First Impressions

I have arrived in Africa safe and sound! Sorry for the delay in posting…I am already getting accustomed to “African time” – just add an hour or a week in this case. The safari (journey) from Nairobi to Karungu was an amazing introduction to such a beautiful country and the realities of Kenyan life.


The two other CMMB volunteers (Kayla has a degree in public health and Jimmy just finished his residency in family practice) and I arrived in Kenya on the night of October 3rd. Boniface, the driver from St. Camillus, was there to meet us with a big smile. We spent the night at the Camillian Seminary. The next morning we went to mass at Our Lady Queen Church in the neighborhood of Karen which is named after Karen Blixen, the author of Out of Africa. Karen is an affluent part of the city with beautiful large homes. There was even a mazungu women (white person) out for a morning jog. The mass had beautiful singing and women danced in the aisle, it was a great way to start my first day in Kenya.

Then we set out on the open roads of Kenya which were paved for the first six hours and then became dirt for the remaining two hours. We passed through these little towns which were full of people, goats, cows, and chickens in the street. These “towns” consisted of a few rows of shops selling Coca Cola and cell phone minute cards. Several women had a baby strapped to their back and a bucket of water or a basin balancing on their head. Masai were herding cattle through the country side. A traffic jam consisted of waiting for a herd of cattle to pass while young boys with machetes moved them along. There was the most beautiful landscapes imaginable. We stopped at an overlook of the rift valley which was quite Lion King-esck .

We stopped in Narko for lunch to “take something” which means to eat something. My first taste of Kenyan cuisine was quite yummy, I had chicken and sukuma wiki (a green veggie like kale). Oh, and a light coke, yes, there is DC in Kenya – sweet! Yet most Kenyan homes to not have running water so it is easier to get a coke, if you have the money, versus clean water.

Our next stop was in a town called Kisii where we stopped at a big store, kind of like an African Kmart, where I got a cell phone. My phone number is 0714 795 305, just to let you know, in case you are in the area. But texting is actually prettying inexpensive so email me your cell phone numbers, please! So after our shopping experience it started to torrential down pour. Boniface told us it was very good of us to bring the rain – I thought it was the least we could do.

We arrived in Karungu just after the most beautiful sunset. We met Father Mario (the hospital administrator), some Italian volunteers, and the two American CMMB volunteers. It was quite exciting to meet Lauren, the women behind the blog - it is a must read (www.laurenmeisman.blogspot.com) as well as Christy who is also a nurse. Kayla and I settled into our house in staff quarters which is quite nice (I plan on posting pictures in the near future). I tucked myself in under my mosquito net and thanked God for one of the most amazing days I have spent on this earth.