Some discontent has been shared about how I never "officially" returned from Nairobi. I apologize for not updating my blog, but let's be honest...nothing too exciting happens to me in med school. That said, I finish my 2nd year (out of 4) this week and then progress to take the STEP 1 Board Exam and take a year break from med school to earn a Masters in Public Health (MPH). Yes, I'm going to add another year of school, but it will be worth it and my reasons are best saved for another place & time. So, you might be wondering [View Full Entry]

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I want to start off by saying that I greatly appreciate everyone's comments. You all are such a blessing to me, and I hope you realize what a blessing you are to everyone around you. Last week was probably the toughest week yet. The first half I spent battling in the nurse-less clinic. Much has already been written about my feelings there, so I will spare you the details. The second half of the week was spent at a place called Joska. It was there that I felt my first pains of homesickness and complete frustration with the Kenyan people. Both [View Full Entry]

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Discouraged. That's the word of the day. Nothing has really changed on the ground: the Kenyans are still great, the weather is about the same, my health is about the same, the center is doing amazing work, the slums are still the slums. Well, I guess something has changed: the nurse, Eunice, at the school has gone missing. It could be that she has been in an accident. It could be that she just woke up and decided not to return. Neither option is very encouraging. With no Eunice, I am the most "qualified" physician at the school. Let it be [View Full Entry]

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Happy 1st Birthday Yuri and I'm sorry to be missing the festivities. The days are beginning to be a bit routine which is not a bad thing. In fact, I think it's a pretty natural transition. Routine doesn't mean boring or uneventful, but it just means I'm becoming very comfortable here. This past week was actually quite eventful. I'll just write here a few of the highlights. On Tuesday I went to Gertrude's Children's Hospital with Isaac (a social worker at the school) and a 13 year old boy, Elijah. Elijah was going to the hospital for a free operation on [View Full Entry]

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It's been a while, and I apologize. Reading messages gives me the strange feeling that in spite of what occurs here, life is still going on and is pretty "normal" in the states. It's exciting to hear about the move, alumni weekend, grandparents, and development of the babies. So this week I have switched out of the clinic and am going on home visits with the HIV/AIDS counseling group. I'm still processing a lot of what I see, but I have really enjoyed going to homes and hearing peoples stories. It's incredibly humbling. One lady we met has a tremor in [View Full Entry]

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In light of recent events, it should be noted that I'm safe and healthy. I hope the same can be said for everyone at home. Know that I'm praying for you all and love you all. Now I'm going to give you a peak inside my brain. The following is my journal entry from a couple days ago. The Kenyan roadways are some of the most inefficient I've ever seen. They may be worse than Cairo or India. The highways out of town are all 2 lane. They have NO traffic signals just roundabouts. They have random speed bumps. The drivers [View Full Entry]

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I don't know that I can say much more about my first full week in the clinic. It was challenging going to work in the slums everyday, but I'm looking forward to getting to work tomorrow. I attended the church service at the school this morning, and, for the first time, I didn't feel like an outsider. Certainly we stand out with our white skin, but there were many familier faces in the congregation and I began to see those around me as brothers and sisters in Christ. Maybe it's starting to feel like home? To answer a few questions about [View Full Entry]

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Side note: I failed to comment that Kenya is the 25th country I've been to. Also, that was my 25th blog. One of many coincidences. So naturally putting down all my thoughts would be quite overwhelming, and, honestly, I don't know what I think myself. It's amazing, it's heartbreaking, it's numbing, etc... The center we are working with is called Missions of Hope International (MOHI). I believe the main center started under 5 years ago with just about 50 kids in a K-5 school. Now over 2000 kids are in something like 5 different schools. Many of the new schools opened [View Full Entry]

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So we have arrived in Nairobi. Our trip started out with much adventure as a storm in Chicago cancelled our first flight out of Indy. After a 3 hour bus ride through the Hoosier state we got to O'Hare International (actually earlier than our plane would have). Checking bags was a very new experience for me, as I was designated team coordinator for the trip. As most of you know my previous two experiences traveling have been solo and checking 44 bags (and 23 people) is much more complicated than 1 and 1. All is well except for 6 lost bags. [View Full Entry]

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So I've officially completed my first year of med school. It's a bit surreal having a year behind me, being one step closer to having the responsibility of being a physician, and knowing that I still have a lot of learning ahead of me. Our last exams were yesterday, and I'm pretty sure I'll end up passing them. That said, I can now focus all of my attention on preparing for going to Kenya. I'll spend the next couple days in McPherson followed by a couple days in St. Louis. We are to report to Indianapolis on May 28th where we'll [View Full Entry]

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