Friday, July 28. Kiluani.
I finally figured out how to use my phone to connect to the internet. I had to call customer service to get the setup information and figure out by trial-and-error which modem script I needed to use. Safaricom customer service can't support very many calls at once (and it's a telecom company, how ironic...), so I had to keep dialing until I got connected. The speed is only 9.6kbps (max data rate is about 1.2KB/s), which is 156 times slower than regular DSL (1.5Mbps or 187.5KB/s), and 5.8 times slower than dial-up (56kbps or 7KB/s). So you get the idea. On top of that, it costs Ksh10 per minute, which means it's Ksh600 ($8.40) per hour. That means I can get a maximum of 4.3MB of info in one hour for $8.40. I don't even know the upload rate, but I'm guessing it's the same or less.
So I'm going to restrict the use of internet through cellphone to maybe once or twice a week for checking/sending e-mail, posting on my blog, and downloading RSS feeds. I can post on Blogspot without using a web browser, but I can't with Xanga, so I'll update Xanga when I get better internet connection. Meanwhile, Xanga users, please visit http://doxadeo.blogspot.com to read my most updated blog (This will be the last post on Xanga for a while). You can even subscribe to my RSS feed (http://doxadeo.blogspot.com/atom.xml) using an RSS aggregator such as RSS Owl (for both Mac and PC) or Vienna (Mac only, recommended). Even if it's not for my blog, if you like reading news articles or visit a specific website regularly, RSS will make your life so much easier. So go try it! (Sorry I can't give you direct links. I'm typing this offline).
Well, all this is only possible if I have electricity. And unfortunately, I won't have any electricity when I go to Lenkijape. It's much farther from the main road than Kiluani. Apparently, permanent electricity is coming to Kiluani very soon, but not for a while in Lenkijape. It will be a good practice to live without electricity though. I'm such a city boy... (that reminds me of Sierra Leone, where most of the cars I saw had a big sticker that read "City Boy," but that's irrelevant). It'll be a big test for me.
So, what did I do in Nairobi today? Well, if you're reading this, I'm sure you've noticed that I posted a lot of journal entries. That's because I went to a cyber café in Nairobi. It was a first time I got internet access since Sunday. I think they ripped me off at the café though. It's supposed to be Ksh3 per minute, and I only used for about 50 minutes or no more than 60 minutes, but they charged me Ksh210 (which would be 70 minutes). But I was in a hurry, so I just paid and left. Then I realized I was ripped off, and I should have asked for a receipt. Always remember to ask for a receipt if you pay for anything in Kenya. It's not like Panda Express where you get free meal if they forget to give you a receipt.
Anyway, that was only one of many things we had to do in Nairobi. First we went to a big mall where we did some grocery shopping. I got a bar of soap and a shower scrub while PuiMeng got a lot of food and a haircut. She got a haircut all the way in Nairobi, because at the place she went a lady from Korea used to work there, and they know how to cut Asian hair. Otherwise if you go to a regular barber shop, you'll probably come out bald. Well, since I'm already experimenting with my facial hair, maybe I'll try shaving my head too... one of these days. Don't worry, I'll take pictures for you all to enjoy later.
While I waited for PuiMeng, I got a cup of coffee, and waited in the car. A guy named Jackson drove for us, so I got to talk with him for while. I found out that he's a Masai, and he used to hangout with morans a lot before he became Christian. He was never a moran because he went to school instead. Basically, all boys, around the age of 15 gets circumcised and become moran if they're not going to school. So before there were schools, all Masai boys became moran. So I guess there isn't a crazy ritual to become a moran (except that you get painfully circumcised). Usually there's a big ceremony when kids get circumcised. They slaughter goats (and maybe cows) and the whole village eat together. I'll write about Masai culture more later. Besides, I'll probably learn a lot more when I go to Lenkijape. I've already found out that lot of the things I heard about their culture from outsiders weren't so accurate (e.g. on promiscuity). It's better for me to learn about their culture directly from them.
We stopped by the foreign exchange, the bank, and the cyber café. We also stopped by a warehouse where they distribute free medicine to missionary clinics. The government provides vaccines, mosquito nets, and some food for babies, but we get all the medicine from a missionary organization (I can't remember the name right now). On the way back we stopped by another Nakumatt, so I bought some candles and matches in preparation for Lenkijape. I also got some potato chips. The chips here taste really good, but probably very fattening.
It takes three hours one way, so we had to travel for a long time.
I didn't get to go back to BCEA today, but I got a hold of Richard, and he's going to get the stuff for me and give them to Rev. Kim. So I'm all set as long as Rev. Kim comes down this coming week.
Tomorrow, we'll have a fellowship at someone's house, go to Namanga, and then maybe take a walk up a hill (where David Ahn said I should go). It should be a pretty eventful day.
