes and terrified of the Kenyan food when they visited. Food is so intimately involved in most every culture, to not experience the food is to miss out on a whole lot.
Our stay in Nairobi is coming to an end, and we fly out to Kisumu tomorrow (Tuesday). We will be staying in a fully furnished place with wifi and satellite tv, which Casey negotiated for an excellent rate. I’m looking forward to it, though I will miss the attention and care that we have received while staying here.
Tuk Tuk in Paradise
6/14/10
Today I met with some folks who are going to be partners on the project, Lydia from UNAIDS and Richard from Millennium village project, I went through the basics of how the project will unfold over the next few months, they had some good insights on how to make the project run more smoothly and I’m looking forward to getting their input moving forward. I’ll have two more meetings with folks tomorrow, the person in charge of the CHWs and Maurice who will be my main point of contact here. So tomorrow, I hope we’ll figure out where exactly we’re heading after we get into Kisumu tomorrow. That would be good, as of now, we would just have to show up and hope for the best.
I was reading The End of Poverty by Paul Pollak which is all about his work in poverty alleviation over the years and he was talking about some pretty basic things that are the basis for his work, and they apply well here too. Some are obvious, like “Go where the problem is”, I certainly agree with this, if you haven’t seen it, how can you solve it? The second is to find the people who are affected by the problem, and listen to what they have to say, they have the benefit of experience and make sure that you are actually listening. This is the basis of what I’ll be doing the first few weeks here. I’m making a list of what I would like to do and am going to be having meetings on Thursday and Friday and will be putting together a work plan based on the info that I get. Then on Monday the goal is to begin the field work.
6/15
Hmmm, looking back it wasn’t all that exciting. I had meetings all day until it was time to go to the airport. We went to the airport and flew to Kisumu, I love flights out of small airports where things are mellow, and we flew with a ton of water and got through security within a few minutes. We flew into the smallest airport I have ever seen, I have had apartments bigger than the Kisumu airport, but it also has more character than most I have ever seen.
Josephine at Millennium Development Goals set up a ride from the airport for us and found us a wonderful guest house. Lynn and Linda are taking wonderful care of us here, and we have internet now if anyone would like to Skype.
6/16/10
Lynn took us around town today and I finally got to go to a market here! We took a tuk tuk to the Jubilee market. A tuk tuk is a motorcycle type thing, it has three wheels and is a taxi which can fit three people. It is awesome and Claire loves it too.
So at the Jubilee market we went to buy produce and it was amazing, we bought a TON! Avocado salad tonight! And then I’m making Saag Paneer out of local greens. We also found Claire a woven bassinet there. After that we went to Nakumatt which is maybe the biggest store I have ever been in. We were really glad that we got the woven bassinet rather than a crib though as they started at $200, though they were very nice. We got even more groceries and will be feasting for our time here I think, oh and we got Claire a potty too. Okay, well Katie has been watching Claire as I have been writing so I should go let her have a break. Oh and our housemates are 2 Japanese researchers, everyone loves Claire and it’s been nice to start to have a little community. Okay, more tomorrow!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Getting here is half the fun
Blog.
6/13/10
Well, we have arrived in Kenya, as the matching t-shirts of the missionaries on the plane said “48 hours, no shower” which was sort of true, I don’t think that baby wipes and clean clothes in the airport in France really count. The trip was pretty straightforward, though it took on the odd character that we flew through 2 nights, and I just can’t sleep on planes, so that made the days a bit more interesting. When we arrived in Paris, we decided that with no sleep and only a few hours to see Paris, that our best option was to check out the Louvre and then head back to the airport, which we accomplished. The Louvre was really cool, not just for the amazing collection of art, but for the amazing museum itself, I wish I knew more about it, but if you are interested I’m sure Wikipedia can tell you stuff. Claire tried a bunch of new foods, I think that Katie wrote all about it, but she really like the raspberry gelato. Our flight to Kenya was equally non-mentionable, though we were treated to K’naan and Shakira’s World Cup songs on a loop. Katie told me that between that and the in the 80s temperature inside the plane that it felt as though she was being tortured. It was fun in the airport though to hear all the cheering going on in the airport.
