Day 2 @ the Hospital

This morning we woke up early again and prepared to go to the hospital.  The vans came and we piled inside.  About five minutes outside the compound there was a huge traffic jam and our driver alerted us that the road was closed.  We took a roundabout way but the areas around the city were congested with people.  We prodded the driver with questions because there were a lot of police along the route we were taking to the hospital.  The driver said that there had been a riot this morning in the open air market and the police had shut everything down.  After sitting in slow moving traffic for about an hour we arrived at the hospital. 

My group of four made our way up to pediatrics to watch rounds take place.  The doctors were just starting rounds and we followed as they shared and translated for us.  A lot of the patients suffered from malaria or meningitis, some had better prognosis than others and were able to be discharged.  Although some of the cases were similar there were a couple interesting ones.  There was a baby who was born with a weight of 2.5 kilograms and has not gained any weight and is over a month and a week old.  The baby was one of the tiniest things I have ever seen and looked so vulnerable laying in such a large bed.  The doctors said the baby was malnourished, and had symptoms of either malaria or a chest infection.  The doctor explained that a lot of the time they don’t have the proper tests to differentiate between diagnoses so they end up treating the patients for both to see how they respond.  Another interesting case we saw today was a boy who had been in the hospital since august first and arrived comatose and unresponsive to anything.  The boy had severe malaria but has now been improving to the point where he has been audible and calling for his mom.  It’s sad hearing him moan “mama, mama” but deep down we know it is good he is talking because he is getting better. Although the African hospital experience sometimes can be hard it is amazing coming back to pediatrics again and seeing certain children improving and being moved to a less severe area.  One final case I found cool today was a baby had a rare skin disease called lamella echynosis. The baby looked like he was covered in burns and his skin was white and blotchy.  His eyelids almost looked like they had been flipped inside out because they were pink and swollen.  The doctor explained that with proper treatment the baby has great prognosis but a lot of the times the parents aren’t attentive enough with treatment so often they don’t get better. I wanted to take a picture but I had to respect the patient’s privacy so I’ll try to find a photo online. 

Being in pediatrics today really hit home for me; I kept thinking of Victoria because she is about the age many of the children are here in the ward.  A lot of the kids are smiley and stare at us while we walk around the hospital.  I wave or smile at them and a lot of them hide behind their mothers. 

                                                                  Another view of the hospital

After we finished rounds in Pediatrics there wasn’t much else to do so we went elsewhere in the hospital.  First we stopped in Major Theatre to see if there were any surgeries but there were not enough boots for all four of us to scrub in.  We walked over to maternity and met up with some other students from our group.  They showed us around the ward and the women that were currently in labor.  There were three women in their rooms and they were moaning with pain because there isn’t any pain medication or epidurals.  The rooms were divided with curtains and not very private and only had a bed inside.  Most of the time the women would be sent up to C-section because they have been in labor for so long.  Before we got to maternity there had been two births so we checked in on the babies.  They were adorable but basically just sitting in their own room with no monitors or anything.  It was about time for us to be picked up for lunch but we were going to stop in minor theatre before we left.  There were a lot of us there and Mia was changing a dressing so we watched how to do that.  After the dressing we decided we were going to come back at 9 tonight so we could get some more practice. 

                                                           the small rooms in maternity

We left the hospital and our van was there to pick us up.  About halfway there our van broke down on the side of the road.  Our driver called for the other van and everything worked out fine but everyone stared at us standing on the side of our road in scrubs.  We finally got home, changed, and headed for lunch at a café called café mocha which is a vegetarian/Lebanese restaurant/coffeeshop. I ordered a pesto sandwich and it was delicious! It had tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and pesto on a baguette. After eating we walked back to the compound to sneak in a nap before it was time to get ready to go back to the hospital.  It's raining here now pretty hard. Missing everyone, and I’ll update again later if anything cool happens tonight.