I think they're about to turn off the small generator now. I should wrap it up for tonight.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Jambo from Nairobi
Just wanted to say hi to everyone who might be reading my blog. I'm back in Nairobi at a cyber café. I'm only here for a little while, and I won't be going back to BCEA. I'm going back to Kiluani right after, and staying there till Sunday or Monday or Tuesday, depending one when my ride comes. After that I'm going deeper into the woods (or semi-desert) to Lenkijape. As you can read from my recent entries, I've been having quite a fun and comfortable time in Kiluani. I guess the REAL African experience starts when I go to Lenkijape. Well, I don't know. We'l see...
I hope everyone is doing well.
I hope everyone is doing well.
Doxa in Kenya: Flies in the Ear, Bike Ride, and Chicken Feast
Thursday, July 27.
Thursdays are antenatal clinic days. So there were many pregnant women coming in for a monthly check-up. For the first timers, PuiMeng gives tetanus vaccines, because Masai people prefer (or just tend) to give birth in their homes on their own. This leads to a high risk of infection during birth. She also checks their blood for syphilis. Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease, and can cause blindness to children if they are infected during birth. I learned how to locate a fetus' heart. First, you feel for the head, then find the back, and the heart is along the back. I learned that you can estimate the length of gestation (how many months it's been since conception) by feeling for how big the uterus is. You'll have to guess because most Masai people don't have the concept of "months." They only know seven-day weeks. Walking too much during pregnancy can cause the legs to swell up. Pregnant women need to eat well for the fetus and for themselves. If they don't, they may not have enough breast milk. Also, low iron in the diet can lead to anemia, which sometimes causes miscarriage. Pretty interesting stuff. If I become a doctor in a developing country, these kinds of information will be helpful. Also if I get married and my wife gets pregnant, it would be useful as well.
There were a couple interesting cases today. A lady brought in her daughter, who is about 6 or 7, because the girl has some stuff stuck in her right ear. They came a few days ago, but the girl would cry and resist when PuiMeng tried to clean her ear. Even when PuiMeng tries to look into the ear with the hand-microscope (or whatever you call those magnifying glass with light and funnel), the girl starts crying really loudly, and would not stay still. So they came in again today, but again she would resist so hard that PuiMeng could not clean her ear. She was also too big to hold down. The girl's parents tried to convince her to get the ear cleaned, but she wouldn't listen, so they went back home again. Seeing a girl so afraid of something so small makes me wonder if she is being physically abused at home. She was so scared of a little q-tip! She seemed to be afraid of anything foreign to her. Actually, many of the kids were like her. They would start crying uncontrollably even when the assistant tries to put the thermometer under their armpit. Some of them stops crying immediately after they hear the "quack" of a rubber-ducky. It's interesting how some kids are so afraid of things they don't even know if it will harm them. I think they really need to be loved more.
So there was a boy, age of about 4 or 5, who also had a problem with his right ear. PuiMeng showed me the inside of his ear, and I saw two insect legs sticking out of his earwax deep down the ear. Apparently, it's quite common for flies to get stuck in children's ears, because they have so many flies around them, and they're used to having flies landing and walking all over their faces. The boy was small enough that we could hold him down while we cleaned his ear. We wrapped him in a sheet of cloth (almost like a straightjacket), and held him down as PuiMeng injected clean water into his ear to rinse out the wax. Two flies came out of his ear, and after that his ear was all nice and clean. The boy was crying so hard as PuiMeng washed his ear, but he was much better behaved than the girl.
After lunch, the pastor and I rode bicycles around the village and visited some church members. When I say "village" I don't mean a small area with a few rows of houses. Houses (or boma) are spread so far apart, so we had to travel a long distance to get to some houses. It was a really good exercise . At one place, I saw two girls dressed in black. These were the girls who were recently circumcised. Yes, they circumcise girls here. Such a terrible thing, but it's their culture, and so apparently the girls willingly (or are persuaded to) do it.It's socially unacceptable if they are not circumcised, so there's also the social pressure. Even the Kenyan government discourage female circumcision. I'm not sure why they do it in the first place, but according to Pastor (who is not from Masai), it's because they believe the females would not be able to satisfy the men's desires if they are not circumcised. My heart breaks for them when I hear things like this.
For dinner, we had chicken. Here in Kenya, chicken is actually more expensive than beef (per kilogram). It's because it's harder to keep the chicken alive in their environment, especially during rainy season when it gets cold. So I payed for the chicken, and Isaiah cooked for us. Pastor, PuiMeng, Isaiah, and I had a little feast tonight. Since I payed for the chicken (which is about Ksh300 or $4.20), I took some chicken first, but I realized the first thing I took was its head. I almost lost my appetite right then. I put back the head for the natives to eat, and ate the other parts. The meat was really tender. Nothing like a freshly killed chicken... also very naturally raised, unlike in LA.