We arrived in the airport and got through passport control eventually. Someone ought to tell people that you can just get visas in advance, there were maybe 30 people spread out between every line (except Kenyan & East African citizens where we got to be since we had visas) who were all lined up with paperwork and cash. The whole transfer of baggage between Air France and Kenyan Airways hadn’t happened and our bags were still in Paris, but they are supposed to be coming today.
We arrived at Ridgeville Garden Guest House on and are very happy with it; the people are super friendly and helpful. There is a you man named Newton who is the one who pretty much takes care of everything here, he cooks, makes sure all is well with us, overall a great place. Very recommended for people looking for a reasonably priced place to stay in Nairobi, I only wish that they had internet here, but they have only been in business for 6 months, so maybe when they have a steady stream of visitors, they will install it. That and a lack of overhead fans, which seems strange to me as they also don’t have air conditioning. This isn’t a problem right now of course as it is cool and perfectly comfortable right now, but might not be so good if Nairobi gets hot.
Other than that, we are headed out to the Mzungu mall to find Katie a skirt and are going to the internet café soon after so I can e-mail my work contacts to give them the new cell phone numbers. Katie’s is up and running now and I will have mine going as soon as the bag with the phone in it gets delivered. I asked Newton what his favorite Kenyan dish is, and then asked if he could make that for us for dinner. So I’m pretty stoked about that. Okay, well that’s about it for now, it’s been a Oh, I think that is the cab now. Bye people!
6/13/10
Well, we have arrived in Kenya, as the matching t-shirts of the missionaries on the plane said “48 hours, no shower” which was sort of true, I don’t think that baby wipes and clean clothes in the airport in France really count. The trip was pretty straightforward, though it took on the odd character that we flew through 2 nights, and I just can’t sleep on planes, so that made the days a bit more interesting. When we arrived in Paris, we decided that with no sleep and only a few hours to see Paris, that our best option was to check out the Louvre and then head back to the airport, which we accomplished. The Louvre was really cool, not just for the amazing collection of art, but for the amazing museum itself, I wish I knew more about it, but if you are interested I’m sure Wikipedia can tell you stuff. Claire tried a bunch of new foods, I think that Katie wrote all about it, but she really like the raspberry gelato. Our flight to Kenya was equally non-mentionable, though we were treated to K’naan and Shakira’s World Cup songs on a loop. Katie told me that between that and the in the 80s temperature inside the plane that it felt as though she was being tortured. It was fun in the airport though to hear all the cheering going on in the airport.
We arrived in the airport and got through passport control eventually. Someone ought to tell people that you can just get visas in advance, there were maybe 30 people spread out between every line (except Kenyan & East African citizens where we got to be since we had visas) who were all lined up with paperwork and cash. The whole transfer of baggage between Air France and Kenyan Airways hadn’t happened and our bags were still in Paris, but they are supposed to be coming today.
We arrived at Ridgeville Garden Guest House on and are very happy with it; the people are super friendly and helpful. There is a you man named Newton who is the one who pretty much takes care of everything here, he cooks, makes sure all is well with us, overall a great place. Very recommended for people looking for a reasonably priced place to stay in Nairobi, I only wish that they had internet here, but they have only been in business for 6 months, so maybe when they have a steady stream of visitors, they will install it. That and a lack of overhead fans, which seems strange to me as they also don’t have air conditioning. This isn’t a problem right now of course as it is cool and perfectly comfortable right now, but might not be so good if Nairobi gets hot.
