Hospitals and Beaches

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The name of my project was "Hospitals and Beaches", and I have certainly been enjoying both!

I transferred from the data office to the lab, and spent a week there. It was a fascinating place, and I learnt a lot. During my time there I carried out numerous tests on blood samples, stained blood and viewed it under a microscope to look for the malaria parasite, and carried out urinalysis. It was hard to know how it compared to a lab in the UK as I haven't been to one, but they had lots of modern machines alongside simple tests. The staff were lovely, and seemed very grateful for my assistance.

Yesterday I moved to another department called Muangalizi. They organise volunteers to visit HIV positive children and their caregivers, in their homes. I have been out with a volunteer called Margaret and visited some of the Muangalizi children. Some of them seemed more ill than others, and the thing that really struck me was how underdeveloped a lot of them were. A 13-year-old girl looked about 8. I took biscuits to give out to the children, which they really appreciated. Some of the families' stories were very moving. The area I went to was a series of villages that were full of shack-like houses, waste running through the streets and children playing in the dirt. It was quite an eye-opener. I also got to visit a nursery school run by a baptist church. When I entered the play area, all the children rushed to greet me and crowded around to chant "mzungu, mzungu" and hold onto my arms. They also liked to chant "how are you, how are you" over and over. Their classroom was very basic, but they all were very cheerful.

At the weekends I have managed to experience other things that Mombasa has to offer. I visited a community handicraft centre with a fellow volunteer. There was an amazing shop that was jam-packed with hundreds upon hundreds of beautiful wood carvings. There were animals (some bigger than me!), masks, bowls, stools, warriors and various other items. My host mother took me out to explore the Old Town where I am resident, which was very interesting. A lot of the buildings are from the time of the Portuguese settlers, and protected by laws that mean they cannot be renovated. I have also visited the beach, and it was amazing. I visited Maweni on the South Coast with some friends, and enjoyed the feeling of being on a deserted tropical island! The ocean was lovely and warm, and we had a very relaxing time.

After work I have done some exploring. The market was a fascinating place to wander around, and it was an exciting challenge haggling over prices with the stall holders. There were some beautiful dresses and kangas (pieces of material that come in pairs and are worn on the top and bottom half by a lot of women), and lots of carts selling gorgeous fresh fruit. On another visit I went into some spice shops, and it was amazing to smell the wide variety of spices including masala tea, curry powder, vanilla powder and many others. I also tried macademia nuts and sugar cane, which were both delicious. There were some persistent vendors that wouldn't take no for an answer! I have also been to fabric stores and looked at some of the many beautiful mosques. One day I left work slightly earlier and went to the Reef Hotel again with a friend. We went down onto the beach, and had a ride on a camel. It was great fun. We also did some sunbathing, although I am still a very pale shade of white and have just gained some freckles!

I celebrated my 18th birthday on Wednesday, and it was a great day. I had actually been out the night before and turned 18 on the dance floor, but went to the hospital during the day. I had ordered a cake, and we shared it around in the lab while the staff all sang "Happy Birthday" to me. I had a birthday phone call with my family, which was lovely. Back at home, my hosts surprised me with some beautiful gifts. I also received a card through the post from Granny and Grandpa, which I really enjoyed reading. In the evening we visited a family that had had a baby arrive a few days before. My hosts took some gifts to give them, and it was lovely to see the baby. It wasn't to be publicly named until a week after it was born, which I think was a religious custom. We are going to go out and have a belated birthday dinner at some point.

I was struck down with a stomach upset for 3 days after eating something bad, but I tried not to let it spoil anything. I am feeling more at home here all the time, and have started to get a shock when I see other white people! I hope to go on safari one weekend, and think I have lots more exciting experiences in store.

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Photos

My home
This is the building where I am staying with my host family.

Akama Handicrafts
Part of the storeroom selling amazing wood carvings.

Maweni Beach
One of the amazing views from the beach.

Suliat and I
Another volunteer and myself enjoying the beach.

World Cup Fun
We went out to watch one of the World Cup matches, and also enjoyed some dancing.

Birthday Cake
Enjoying birthday cake in the lab!

The Market
A shop selling kangas, kikois and other material in the market.

Bomu
The view from a window at Bomu Medical Clinic.

Muangalizi
Meeting some of the Muangalizi children at a nursery school.

The Nursery School
The pupils outside the nursery school I visited.

Muangalizi Visit
Visiting Emily Tatu (RHS) with Margaret. She is 13.

Camel Ride
Enjoying a ride on a camel at Nyali Beach with Marie-Louise.

Spices
One of the spice stores I visited in the market.

Comments

[Christine Reid]

Have a wonderful time, enjoy the experience.

[Julie Thomson]

wow !
Wow heather sounds like you're having an amazing time! What an experience huh? ENJOY XXX