My first week, I felt slightly out of place and as though the medical knowledge base I had established thus far had not nearly prepared me for my time here. The variations in the abbreviations they use, the equipment, the medications, and the pathology all seemed foreign to me. I had a lot of learning to do, but what better way to learn than outside of my comfort zone. I spent my first week in the HDU/ PICU. I was seeing things I have never seen in the US, such as bilateral hydatid cysts in the lungs of a 5 year old, TB meningitis, a bedside exchange transfusion for neonatal jaundice that was performed by the intern. Interns, medial officers, and clinical officers are expected to do their own labs, walk them to the lab to be processed, and pick the results up from the lab. I was taking my own patients and allowed to come up with my own plan, implement it, write orders, and perform labs as needed for my patients.
Later that week Julia, one of my roommates, took me to the Supa Duka and nearby market. I had been living off of peanut butter and Bevita breakfast bars since I arrived. I think God knew I needed someone to show me the ropes and let me know that their first week was as difficult to navigate as I felt mine had been. Luckily, the next day was Friday and I was going to Maasai Mara Safari club for the weekend with some of the other volunteers.
Saturday morning came and we were headed for the safari. On our way there we stopped at a Maasai community village. We spent about an hour learning about the Maasai culture. It was extremely interesting to see the way that the families in the community live and how they provide for each other.
The safari was absolutely amazing. The hotel was more luxurious than I had imagined. I slept in a tent near the river and could hear the hippos all day and night. We saw 4 of the big 5 animals during our 3 days of “game rides”. I was also able to experience ugali with beef stew, which was very difficult to eat with my bare hands. I felt extremely grateful for this week and the experiences I have had thus far.