Other than that, we are headed out to the Mzungu mall to find Katie a skirt and are going to the internet café soon after so I can e-mail my work contacts to give them the new cell phone numbers. Katie’s is up and running now and I will have mine going as soon as the bag with the phone in it gets delivered. I asked Newton what his favorite Kenyan dish is, and then asked if he could make that for us for dinner. So I’m pretty stoked about that. Okay, well that’s about it for now, it’s been a Oh, I think that is the cab now. Bye people!
From Katie!
6.12.2010
After 2 days, we have arrived in Kenya. I just woke up from a blissful sleep in our guest room in Nairobi, but I’ll get to that in a minute. Our trip was smooth, with the only hiccup being that our luggage was left in Paris and should be arriving tomorrow. Thankfully, we had packed an extra change of clothes, extra diapers (mostly because Claire has been doing so awesome at pottying in the toilet/sink on this trip that we’ve hardly used the diapers!!), and our necessaries.
Our first flight from NYC to Paris was great, as they sat us in a bulkhead and there was this cool “floating” bassinet that attached to the wall for Claire to sleep/play in. It is nice to be able to put her down when she sleeps, or contain her when she gets extra squirrely. Paris was beautiful! We decided to leave the airport after finding a place to stow our carry-ons and getting train tickets. We decided to visit the Louvre, which proved to be a good choice, as the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysees were there as well, along with some decidedly tourist-focused restaurants (but we didn’t give a crap as we were just hungry!). The museum was awesome—we saw the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and much more, including some of the biggest tapestries and paintings I have EVER seen! After grabbing some gelato (Claire had her first taste and loved it, of course!), and a couple of souvenirs, we headed back on the crowded metro train to the airport. Casey told me that it is incredibly rude to look people in the eye on the metro, but Claire being the outgoing child she is made it very hard, as she kept wanting to touch and interact with people!
I was so grateful for Casey and his French speaking and superior navigating-of-a-foreign-place abilities. Oh, and side note, I ate some of the most delicious blue cheese that I have ever had, along with some super yummy salamis and baguette at lunch.
So, back in the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. Once we were at our gate, we took turns taking sponge baths and changing into our spare clothes. When I came back from my “bath,” Claire was crawling around and snuggling up with some Kenyans who were taking naps on the floor. Casey was with her, of course, and the people were super nice (they had been traveling back from Chile doing some sort of munitions negotiations that I didn’t quite understand). I am learning that Claire is a very outgoing and joyful child who makes friends very easily! She definitely reminds me of her dad (can you say Casey Jr.?)!!
We boarded the flight, which was literally 85 degrees inside the cabin, and squeezed into our seats. It was a bit touch and go for a minute, with the never-ending loop of K’Naan’s “Waving Flag” and the Shakira “This is Africa” songs (in honor of the World Cup), along with the sauna-like conditions made more hot by the fact that Claire was sleeping in the Ergo carrier strapped onto me. The air conditioning eventually came on once we were moving and my panic level moved out of the orange range with the assistance of Casey distracting me and some non-focused awareness (thank you childbirth education class!).
Once we arrived and got through customs, we got some cash and a taxi to our guest house, with a side trip into the heart of Nairobi to buy an African cell phone and a sim card for Casey’s phone. I watched all sorts of Nairobi flavor go by my window as I waited for Casey, and it reminded me a lot of Zimbabwe…something about the smells, the diesel and woodfire and people, and the coolness of the air (it was actually about 60 degrees when we arrived). We finally arrived at our lodging, which is a Christian bed-and-breakfast/retreat center that was recommended by the UNICEF-Kenya folks. This place is great! Newton, the fresh-faced (20 yrs and 3 months old) young man who got us settled, has been taking great care of us, and it is truly a relief to be in a place that feels homey and personal. Since we arrived so early, we were treated to a breakfast cooked by none other than Newton in his chef shirt. The spread included ghetto mochas (as Casey called them—basically, powdered drinking chocolate, powdered coffee, and hot milk/water), eggs, ham and bread, fruit, corn flakes, and these Kenyan pastries made from bean flour (I forget the name). It was “ultra-brunch.” To make our dining experience complete, Newton put on the CD player, which happened to be an American contemporary praise CD. It was a unique moment for us all, and I was surprised to learn that Casey knew the words to some of the songs!
