Week three has been a whirlwind of catching up with friends, diving deep into inpatient medicine, and some… let’s call them “learning experiences” while shopping.
The weekend after Kairos, I had the incredible opportunity to meet up with one of my dearest friends from medical school, Grace, who’s a local physician here. It was so refreshing to connect with her, and she took me to some amazing spots in Nairobi. We had a fantastic time at Camellia Gardens Limuru. Camellia Gardens Limuru is known for its beautiful tea plantations; they have a long history in the area, and I believe it is owned by the eastern produce company.. We also hit up Mark Vintage Hotel restaurant for some delicious Nyama Choma (Kenyan barbecue). I was seriously impressed listening to Grace talk about the skills required to be a general practitioner here in Nairobi. It’s a whole different ballgame, and her expertise is just amazing.
The following week marked the start of my inpatient service at Kijabe Hospital. The inpatient service here relies heavily on Clinical Officers and Medical Officers, so my role was more of an overseer and teacher than carrying a huge patient load myself. However, even with a lighter patient load, I still encountered some incredibly interesting and complex cases. I saw multiple cases of TB, both pulmonary and disseminated, HIV with various opportunistic infections, Burkitt’s lymphoma, and much more. One universal truth across all inpatient services, though? Rounding takes forever! Getting the hang of ordering things with a new EMR system and navigating the procedures for imaging and surgical approvals was definitely a learning curve. I’ll admit, I felt a bit useless at first, but as I got more comfortable and was asked to take on more leadership responsibilities towards the end of the week, I started to feel much more helpful. Spending time with the other visiting students and physicians also made the week fly by.
And then there was the souvenir shopping… Oh boy. I did the first part of my shopping in downtown Nairobi at the Maasai Market. I was feeling pretty good about my finds until I realized that I had been totally ripped off at Hell’s Gate. Then, to add insult to injury, I discovered that all those things were also available right here in Kijabe! So, yeah, I got fleeced again in Nairobi. Lesson learned: do your research before you haggle!
This week is my last week here, and while I’ve absolutely loved my time in Kenya, I’m definitely ready to head back home to my family. My little boy is growing up so fast without me. He’s teething again, crawling all over the place now, and has even started eating in a high chair at restaurants. It’s wild to think that if I don’t get home soon, he’ll be running to meet me at the airport!
Oh, and I almost forgot to share some pretty big personal news: I got voted in as one of the Chief Residents for next year! If you know my journey through medical school, you’ll understand how crazy this is for me. I give all the glory to God because it’s clear that none of these blessings this year came about through my own effort.
Well, this last week will be spent in the OPD, which is a busy place every day, so I’ll be seeing a lot and ending my time here on a high note.
Until next week, or rather, until I’m back home! See ya!
