Safari and Tea

That a crop duster in the sky

Wednesday, Jan 22: Safari Day 1

What an experience a safari is—warm, eucalyptus washcloths for our hands, mango juice, and the friendly Jambos from the African staff made for a warm welcome. Met a spine orthopedic surgeon from Alaska who offed me an Alaskan rotation. (stay tuned…) 

Cattle we passed during our car ride to the Masai Mara

A construction site

Rafiki with her baby

Our ridiculously amazing accommodations 

Hippos who lived in the river outside our tent
Hippos are super loud animals and will keep you up at night

Caribou are my favorite animals of the antelope variety 

A giraffe family

Thursday, Jan 23: Safari Day 2. Saw elephants and lions today! And a cheetah eating a recent caribou kill. The staff here know us by name and bring coffee/tea to our tent in the morning for a very friendly wake up call.

Cheetah brothers!

An early safari with the traditional Masai blanket

Sunrise

 

         

Enjoying some Stoney's with the elephants

An example of traditional Masai get up

White Rhinos

The orphanage mama--someone I'd want to be friends with if I lived in Kenya


 

Friday, Jan 24: Left the safari resort and went back to join a meeting at a nearby orphanage/missionary school for Bible quizzing. So impressed by the ability of kids to memorize scripture. Met an awesome teacher/orphanage mama named Selina. She taught me Kipsigis for the hospital.

Such a blessing to see healthy kids!! 

 Saturday, Jan 25: Morning sunrise hike to Motigo—so beautiful! Then to Findlay’s Tea Factory in Kericho. An incredible inside look into the details that go into making tea. 6,000 acres of tea plants! It makes for a breathtaking view.

Motigo hike for a sunrise with the crew pictured below! 

           

SO MUCH TEA!!

Taste testing. Our tour guide told us he drinks about 20 cups of tea daily. Kenyans take chai very seriously. 

               

                     

Kenya #2

This is late. But worth documenting.

So, continuing on with my daily highlights.

Monday, Jan 13: Gonna be sad to let "my" baby Mark go home. His mama is awesome--Mark is a super cute preemie. Also, HIV meds overwhelm me. I love the peds team--so fun!! Rita and Sinkeet are fast new friends and role models. Mondays here are nuts, the chaos is teaching me patience.

Tuesday, Jan 14: On call with Sinkeet--admitted two critically ill teens with HIV. Watching and feeling their thin bodies moving so slowly and their sunken eyes blink back at mine was heartbreaking. I also saw a little boy vomit a giant worm. You know it's big when the Kenyans are taking pictures, my phone died as I pulled mine out to snap one. I'm sorry you can't see it...

Wednesday, Jan 15:  Emotional morning devotions today--Dr. Kelley shared his story about losing his baby girl to a brain tumor about 6 weeks after arriving in Kenya; I cried like a baby. Went to a local grocery store to get more shampoo--they have about 100 types of lotion and (no exaggeration) ONE kind of shampoo. Walked by tons of locals and got plenty of stares. Feeling more like a minority than a celebrity. Makes me have sympathy for minorities in way I never have before--even being treated nicely, you still don't truly feel like you belong.




Thursday, Jan 16: The two HIV patients are making slow progress. I'm uncertain of their true prognosis taking into consideration my naive hope that AIDS can somehow be halted in its tracks. Had a great conversation while writing notes in the nursery with Sinkeet about the Bible, how we wish we'd read it more, and how there are books we know nothing about. I treasure these conversations that are so common at work here. So cool. It makes life so meaningful.





Friday, Jan 17: Love listening to "Children of God" by Third Day in the NICU. Resting in the truth that I am God's Beloved. Feeling very much like a helpless premature babe in one of the incubators.






Saturday, Jan 18: Coded a baby in the nursery--interesting learning experience. Learning that even with a lot of knowledge and medicine, life is not in our control. Dr. Katie Jacobson, another new fast friend and med/peds resident from UNC, has been great to have around. I so appreciate her teaching pearls, conversations, and simply watching her work teaches me a little of who I hope to be someday.






Sunday, Jan 19: Met a critical care pediatrician and NP, Dr. Minnette Son and Lisa, from SAN ANTONIO who arrived today to work at Tenwek. They're at UT and work with SAMMC peds residents. Had lunch at he Manchester's learning how true "We Treat, Jesus Heals" really is in a setting where lacking resources allow for a relinquishing of our control into the hands of God. The baby we coded yesterday didn't make it. I held the baby afterwords. The physical and emotional weight of a baby who's life is now in the hands of God is something that made my heart break.