Tomorrow, I'm going back to Nairobi for a few hours, but apparently I won't have time to go back to BCEA. PuiMeng says she's too busying doing stuff in town, and BCEA is too far off. I have so many things I need to bring (and I want to drop off my laptop because I could only use it for a few hours during the whole three weeks)... Oh well. I need to buy a little note book to keep my journal. I guess I'll have to type out everything once I get back to civilization.
It's been almost two weeks since I shaved. It's definitely the longest I've gone without shaving already, but still the hair is uneven. It's also not dense enough. I can feel my mustache every time I drink chai (which is at least 3 times a day).
Thursdays are antenatal clinic days. So there were many pregnant women coming in for a monthly check-up. For the first timers, PuiMeng gives tetanus vaccines, because Masai people prefer (or just tend) to give birth in their homes on their own. This leads to a high risk of infection during birth. She also checks their blood for syphilis. Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease, and can cause blindness to children if they are infected during birth. I learned how to locate a fetus' heart. First, you feel for the head, then find the back, and the heart is along the back. I learned that you can estimate the length of gestation (how many months it's been since conception) by feeling for how big the uterus is. You'll have to guess because most Masai people don't have the concept of "months." They only know seven-day weeks. Walking too much during pregnancy can cause the legs to swell up. Pregnant women need to eat well for the fetus and for themselves. If they don't, they may not have enough breast milk. Also, low iron in the diet can lead to anemia, which sometimes causes miscarriage. Pretty interesting stuff. If I become a doctor in a developing country, these kinds of information will be helpful. Also if I get married and my wife gets pregnant, it would be useful as well.
There were a couple interesting cases today. A lady brought in her daughter, who is about 6 or 7, because the girl has some stuff stuck in her right ear. They came a few days ago, but the girl would cry and resist when PuiMeng tried to clean her ear. Even when PuiMeng tries to look into the ear with the hand-microscope (or whatever you call those magnifying glass with light and funnel), the girl starts crying really loudly, and would not stay still. So they came in again today, but again she would resist so hard that PuiMeng could not clean her ear. She was also too big to hold down. The girl's parents tried to convince her to get the ear cleaned, but she wouldn't listen, so they went back home again. Seeing a girl so afraid of something so small makes me wonder if she is being physically abused at home. She was so scared of a little q-tip! She seemed to be afraid of anything foreign to her. Actually, many of the kids were like her. They would start crying uncontrollably even when the assistant tries to put the thermometer under their armpit. Some of them stops crying immediately after they hear the "quack" of a rubber-ducky. It's interesting how some kids are so afraid of things they don't even know if it will harm them. I think they really need to be loved more.
So there was a boy, age of about 4 or 5, who also had a problem with his right ear. PuiMeng showed me the inside of his ear, and I saw two insect legs sticking out of his earwax deep down the ear. Apparently, it's quite common for flies to get stuck in children's ears, because they have so many flies around them, and they're used to having flies landing and walking all over their faces. The boy was small enough that we could hold him down while we cleaned his ear. We wrapped him in a sheet of cloth (almost like a straightjacket), and held him down as PuiMeng injected clean water into his ear to rinse out the wax. Two flies came out of his ear, and after that his ear was all nice and clean. The boy was crying so hard as PuiMeng washed his ear, but he was much better behaved than the girl.
After lunch, the pastor and I rode bicycles around the village and visited some church members. When I say "village" I don't mean a small area with a few rows of houses. Houses (or boma) are spread so far apart, so we had to travel a long distance to get to some houses. It was a really good exercise . At one place, I saw two girls dressed in black. These were the girls who were recently circumcised. Yes, they circumcise girls here. Such a terrible thing, but it's their culture, and so apparently the girls willingly (or are persuaded to) do it.It's socially unacceptable if they are not circumcised, so there's also the social pressure. Even the Kenyan government discourage female circumcision. I'm not sure why they do it in the first place, but according to Pastor (who is not from Masai), it's because they believe the females would not be able to satisfy the men's desires if they are not circumcised. My heart breaks for them when I hear things like this.
For dinner, we had chicken. Here in Kenya, chicken is actually more expensive than beef (per kilogram). It's because it's harder to keep the chicken alive in their environment, especially during rainy season when it gets cold. So I payed for the chicken, and Isaiah cooked for us. Pastor, PuiMeng, Isaiah, and I had a little feast tonight. Since I payed for the chicken (which is about Ksh300 or $4.20), I took some chicken first, but I realized the first thing I took was its head. I almost lost my appetite right then. I put back the head for the natives to eat, and ate the other parts. The meat was really tender. Nothing like a freshly killed chicken... also very naturally raised, unlike in LA.
