My trip is nearing it's end and like I expected, this blog has been woefully neglected. Old habits die-hard. Without question, my time in Kenya has been amazing. Over the past two and a half months I have had the opportunity to be a part of some remarkable experiences. I have been in a mini-van with 25 other living entities (19 adults, 4 adolescents, 2 babies, and a chicken) flying down the highway at 60 mphs with a man hanging out the open sliding side door yelling, “Welcome to Kenya!” I have been to a bullfight in Kakamega (not the Spanish kind, but a soccer field full of bulls fighting each other while the viewers do their best not to get trampled) and a butterfly farm in an ancient rainforest. I swam in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean and then travelled 400 miles by bus through some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen. I spent 6 weeks with 6 incredible students and and like Nikki said, got to fulfill all of my National Geographic dreams when we spent three spectacular days in the Masai Mara.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
This is what happens when you leave me……
Thursday, June 17, 2010
The Crew (I couldn't have asked for better people!)
Habari! My name is Jami Strapple and I am from Hawai’i. Here in Kenya, I have been called “the lady from the waters”. I think I am called this because people cannot remember my name or pronounce it. I am here in beautiful Kenya along with my wonderful classmates from Pacific University PA program class of 2010. We have been looking forward to this unforgettable opportunity and experience for 1 year and it has finally come.
I was born and raised in Kailua, Hawai’i in a quiet, little beach town where everyone rides bike around town and to the beach, hangs out at the beach and goes for morning beach walks. I have two happily married parents and a dear younger sister. I have a warm hearted, loveable boyfriend in Hawai’i named Kamaka who has been by my side every minute through this journey through PA school. Love him! I have one poi dog (many mixed breeds) named Ziggy. I enjoy anything water related: surfing, canoe paddling, kayaking, boogie boarding, swimming. There is something magical and mystical about being in the ocean. That is one thing that I can say that I miss the most right now, the ocean. I love sushi and bubble tea!!!!
Being in Kenya has been eye-opening and life-changing. There have been so many different emotions everyday! It is hard to explain. I think my classmates know what I mean. I have learned so much about the people, culture, language, land, food, and tropical medicine. The people here are overwhelmingly friendly and I have never felt so welcomed and cared for since being here in Kenya! In fact, let me share an experience J-dub and I had with a lady from the hospital (keep in mind we had only met her 2 days prior). She approached us with the earnest handshake, hugged us and told us how much she wanted us to stay in Kenya forever, work here and that we should buy a piece of land, build a house and live in Kenya forever. Super nice!!! This made me feel so happy inside. I will take each and every one of those experiences with me home and hold them deep down in my heart.
We are headed back to Portland, Oregon next week, graduate in 6 weeks, take the PANCE (PA national certification exam), find a job and settle into our lives which have been on hold for the past 26 months. I can’t wait!!!! I plan to head back to “the waters” to work and live. Until next time….Aloha!
My name is Jessica Wright, I’m 32 years old. I live in Portland, Oregon and I’m in my final couple of months of a Pacific University’s Physician Assistant program. I grew up in Oregon but spent a good portion of my adult years in California. I live with my girlfriend and several cats (of course) and I love rainbows and ponies. My collegiate background is in biopsychology and mental health, however, I’m hoping to only use those skills to subtly influence people, not to use them as my professional focus. In all seriousness my professional goals are to help a lot of people, particularly old people and buy some nice skirts. I’m hoping that upon graduation I’ll be able to land a hospitalist position, or potentially a general surgery position. I have thoroughly enjoyed Kenya and the comparison to our medical system has been eye opening. The people of Kenya are like no other I have ever met. They are truly the most kind and welcoming people. The culture and the land are amazing and I will truly miss these things as well as the culture.
For those of you that just read about J. Dubs (aka. Jessica Wright), I just want you to let you know that in real life, she is one of the wittiest of people that I know. She’s the comic relief of our group, and can dance like you wouldn’t believe. I’m Michelle, hailing from Corvallis, Oregon. Here, I’m known as Michelle Obama, or just Obama for short. Having Obama as President has really gotten us quite far. I was born in San Jose, CA and I’ve got two wonderful parents and one older brother who I love dearly. I too, am classmates with J. dubs. There are six of us from Pacific University, here for our ninth (of ten) rotations before we graduate this August. It is really hard to believe how close we are to graduating. PA school has been quite a ride, and we’ve been looking forward to this time in Kenya for one year. Being here in Kenya has been more than I could have ever imagined. We’ve seen manifestations of diseases we’ve only read about, and become more astute in the art of tropical medicine. I definitely heart Kenya. Traveling has and always will be a part of my life. It’s the kind of experience that always exceeds whatever expectation you had -- the people have been more gracious and genuine, the country has been more beautiful, and the food has been amazing. I couldn’t have asked for better travel buddies, and J. biddle has been a great addition to our group. Though we only have a few weeks left, I know J.biddle will try and retro-chronologically keep you updated on what I have failed to do with my family and friends. Cheers!
