So this is Africa.

Well, this won't be poetic or probably even using proper grammar, but I will give a quick update of our events so far. The travelling here consisted of 3 airplanes, no misses flights, and only one engine repair (which apparently was a long 2 hours for everyone else, but I slept). We arrived in Nairobi Sunday night [which would have been Sunday afternoon or evening for you; we are 7 hours ahead of MI time]. We stayed two nights in Nairobi and relaxed, doing more touristy yet fun things around town. We saw baby elephants, warthogs, a couple rhinos (one Aliya named Jim), and fed giraffes. At the elephant place, I saw monkey's in a tree, that was purdy cool! We went out to lunch at a really nice outdoor restaurant that day, and our afternoon was spent at Kazuri Beads. This is somewhere that had been recommended for me to see, yet I did not think we would go, so I was very excited to see Kazuri. It is a ministry where single mothers are provided with work, and they make beaded jewelry and pottery. The whole process is very open to visitors, so we saw the clay to the molding, where they fire, paint, ect...
So anyway, around the city, it was not too different, because it was still a city BUT there were some fun sights, like men herding goats or cows along side the road, women carrying jugs of water on their head, random markets and kiosks, baboons along side the road, dangerous driving -basically just being in a foreign city :)
Ok, fast-forward to yesterday when we drove to Tenwek, which is about 3-4 hours outside of Nairobi. The nearest town to us is Bomet if you want to see kinda where I am. It was beautiful to see some of the countryside. We stopped at one point where we were able to take in the beauty of the Rift Valley. It was one of those roads along side the mountain with the valley below; we passed a huge semi-truck that on a curve had rolled and seriously could not have gotten ANY closer to rolling ALL the way down the side of the mountain into the valley. But reguardless, Rift Valley- gorgeous!- even though pictures don't look that amazing. After this, we continued driving, first in an area of great drought. This is very sad, because the people already struggle and now this. We passed one spot that was a place of government food handouts; giant white bags filled with rice. Our driver, Gerald, said that people would have walked for miles and miles to receive these handouts-so sad. But later in the drive, nearing Tenwek, things became much more green.
Ok, well let's see; now we are here! I must say that already the compound is not really anything like I had imagined it. It is much larger than I pictured and different in ways I cannot necessarily describe. Today I got a tour and saw my way around a little bit, but I still have a lot to learn about where things are and have lots I want to see! Late this morning I began working with a lady by the name of Lisa who runs all the visiting guest coordinating; she described to me all that her job entails and what she does everyday and WOW. So, I did different just following things today, helped with some filing, helped to sort through "application" type packets for future doctors-small tasks to help her be [hopefully] more efficient. Tomorrow I am going out with Community Health to fairly far away village and be gone all day. I may be organizing vaccines or holding screaming babies while they are given immunization, but I am excited to see what tomorrow brings. The next few days I will be doing a lot with community health and just see from there when they have need for more people; starting the 8th a group of student nurses will be around helping in that area. Other tasks I will be doing will be making rounds with chaplains (probably what I am most nervous about because being in the hospital and around all the medical is not my strong point at all, just getting the tour today was somewhat difficult) and I may be doing some just excel type number entry things for one of the permanent staff surgone. A lot of my schedule is just day to day though, which we will have to just figure out as time goes on :)
So yes, sorry for this not being thought out or profound in any way, but we are doing well. Evenings are the roughest for me with feeling the time difference. Anna and Michael are struggling with sleep deprevation, but for the most part everyone has been healthy and happy.
Hopefully I will be able to write on here again soon, but the internet is unpredictable...so hope to hear from you, feel free to comment and email.
Adios and God bless :)
Psalm 145!!!