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So I lied...I'm actually not in Meru but rather Nkubu, which is even smaller. I did find internet access though. Only one place in town and it's double the rate in Nairobi, so I still probably won't be on as much. The electricity already has gone off once in the middle of writing this, so I better be quick. The family is great, much different than living with Mary. It has been interesting meeting people who know barely anything about the place you come. The people here barely ever see mzungus so I feel like quite the celebrity (or freak show) when I walk down the street. Right now I have a crowd of kids staring at me from the door just waiting for me to say hi to them. People are pretty with it in Nairobi but here....not so much. I enjoy answering questions like: do you celebrate Easter in the U.S.?, is it on the same day?, you DON'T eat ugali in America?, etc. They got a pretty big kick out of my clothes washing skills as well and the fact that I used a machine to wash them at home. My house is surrounded by banana and papaya trees, so I am definitely getting my fill of fruits (matunda). The dad, John, also grows tea and coffee...both major cash crops up here in the mountains! :) It rains almost every night now that this is the beginning of the short rains season. Last Sunday, Easter, we went to the "big" city of Meru (about a 20 minute matatu ride away) and got caught in the rain on the way home. We took a taxi as far as we could but had to get out because the taxi couldn't go any further because of the muddy road so we trudged home in the rain and dark by the light of a cell phone. John said it was a bad experience but I found it to be quite amusing. There idea of cold is much different from mine, so I didn't think it was so bad. Nkubu is 3 and a half hours from Nairobi, which I actually miss more than I thought I would. The area here is beautiful but I don't think I realized what a safety net I had traveling and having class with 26 other American students every day. Some people don't even speak Kiswahili here, only their mother tongue-Kimeru. My Kiswahili is coming through when necessary, but I am very thankful to have a host family that speaks english quite well.
The internship is going well. I am working at Consolata Mission Hospital-Nkubu. I am still getting used to it all and have been observing in a few different wards but mostly pediatric (or paediatric as the kenyans would write) I have also spent a day in the maternity ward where I watched a C-section, maternal/child health where measurements and vaccinations of infants is done, and outpatient. It has been a very enlightening experience already and couldn't be more different from the healthcare we are used to in the U.S. I will blog more about this later, but I think I better send this before the electricity goes off again. Kwaheri!!
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