Mt. Kenya

Sorry I have not updated in a while, but here is an synopsis of what I have been up to lately. On Thursday I was able to see the birth of a beautiful baby boy. That was a wonderful experience. On Saturday we climbed not Mt Kenya, but a hill right next to it to a beautiful lake. Unfortunately it rained shortly after we arrived and quickly had to leave. It was a lot of fun anyway.
Of course I couldn't make it the whole trip without getting sick, so I did a lot of sleeping and resting Sunday after church and Monday morning, but I am feeling much better now. Tuesday was a nice and relaxing day where we could do laundry ( by hand of course) and enjoy the beautiful weather. In the evening we met with a wonderful man who grew up in the Kenya, made it to the US for college and became a lawyer. After a number of years he felt the call to come back and help the community he grew up in. So he has spent the last few years starting an organization called Village Hope Corp which gives loans and training to groups to start their own businesses. Today was a hot and busy day. We traveled to two very remote schools on the equator where we brought books and other supplies we collected back in the states. We also traveled to a technical school where they taught building, woodworking and sewing. In all three places it was amazing to see how much they do with the little they have. At one of the schools the parents hand dug a pit to collect water during the rainy season since the nearest was 5 km away. Tomorrow we leave Chogoria. We will be sad to leave all of the friends we have made here, but we are all excited for all that we have left during our trip. I am not sure if/when i will have internet access for the rest of the trp. If I am unable to get to a computer I will update the rest of my trip when I get home.
Miss you all!
P.S. I tried to upload more pictures, but the computer was too slow today. Sorry!!

Chogoria Update

Janelle was hoping to post before they made the trip to Mt Kenya (which they will be climbing while we sleep tonight.) I got a quick email from her and she was able to observe some very interesting surgeries during this weeks rotation and was hoping the timing would work out for a birth. She was glad to get a break from rice and beans when they went out for chicken and chips and will probably get to eat touristy food at Mt Kenya (I assume).

Check out some views of and from Mt Kenya http://www.mountkenya.org/mtkenya.htm

Charlie

P.S. Yes, she does miss me a little!

Waterfall and Church

Well the rain cleared on Saturday afternoon so we were able to go to the waterfall after all. It was a lot of fun to get out and do some walking. It was so muddy, but I guess that is better than dusty. The photo is of some of us and some of the Chogoria nursing students. On the way back we saw two cars stuck in the mud. Think being stuck in the snow, but you don't ahve solid ground underneath to dig to get out.  On Sunday we went out to a rural church that its the sister church of the Presbyterian church in Jamestown. Their church building is currently wood boards, but they have started to build a more permanent church. It was long, but very nice. Today was back to the hospital, but our day was interrupted for a welcoming ceremony for an organization called village hope corp which gives loans to mostly women to start business in Chogoria and the surrounding area. Hope all is well at home and feel free to post comments so I can find out what everyone is up to back home!

Janelle

First post in Chogoria!

Hi everyone! Sorry I have not been able to post before now. I have been pretty busy though. We arrived Tuesday night Kenya time only to find out that our guest house booking was lost and they were full. However after an hour of negotiating we found another place to stay. The next day we made a couple of stops to exchange money, get water, and lunch. Then we had to make our way though Nairobi which was a trip in itself. The traffic there is CRAZY even in the middle of the day. After was made it out and had made a stop to get equipment for the Chogoria nursing school and received our permits to practice as student nurses in Kenya we were off to Chogoria. The 200 Kilometer trip took about 4 hours due mostly to what our driver termed "sleeping police men" (aka speed bumps). We arrive in the dark, but we were all exhausted so it didn't matter that we didn't get to explore Chogoria yet. The next day we dived right in the next day working in the hospital. My first rotation was in community health along with two of the others from my group. The first day we stayed in the clinic and saw a lot of pregnant women and "well baby" check ups. The nurses here do a LOT more than we do in the US. In fact I never saw a doctor the whole day. The next day we were able to go out into the community. We went with a nurse who visits the commercial sex workers in the community (it is legal here). What an eye opening experience. Most of them were very open with us about their lives and answered many of the questions we had. We walked in many parts of the city that we would not have otherwise known about or dared to enter alone. Since we were with a nurse that knew the people really well, we felt safe an welcomed everywhere we went. Today (Saturday) we were suppose to go on a hike with some of the nursing students to a nearby waterfall and caves. Unfortunately we woke up to a downpour during the Kenya dry season. It have been raining ever since. I am really bummed, but I finally have a chance to update the blog and do some reading. I hope everyone is doing wonderfully back in the states. I miss you all and love you all.
Love,
Janelle :)

Fun Fact for Wednesday

No news from Janelle today, but for checking out the blog enjoy this fun fact from buzzle.com

DID YOU KNOW…
Kenya, formerly known as British East Africa, became independent in 1963 and a republic in 1964.

Bonus fact: Janelle is currently reading (and may have finished on the trip over)
Imperial Reckoning The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya by Caroline Elkins.

Arrival in Nairobi

I received word just before lunch that they have arrived safely in Nairobi!
No details other than their arrival. I think they get to rest up tonight (this afternoon/evening for us) and begin to adjust to Kenya time before travel to Chogoria tomorrow morning Kenya time.

What time is it in Kenya?

http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/time-zone/africa/kenya/time.htm

Successfully Departed

Janelle made it out of Fargo this morning with only a minor delay and another short delay in Minneapolis, but with no anticipated problems in catching her connecting flight in Amsterdam. She will arrive in Nairobi around 12pm on Tuesday CST if all goes according to schedule. I will post tomorrow evening with news of her arrival!

Charlie is fighting a lingering cold and already misses his nurse!

The Begining

Well the adventure begins tomorrow. Eight of my fellow nursing students and I will be off to Kenya for the first of our preceptorships. We will spend almost 4 weeks working in a rural hospital, visiting orphanages, and visiting a variety of schools from elementary to technical schools. I am hoping to be able to update everyone on this blog a couple of times a week, but I don't know what my access and Internet speed will be like. Here is a little synopsis of my schedule while I am in Kenya:

2/8- Leave Fargo for the long journey to Kenya

2/9 - Arrive in Kenya in the evening (Kenya time).

2/10 through 2/22 - We will spend this time at the hospital and nursing school in Chogoria, Kenya (its a small village at the base of Mt.Kenya in the jungle). We will do rotations on the medical/surgical, pediatric, and maternity wards. We will also do a community health rotation visiting remote villages. On the 20th we will climb Mt. Kenya and stay overnight on the mountain.

2/23 through 2/25 - We will visit a school, orphanage, and travel back to Nairobi.

2/26 - Visit to the Eastleigh suburb of Kenya and eat at "Carnivore" in the evening.

2/27 - Visit Ngong Road which is the organization through which the Dahl family sponsors the education of a child. I will have the opportunity to meet this child and his family! Check out their website for more information: http://ngongroad.org/default.aspx.

2/28 through 3/2- Safari at Keokorok!

3/3 - Back to the US.

Of course the weather in North Dakota cannot cooperate so I am spending my last night in the states in a hotel in Fargo. Hopefully this storm doesn't delay our fight!