Tomorrow, I'm going back to Nairobi for a few hours, but apparently I won't have time to go back to BCEA. PuiMeng says she's too busying doing stuff in town, and BCEA is too far off. I have so many things I need to bring (and I want to drop off my laptop because I could only use it for a few hours during the whole three weeks)... Oh well. I need to buy a little note book to keep my journal. I guess I'll have to type out everything once I get back to civilization.
It's been almost two weeks since I shaved. It's definitely the longest I've gone without shaving already, but still the hair is uneven. It's also not dense enough. I can feel my mustache every time I drink chai (which is at least 3 times a day).
Doxa in Kenya: Immunization, Worms, and Ulcer
Wednesday, July 26.
Wednesdays are set apart for immunization shots. Along with general patients, many mothers with babies came to have their scheduled immunization shots. I just watched PuiMeng give drops of vitamin A and shots to babies, but it was a good learning experience. I felt a little bad as the babies start to cry right after their shot. They see the needle, but they don't know what's coming to them. As soon as they feel the pain, they start crying. But most of them stopped crying pretty soon. The pain only lasts for a second, so I guess the longer they cry, the longer they remember the pain (or the shorter they cry, the more forgetful they are).
After PuiMeng gave the shots, I gave a little talk to the mothers about worms. I told them the types of worms, how you can get them, how to prevent them, and the symptoms if you have worms. Worm parasites are very common especially in third-world countries because of low personal hygiene. I used the poster that was already made to explain about worms, but I also studied about them in a book yesterday. Most Masai people are not educated, so I had to explain in simplest words as possible. Henry Nyingei translated into Kimasai (language of Masai).
One patient had duodenal ulcer, and he had to be carried in on a stretcher early this morning. He was at the clinic all day, and he was carried back home later. It was dark by the time we started heading back to the mission compound. There weren't much cloud so I got to see some stars again.
I always end the day so tired. I don't even have time to write about all the stuff that's happened and all the things that I learned. I keep saying I'll talk about this later and that some other time... I still need to write more about Masai culture. Although, it's mostly for personal notes, because I'm sure if anybody's reading this, they could just Google Masai, and find everything about them. I have to make some correction to what I said about their promiscuity. Anyway, good night!
Wednesdays are set apart for immunization shots. Along with general patients, many mothers with babies came to have their scheduled immunization shots. I just watched PuiMeng give drops of vitamin A and shots to babies, but it was a good learning experience. I felt a little bad as the babies start to cry right after their shot. They see the needle, but they don't know what's coming to them. As soon as they feel the pain, they start crying. But most of them stopped crying pretty soon. The pain only lasts for a second, so I guess the longer they cry, the longer they remember the pain (or the shorter they cry, the more forgetful they are).
After PuiMeng gave the shots, I gave a little talk to the mothers about worms. I told them the types of worms, how you can get them, how to prevent them, and the symptoms if you have worms. Worm parasites are very common especially in third-world countries because of low personal hygiene. I used the poster that was already made to explain about worms, but I also studied about them in a book yesterday. Most Masai people are not educated, so I had to explain in simplest words as possible. Henry Nyingei translated into Kimasai (language of Masai).
One patient had duodenal ulcer, and he had to be carried in on a stretcher early this morning. He was at the clinic all day, and he was carried back home later. It was dark by the time we started heading back to the mission compound. There weren't much cloud so I got to see some stars again.
I always end the day so tired. I don't even have time to write about all the stuff that's happened and all the things that I learned. I keep saying I'll talk about this later and that some other time... I still need to write more about Masai culture. Although, it's mostly for personal notes, because I'm sure if anybody's reading this, they could just Google Masai, and find everything about them. I have to make some correction to what I said about their promiscuity. Anyway, good night!
Doxa in Kenya: Clear Sky
Tuesday, July 25.
There were almost no clouds all day, so the weather was really warm and nice. At night I could see so many stars. The Milky Way was so clear as well. I brought my computer outside and showed some of the workers (night security) my planetarium program. They were astonished. They are native Masai, and they probably have never seen a computer. But they got to see the world's current most advanced laptop computer. Anyway, now I'm back in my bedroom typing away on my journal.
Today was another long day. There weren't as many patients as yesterday, so the day was going a bit slow. So PuiMeng showed me around the clinic while she was free. We had another pregnancy test. The test only works if the last menstruation was 6 weeks ago or longer. This girl had come in a month ago and had the test saying the last menstruation was more than 6 weeks ago, and the test was negative. But this time she came in and said her last menstruation was three weeks before the last time she came in. Basically she was confused about how long ago she had her last menstruation. Masai people don't really have the sense of how many days have past or even how old they are. They don't even have birthdays, apparently. Many people have difficulty remembering how old they are. A lot of their life stages seem to be centered around the time of circumcision. I'll talk about that more later. Anyway, the girl was tested positive for pregnancy. When she heard the news, she didn't seem happy or sad. Not even surprised. She already has one baby, so maybe it's not because it's her first time being pregnant that she wasn't especially excited about it. PuiMeng told me that girls are treated really nicely by their families when they become pregnant. It doesn't matter if they are married or not. So I guess that's why the girl yesterday seemed so happy. She probably wasn't married either.
