Thursday, May 30, 2013

Day One of Real Work

Here are a few things that I have learned on my real first day of work in Kangemi at Lea Toto.

1. When a Kenyan tells you that it is only "10 minutes and a hill" do not believe them!! More like 3 dead-trap-MOUNTAINS! Even the Kenyans were slipping on the 80 degree-incline-loose-rock-neck-breaking-shenanigan. They kept looking at me after and saying "normal, normal." Haha I do know that I will probably be losing a good amount of weight this summer. That is both terrifying and exciting. Exciting that I am getting in shape and terrifying in the way it is happening.

2. If you don't know Swahili, then think twice about coming to Kenya! I'm super excited to learn, but if you aren't willing then life may be difficult for you.

3. Once you get someone talking about something they love, be prepared for a passionate conversation. It was great hearing about everyone's job at Lea Toto and learning the ins and outs of the job.

4. Tea time is the greatest thing ever to be invented.

5. Matatus are not the most comfortable mode of transportation out there.

6. If you tell a Kenyan that you took a matatu (the small ones), they will be super impressed.

7. I'm learning a ton about HIV/AIDS.

8. Breastfeeding in Kenya is required by law. Giving birth in a clinic or hospital is required by law. Being tested for HIV/AIDS when you are pregnant is required by law.

9. Traffic in Nairobi is terrifying. Anyone/everyone will move out of the way of the car no matter what. If there is a pothole, the car will go on the wrong side of the road and play chicken with oncoming traffic.

10. I really just wanted a tenth point.

Stay tuned for more!

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Day One at Lea Toto

First off, Happ Birthday Dad!!! I love and miss you very much :)

This morning John and Mimi picked up four of us for a meeting with Lea Toto, whom we will be working with this summer. We drove to Kangemi, an informal settlement (slum) in northwestern Nairobi, and met with Francis and Nicholas. They gave us an introduction into what Lea Toto is all about and what they do. Then, John gave them an idea of what Leslie and I are interested in and how we might contribute this summer. I am interested in social determinents that may hinder someone to not seek medical help, be it micro or macro. We decided that I was best suited for Kangemi and working with Francis. Also, interesting and exciting news is that Lea Toto has just started collecting longitudinal baseline data for all their clients. I would love to be involved in that and running some preliminary regressions to look for connections or trends in the data. We shall see if they let me :)

After our meeting Leslie and I got a ride down to the actual Kangemi clinic where I will be working. Met some amazing people and I am excited to get to know them better this summer.

Then, Leslie and I got a ride to Kawangware, where Leslie will be working this summer. Took slightly longer meeting everyone because I am pretty sure that we got our wires crossed about a meeting time. But it all worked out in the end and we got a tour and had some awesome conversations with the staff there.

Looks like it is going to be an awesome summer and I am so happy to get started.

Now that all the awesome things are pointed out, let me move on to the not-so-awesome things:

-Very sporadic power since Monday

-Very slow internet

-Water outages since Monday, and when we do have water it is brown. No shower since Monday morning, I think. But I still smell reasonably good!

-Realized that we don't get access to Netflix, Hulu, or Pandora here.

-The supermarket does not have macaroni and cheese...

That is the end of my rant. Other than that, things are splendid! We heard that the water should be back to normal tomorrow!

Stay tuned for more!

Monday, May 27, 2013

Venturing into Downtown Nairobi

Today was our matatu lesson with Duncan. We all met at the apartment  around 10am to catch a matatu to downtown. First off, the bus station is very close to us since our apartment is directly behind a mall (Junction) so that makes it very easy to get on and off. The bus station was a mess. The matatus stop on the street and then a person gets off to yell the destination at you. If you look confused, then they will come up to you and try to swindle you onboard. The trick is to ask them where they are going before you tell them where you want to go. They might say yes just to get your money and then you end up in a shady part of Nairobi.

Duncan (our kind-of guide) told us which matatus and buses to take to get downtown and how much they typically cost. A normal  bus downtown from our apartment is about 40-60 KSH, depending on the time of day. That comes out to about 50 cents USD. Super cheap and it is how we will be getting around in Kenya while we are here.

Once we got off the matatus we met up again with Duncan and went to go pick up the Mukuru On The Move t-shirts for those who will be working there. That was an interesting walk around downtown Nairobi. Let's just say that I prefer the suburbs and rural areas much more than downtown. I can't even describe the amount of cars and people on the streets. There are not traffic laws, at least not any that are followed. And when walking on the sidewalks you can usually just walk in the street as long as you don't get hit by a car. I had 4 very close encounters with large buses trying to run me over. There are no cross walks and traffic lights are only suggestions. I will say that Leslie told me that India is much worse. So that's something at least.