Monday, Jan 20: I LOVE the Kenyan interns! They are so great and make me smile so much while at work. Had tea and sausage after work with Rita and Sinkeet--they make me feel so welcome here. NICU was crazy today--stressed me out.

Tuesday, Jan 21: Helped an intern with her powerpoint presentation as she's never used a computer until 6 weeks ago. She asked me to type as she dictated.

Kenya Cliffnotes

Pictures first!

Tea Fields!!

Mountains!

The white/red buildings in the top/central portion of the trees is Tenwek from a distance!

JAMBO from Kenya! Feeling blessed by the Kenyan hospitality/vibrancy of life, being reminded that God is faithful, and inspired to be in a place that makes me wanna be a missionary doctor!

A really awesome, brilliant, and new (feels old) friend of mine, named Cat, gave me a diary of sorts. It's a 5 year diary where you write a line a day for 5 years. And the line for the day in each of the 5 years is on the same page. Confused? Well, just understand it's awesome. And also going to be the basis for how I share about my trip in Kenya. I meant to update this 7 days at a time, but got lazy/wanted to do other things. So here is the first 12 days of 2014, all in Kenya!

The streets of Nairobi, skilled drivers only...aka Glado

Jan 1 - Kenya dance party, learned about Kenyan carjacking--thankfully not by experience, visited numerous malls in Nairobi & I'm thankful for Gladys Anyenya

Heading out for New Year's Kenyan Style with the Hillsdale College Kenyans!

Jan 2 - Arrived at Tenwek! Had lunch with the White Family, hospital orientation, walked to the waterfall in the rain, played wallyball--so painful to the arms!!

The dam that provides energy and water for the hospital!

Jan 3 - Day 1 at the hospital in the peds ward--LOVE it! So many sick kids & babies, but such a joy to be with them. Also rounded in NICU--so much to learn!

Jan 4 - Rounded in nursery today, calculated NG feeds for the first time & held babies : ) So impressed by their moms! (they come and breastfeed every 3 hours 24 hrs a day...!) Long walk exploring. Special greeting from a 2 year old girl via an unsuspecting handshake.

Jan 5 - Nursery NICU work today. Did an exchange transfusion on a hyperbili baby today--took 3.5 hours. Exchanged 500cc in this little tyke. 10cc in...10cc out...

Jan 6 - First day of rounds with Dr. Bemm. So very overwhelmed with the complexity of some kids. HIV is a terrible thing. As is TB & meningitis. Enter immunization discussion here...

Jan 7 - Would love being/raising a kid here. Had lunch with a family who had 4 boys = climbing, daredevil machines. This landscape is better than any jungle gym.

Jan 8 - Learning about PDAs in neonates, palmer pulses, and murmurs. Love how much we pray for patients--for Bible study we prayed with all the peds patients.

Jan 9 - In Kenya, there's 0 privacy on the wards & mom's sleep in the bed with their kids--and breastfeed and bathe their newborns every 3 hours. Totally committed.

Jan 10 - I am really enjoying taking care of Granton; a new HIV patients with PCP. Fun to see kids getting better.

Jan 11 - Rounded this AM. I am loving the nursery. It's kinda like watching a plant grow, only better.

Jan 12 - Breakfast at Barb's, Church over 1 Samuel (Promise keepers), Climbed Motigo = 360 degree view of Kenya, Delicious fresh bread, Great conversation, Card games...Solid Sunday.

We have a cook! Life here is better than in the US! And food is delicious!!

Veggies & Caffeine > Facebook

So, there are things I've been wanting to do, but have yet to actually accomplish. These things have been inspired by three of my most favorite people: Katie Mueller and Mallory Luke and Brianne Maxwell.

The first day we met. Freshmen at Hillsdale.

1. Eat healthier. Ispo facto...more raw food, less freezer food. This is inspired by me new basically vegan friend Katie. And necessary before I slip into even worse eating habits in residency. I need some quick go to recipes to rely on.








2. Limit Facebook in my life. Or, as my beautifully, intelligent sister has done, remove it altogether.







3. Drink better coffee and waste less coffee. (perhaps more superficial than the last two, but...) Thank you Bre for showing me how to bring my favorite coffee shop Populace Cafe into my own home. Bre can also be partially responsible for change number 2 as she has shared the benefits of being Facebook free with me.







SO, I've made 2/3 changes. I still have yet to see the fruits of my labor in cooking more veggies and microwaving less frozen pizzas and dinners. But, I'll do my best to keep you posted on my success and inevitable failures in trying tofu...green smoothies...and I dare say, Brussels sprouts.