That brings us up to date. I’m sitting in the huge bed (2 singles pushed together to make a King), while Claire and Casey slumber peacefully next to me.
6.13.2010
Kenya Day 2: I think we are on local time now, though last night was a bit rough for me. I woke up several times with huge adrenaline rushes, likely due to my body readjusting hormonally. Claire is also teething, and was nursing much of the night, her little head all sweaty and warm. She is taking her morning nap right now, and in an hour we are headed to a mall with Isaac, the booking agent for this property (Ridgeville Gardens Guest House).
Remember the ghetto mochas I spoke about before? I thought they tasted a little funny, but I didn’t think too much of it. As it turns out, the drinking chocolate had strawberry flavoring—that explained it for sure. Tonight, Newton is going to make us Kenyan food—we are very excited! I believe we are going to have a change in soundtrack as well , as Newton said he would bring over an African music CD to play. Interestingly, he has never heard “Waving Flag” (though we obviously heard it more than we ever thought we wanted to on our Kenya Airways trip), so we are going to have a little musical exchange.
As for our adventurous daughter, Claire has tried many new foods on this trip, and seems to be handling them just fine, no reactions. She has tried oranges, strawberry jam (to disguise her malaria medicine), papaya, baguette, and raspberry and mango gelatos. She still only has 1 itty bitty tooth, but I’m pretty sure another one will erupt soon. I’m continually impressed by her potty communication on this trip. We’ve used only a handful of diapers, and she seems to be holding her potties until we can get her to a place to go. It’s still mostly intuitive on the signaling, but she does let us know in other ways as well, like squeezing her legs together when in the carrier, popping off while breastfeeding, grunting (before a poop), and being generally restless and twisting out of our arms.
I’m hoping to find a longer skirt before we head to Kisumu, and since our luggage ought to be here soon, I won’t feel too sad about losing one of Claire’s new pink skull-and-crossbones shoes, as there is another pair of shoes in our baggage. Honestly, I’m most excited to get to wash my hair, which is so oily that it barely stays in a ponytail. Those of you who know me know that I have a fairly high tolerance for unwashed hair, but this is testing even my limits! Vanity aside, I am glad to be in a little enclave of peacefulness while we start to adjust.
The two Swahili words I know now are “Jambo,” which is a general greeting used all day, and “Asante,” which means thank you. I’m planning to study the Swahili lessons Zak sent me (thank you brother!!), but I am trying to absorb things that I hear and read a little at a time as well. English is the official language, but Swahili is the national language. I’m not quite sure what the difference is, but it seems like speaking in Swahili as much as is possible is a very good thing to try and do to bridge the cultural gaps.
After 2 days, we have arrived in Kenya. I just woke up from a blissful sleep in our guest room in Nairobi, but I’ll get to that in a minute. Our trip was smooth, with the only hiccup being that our luggage was left in Paris and should be arriving tomorrow. Thankfully, we had packed an extra change of clothes, extra diapers (mostly because Claire has been doing so awesome at pottying in the toilet/sink on this trip that we’ve hardly used the diapers!!), and our necessaries.
Our first flight from NYC to Paris was great, as they sat us in a bulkhead and there was this cool “floating” bassinet that attached to the wall for Claire to sleep/play in. It is nice to be able to put her down when she sleeps, or contain her when she gets extra squirrely. Paris was beautiful! We decided to leave the airport after finding a place to stow our carry-ons and getting train tickets. We decided to visit the Louvre, which proved to be a good choice, as the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysees were there as well, along with some decidedly tourist-focused restaurants (but we didn’t give a crap as we were just hungry!). The museum was awesome—we saw the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and much more, including some of the biggest tapestries and paintings I have EVER seen! After grabbing some gelato (Claire had her first taste and loved it, of course!), and a couple of souvenirs, we headed back on the crowded metro train to the airport. Casey told me that it is incredibly rude to look people in the eye on the metro, but Claire being the outgoing child she is made it very hard, as she kept wanting to touch and interact with people!