For lunch, I had some rice and potatoes. Isaiah cooks for both Pastor Stephen (his brother) and me, so Pastor Stephen and I ate together. They use a spoon to eat rice here, since it's so hot. After lunch Pastor Stephen showed me around the mission compound. I didn't get to see the secondary school because, according to Pastor Stephen, the principal would think we're doing some kind of business. Ever since the school was handed over to the government from the missionaries, the school has been doing a poor job. The principal is very greedy, and he wants to kick the missionaries out so that he can take over the clinic as well. So what happens usually is that missionaries come and build facilities such as schools and hospitals. When they finish building and have everything up and running, the natives kick out the missionaries and take over the facilities, thinking that they can run them themselves. But they end up running much less efficiently than the missionaries, and the would start asking for money from the missions. It's pretty sad and discouraging especially for the missionaries who spent so many years building and the people who've put so much money into them. After the missionaries leave (or get kicked out), everything goes to waste because of corruption.
The students are taking their final exams this week, so this afternoon at 4pm, I was going to help some students with their math. I waited for a little over an hour, but nobody showed up. So I went out with the pastor and he showed me around the village. We visited several houses, including some of the cow-dung huts (they call them boma). We visited one house where several ladies were making bead accessories that many of the Masai people wear. Many of them were church members, and the pastor talked briefly and we prayed together. They dressed up the pastor and me like they would their chief.
I want to write more, but I'm so tired... Maybe tomorrow, maybe not. Tomorrow is immunization day. I'm going to be talking to people about worms.
There were almost no clouds all day, so the weather was really warm and nice. At night I could see so many stars. The Milky Way was so clear as well. I brought my computer outside and showed some of the workers (night security) my planetarium program. They were astonished. They are native Masai, and they probably have never seen a computer. But they got to see the world's current most advanced laptop computer. Anyway, now I'm back in my bedroom typing away on my journal.
Today was another long day. There weren't as many patients as yesterday, so the day was going a bit slow. So PuiMeng showed me around the clinic while she was free. We had another pregnancy test. The test only works if the last menstruation was 6 weeks ago or longer. This girl had come in a month ago and had the test saying the last menstruation was more than 6 weeks ago, and the test was negative. But this time she came in and said her last menstruation was three weeks before the last time she came in. Basically she was confused about how long ago she had her last menstruation. Masai people don't really have the sense of how many days have past or even how old they are. They don't even have birthdays, apparently. Many people have difficulty remembering how old they are. A lot of their life stages seem to be centered around the time of circumcision. I'll talk about that more later. Anyway, the girl was tested positive for pregnancy. When she heard the news, she didn't seem happy or sad. Not even surprised. She already has one baby, so maybe it's not because it's her first time being pregnant that she wasn't especially excited about it. PuiMeng told me that girls are treated really nicely by their families when they become pregnant. It doesn't matter if they are married or not. So I guess that's why the girl yesterday seemed so happy. She probably wasn't married either.
For lunch, I had some rice and potatoes. Isaiah cooks for both Pastor Stephen (his brother) and me, so Pastor Stephen and I ate together. They use a spoon to eat rice here, since it's so hot. After lunch Pastor Stephen showed me around the mission compound. I didn't get to see the secondary school because, according to Pastor Stephen, the principal would think we're doing some kind of business. Ever since the school was handed over to the government from the missionaries, the school has been doing a poor job. The principal is very greedy, and he wants to kick the missionaries out so that he can take over the clinic as well. So what happens usually is that missionaries come and build facilities such as schools and hospitals. When they finish building and have everything up and running, the natives kick out the missionaries and take over the facilities, thinking that they can run them themselves. But they end up running much less efficiently than the missionaries, and the would start asking for money from the missions. It's pretty sad and discouraging especially for the missionaries who spent so many years building and the people who've put so much money into them. After the missionaries leave (or get kicked out), everything goes to waste because of corruption.
The students are taking their final exams this week, so this afternoon at 4pm, I was going to help some students with their math. I waited for a little over an hour, but nobody showed up. So I went out with the pastor and he showed me around the village. We visited several houses, including some of the cow-dung huts (they call them boma). We visited one house where several ladies were making bead accessories that many of the Masai people wear. Many of them were church members, and the pastor talked briefly and we prayed together. They dressed up the pastor and me like they would their chief.
I want to write more, but I'm so tired... Maybe tomorrow, maybe not. Tomorrow is immunization day. I'm going to be talking to people about worms.