                                                our broken van on the side of the road

First Day in the Hospital

Today we woke up early because it was our first day at the hospital.  Everyone met in the main room dressed in our scrubs before 8 am.  Our vans picked us up and transported us to the hospital.  Traffic wasn’t as bad today but people were all over the roads setting up their street table for vending or pushing huge crates on wheels full of fruit or furniture. One thing about the people here that I find funny is when they are walking or pushing carts are never in a hurry to get anywhere but when they are in their cars it is a huge rush and you have to be passing others or honking your horn. When we got to the hospital it was bustling with people, but the first thing we had to do was pay our hospital fee.  Once we gave them our money and processed our information we were taken into the wards.  My group consisted of three other girls from my school and we were sent to pediatrics.  Although I was nervous I was excited to observe. 

Some of our group before we split up into sections of the hospital

The first day here was a little disappointing to be honest.  There are few doctors in each area and most of the people there are interns or medical students.  We met one of the doctors first and followed him around but rounds were started at 8 am and after the morning orientation we didn’t actually get up to the pediatric ward until 11 am. Most of the kids in the ward are treated for malaria, pneumonia, malnutrition, or meningitis. I found it really sad to be up there. Most of the kids just laid in their beds very lethargically.  Others whimpered in pain or slept while their mothers watched over them. We were shuffled from doctor to intern to intern but felt a little useless.  Periodically we would see them admit a new child or give them medicine but it was very slow moving.  The beds look very uncomfortable in each area but it’s all they have there.  They don’t have all of the tools that we do in America so they use something as simple as the finger to a rubber glove as a tourniquet.  One of the most heart wrenching things to watch for me was when an intern drew blood from a 7 month old baby boy.  He drew blood from the top of the hand but couldn’t find the vein.  The baby was wailing and convulsing from the pain as the intern dug the needle around in his hand till he got blood. Once he did take enough blood he took the needle out and just left the baby bleeding. The traditional doctors seem to have no patient compassion which is a huge difference here versus the United States. I know that the hospital here is better than no hospital but it is something I have to remind myself often when I am witnessing something unfamiliar to me.

                                                       the beds the children lay on in pediatrics

Soon it was 1pm and it was time for lunch.  We took the tuk-tuk to a local restaurant where all of us were meeting called caribou.  I had a cheeseburger and fries! I was so happy to eat something familiar.  After lunch I ran with some of the girls to the market and picked up some necessities like hand sanitizer and Kleenexes.  If I would have known how it would be here and at the hospital I would have packed a lot differently.  They don’t have the necessities, not even an AED.  One of the people staying on our compound is a medical student from the UK. He has started a fund online to raise money so that we could purchase at least one AED for the hospital. I had to go to the bathroom all day but held it because the bathrooms are awful at the hospitals.  There is no toilet paper and no toilet for that matter, just a hole in the ground.  The smell is gut-wrenching and even just walking past it makes me nauseous, I couldn’t imagine going inside it.  I’m going to appreciate my brand new toilet when I get home much more.

After lunch we took the tuk-tuk back to the compound.  Mia, the girl in my room has been here for three weeks and she is going back tonight around 6 to work a night-shift.  I’m going back with her so that I can do some of the hands on experience stuff in the minor theatre.

                                                  Tuk-tuks waiting outside the hospital for people

I’m back from the hospital again and I’m so glad I went with Mia and Joel, two others that have been here for a long time.  They gave me a little more faith in the whole African hospital system by helping us and giving advice.  Mia is so open and a great teacher so I’m glad she was around to integrate me into the hospital.  We first went to minor theatre which during the day is busy with catheder changes, dressing wounds, undressing wounds, stitches, and smaller accidents.  It was cool to see but the only problem was it wasn’t bursting with people at all tonight.  Even though I was a little disappointed Mia and Joel took us around the rooms and showed us where everything was located so we wouldn’t be overwhelmed when we came back.  We waited for about an hour but still no one had shown up. The two assured us that every day is different and that a lot of times they would have people come in who have been victims of “Mob Justice” which means they were either caught stealing or suspected of a crime which means these people needed a lot of attention.