After our matatu lesson Leslie, Sara, and I got off a couple stops early to go shopping at Adam's Arcade. Another very interesting experience. The outside space is probably a couple hundred square feet and they sell everything. I mean everything. We walked to the produce area to buy some fruit for the week. I bought 6 mangos, 1 huge pineapple, and 6 green apples for less than $2. But that is definitely not my doing. I owe that to Sara and her haggling. Since we are "musungu," or "white people" they tried very hard to jack up the prices. Sara, who was born in Ethiopia, knows the ropes and wouldn't let them get away with it. The better the price, the more business they will get from us. It was exciting and I will definitely be buying from there many times.

Tomorrow we are going to try to explore more of Nairobi or go to a national game park that is close by. Wednesday Leslie and I will find out where we will be working, probably either Kibera or another informal settlement.

Stay tuned for more!

Saturday, May 25, 2013

New Apartment

We drove into Nairobi this morning and arrived at the apartment a little after 2pm. Beautiful apartment and I am so glad. I was very worried that we were going to get scammed since I did everything over email. I have to say, it looks exactly like its photos! I will hopefully post some pictures either on Sunday or Monday to Facebook.

The apartment is up 5 flights of stairs so that is going to be so much fun for the next 9 weeks. It has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms for the 6 of us. Perfection! Currently sitting outside on the deck listening to the birds and chatting with my roommates. Life is pretty good right now.

We went to Nakumatt (supermarket) earlier to buy food and I am kicking myself for buying so much stuff in the US that I could have bought here much cheaper. They had pretty much everything except clothers. A Nakumatt is a cross between a Target and a WalMart, but the really nice ones. The Nakumatt was located in the shopping mall so we went to lunch at a restaurant  there. We sat outside because the weather was perfect. They had a TexMex section on the menu! I took a picture of it for proof and will upload it to Facebook later. I had French fries (chips) and a turkey sandwhich and it was heaven after a week of rice and Kenyan food. Don't get me wrong, I am loving the Kenyan food but sometimes you just need fries and Heinz ketchup.

We are excited to start exploring the city tomorrow. We are having a late lunch and meeting up with a former student who was on this trip 2 years ago. She is currently working in South Africa but comes to Nairobi often. This means that someone with an MPH has a job! There is hope for all of us :)

Stay tuned for more!

Friday, May 24, 2013

Last Night in Limuru

This is our last night in Limuru. Sad to leave St. Paul's University. We have made so many great friends. Today we ended our time together singing songs and dancing. We learned a couple amazing Kenyan songs in Swahili. They taught us a song with "hakuna matata" in it!! Such a great moment. Then all the Americans starting singing from the Lion King. You know when someone asks you a typical song from the U.S. and all the songs you know immediately leave your brain? That happened to all of us today. We taught them "This Little Light of Mine," which is a great song but we could have done so much better. We promised that when we came back in July that we would be ready with some great songs.

Tomorrow morning we head back into Nairobi and set up our apartment. Apartment hunting was my job and I found us a place about a month ago. I really hope that it is legit and everything works out. We shall see.

Next week is our orientation to Nairobi and matatus (bus system). All of us are going to be working at different places this summer. Emily is going to CHAK (Christian Health Association of Kenya, I think). Whitney, Sara, and Amihan are going to be working with Mukuru on the Move, located in the informal settlement (slum) of Mukuru. Carrilea, Meghan, and Katie are going to Nyumbani Village, which is about 3.5 hours from Nairobi in the middle of nowhere. The village is self-sustaining and houses about 1,000 orphans and older adults who take care of them. Leslie and I are going to be working with Lea Toto, which is an organization that has branches throughout Nairobi that helps adolescents who have HIV/AIDS. Not sure exactly what everyone will be working on but at least we know where we are going! We are all of the mindset that we will just go where they need us. Flexibility is the word of the summer.

Very excited to be in Nairobi :)  Stay tuned for more adventures!

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Highlights

What can I say about the past two days? Only that they have been absolutely amazing. Here are some highlights:

-Malarone (malaria medication) will give you crazy dreams. Totally dreamt the zombie apocalypse last night.

- Traditional healers are common in Kenya.

-Curses and spells are real, so don't piss anyone off.

-Our conference center knows how to throw a party! Had amazing stir fry and a great bonfire last night. We all lamented the fact that we did not have marshmallows.

-We had DONUTS this morning. One of the only sweet things I have seen since being in Limuru. Not quite American donuts, but still.

-A monkey came in through the second story window to use the restroom in one of my friends' rooms. On the floor. Which she then stepped in. While trying to kick the monkey out of the room. All ended well. I would have screamed and ran.