Doxa in Kenya: First Day in the Clinic
Monday, July 24.
Today was a very long and draining day. We started out the day with a devotional at 7:30am. I had a cup of tea and a donut like bread for breakfast. Remember a few entries back when I said it would be so hard for me to start a day with just a cup of tea and a piece of bread? Well, it wasn't so bad actually. I wasn't hungry at all until lunch time came around. Then I was really hungry, but Isaiah, Pastor Stephen's brother, prepared some nice lunch for me. I wish I could just show pictures. I had some ugali with goat meat stew-ish thing. Ugali is the staple food of Kenya, just like rice is for most Asian countries. It's basically like rice cake except it's made of maize. I ate with my hands because that's what they do here... or because I wasn't given any utensils, and I didn't ask for one. It's an experience eating with your hands. I mean, you can eat hamburgers with your hands, but you wouldn't eat a stew with your hands. But I did. Anyhow it was a pretty good meal. Afterwards my hands got pretty oily, so I went back to my place and realized I forgot to bring my soap. So I used some laundry detergent. For dinner, Isaiah prepared for me some cooked cabbage and chapati. Chapati is much like nan, but it's round. Apparently it's also of Indian origin. It seems like people drink tea for almost every meal here. They would just drink tea (they call it chai, also of Indian origin) for breakfast, and also drink tea after dinner. Back at BCEA, we would drink chai and eat slices of bread after a fellowship or Lord's Day service. Anyway, enough about food now.
I spent most of the day at the clinic. The clinic opens at 8am, and closes past 5pm (depending on the number of patients). First thing at the clinic, PuiMeng delivered a baby. I didn't know when the clinic opened, so I just waited around my room for breakfast, and then took my time with breakfast, so I missed the delivery. But I heard the cry of the newborn baby from the outside. Of course I didn't know what was going inside, but somehow when I heard the cry, I thought it was a newborn. I guess they have a distinct sound when they cry. Later I got to see the placenta. PuiMeng showed me how to check the placenta and make sure no parts were missing. I had never seen the placenta before. It must really hurt when it detaches...
Since it was the first day, I was familiarized with the registration process. Then I sat in with the patients while PuiMeng examined them. On Mondays and Tuesdays, the clinic takes in general patients. On Wednesdays, they give immunization shots to the kids, and on Thursdays they have antenatal cares and tests.
One girl, probably about 15 or 16, came in to do a pregnancy test. She seemed very happy when she found out that she's pregnant. I wonder if she's married though. She came by herself, so I'm guessing not. But maybe she is because she seemed so happy. I don't know. Teenage girls in the US wouldn't be very happy if they found out that they are pregnant before marriage, and even after marriage for some cases. But since the culture here is different, maybe it doesn't matter if she's not married.
Today was just observing a lot of things, but I hope I can do some hands-on stuff tomorrow. I'm looking forward to taking a shower in the morning. I have to boil a pot of water and use buckets and dippers. Every exciting.
There are so many bugs here. One just landed on my shoulder, and another was crawling up over my throat. I hear some buzzing near the ceiling. But apparently now is the season we have the least number of bugs. There'll be even more in Lenkijape. At times you won't be able to eat out side because there are so many flies. I could talk more about flies, but I'll do that some other time... I'm so tired. And they've turned off the small generator already, so it's pitch dark. The only source of light is my laptop screen, keyboard backlight, and the mouse. Anyhow, it's time to sleep. The bugs are attracted to my laptop... Must shut it now.
Today was a very long and draining day. We started out the day with a devotional at 7:30am. I had a cup of tea and a donut like bread for breakfast. Remember a few entries back when I said it would be so hard for me to start a day with just a cup of tea and a piece of bread? Well, it wasn't so bad actually. I wasn't hungry at all until lunch time came around. Then I was really hungry, but Isaiah, Pastor Stephen's brother, prepared some nice lunch for me. I wish I could just show pictures. I had some ugali with goat meat stew-ish thing. Ugali is the staple food of Kenya, just like rice is for most Asian countries. It's basically like rice cake except it's made of maize. I ate with my hands because that's what they do here... or because I wasn't given any utensils, and I didn't ask for one. It's an experience eating with your hands. I mean, you can eat hamburgers with your hands, but you wouldn't eat a stew with your hands. But I did. Anyhow it was a pretty good meal. Afterwards my hands got pretty oily, so I went back to my place and realized I forgot to bring my soap. So I used some laundry detergent. For dinner, Isaiah prepared for me some cooked cabbage and chapati. Chapati is much like nan, but it's round. Apparently it's also of Indian origin. It seems like people drink tea for almost every meal here. They would just drink tea (they call it chai, also of Indian origin) for breakfast, and also drink tea after dinner. Back at BCEA, we would drink chai and eat slices of bread after a fellowship or Lord's Day service. Anyway, enough about food now.