Because we had been sitting there for a while some of us wandered over to the Casualty wing which is similar to an ER.   This area was bursting with people but a lot of students find it hard to handle because of the difference the doctors treat patients here.  I walked around a bit and saw a guy with a collapsed lung, others badly beaten, and this man with a huge cut down his sternum to his bellybutton.  I didn’t stay in for long because it was very crowded and there isn’t much I can do.  We went back to the minor theatre and Joel and Mia said we could learn how to insert an IV in them.  It reminded me exactly of Grey’s Anatomy as we were huddled around a table with floodlights taking turns inserting IV’s into their hands and arms.  They were such great sports and helpful in instructing how to do it.  After everyone had taken a turn we waited a little while to see if anyone had shown up but it was still empty.  We checked in casualties again but decided it was time to go because it was getting late.  We took the tuk-tuk back to the compound! I feel like I’ve ridden in so many tuk-tuks just today that a regular car just won’t be the same. Haha! All for now!

Second Day in Africa

Day two in Mombasa was a lot like the first.  We had quite a bit of freedom as our program doesn’t officially start until Monday.  We woke up around 8 because one of the doctors was supposed to come talk to us about procedures and what we could do in the hospital, but our program coordinator came in to tell us that he was stuck at the hospital so we would do orientation at night.  Most of us were still tired from the night before so we went back to bed.  When I woke up I instantly could feel a migraine coming on so I took some Excedrin.  About 30 minutes later I started feeling sick because I hadn’t eaten much before that.  I tried to take a nap, but my head was pounding.  Some of the group wanted to go to the beach and as I much I wanted to, I knew I wouldn’t be able to sit out in the sun.  While they were gone I took some more medicine after eating a little then read a little bit and figured out how to hook up my internet.  The rest of the afternoon was spent hanging out in the main room and chatting with other students.  We had four new people come to the house today from Poland and Georgia. 

By 5 dinner was ready and we were all very hungry.  I felt a lot better so I was eager to get some food in my body.  Dinner was a traditional Kenyan meal but I don’t remember the name.  It was like a homemade tortilla with white rice and this stew.  I was surprised I liked it, but it was very good.  After dinner it was time to head to the hospital for orientation.  We had to take three cars to get everyone there and driving always makes me very nervous.  There are no road signs or traffic lights here and everyone just uses their horns to signal what they are doing.  People dip and weave into traffic and tailgating is very common. I thought we were going to crash about three times because of the traffic congestion. 

Once we got to Costal Province General Hospital my stomach dropped.  I didn’t know if I would be able to handle working there every day.  Because it was nighttime the hospital wasn’t very busy but the first thing we saw was a man coming out on a stretcher, a cast on his arm, a huge bandage across his face, but his clothes were covered in blood.  As the people pushed him to the exit blood dripped behind him.  They tried to get him into the car but it took four people and it looked like he was in a lot of pain.  It seemed weird to me that he was still bleeding but he was leaving the hospital. Next, we got a tour of the hospital and saw where everything was located.  The hospital is open air with no air conditioning.  The windows are always open which allow mosquitoes, flies, and even stray cats within the hospital area. The areas we can shadow and even help in are Maternity, Minor Theatre which is like an emergency room, Major Theatre where all the big surgeries are, pediatrics, and internal medicine.  Because we have about 16 in our group we would divide into four groups and rotate throughout the areas.  Although I was nervous about working in the hospital I was eager to go back Monday and try this new experience.  We left the hospital after our short tour and made our way home.  I showered then went to bed once I got home because I knew I would need to be up early. 

Jambo from Africa

It feels like I haven’t updated in such a long time because the flight to Africa was very lengthy!  I can officially say I am here, safe and sound! After leaving Germany at 7:00 am I was very happy to finally arrive in Mombasa at 2:00 am the next morning.  We had stops in Ethiopia and we even stopped in Sudan briefly to refuel. I can officially tell Deb and Victoria that I have been to Sudan! I was very happy to arrive because this leg of the flight really took a toll on my sprained ankle.  It was very painful and swollen because of all the sitting. Once we got off the plane it took a while to fill out our customs application, find our bags, and go through the final security check.  One difference we found right away was the moisture in the air.  Everything felt wet as walked through the airport, almost as if there were mist spraying us. We went outside and our program coordinator had a sign that said “South Dakota State University. Go Jacks!.”  We filled into the car, zombie-like ready to get to our compound.  Most of us went around to the right side of the car, where in America is the passenger side.  To our surprise everything was opposite and we drove on the opposite side of the road. 
As we were driving away from the airport towards our house I nervously wondered what I had gotten myself into.  People were still crowding the streets and it was almost 3 am.  Some of the buildings we passed looked so rundown and intimidating, especially in the darkness.  We soon arrived into the compound where we were divided into rooms.  I am in a room with two girls from my school; one who had went with me to Germany.  The other girl was from Texas and she has already been here for three weeks.  It’s nice having her in our room because she can give us the inside scoop on life here in Mombasa. Although we were tired everyone wanted to listen to what the other six people living here had to say about the program.  The way they made it sound was that they got to do a lot of procedural stuff and have seen incredible things.  I can’t wait to get into the hospital on Monday. After staying up for another hour we finally went to bed.  We crawled under our mosquito net beds and feel asleep right away.