I was so grateful for Casey and his French speaking and superior navigating-of-a-foreign-place abilities. Oh, and side note, I ate some of the most delicious blue cheese that I have ever had, along with some super yummy salamis and baguette at lunch.
So, back in the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. Once we were at our gate, we took turns taking sponge baths and changing into our spare clothes. When I came back from my “bath,” Claire was crawling around and snuggling up with some Kenyans who were taking naps on the floor. Casey was with her, of course, and the people were super nice (they had been traveling back from Chile doing some sort of munitions negotiations that I didn’t quite understand). I am learning that Claire is a very outgoing and joyful child who makes friends very easily! She definitely reminds me of her dad (can you say Casey Jr.?)!!
We boarded the flight, which was literally 85 degrees inside the cabin, and squeezed into our seats. It was a bit touch and go for a minute, with the never-ending loop of K’Naan’s “Waving Flag” and the Shakira “This is Africa” songs (in honor of the World Cup), along with the sauna-like conditions made more hot by the fact that Claire was sleeping in the Ergo carrier strapped onto me. The air conditioning eventually came on once we were moving and my panic level moved out of the orange range with the assistance of Casey distracting me and some non-focused awareness (thank you childbirth education class!).
Once we arrived and got through customs, we got some cash and a taxi to our guest house, with a side trip into the heart of Nairobi to buy an African cell phone and a sim card for Casey’s phone. I watched all sorts of Nairobi flavor go by my window as I waited for Casey, and it reminded me a lot of Zimbabwe…something about the smells, the diesel and woodfire and people, and the coolness of the air (it was actually about 60 degrees when we arrived). We finally arrived at our lodging, which is a Christian bed-and-breakfast/retreat center that was recommended by the UNICEF-Kenya folks. This place is great! Newton, the fresh-faced (20 yrs and 3 months old) young man who got us settled, has been taking great care of us, and it is truly a relief to be in a place that feels homey and personal. Since we arrived so early, we were treated to a breakfast cooked by none other than Newton in his chef shirt. The spread included ghetto mochas (as Casey called them—basically, powdered drinking chocolate, powdered coffee, and hot milk/water), eggs, ham and bread, fruit, corn flakes, and these Kenyan pastries made from bean flour (I forget the name). It was “ultra-brunch.” To make our dining experience complete, Newton put on the CD player, which happened to be an American contemporary praise CD. It was a unique moment for us all, and I was surprised to learn that Casey knew the words to some of the songs!
That brings us up to date. I’m sitting in the huge bed (2 singles pushed together to make a King), while Claire and Casey slumber peacefully next to me.
6.13.2010
Kenya Day 2: I think we are on local time now, though last night was a bit rough for me. I woke up several times with huge adrenaline rushes, likely due to my body readjusting hormonally. Claire is also teething, and was nursing much of the night, her little head all sweaty and warm. She is taking her morning nap right now, and in an hour we are headed to a mall with Isaac, the booking agent for this property (Ridgeville Gardens Guest House).
Remember the ghetto mochas I spoke about before? I thought they tasted a little funny, but I didn’t think too much of it. As it turns out, the drinking chocolate had strawberry flavoring—that explained it for sure. Tonight, Newton is going to make us Kenyan food—we are very excited! I believe we are going to have a change in soundtrack as well , as Newton said he would bring over an African music CD to play. Interestingly, he has never heard “Waving Flag” (though we obviously heard it more than we ever thought we wanted to on our Kenya Airways trip), so we are going to have a little musical exchange.
