Moments

I went out yesterday with one of the doctors here (a Brit!) to see some of the patients who are on hospice in their homes. . . .

Funny Moment: We were visiting with an elderly man and his family. Despite his cancer of the tongue and his recent stroke, he was outside on the shamba (land) pulling up roots and working. We finally convinced him to sit down in a chair outside and visit with us for a moment. Dr. Besley and the nurse asked his son and daughter-in-law about how he was doing, pain control, etc. After a few minutes, I was startled by vigorous moo-ing as the family cow appeared around the corner to chime in his opinion.

Surreal Moment: Sitting in the vehicle with Dr. Besley and Nurse Margaret and Driver Moses trying to figure out where we were going. We were in the middle of a dirt road junction behind a tea factory asking a lady for directions in Kikuyu while the radio blared Randy Travis singing "Like a Rose" (?originally recorded by Michael W. Smith).

Country music in Africa is really amusing to me.

Sweet moment: Barrelling down the "highway" in the "ambulance" (which is a Land Cruiser) and Dr. Besley, Margaret, Moses and I all simulataneously burst into song with the radio singing "He has Made Me Glad".

I'm Definitely Not at Home Moment: Stopping for lunch in Kamende at a place called "Sunshine Cafe" that has a big thing of raw meat hanging in the window and they brought us a board with a couple pounds of roasted meat - all the parts - and cut it up in random pieces and all 4 of us just ate the pieces off the board with our hands. Add some oujey (?sp) which is kindof like creamofwheat that is a little more dry and that you eat with your hands and that was the meal.

All in all, a good day. I got to see more of Kenya, maybe a little more rural/typical than here in Kijabe which is considered "urban". And I got to listen to Dr. Besley's brilliant accent all day. And I got to do some more exciting "off-roading". And we got to visit some patients, which, actually, meant a GREAT deal to them.