I spent most of the day at the clinic. The clinic opens at 8am, and closes past 5pm (depending on the number of patients). First thing at the clinic, PuiMeng delivered a baby. I didn't know when the clinic opened, so I just waited around my room for breakfast, and then took my time with breakfast, so I missed the delivery. But I heard the cry of the newborn baby from the outside. Of course I didn't know what was going inside, but somehow when I heard the cry, I thought it was a newborn. I guess they have a distinct sound when they cry. Later I got to see the placenta. PuiMeng showed me how to check the placenta and make sure no parts were missing. I had never seen the placenta before. It must really hurt when it detaches...
Since it was the first day, I was familiarized with the registration process. Then I sat in with the patients while PuiMeng examined them. On Mondays and Tuesdays, the clinic takes in general patients. On Wednesdays, they give immunization shots to the kids, and on Thursdays they have antenatal cares and tests.
One girl, probably about 15 or 16, came in to do a pregnancy test. She seemed very happy when she found out that she's pregnant. I wonder if she's married though. She came by herself, so I'm guessing not. But maybe she is because she seemed so happy. I don't know. Teenage girls in the US wouldn't be very happy if they found out that they are pregnant before marriage, and even after marriage for some cases. But since the culture here is different, maybe it doesn't matter if she's not married.
Today was just observing a lot of things, but I hope I can do some hands-on stuff tomorrow. I'm looking forward to taking a shower in the morning. I have to boil a pot of water and use buckets and dippers. Every exciting.
There are so many bugs here. One just landed on my shoulder, and another was crawling up over my throat. I hear some buzzing near the ceiling. But apparently now is the season we have the least number of bugs. There'll be even more in Lenkijape. At times you won't be able to eat out side because there are so many flies. I could talk more about flies, but I'll do that some other time... I'm so tired. And they've turned off the small generator already, so it's pitch dark. The only source of light is my laptop screen, keyboard backlight, and the mouse. Anyhow, it's time to sleep. The bugs are attracted to my laptop... Must shut it now.
Doxa in Kenya: Promiscuous
Sunday, July 23. (2nd post)
[Update July 19, 2012: I've retracted this post after re-reading this 6 years later that I may have said some inaccurate things and offended some people. Please contact me if you want to read the original post.]
[Update July 19, 2012: I've retracted this post after re-reading this 6 years later that I may have said some inaccurate things and offended some people. Please contact me if you want to read the original post.]
Doxa in Kenya: Arrival
Sunday, July 23. Kiluani.
I'm an idiot. I packed in such a hurry that I forgot to bring food... I had a whole bunch of instant soup and stuff, and I didn't bring any. All I have are two packages of candies and some gum that I brought for kids... Fortunately, PuiMeng (the nurse) is cooking for me just for tonight. Starting tomorrow, I'll have to pay to have someone cook for me. It's about Ksh200 ($2.80) per meal here, which is not bad at all. But I don't have anything to eat for breakfast. I might have to go to Namanga (the border city) tomorrow to buy some food. We'll see...
Kiluani is quite a nice place. Although, I wasn't surprised, because that's what I was told. We have a big generator that powers the houses in the mission station during the night. I'm staying in a guest house, in a room that David (or SunYik), Pastor Ahn's son from London, was staying a week ago. The house is actually made on two cargo containers (those giant metal rectangular box thingies that you see on freight trains and ships). You'll have to see the pictures later (when I come back to the US).
The trip down here wasn't too bad. Pastor Bernard came with me to ride on the matatu (public transportation), since it was my first time riding one. Before I came to Kenya, I read that matatus are very dangerous, that they pack as many people as possible into a van, and drive recklessly. Accidents involving matatus were (or are) very common, so recently a law was passed that limits the number of passengers depending on the vehicle. Also, all passengers have to wear seat belt. If you don't, and get caught by the police, you'll be fined and/or kicked out of the vehicle. In personal cars, only the people in front seats have to wear seat belts. If they don't, they'll get arrested. Yes, not just fined, but ARRESTED. So wear your seat belt if you're driving or sitting in the front.
Our matatu guy tried to rip me off Ksh100 by charging for my "luggage" (a backpack and a small bag). They're not supposed to charge people for luggage, but probably it's because I'm a musungu. Pastor Bernard helped me out and got the Ksh100 back. It cost Ksh20 per person to go to the bus (or matatu) station, and then Ksh300 per person to go to Namanga. We got off a little before Namanga, and walked to Kiluani.