-Man is not an individual. Man is community in Kenya.

-The biggest development challenges in Kenya and the US in the next ten years are mostly inequality issues.

-Being poor is bad for your health. Being sick is bad for your wealth.

-In Kenya you cannot separate health and religion. If the land is sick, then you are sick. If the ancestors/spirits are sick, then you are sick. If your community is sick, then you are sick. There is no separation.

-Kenyans know how to dance!! I have videos :)

-Chipati and coconut rice is amazing. I will really miss them when I return to the US. I need to learn how to make them.

-Limuru is cold! Only about 30 minutes outside of Kenya at a steady incline takes you up to about 7,500 feet. But an afternoon nap in the sun around 1:30pm is amazing.

-"Interact" sounds like "intercourse" according to one of the St. Paul's professors. He is absolutely hilarious. Example: he lectured on polygamy and how it is really more feminist than monogamy. Many of us were skeptical to say the least.

Stay tuned for more!

Monday, May 20, 2013

St. Paul's University

Today we had our first class at St. Paul's University. It was amazing. I have never been so completely welcomed into a new community so fast. Immediately we were all sisters and brothers. Also, I'm going to be completely spoiled with how Kenyans live here. Class is from 9am-4pm with tea time at 10:30am and lunch at 1pm. I love it.

We had an introduction to the course that will be in all week and got to meet the Kenyan students in our class. There are about 10-15  Kenyan students all ranging in age and discipline. All are masters students since St. Paul's does not have a PhD program... yet! It shocked me that there were so many pastors and reverends in the group. Most of the students work with faith-based organizations or with churches in either Limuru or Nairobi.

Everyone had to go around the room and say why they were there. Why did we choose to take a course on health, religion, and development? What do those terms even mean to us? How does our background help us? This really made me think. I said in my first blog post about how I just kind of fell into this program. Now I really need to know why I am here and how I can make a difference in these people's lives.

I started thinking about social networks, which is a topic many sociologists research, so I'm not thinking completely out of the box. Then I started thinking about how the church is a huge social network and has vast influence over their congregation. This leads to the topic of trust. If the pastor/preacher/reverend, etc. tells their congregation not to use condoms or not to take ART, then they will most likely comply. This is a HUGE problem for HIV/AIDS prevention. It might even be one reason why the epidemic has spread so far and so many people have died.

A Kenyan student sitting next to me started talking about how, as preachers, they need to be more open talking about sex, HIV/AIDS prevention strategies, and treatment. We need to take the stigma out of HIV/AIDS so that more people seek treatment as soon as possible and so that they are not embarassed to tell their partner to take preventative steps.

I'm excited to see what else I learn about throughout the week. Stay tuned for more!

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Day One in Kenya

Catching everyone up on my adventures- I'm in Kenya! After about 24 hours on planes and in airports I finally made it. Flight #1 was about 8 hours from Dallas to Amsterdam and not too bad. Had two meals on the plane and watched all three Lord of the Rings movies. Didn't sleep much but I got to see an amazing sunrise over the ocean, so I'd say it was worth it. Flight #2 was about 7 hours from Amsterdam to Nairobi and was more cramped than the first. Mostly I was just exhausted from not sleeping. I finished up the LOTR trilogy, watched The Hobbit, and took a nap. Pretty successful. Going home I think I'll take the flight attendant's advice and drink some wine with my meals to help me sleep. Landed in Nairobi around 8:30pm local time. Two others in the program, Meghan and Emily, were on my plane so we went through immigration and customs together. Not much trouble there and I got to exchange some USD into Kenyan Shillings. We were picked up by Duncan, who works with Mukuru on the Move, and taken to our hotel to sleep.

Woke up today to Leslie calling our hotel room at 7:30am. Not a bad wake up call since I went to sleep around 10pm. Her flight had just landed and was at the hotel. She came up to our room to hang out before we left at around 11am for Limuru. Before going to Limuru, Duncan and Steve (our drivers), took us to a mall to buy phones and some water. This mall was swanky! We were wanded with metal detectors before entering the mall. They had pretty much everything that a good American mall has, including a huge supermarket. There was a kiosk selling that salt sea exfoliation scrub that are always in American malls. Pretty interesting how similar things are around the world- globalization at its finest. Or should I say Americanization?

We drove through Nairobi to Limuru, only about a 30 minute drive. I kept freaking out the whole time because I would constantly forget that the cars are supposed to be passing us on the left. That will take some getting used to. We are staying at the Jumuia Conference Center in Limuru, Kenya. The temperature is much lower here since we are at a much higher elevation than Nairobi. The difference between direct sunlight and the sun behind a cloud is staggering. After checking in to our rooms all the students (there are 9 so far) ate a very large lunch. They take their 4-course meals very seriously here.