As for our adventurous daughter, Claire has tried many new foods on this trip, and seems to be handling them just fine, no reactions. She has tried oranges, strawberry jam (to disguise her malaria medicine), papaya, baguette, and raspberry and mango gelatos. She still only has 1 itty bitty tooth, but I’m pretty sure another one will erupt soon. I’m continually impressed by her potty communication on this trip. We’ve used only a handful of diapers, and she seems to be holding her potties until we can get her to a place to go. It’s still mostly intuitive on the signaling, but she does let us know in other ways as well, like squeezing her legs together when in the carrier, popping off while breastfeeding, grunting (before a poop), and being generally restless and twisting out of our arms.
I’m hoping to find a longer skirt before we head to Kisumu, and since our luggage ought to be here soon, I won’t feel too sad about losing one of Claire’s new pink skull-and-crossbones shoes, as there is another pair of shoes in our baggage. Honestly, I’m most excited to get to wash my hair, which is so oily that it barely stays in a ponytail. Those of you who know me know that I have a fairly high tolerance for unwashed hair, but this is testing even my limits! Vanity aside, I am glad to be in a little enclave of peacefulness while we start to adjust.
The two Swahili words I know now are “Jambo,” which is a general greeting used all day, and “Asante,” which means thank you. I’m planning to study the Swahili lessons Zak sent me (thank you brother!!), but I am trying to absorb things that I hear and read a little at a time as well. English is the official language, but Swahili is the national language. I’m not quite sure what the difference is, but it seems like speaking in Swahili as much as is possible is a very good thing to try and do to bridge the cultural gaps.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
4 days to go!
It's hard to believe that we leave in 4 short days, but I actually feel semi-ready. Claire and I have gotten 5 out of 6 of our vaccinations, and my yellow fever is set up for Wednesday. We've been working steadily to prepare our place for the subletter, order necessaries from Amazon, shop for other things, and get all of our visas/vaccinations/general paperwork finished. It's a bit amazing that we've managed all of this, but we are a good team, which bodes well for our upcoming adventures.
Thursday night we will fly from JFK in NY to Paris, which should be a fun 12 hour layover :) then off to Nairobi. We should touch down in Nairobi on Saturday morning, then at some point in the next couple of days, make our way to Kisumu where we will be spending the next nearly 3 months. Near Kisumu is one of the Millennium Villages, which is why we will be stationed there. From the travel guides I've read, there is a rain forest slightly north of us (I believe the last remaining one in Eastern Africa), and we will be right on the shores of Lake Victoria, which is surrounded by Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. Everyone I have talked with says that Kisumu is very hot and a highly malarial region, but we will be taking many precautions to avoid malaria, and will just have to manage the heat (I'm hoping for at least a fan in our place!).
I don't know what sort of internet availability we will have, but we will have African cell phones and can always call for next to nothing via skype (pending internet access, of course), and emails are always a great way to keep in touch. This trip will be much different from my first time in Africa in 2002, but I'm definitely looking forward to the adventure, making some new friends, and being immersed in a totally different culture for a few months.
Thursday night we will fly from JFK in NY to Paris, which should be a fun 12 hour layover :) then off to Nairobi. We should touch down in Nairobi on Saturday morning, then at some point in the next couple of days, make our way to Kisumu where we will be spending the next nearly 3 months. Near Kisumu is one of the Millennium Villages, which is why we will be stationed there. From the travel guides I've read, there is a rain forest slightly north of us (I believe the last remaining one in Eastern Africa), and we will be right on the shores of Lake Victoria, which is surrounded by Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. Everyone I have talked with says that Kisumu is very hot and a highly malarial region, but we will be taking many precautions to avoid malaria, and will just have to manage the heat (I'm hoping for at least a fan in our place!).
I don't know what sort of internet availability we will have, but we will have African cell phones and can always call for next to nothing via skype (pending internet access, of course), and emails are always a great way to keep in touch. This trip will be much different from my first time in Africa in 2002, but I'm definitely looking forward to the adventure, making some new friends, and being immersed in a totally different culture for a few months.
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