Donation Update

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Supa! (Hello in Maasai)

I hope that this blog finds everyone well and getting ready to say hello to the first day of summer tomorrow. Since we are right on the equator tomorrow, June 21st summer solstice, we will have no shadow at 12 noon. I hope that I remember to pay attention.

I've got some great news for everyone who donated (and for those who didn't as well). Alan and I have made our first major donation... we've helped create a much needed maternity ward for the clinic I am working in. This is the only maternity within a four hour walk and will help the communities so much. It will save the lives of mothers and their newborn babies. Because, until now, there was no place for the mothers to deliver where they could get proper medical care people were dying from complications and babies were not always care right away. So... you are helping save lives and that is so amazing. Thank you so much.

I will write more on this later when I have a bit more time. I am doing some research while here on pregnancy practices of the Maasai for my degree at the University of Plymouth so I can give you all some statistics so that you can see just how much you are helping and what a huge difference this will make. I'll try to do that and pictures tomorrow. I am just so excited now that I had to write a short blog today.

I got up to catch the matatu this morning at 5.30 and came into Ngong to meet with Maggie, the nurse from the clinic, and her husband. She had to go to the district office in Kajiado to pick up HIV kits for us and her husband helped me pick up a nightstand, bed, mattress and sheets for the maternity and take it back to Saikeri... I really needed their help and am so grateful that he was there... I don't have a clue how to get it back to Saikeri so I'll be meeting with him "sometime this afternoon" so he can help me get it back via the matatu truck.

Time here is not the same as back home... everything is so relaxed. I think that my favorite part of that is the super relaxed scheduling. Here, in Africa, all you need to do is mention a day... some general spot... some general time and it works out. Somehow everything that you wanted to do gets accomplished and everyone is happy... I can't ever see this type of scheduling working out in Europe or the US where everyone has datebooks and blackberries and schedules but it works perfectly here... love it. For instance, yesterday when I was leaving the clinic Maggie, the nurse that I work with, said that she'll see me on the truck in the morning. I climbed onto the truck and she wasn't there... I was a little bit worried... so when I arrived into town I went to a cafe to have a cup of tea and figure out how I was going to get the bed on my own. Then Maggie just showed up in the cafe and started talking to me like we had told each other that we were going to meet at that cafe (there are many cafe's in Ngong) and at that time. I was so relieved. I don't know how it all works out... but it does. I realized this morning that I should really relax a little in life. Hakuna Matata (meaning "there are no worries here").

So, this afternoon I am taking the bed and nightstand back that all of the people who donated bought for the clinic. I'll take loads of pictures and hopefully get them on here. I found a new cyber cafe and I think that it is the fastest yet. I am getting a ton of photos printed today so I will try to get them onto here.

Al and I are going on safari this weekend so we'll be back into town tomorrow. I will give you a full update tomorrow on here and I think that Al wanted to write as well... he's only been into town once since we've been here.

Wonderful. I hope that everyone is doing great and thank you for all the comments and messages. I can't wait to talk to you all in person.

Much love from Africa,
Brooke

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Comments

[Emma Lewis]

Yo!
Ive just sat and read all of your blogs! Well I needed a bloody good old snoop didnt I! It sounds like you two are having an ACE time! Your comments make me laugh, especially the mental image (oh yeh baby!) of Brooke showering in ICE cold water. bless you. Everything is fine here. My trip to spain was obviously far less hardcore as yours, but at least i managed to scive off work for two weeks! I phoned up a childrens nursery last night, and they seem pretty cool. Just need to send off my application form! Thats all though. I miss you both terribly! Keep up with the blogging!!! emma xxx