Afterwards we walked down to St. Paul's University to take a look around. Very pretty but not as large a campus as I was expecting. We saw some students having class outside since it was so nice. After our brief tour some of us decided to go back to our rooms for a power nap, which did not work out so well for me. Could not sleep, which just means that I am going to sleep like the dead tonight. Four of us, Leslie, Meghan, Emily, and myself, decided to go out front to read. We found a great spot in the grass at a picnic table in the sun. We didn't do much reading and just ended up talking most of the time. We all remarked that we don't really know what to do with ourselves with no work or studying to do. We are all so accustomed to having a million things to do at a time. I'm really going to need some time to adjust to a more laid back summer than I have had in a long time.

Tomorrow is our fist day of class at St. Paul's University. It will be taught by three professors from Emory, John Blevins, Mimi Kiser, and Deb McFarland. A couple Kenyan professors will be joining them. In the class will be our team of 9 plus about 10-15 Kenyan students. I'm excited to see the differences and similarities in learning. I know that this is only the beginning of a great summer!

Stay tuned for more!

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Pit-Stop in Dallas

Flew to Dallas yesterday so that I can spend this week with my family. Made it in time for Mother's Day! Totally not planned, but I can pretend like it was. Happy Mother's Day!!

When I was on the plane yesterday from Atlanta to Dallas it hit me: I'll be on a plane to Nairobi in a week. Surprisingly enough, I was not prepared for the almost-panic attack that followed. Until now, going to Kenya has been an abstract thought. I knew it was coming, but it always seemed a long way off. Now I'm packing, taking medications, and stocking up on bug spray and antibiotics. I seems very real now and I am excited/terrified.

I met a woman at the airport yesterday. I started up the conversation because I asked where she got her amazing bag from. No, I am not fashion-crazed, but this bag was amazing. It was satchel-like with about a million pockets. She was excited that I asked and explained that it was designed by flight attendants for traveling. I asked her where she was headed to - it was obvious that she was going abroad based on the amount of bags she was towing along. She said that she was headed to Europe for a couple months to travel around with her family. She asked where I was headed and I said Kenya. "Oh, I've been on safari there. It is beautiful and you are going to have a great time!" she replied. And then we wished each other luck as the security line moved along. Every time I come across someone who has been to Kenya, or even Africa, have told me how beautiful it is and how much fun I am going to have. Africa seems like a happening place based on what everyone one is saying.

I think that one of the best things about travel is how it brings people together. As soon as you say that you are going somewhere, anywhere abroad people automatically pop up with everywhere they have ever been and "You won't guess what happened to me when I was in [Insert amazing country]" It's pretty amazing to hear their stories and you bet they all have difference advice for me on how to survive.

After all this I feel pretty prepared for Kenya but I know that as soon as I step off that plane in Nairobi I might have a complete meltdown. Good thing I have a pretty strong support system, both in Kenya and in the US.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

A Bad Case of Wanderlust

Wanderlust: a strong desire for or impulse to wander or travel and explore the world


This is the story of how I came to spend three months in Kenya-

Like many great stories this one begins with boredom. Early last semester I realized that I had no plans for this summer, and if you know me, then you know that I am a major planner. I have my entire graduate life planned out in excruciating detail in an Excel spreadsheet (I can show it to you). Upon this realization I decided to do something about that.

Not sure what happened to me when I was younger but I have always felt this need to travel. It's part wanting to get out of my comfort zone and part not wanting to die without seeing as many spectacular things as possible. I've never wanted to spend the rest of my life in my hometown of Mesquite, Texas. The idea of never moving to another city/state/country/continent always seemed suffocating to me. I just wasn't built to stay put in one place my entire life. It might have been easier on my family if I was.

During my first semester of graduate school one of my favorite professors passed out a flyer from one of her colleagues at Rollins (school of public health at Emory). It was for an opportunity for a interdisciplinary team to travel and conduct research in Kenya. Bingo! I quickly jumped at the opportunity and began reading everything I could about the Global Health Institute, which funds many different teams to conduct research over the summer.

I soon realized that I really wanted this. Although I am pretty sure I was the least qualified person. I have never been to a third-world country for such a long period. I have never been to another country for 3 months straight. I have never read/done research with HIV/AIDS. It was partnered with a religious organization, which I don't read about or research religion. But I decided to go for it anyway and see what happens. The worst they could do is say no, right?

Well, they said yes and thus began the crazy rollercoaster towards my summer in Kenya.