Hi Bobcats! I’m just checking in to let you all know how things are over here in Kenya and post some pictures from the trip! Right now our team is in Nairobi, which is the capital city. We’re here for a few days to rest up, get some internet, and eat some American food (thank GOODNESS!) We’re staying in a hostel and meeting a lot of interesting people who come through here.
So far we have lived with two different tribes, Maasai and Meru. The Maasai’s land was extremely hot and dry, with very little shade, and the Meru tribe was located near Mt. Kenya with many banana trees and cornfields.
I have learned so much about the culture here in these different places. One thing I can say about Africans is that they are extremely hospitable. In America, if someone walks up to a house and rings the doorbell, most of the time the residents will turn their TV up really loud and pretend they aren’t home, but in Africa we are almost ALWAYS invited in to talk and have Chai (African tea made with boiled milk and water) with them.
Another thing that I have noticed that really stands out to me is their work ethic. Whenever we speak with people here that are struggling financially they ask us to pray for work for them, not just for money. They are completely willing to work for what they get. In America, people want to have things handed to them if they can get it. It’s just interesting to see a different attitude about work and money.
Anyways, we have been in Kijabe, our central station, for the past two weeks working at the hospital. Many of us have found our “niche” that we work in. One of our team is a physical therapy student, and she has gotten to work in the Physiotherapy room since we’ve been back. Another is working with Occupational Therapy. I’ve personally been working in the sewing room (not as impressive, but it’s exciting for me!) making surgical gowns and other hospital stuff.
The team is doing well, but we have had some health problems. One of our girls had Malaria last week, and multiple people have had stomach issues throughout the trip. I guess that’s expected when you travel to another country though. :/
Anyways, I thought I’d update you guys and post some pictures, so here they are! I hope everyone’s semester is going well, and have a GREAT spring break!