Thank you Mal, for the "if Mal can do it, I can do it" motivation

I've just deleted my Facebook account. This is perhaps the most difficult change, but I'm tired of shifting through my newsfeed late at night when I should be sleeping. I have little to no self control. It's embarrassing but true that I spend waaaay too much time on Facebook, and neglect other forms of communication I value much, much more. It's too dangerous for my procrastinating ways. And despite it really putting a cramp in my ability to log in to Spotify, Pandora will suffice until I get the kinks worked out.

My new pour over coffee "maker" which gets its idea credit from Bre, awesome mug credit from Mal, and store-where-I-bought-it credit from Populace. A filter filled with espresso ground coffee and a generous dash of pumpkin spice makes for a quick, one cup bit of energy on these brisk, fall mornings. Perhaps nutmeg with replace the pumpkin come wintertime.

Miracles

Leif Enger on Miracles in his book Peace Like a River.

     Let me say something about that word: miracle. For too long it's been used to characterize things or events that, though pleasant, are entirely normal. Peeping chicks at Easter time, spring generally, a clear sunrise after an overcast week--a miracle, people say, as if they've been educated from greeting cards. I'm sorry, but nope. Such things are worth our notice every day of the week, but to call them miracles evaporates the strength of the word.
     Real miracles bother people, like strange sudden pains unknown in medical literature. It's true: They rebut every rule all we good citizens take comfort in. Lazarus obeying orders and climbing up out of the grave--now there's a miracle, and you can bet it upset a lot of folks who were standing around at the time. When a person dies, the earth is generally unwilling to cough him back up. A miracle contradicts the will of earth.
     My sister, Swede, who often sees to the nub, offered this: People fear miracles because they fear being changed--though ignoring them will change you also. Swede said another thing, too, and it rang in me like a bell: No miracle happens without a witness. Someone to declare, Here's what I saw. Here's how it went. Make of it what you will. 

Thanks Alison Klein for the book recommendation...and oh yeah, I still have your book. Love you!

Ironically, the aspect I love most about this excerpt is not the way it defines miracles, but rather that it briefly notes the beautiful intricacies of our everyday lives. We call them miracles; much like we say we love dinner or that it was the best day ever. Today it was important for me to remember to notice good things that happen every day. To notice them. To relish them. Not to call them miracles, but to remember that rather than be bogged down in the bad, we can choose to see the good. Ah, perspective.

A Good Reminder

I am starting to become calloused. I realized that after finishing my ER rotation. I didn't think it would happen this soon. I'd say I'm about 60% too calloused.

I forget that we, as doctors (...future docs), provide a service. A relationship isn't a guarantee when you walk in to meet a patient. And by relationship I mean you give a little and so does the patient. It's nice when that happens and people are willing to work with you....but, ultimately, that's not a requirement of the patient. I need to remember that. Such is life.

But, today I had a heart melting experience. 

Walking out of the hospital today, I walked past an older gentleman who was also leaving. I turned to say hello, and unlike most people, he greeted me with a big, jolly," hello and how are you?" When I responded and asked how he was, he responded, "I'm great! I just had a CAT scan...It's gonna say my cancer is gone....I know it." 

Heart melted. Cancer was more than a word. It was a life, a name, and it had a favorite granddaughter who's name was also Amy. 

It's easy to walk by people in the hospital everyday and forget why they are there. Cancer has become a word on a page. Surgery has become no big deal. I forgot that it is a big deal. 

As if that wasn't enough, I also visited a patient as a friend, not a medical student. He had just had neck surgery and he also happened to be the general surgeon I spent a month with back in March. Just because we get to write all the big, fancy diagnoses down on paper every day, doesn't mean they don't happen to us. Doctors get sick. Surgeons need surgery. It was a little uncomfortable for me to be a visitor visiting a surgeon as the patient. The role reversal was a good reminder. 

Board exam number 2 is coming...

...which means more blogging due to the necessary study breaks.

So, I've started making mojitos for the first time and decided I probably don't need, but could definitely use, a muddler. Which then led me to the Crate and Barrel website. Which then led me to think, "The first thing I am going to do when I have a real job is go shopping at Crate and Barrel."

For now, feel free to window shop with me.

And in all honestly, I probably won't actually wait until I have a "big girl" job.

And I didn't wait to buy these.I actually just ordered a whole set...!

I'm partial to the Pilsners glass, I'm certain I'd drink every one of my beers out of it

I've always wanted to make sangria....in bulk....

A staple.

To keep the mint fresh for the mojitos of course! ...if I tried to grow it, I know it'd die.

I've always wanted a decanter. And a really big, fat wine glass.

This chair is just asking to be sat in. It also conveniently doubles as a twin bed .

Probably my favorite color. And it's on a couch!