                                  the main room of our house

The next morning we woke up later, showered, and got ready for orientation.  As I stepped out of our cabin two chickens and three chicks crossed my path.  They live on the compound and supply us with fresh eggs.  There are also two dogs here and various monkeys running around.  We soon started orientation in the main room and the run down on Swahili words, how to get internet and phone, and finally how to get to the beach.  We walked with our program coordinator into town, it felt like we walked forever, but we first exchanged money into the Kenyan Schillings.  Then we made our way to the market to get phone minutes and data as well as other things we may have forgotten.  Finally we made our way back to our compound.  There were so many people out and about on the streets and hanging their head out the windows.  A group of 15 white foreigners is pretty conspicuous. The funny thing was that people would honk or openly shout at us “mgeni” which means foreigner or white people.  Although I was wary the night before I actually felt really safe with our program coordinator and such a large group of people.   Everything is so different here, and I thought Germany was different.  Before we could enter the market we were patted down and scanned with a metal detector by the police.

                                             the chickens in our compound

                                                      A monkey on the fence

Once we left the market we were shown the beach.  Again we walked a long time and were greeted with locals trying to sell you something.  They were very persistent and worked hard to get foreigners to buy their products. When we finally made it to the beach it was breathtaking! The sand was so pure white and the ocean was very blue.  It was a hot day but the ocean breeze made everything bearable.  We walked down the beach for a while as all the African children in the ocean waved at us.  We sat around a table with the other six students here on the beach for a while until the sun began to set.  The other students here are from Canada, Texas, Massachusetts, nice and the United Kingdom.  They are all really and insightful and shared some helpful tips. We walked back to the compound famished where our cook had made us dinner.

                                          the camels on the beach that you can ride

Dinner was a rice dish with potatoes and beef, as well as this triangle-type bread.  The bread is so delicious and I could eat it plain. I didn’t know how much I would like the food but it was delicious.  Once we finished eating the six who were here before us wanted us to come to a local café with them.  The café had wifi and drinks at night.  We loaded up two “tuk-tuks” which are like little motorized carts and two vans and made our way to the café.  We sat around the table and talked and had some drinks and ordered tapas which are appetizers.  Once it was later no one wanted to go home yet so we walked a block to an outdoor bar called Bob’s. We had a fun night of dancing but most of us were really jet-lagged still and decided it was time to go.  Once back at the compound everyone was pretty wound up so we quickly changed into our swimsuits and went for a dip in the pool on our compound. The weather was so hot so it felt good to cool off before bedtime.  I decided it was time for bed and I feel asleep instantly as my head hit the pillow.

The Last Supper in Germany

I thought I’d better update one more time because we just finished with our authentic German meal. One thing I forgot to mention that I found funny today was that during the tour on the bus, the guide talked about how Germany is surrounded by 9 different countries and that’s a lot.  He compared other countries and mentioned that the United States was “only surrounded by 3: Canada, Mexico, and TEXAS.”  He was completely serious! I obviously don’t know my United States geography that well. The cultural barrier is so different here and we have had many problems with communication.

Waiters and bartenders don’t always recognize the word “water” right away so we find ourselves always repeating it.  Then we were introduced with the problem of having to choose between sparkling water and still water.  Most of us found out that we are not a fan of the sparkling water, it just tastes too carbonated.  Another difference we found was in what we believed to be traditional German food.  One of the girls on the trip is from German decent and said that she gets really good Kuchen at home.  (Kuchen is like a sweet pie filled with custard and fruit, and is also the official dessert of South Dakota)  She was determined to try to Kuchen before we left Germany and we finally found a place that had a special- Kuchen and Koffee for 1,99 euros.  She went up to the counter and said I’d like some “Ku-gen” and they lady had no idea what she was talking about.  She kept repeating herself and pointing to the sign that said the special and goes “ohhh you mean “kug-han.”  It sounded exactly like what we had been saying.  It turns out the Kuchen here was just chocolate cake….nothing like what we expected but still delicious.

