Tour of St. Mary's Mission Hospital - Rift Valley Part 2 and 3

Sunsets

Because we were 20km south of the Equator the days and nights were consistently around 12 hours per day without any seasonal variation. We ate dinner at 7PM everyday just as the sun was setting and left to round in the hospital every morning around 6:30 as dawn was breaking. Our first evening as we were heading to dinner was our initial experience with the breathtaking sunsets outside our bedroom window that we would see all month. Sunset over Lake Elementaita with flamingoes and pelicans in the background - just gorgeous.

View from the Guesthouse

After arriving to our room in the St. Mary's Rift Valley guesthouse we were instantly amazed at our breathtaking view from our own bedroom. The whole medical complex and our guesthouse was bordered by Lake Elementaita, a salty, alkaline lake that is home to thousands of flamingoes (that eat the algae) and pelicans (that eat the tilapia in the lake). These pictures are from our first evening.

Rift Valley

After arriving in Nairobi (we flew from St. Louis to Detroit to Amsterdam to Nairobi) we spent one night in the St. Mary's Nairobi Mission Hospital and then headed out to the Rift Valley along Kenya's main highway. The Rift Valley is where the oldest prehistoric man remains were found and although the pictures make it appear like a desert, it's actually not (the dry season from January to April makes it appear quite dry). The prominent mountain in the distance is Mount Longenot, an ancient dormant volcano.

Our visit to Kenya

Last year we were both awarded through the Mayo International Health Program stipends to visit Kenya for a one-month rotation in international health. We were very fortunate to visit and rotate through the St. Mary's Mission Hospital in Rift Valley Province in Kenya from March 2nd through March 26th. Under the mentorship of Dr. Father Bill Fryda (a Mayo alumnus) we had a wonderful experience practicing medicine in the inpatient men's ward and participated in a cutaneous leishmaniasis clinical trial through outreach clinics. With a wonderful mix of hard work, and even harder play, we were very fortunate to experience a life-changing month of practicing medicine in a country of friendly people, gorgeous scenery, and limited resources. We treated patients with AIDS and TB, malaria and buffalo attacks, car trauma and sickle cell, heart failure and hepatitis, and much more. We delivered babies, were in the OR, and rounded on our own when Dr. Fryda was gone. We hiked, went on safari, shopped, and went horseback riding. We saw lions, cheetahs, zebrahs, elephants, hippos, crocodiles, giraffes, gazelle, buffalo, white rhinos, flamingoes, baboons, warthogs, and so much more. And although we were sad to return and leave all the wonderful people and sights along the way, the lure of family and smell of cheeseburgers made us realize how much we miss home. And of course one of us (I won't name any names) missed Mishti (our cat) too much to stay in Kenya any longer. We are happy to be home but highly recommend anyone to visit Kenya - the first time you see a lion eating a water buffalo in the savannah, you'll understand why it had such an awesome effect on us.

Welcome everyone! Jenny and I have created a blog to let our friends and family follow our life and adventures. Since our wedding on August 4th, 2007 (which really feels like it was the other day) we've enjoyed our new life together and hope this "honeymoon phase" continues until eternity. As Jenny finishes her second year of internal medicine residency and I look to start our lives in Durham, North Carolina we look forward with a sense of optimism that together we can accomplish anything.