Are there any other foreigners working with you?
Yes, there are 4 other mzungus working at the hospital. There are 3 that are here for a relatively short period of time, and one who has been here for 13 years. They are:
-Alexander, a Norwegian Urologist (but more of a general surgeon here) on a 6 week trip
-Margarite, a Swedish Dentist, on a 6 week trip with the Swedish Rotary
Meg, Alexander and Margarite
-Maria, an American Colo-Rectal Surgeon (also more of a general surgeon here) who has been here for 4 months. She initially came for 6 weeks but decided to stay.
and
-Anita, an Irishwomen who runs the hospital's Comprehensive Care Clinic, which treats and councils long term patients of HIV, TB and other infectious diseases. She has been here for 13 years and is the de facto fundraiser for the hospital.
Anita taking a photo of a snake that was killed today by a patient
What is the most unexpected thing for the each of you?
-Northe- I think the weather, it's much cooler than I expected, probably due to the elevation. It was a pleasant surprise, as I was expecting it to be very hot and muggy. It's still muggy after it rains, but the nights are bearable for sleeping and there is often a cooling breeze.
-Meg- I've found the acuity and variety of the patients to be the most surprising. We see everything from snake bites to malaria to broken arms.
-Laura- I think it's the terrain. I wish I had brought my rock climbing shoes. There are some cool looking rocky crags that would be fun to climb. It's very pretty, I was expecting it to be very flat and not so green.
Laura walking around a small dam with rocks in the background
Any more details on our hikes/runs into the hills and did you see anything other than ants?
-As Laura mentioned, the topography is much different than we anticipated. It makes for some nice views. We've even caught a glimpse of Kilimanjaro a few times on a clear morning or evening far off in the distance to the southwest. The closest comparison to a place in the US that we've heard is that it's very similar to Sedona, AZ in the spring when everything is green. Makes sense given the elevation and relatively arid climate.
-One of the things that distinguishes the area surrounding Mutomo from rural areas in the USA is that there are people living and working across the countryside. There isn't really any place that is truly 'wild' where you would expect to see wildlife. We have seen plenty of crazy bugs, lots of goats, donkeys, chickens, dogs, cats, and a fair number of birds. The dogs and cats aren't kept as pets though. When we told some people that Americans keep cats and dogs in their house, they were shocked.
Some goats, with the hills above the town in the background
Where is the washer machine?
-The washing machine is our hands, a bucket and a bar of soap. Our dryer is the sunshine. Though, that is a work in progress, as sometimes the "dryer" doesn't cooperate and our clothes get rewashed on the line.
What is growing in all the fields?
Maize, pumpkins, tomatoes and greens among other things. There are also vast swathes of morning glory, the white flowers you can see on the ground.
Morning glory
How far to the nearest city? What is the population?
Mutomo is capital of Mutomo district. There are approximately 17,000 people living in the city, and about 100,000 living in the district. But, it doesn't feel anywhere near that big, as all the structures are one story and you can walk through town in 10 minutes. The nearest 'city' is Kitui, which is the capital of Kitui County, which includes Mutomo District. Kitui is 70 km away, but the drive can take up to 2 hours because of poor roads. The tarmac (pavement) ends just outside of Kitui, and it's a rough ride to Mutomo.
A streetscape of Mutomo Town
The 28th floor of JPM would like to know what kind of snake is in the picture with Anita. We have also requested more pictures of the house? How many rooms are there? Do showers always require a pitcher of water?
ReplyDeleteGreat questions! We don't know what kind of snake it was. We know it wasn't a Green Mamba or a Puff Adder. It's either a Cobra or a Black Mamba. My guess is that it's a Cobra. We'll take some more pictures of the house tomorrow. There is a living room, kitchen, bathroom and two bedrooms. And yes, showers are with bowls full of water.
DeleteWe have confirmation that it's a Black Mamba. Thanks Emily & Ben!
DeleteSophie says, "Then how does the potty work? I've been learning about bugs, spiders, and butterflies at the NAT. What kinds of bugs do you have besides ants?"
ReplyDeleteWe have to fill the tank at the back of the toilet each time we want to flush, so we use the age old rule "If it's yellow, let it mellow, if it's brown, flush it down."
DeleteThere are lots of bugs, giant moths, beetles, mosquitos, flies, and lots of others. We'll try to take more pictures.
A few questions from Logan Square: 1). Do you mind if GNW starts using the phrase sukuma wiki at Telefund? 2). What's the status on coffee consumption? 3). Evelyn wants to know what's an Africa and why is Northe there?
ReplyDelete1) Yes, push the week as much as you need too!
Delete2) Coffee has been a bit difficult, as we don't have an easy way to make it. We do go for tea every day at approximately 10:30. The Kenyan tea is premixed with milk and everyone adds lots of sugar.
3) I'm going to let you field that one.