adding to the pot here…
I am still figuring out biddle, so I will freely write about myself instead in a shameless act of self-promotion. my name is nikki mcleod (yeah, I know the punch line) and am part of the kenya 2010 crew from pacficu.edu. born in delaWHERE? (biden is my homeboy), raised on a boat in the chesapeake bay (I sure know my crabs), transplanted to new hampshire (it’s like old hampshire but new), then to tahoe (keep it blue) for a few years of ski, climbing, and world travel related hedonism before settling down back in new hampshire with the love of my life, only to recently find myself back on the left coast for grad school. i’m really good at run on sentences and inappropriate punctuation, laughing at irony, drinking tea, and napping. the list of things i’m no good would dwarf the magna carta.
Jambo Sana! Joshua now on the keyboard.
Sugarcane by the meter and our own perpetual group of under 7 yr olds constantly in tow. These children free to roam, or come and go as they please find something supremely interesting in all of our movements and activities. Finally one of them gets the nerve up to approach us - sticky little hand extended for a hand shake…. Once the others see the exchange of handshake and smile they all converge.
What a time for an American to visit Kenya : we have a Kenyan man in the president’s office. Obama is the default conversation piece that can bring any of us together with our hosts. Saying “my vote helped put Obama in office” wins the hearts of any Kenyan.
Greetings from beautiful Kenya! My name is Jeanette Nelson. I am also a PA student at Pacific University. The men in my life (hubby Matt and sons Ian and Grady) are currently residing in Salt Lake City, Utah while I am off globe-trotting. I have always had a desire to come to Kenya to do medical volunteer work and I consider myself very fortunate to be here with such a great group of people. This has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I have had so much fun getting to meet with people in their homes, play Frisbee and jump rope with school children, sing and dance with the locals, laugh with my friends and the hospital staff and watch the beautiful Kenyan sunsets as each day comes to a close. The people here frequently tell us not to forget them; I don’t think that will be a problem.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Quick Musings
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Tuesday June 8, 2010
This is the 21st day of our trip and the first time I am finally sitting down to give an update. I’ll try my best to give a short but informative synopsis of the first three weeks but I know that I my attempt will fall short. This experience has been incredible and there is no way I will be able to convey the richness of the past days by trying to describe them from memory. I will start with today and work backwards with the intention of beginning with what is most fresh and in the process jump-start my memory in reverse.
The notes done, we rushed over to the theater and changed into our scrubs. Michelle scrubbed in while I got my camera ready for the first c-section either one of us had seen. Dr. Agullo finally arrived and the procedure began without incident. As soon as the uterus was opened and the baby was visible, it was clear that this was not going to be the happy occasion we had all hoped for. It was immediately clear that the baby was slightly blue and as he was pulled out we could see that the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck. Feces were covering the lower half of its body, an indication of traumatic labor, and the were no signs of movement or breathing. The anesthetists tried to resuscitate the baby while Michelle and Dr. Agullo closed the incision. Their attempts were unsuccessful. The baby was placed on the scale and then wrapped in a blanket and removed from the room. It weighed 4.2 kg. I didn’t end up taking many pictures; it didn’t feel like the right time.
When the procedure was over the three of us returned to Dr. Agullo’s office to see outpatients during the 30 minutes it would take the surgical staff to prepare the room for the laparotomy. During that time we saw the woman whom we imaged earlier in the morning and the husband of the woman we had just operated on. The first woman turned out to have an abnormally shaped uterus with two uterine cavities instead of one. On film, it looked like a compressed cartoon heart. Only the left lobe had an associated fallopian tube and ovary. Agullo suggested uterine reconstructive surgery and the woman left the office like most of the patients we’ve see in Kenyan, without affect. The would-be father was more engaged in the interaction with Agullo, perhaps because he spoke better English, but was nevertheless stoic in his response. He thanked Dr. Agullo for all of his work and left.
At 1:00 pm we returned to the operating theater (without lunch) for the exploratory laparoscopy and I scrubbed in. When we got into the room, we found that Nikki and Joshua were already there and that Joshua had already scrubbed-in and gloved-up. Joshua addressed the situation in characteristic fashion by replying to my inquiry about who should assist by saying, “as far as I am concerned, the more the merrier.” The operation went well but on gross examination nothing abnormal was found that could be causing the woman’s pain. At the end of the operation, Dr. Agullo returned to his office and left Joshua to place the last few sutures. It was pretty cool and somewhat nerve-racking to be at the table without a physician. In the end, Joshua did a great job and we both left the room happy.