I sat next to a young business man named Richard Moshi. We had some good conversation. People here are generally very friendly and talkative. He was born and raised in France, his family lives in Nairobi but he works at a seaport in Tanzania, and he speaks 7 languages. It turns out he's Jehovah's Witness, but it's because his mother is also. He told me he didn't know much about other religions, so I explained to him who Christians believe Jesus is. I explained to him the concept of Trinity (which JWs don't believe. They believe that Jesus is the Son of God, but below God), and admitted that it doesn't make much logical sense. But I also told him that if God made sense, if you can logically explain God, that can't be God. God is beyond our ability to reason. He created logic and reasoning. Just as a man living in two dimensions (say, a stick figure or comic book character) cannot understand three dimensions (world of the creator), we (the creation) cannot fully understand God (the creator).
So I was told that they have electricity at night here (and they do). I just got back from PuiMeng's place for dinner, and she told me that after 9pm, they switch off to a smaller generator, which powers only a few lights. They turned on the big generator around 7pm, so that means I can only recharge my laptop for two hours each day... Oh well. Once I go to Lenkijape there won't be ANY electricity, so I should first get used to having very limited electricity. They turn off the smaller generator whenever PuiMeng goes to sleep, and you never know when she will, so I guess they can turn off all of a sudden.
I got to see the goats, sheep, and donkeys that they keep. I was surprised that I was actually ok with their smell.
Tomorrow, the day starts at 7:30am with chapel hour. I'm going to talk to Pastor Steven's brother about cooking for me then.
I need a candle.
I'm an idiot. I packed in such a hurry that I forgot to bring food... I had a whole bunch of instant soup and stuff, and I didn't bring any. All I have are two packages of candies and some gum that I brought for kids... Fortunately, PuiMeng (the nurse) is cooking for me just for tonight. Starting tomorrow, I'll have to pay to have someone cook for me. It's about Ksh200 ($2.80) per meal here, which is not bad at all. But I don't have anything to eat for breakfast. I might have to go to Namanga (the border city) tomorrow to buy some food. We'll see...
Kiluani is quite a nice place. Although, I wasn't surprised, because that's what I was told. We have a big generator that powers the houses in the mission station during the night. I'm staying in a guest house, in a room that David (or SunYik), Pastor Ahn's son from London, was staying a week ago. The house is actually made on two cargo containers (those giant metal rectangular box thingies that you see on freight trains and ships). You'll have to see the pictures later (when I come back to the US).
The trip down here wasn't too bad. Pastor Bernard came with me to ride on the matatu (public transportation), since it was my first time riding one. Before I came to Kenya, I read that matatus are very dangerous, that they pack as many people as possible into a van, and drive recklessly. Accidents involving matatus were (or are) very common, so recently a law was passed that limits the number of passengers depending on the vehicle. Also, all passengers have to wear seat belt. If you don't, and get caught by the police, you'll be fined and/or kicked out of the vehicle. In personal cars, only the people in front seats have to wear seat belts. If they don't, they'll get arrested. Yes, not just fined, but ARRESTED. So wear your seat belt if you're driving or sitting in the front.
Our matatu guy tried to rip me off Ksh100 by charging for my "luggage" (a backpack and a small bag). They're not supposed to charge people for luggage, but probably it's because I'm a musungu. Pastor Bernard helped me out and got the Ksh100 back. It cost Ksh20 per person to go to the bus (or matatu) station, and then Ksh300 per person to go to Namanga. We got off a little before Namanga, and walked to Kiluani.
I sat next to a young business man named Richard Moshi. We had some good conversation. People here are generally very friendly and talkative. He was born and raised in France, his family lives in Nairobi but he works at a seaport in Tanzania, and he speaks 7 languages. It turns out he's Jehovah's Witness, but it's because his mother is also. He told me he didn't know much about other religions, so I explained to him who Christians believe Jesus is. I explained to him the concept of Trinity (which JWs don't believe. They believe that Jesus is the Son of God, but below God), and admitted that it doesn't make much logical sense. But I also told him that if God made sense, if you can logically explain God, that can't be God. God is beyond our ability to reason. He created logic and reasoning. Just as a man living in two dimensions (say, a stick figure or comic book character) cannot understand three dimensions (world of the creator), we (the creation) cannot fully understand God (the creator).
So I was told that they have electricity at night here (and they do). I just got back from PuiMeng's place for dinner, and she told me that after 9pm, they switch off to a smaller generator, which powers only a few lights. They turned on the big generator around 7pm, so that means I can only recharge my laptop for two hours each day... Oh well. Once I go to Lenkijape there won't be ANY electricity, so I should first get used to having very limited electricity. They turn off the smaller generator whenever PuiMeng goes to sleep, and you never know when she will, so I guess they can turn off all of a sudden.
I got to see the goats, sheep, and donkeys that they keep. I was surprised that I was actually ok with their smell.
Tomorrow, the day starts at 7:30am with chapel hour. I'm going to talk to Pastor Steven's brother about cooking for me then.
I need a candle.
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