On Sunday in Migori, our group woke up relatively early for
the weekend and went to see a Catholic mass! It was in Swahili, so although I
really didn’t understand much it was definitely something I wanted to
experience while I was there. According to a lot of the Catholic people here,
the general structure of the mass was very similar to in America, they just had
a lot more songs and sermons. Even though I really have no basis to compare, I
thought their mass was great. The music is so cheery, there are a set of
dancers that make their way through the aisle, and everyone in the church
danced along. The offerings were also way different from back in America because
instead of passing around the bowl for offerings, they kept boxes at the front
and everyone who wanted to give stood up and came forward. And I think
literally EVERYONE gave something (one person even gave a live chicken). It was
amazing to me that even though some of these people are living on less than a
dollar a day, they still manage to give to their church. You can tell from
being there that faith is obviously very important to everyone here.
Pictures of the house, as promised! My room - my bed is in the way back
Living room and dining room!
After church, we took a lunch break and then set out to
climb what Josh deemed the Rocky Mountains. We all laughed and joked that it
would be literally a pile of pebbles but it was actually quite the hike! Even
though Migori is far from being a city, where we were was significantly more
rural. There were small mud huts spread out throughout the mountains where it
didn’t seem like they had much access to basic needs like food or water besides
what they can grow. If I had to guess I would say since it’s such a remote area
many of the people living there have never seen a white person before because as
we hiked, we accumulated quite the crowd! It was mostly kids with some adults
and they were surprisingly good at climbing their way around rocks. When I say
rocks, I mean massive boulders so our group probably looked pretty pathetic
compared to the kiddos. When we got to the top, Josh explained to us that a lot
of people spend time praying on these rocks, so it’s really a pretty special
area; we could see the remnants of candle wax and writings.
Now I was a little nervous hiking because of course I’m
pretty terrified of being up high and standing on ledges. At first I was
totally fine because once we got to the top the view was spectacular! You could
see for miles in every direction, it was incredible. That’s what’s amazing
about Africa, everything is just so rich and untouched, it’s beautiful. I took
a lot of time taking in the view, but as soon as we moved to another rock
(which to me seemed less sturdy) I started to panic a little. Needless to say,
I didn’t spend too much time up there before getting down. We drove back
shortly after, then had a relaxed night celebrating the birthday of one of the
girls in our house.
So incredible. Wish the pictures did it justice
The group we acquired!
Peeing my pants in this picture. Can you see the fear in my eyes?
Monday morning we headed back to the hospital, but
unfortunately it was pretty quiet. I’m starting to realize there’s really not
much help needed so unless I butt my way in it’s going to always be a slow day.
We started out in maternity which I enjoyed and hopefully will go back to
tomorrow. The doctor there is great; he is willing to teach and engages us
which is great for me since I’ve already been through my OB rotation.
Unfortunately, part way through our rounds this morning he had to leave for a
family emergency so we didn’t get to finish up. Most of the rest of the morning
was spent wandering and in the peds ward, which was also pretty slow. I’m
hoping to also get a little more involved in peds because even though there isn’t
too much to do there, it’s what I want to specialize in so I’m hoping for some
good experience! The way they treat here is so different from what we do in
America. Tropical illnesses, like malaria and typhoid, are way more present so
I feel like sometimes the doctors assume and begin treatment before fully
investigating any other possibilities. The information given by the patient
just isn’t as explored and questioned here as it is back home. For example, in
the pediatric outpatient clinic today, a patient presented with chest pain
along with other symptoms. Back home, if someone told me they were having chest
pain I would be way more concerned than the doctor here appeared to be. I would
have liked to know when the pain started, what it felt like, how frequently it
occurred, but the doctor immediately sent in for a lab test for malaria without
a second thought. Ultimately most of the patients I’ve seen have recovered and
been okay, it’s just a very different way of treating than I expected. Since
the hospital has been so slow, we’re hoping to get into the District Hospital,
another hospital a short distance away from our house. We work at Saint Joseph’s,
which is apparently more expensive and more for the richer population of
Migori, while District Hospital takes anyone, meaning it’s much more hectic and
has a wider variety of cases. I’ve heard there’s much more autonomy there and
although I want to be ethical and not overstep my bounds, I would like to be
more hands on with patients here! I know I need to push myself more and now
since I feel more adjusted I’m going to try to start doing so.
The afternoon was spent in the house eating and playing
monopoly with the other volunteers. We made a market trip (because I’ve been
bumming water from other people for two days. Seriously guys I was dying) and
when we got back, we were greeted by kiddos jumping on us and holding our
hands. They know that white people always live in the house so our yard is
always crowded with kids wanting to play. They’re so happy to have company, so
we spent the night playing soccer, ring around the rosy, and letting them play
with our hair (awful awful idea). It was my favorite part of the day but
definitely also the most exhausting.
Me and Faith, the sassypants of the group :)
Goons, hamming it up for the camera as per usual
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