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| Dr. Sedera's truck with 8 of us. Some covered by Ben (: |
Jambo! The last few days have been full of the dichotomy between the rich and poor here in Kenya. There really is no middle class. Our home is in a nicer area close to the embassy's and the UN headquarters. However, 15 minutes aways is a slum where the poorest of Nairobi live and you travel in the other direction farther from the city and the slums get bigger and the population grows more dense. The sights and smells are overwhelming. And to think that this is reality for billions of people all over the world.
Driving here is crazy. We learned yesterday that 5 million people sleep in Nairobi, but 8 million work here. So every day and night 3 million people commute in and out of this city on foot, by bike, matatu, or motorcycle. That is three of the entire population of Seattle driving in and out every day. And we thought our traffic was bad. Think again. We piled 8 people into a 5 seater truck in the jam yesterday as the rain flash flooded the roads (pictured to the side). When it rains here it rains like crazy! It only took 15 minutes of rain for the roads to flood. Yesterday we met with the Dr. overseeing our time as nurses here in Nairobi. Originally we were expecting to work at Nairobi General hospital, which is a private hospital, but as Africa works plans changed and we are working at Kenyatta Hospital. Kenyatta is a public hospital and functions as the Harborview of Kenya. As a public hospital the conditions are far worse and less sanitary. The hospital has approximately 1,500 beds, which is huge! For perspective, Seattle Children's only has around 300. There was a sea of people there yesterday as we got to see some of the grounds and met with the hospital administrator. There were constant Matatu ambulances into their ED and people lining every hallway waiting for outpatient services. There are simply not enough doctors, nurses, or beds there. People hooked up to IV's were lying on blankets on the floor. You almost feel helpless and don't know where to start. We'll be spending Monday-Wednesday working there on the Pediatric, OB, ED, Cardiac, ICU, CCC(HIV/AIDS), and Surgical wards. We have orientation today and will start full shifts tomorrow. The need is so immense and it blows me away because I know that Kenya (Nairobi) gets a lot of NGO, governmental, and missionary assistance and developmental help. So many African countries are far worse off medically then Kenya. Africa needs nurses. The world needs nurses. I am one, so what am I going to do about it? What will you do about it? We have seen the needs, now we are held responsible. Pretty heavy stuff.
One thing I really appreciate about the people here and Africa as a whole is the concept of African time. I am a go go person, I keep a tight schedule in school and often find myself rushing to the next thing each day. However, here they do things very differently. Kenyan's find the person that they are with as far more important then the person or event waiting for them next. They never rush, they are fully engaged, and they are very good at being. Simply being present with the people they are with and letting time take care of itself. We've had to deal with that a lot the past few days as we have met with hospital staff, doctors, and waited our wonderful driver Mesh. But it's okay. I am learning from their culture to be still, to be far more present, and far less concerned with my agenda and far more invested in the people I am with in the moment. Us American's could learn a lot from them. I am also learning Swahili from Mesh as we drive around and picked up some Maasi yesterday. Nani itwa Allyson. Habari Gani my friends? Misru Sana. Asatesana for praying for my team! Aminya bwana! My team is saying koja teen dee to me, so kwaheri for now! Much love ~Ally
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