We headed over to Mario’s bar to get our authentic meal.  Mario is a very nice bar owner and is actually from Bulgaria but is working here in Frankfurt because his daughter is very sick. Whenever we walk in the door we all yell “Mario” and wave our hands around and all the locals think it’s hilarious. He promised he would make us something good.  The meal was huuuge.  We had a salad first which was just chopped tomatoes and cucumbers covered in cheese.  As he served it to us he said “you will not get salad like this again anywhere” because it was his specialty.  The cheese was white, and so soft that it melted in your mouth.  Delicious, actually it was probably the best cheese I’ve ever had. (sorry Uncle Joe…Valley Queen’s is awesome but not quite comparable J)  We told him the cheese was great and he just smiled and said “I know.”  Next he prepared us schnitzel and french fries.  Schnitzel is like pork and can be made many ways but ours was breaded.  We dipped it in mayonnaise, something very popular over here.  Lastly, he made us a Bratwurst.  It came on a plate with mustard and was very white compared to the ones we eat in the United States.  The outside coating was hard to get through but the inside meat was delicious, almost seasoned with pepper-like spices.  By the end we were stuffed. Of course we had beer and Mario even bought us a shot before we ate. 

                                                 the salad we were served first

When we asked Mario for the bill he kept repeating “oh no, it’s my gift, it’s for free” and we knew we were going to leave money no matter what.  Once we finished our drinks and were ready to leave one of us went up to the counter again saying we would pay, he waived us off and said no again.  We all pooled our money together and though ten euros or so would suffice for the meal.  We had about 120,00 euros all together which is quite a bit. Mario then walks over with the bill deciding maybe we can pay for our meals.  We look down at the bill expecting it to be pretty reasonable because Mario has been treating us well on our trip.  Those closest to the bill including me have wide eyes and open mouths.  The total was 218,80 euros! Whoops! We sat there for at least ten minutes scraping euros together in our purses, wallets, and pockets as Mario sat behind us amused.  After scrounging through all of our stuff we only had about 190,00 euros.  Embarrassed some of us walked a block down and grabbed some more cash.  Many places don’t take credit cards, and keep in mind it was the last night there and we didn’t want to have a lot of extra European currency.  In the end we all paid our portion and were satisfied with the meal.  It was probably one of the most expensive things I paid for in Germany, but it was definitely a funny experience and it was great to try local German cuisine. 

the boys in deep concentration while counting our money meanwhile Mario overseeing in the back (striped shirt)

Finally, we went out for one last German beer before it was time to head back to the hotel to repack our suitcases.  I tried something new tonight and had a “Schoffer-Hofer Grapefruit Beir.”  It was really delicious and had a tangy citrus flavor.  Well, that’s all for now…I’d better pack my suitcase!

My Last Day in Germany

Today was a pretty mellow day.  Half of our group got up early and caught a tour of Frankfurt on a double-decker open topped bus.  We saw the areas around the main train station where we hadn’t walked to because it was too far away. The main train station in Frankfurt is huuuuge.  There are over 1000 trains per day leaving from the station and it is filled with restaurants, shops, trains of course, and pigeons.  I’m not a fan of the birds everywhere inside the station; they get so close to people and fly right at your head.


The Main Train Staion in Frankfurt

After we were done with the short tour we got off the bus and explored some of the local shopping areas.  I got some great souvenirs for friends and family. I got my brother a few things so hopefully he likes them. J  For lunch we ate Burger King because we were so hungry and it was the first thing we saw.  Although Burger King is familiar to us the food was very different.  I had a chicken sandwich and fries, and even the ketchup had a strange taste.  Another big difference in food is the soft drinks.  They don’t know what pop or soda is, they mostly just have coke or coke light.  None of the drinks here are served with ice and almost everything is in a bottle.  I also tried a German Fanta pop today and it wasn’t the same as in the United States.  It tasted more like Sunny D than a carbonated beverage. 

