Sorry I've been MIA for a while...things here have been really busy. I've had a few papers and a couple labs due this past week. Everything is still going great!
Last week on our day off we went to a travelling health clinic. The clinic is free for anyone who goes, and we all went to help out the doctors and volunteers with whatever we could. It was mostly parents bringing their children into the clinic for check ups or for meds. I was put at the Vitamin A station with a couple of my friends. My job was to use a needle to open up a plastic pill, and then squeeze vitamin A drops in the mouths of 6-11 month olds. I felt like I was some kind of doctor giving vitamins to babies, even though I wasn't really doing much at all. The first baby I gave drops to was very calm, but she was about the only one. After her, every other little one would cry and scream when their mothers opened their mouths and I leaned over them to give them the drops. It was sad when they cried, but I knew they needed the vitamins, so it wasn't too bad. After vitamin A I moved to the diagnosis table with one of the doctors who explained the symptoms of every patient to me. They all spoke swahili, but the doctor translated for me so that I would know what was going on. It was hard, again, to see the condition of some of the people there, both adults and children, but at the same time I was glad to see them being treated. All the medication and vitamins they were getting was free, which was also really great.
Every time I go out to do service or to hang out with the locals I think that I've really seen how difficult life can be here. BUT, it wasn't until yesterday that I really did see how hard things can get. Two days ago we went to a support group meeting for people who are living with HIV or aids. The people told us their stories. They told us how they found out they had HIV, what other members of their families have the disease, and the number of family members they have lost to the disease. It was unbelievable how strong they all were, and how they had overcome their fear. The support group, they all said, saved them. Once they found the group and met other people they could relate to it made dealing with HIV easier. Many of them explained that once they contracted the disease they would be excluded and harassed by others. The support group created hope for all the members, and it was again amazing how positive the people stayed.
I have always known that I live a blessed live, but I never knew how lucky I am, we all are, until I arrived here, and saw the reality of other peoples' lives. Don't forget how much we all have!
Well after that trip everyone was a little shocked, but the support group leaders made us feel very welcome, because they said that when they are associated with visitors like us it makes them proud, and it lets other people in the area see there is no reason they can't be treated just like everyone else. Luckily, awareness is rising, and people are being educated more in general, and more about the disease as well.
SO after the clinic we were able to go into town for some time to look around and shop. It was a fun afternoon. We were only out for a little while, and then we came home to work on some school stuff and relax for the night. I was sitting on my computer last night...about to write this blog post...when someone ran in and yelled...PYTHONNNNN LETS GOOO!!! ....which is why my blog entry didn't happen last night...
SO, our teacher Daniel had seen the python near the gate, so he ran to the Chumba (main building) where most of us were. He knew that a lot of us would be interested in seeing a real python, which I was. About 10 or 15 of us got up and followed Daniel to walk out to the gate. By the time we got there, there were 4 ascaris with flashlights looking through the tall grass for it. They knew it had to be in a general area, because they had been watching the spots where it could have left the tall grass, and hadn't come out yet. So we all spent about 10 minutes looking, and then one of the boys found it. We all got to see it, and it was really cool. It was a little nerve racking because we were in tall grass, so before it was spotted I was always hoping I didn't end up stepping on it or something. I was also nervous because I thought a lot of the boys had false confidences going on. They all wanted to find it, and because there were 4 ascaris with machetes looking, they thought they were completely safe, but it was still a wild python, and they should have been a little less confident then they were. Luckily everything worked out fine, and it really was a pretty controlled scene, somthing would have really needed to go wrong for anything bad to happen. But don't worry dad, I stayed smart and didn't try anything crazy/stupid : ) That is the second live snake I have seen so far. It was pretty cool because it was bigggg. I was excited I got to see it.
For the past week we have had a volleyball tournament going (Mel). My team won in the semi finals today, so we will be moving on to the finals soon. It's a lot of fun.
My most exciting news for today though, is that tomorrow expedition starts! We are leaving at 7:30 in the morning for Tsavo National Park. The park is about two and a half hours away, and we will be camping there for 5 nights! Our camp site is not blocked off or surrounded at all, so we will have armed guards patrolling the site at all times. If we want to get up and go to the bathroom at night, we have to alert a guard so that they can escort us. Last semester they had elephants in the site hanging out by the bathrooms, so no one could use them for a couple hours. They haven't had lions enter the campsite in a few years, but it has happened before. We get to have camp fires every night, and travel through the park visiting different sites each day. The park takes up close to 20,000 square kilometers, so there is plenty to see. We had another safety and awareness lecture today so that we know what to look and listen for, both during the day and night. The men who come with us to guard our camp have all grown up here, and they know how to protect us, so no one should worry! Plus I'm always very safe. I'm so excited to go. This is like the best week of Kenya! I'm sure I will come back with lots of pictures next week : )
I'll let you know how it all goes when I'm back next Thursday. For now I have lots of packing to help with. Hope all is well! Love and miss everyone!!! TTYS!!
: )
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