Week 3 Update

Greetings! It has been a busy third week here in Eldoret. Our preceptor, Sonak, returned from South Africa and brought with him his girlfriend and colleague (both pharmacists). There are now three pharmacy students, three American pharmacists, and three Kenyan pharmacists; one student to two pharmacists is a pretty good ratio- what an amazing opportunity to learn from so many professionals and resources!

It has been a pretty typical week in the wards. Some days we have 25 people rounding on patients, and some days we have 5 people rounding. There is something to be learned during both types of situations, but I must say that it is easier to communicate within a smaller team. I have made a new habit of ending every day in the pediatric ward. After work or when I need a break, I go over to ped's and find a child or baby and talk to them or hold them. Sometimes in the adult ward I feel hopeless and powerless. The situation itself and conditions are so overwhelming that it is difficult to focus on how you can medically help the patients. Some things don't seem so complicated in pediatrics, though. I do not have to speak Swahili to comfort a crying baby. I simply hold them and smile. They are friendly, positive, and stronger than most adults. I could have had the worst day in the world, and their smiles turn it around every time. I have made friends with one particular baby who cries a lot, and another child who often holds the baby. The older child's name is David, and I bring him cookies every day. This morning when I was walking to the hospital, he saw me and came running up to me. I forgot the cookies, but I brought them back after lunch and found him. He's very quiet but I enjoy seeing him every day.

We had a patient discussion this afternoon with the pharmacists, and much of our discussion revolved around malnutrition. I cannot describe the appearance of a wasting patient, but they really do look subhuman. I'm sure most people have seen commercials or Internet pictures of people wasting away to nothing, and the pictures are not exaggerated at all. There are nutritionists at the hospital, but it doesn't always take a nutritionist to know that a patient needs protein, so Sonak gave us permission to do "Banana rounds." We can bring leftover food, bananas, etc. back from lunch and feed the patients in the afternoon. Will has a particular patient who is extremely wasted; he brought the patient bananas and water today, and when we checked on him later, he was eating and drinking. These experiences are helping us to think "outside the box," as something as simple as food may be much more important than medication. Health care professionals have a variety of roles beyond their specialties, and they are all important aspects of patient care.

Aside from medicine, we have also experienced some more Kenyan culture this week at Karaoke! We went with one of our Kenyan friends, Waf, to Karaoke on Tuesday night- what a blast! All of the karaoke songs were in English, and it was so funny to hear them in Kenyan accents. The styles ranged from Celine Dion to pop to rap. Will and I performed the theme song from Fresh Prince of Belaire- a classic!

Waf and Will at Spree for Karaoke night on Tuesday! This may become a weekly event...

When we participate in excursions and events like karaoke, one cannot forget about the transportation. Each time we ride in a taxi we are taking somewhat of a risk, and each ride makes for a good story. There are really now rules or laws for drivers or pedestrians. It's kind of like driving a boat where you all just look out for each other and are aware of your surroundings. We have had a couple of instances where our taxi broke down. For some reason, some of the cab drivers do not like to keep a full tank of gas, or even 1/4 tank of gas, so we think he ran out of gas. The driver always claims that there is some kind of mysterious problem with his car, though. Anyway, this afternoon we were driving home from a store, and the car broke down... again. Will had to get out and help the driver push it to a mechanic- Messai and I were a little nervous but just laughing in the back seat. Messai got a hilarious picture of Will- I guess he got his workout for the day!

Well, it's bed time for me. I am getting up early to run tomorrow, go to the hospital, and then we are going to Kario View for the afternoon. It is a park type area with a beautiful view of a valley, so we are excited for a little relaxation and sight seeing. Saturday we will be leaving for Kakamega Rain forest where we can see various species of plants, snakes, birds, insects, and go on a sunrise hike. We may also go on a medicinal hike to see what types of plants are used for medicinal purposes- Updates to come when I return.

Hope all is well at home. Love to all in the US!

P.S. I am still working on downloading more pictures and posting a link... I haven't forgotten :)