Some of the buildings around Frankfurt

After we were done shopping we hopped back on the bus and made our way back to the central train station which is about a block from our hotel.  The buildings here are so beautiful and so much different from the United States.  The tour guide on the bus said that about 85% of the population of Frankfurt lives in apartments and there are barely any houses.  Even though they do live in apartments the outsides are older styled and detailed.  Today wasn’t as fast paced as yesterday’s tour but it was nice seeing the city, especially areas we hadn’t seen yet. 

                                                          us girls on the double-decker bus

Tonight we are going out for our last Frankfurt dinner and a local bar owner, Mario, is making us some traditional German food.  They eat a lot of sausage here so he is preparing us a dish with that.  Tomorrow is an early morning as we have to catch our flight to Africa. I don’t know if I’ll be able to update the blog tomorrow because the Airports don’t have free wifi anymore. Also my computer has been going crazy lately and sometimes won’t turn on and makes me restart it.   I hope everyone is doing well in the United States—Miss You Lots!

The Rhine River Tour

Good Afternoon (or morning to most of you in the US)! Today has been a long day of sightseeing and exploring smaller cities around Germany. The night before, we explored some of the local pubs and I had my first official German beer. In the morning we all woke up and arrived at the location of our tour hosts. Our tour guide was a very funny German Man, he would make jokes and laugh like he was reading from a script, but he was very insightful and offered a lot of information.  From there we took a bus to the Rhine River area, more specifically a city about an hour away called Assmannshausen which we pronounced as “Ass-Mans-Housen.” You can clearly see we have been picking up on German pronunciations. Ha! Anyways, the Bus took us up to the top of a hill where we took a swing-rail ride overlooking the city down to the restaurant for lunch. The view was absolutely breathtaking.  You could see the rows of grapes as nearly all of the hills and countryside was covered with this crop.  It was warm today, and the fifteen minute swing-ride was very relaxing. 

First German Beer in a local pub.

view from the Sky-Swing over the vineyards 

Once our group had made it down to the bottom of the hill we went inside for our lunch.  The meal was pretty basic- chicken, french fries, and “salad” which resembled a coleslaw…not really a salad.  One thing I have come to appreciate more in the United States is the way water is usually free. In my opinion, Germany should take up Wall Drug’s advertising and offer some free water.  It’s frustrating to have to pay 2-3 euros which is 3-4 dollars just for a small bottle of water. 

After dinner it was finally time for our river tour.  The tour went down the Rhine River and lasted about two hours.  The tour highlighted buildings, castles, and history of the cities we passed through.  Most of the castles had been turned into hotels and were absolutely stunning.  The boat we were on was open on top but it was too hot to sit out there for the full two hours so we moved around on the boat, taking pictures.  I ended up chatting with a woman from Arizona who had a sister who just moved to South Dakota. Small world!

After the boat ride we went back to the restaurant for wine tasting.  All of the wine was locally grown and produced.  We tried red wine, dry white wine, a white dessert wine, and something called ice wine.  The wine tasting portion reminded me of my mom and family as she appreciates wine a little more than me.  The white dessert wine and ice wine were absolutely delicious and I didn’t even know that I liked white wine.  During the tasting they described how each was made and the ice wine is the highest class wine you can get in the area.  The reason it is called ice wine is because they harvest the grapes only one day out of the season when the weather is -8 degrees Celsius.  He explained they only have one day to get the right kind of grapes because they have to be frozen and hard as a stone.  It was really fascinating listening to the history and how they made the wine.  We had the opportunity of buying what we tasted and I really wanted to bring back a bottle of the ice wine because it is so different but it was too expensive and since we are going to Africa after this I didn’t want to risk breaking the bottle.

After the wine tasting we had the chance to explore some of the town but then we had to make the hour ride home.  I was exhausted and feel asleep on the way home.  Once back in Frankfurt we went to an Italian restaurant and ate dinner.  I wish I could reproduce the incredible things I saw today but all I have are pictures that barely do the landscape justice. Missing you all- tomorrow is my last day in Germany and then it’s off to Africa!