Stomping Grounds

I'm back to the 'ole stomping grounds. I was picked up in DC by my wonderful fiance Liam on Wednesday and slowly made it back to my parents' place in Alabama seeing my whole family and many friends along the way. It was much more difficult for me to leave than I ever imagined. Though I was in Wamba only a few months, I made some close friends that were difficult to leave.

On my way to Nairobi (where I flew out), I rode through Samburu National Reserve. I saw all the animals I'd been sharing the area with for the many months I'd been in Wamba: giraffes, elephants, all sorts of gaezelle/deer-like animals, birds and even a lion!!! I will be sure to share pictures once I am able to get them in a sharable mode!

Telling the peeps...

Hello again Blog followers!

These past few entries will set records for newsiness. A few weeks ago, Liam and I announced our engagement and now, I announce my return to the states! I have purchased a one-way ticket to D.C. with no present plans of retuning to Kenya. This decision comes with a plethora of mixed feelings: excitement, anxiety, failure, disappointment... I have developed many wonderful relationships here with my neighbors and the sisters and even some of the students at the nursing school, and oh! the children who have kept my joy in their smiles and excitement! I will be leaving the hospital on good terms, but I can't help but feel like I should stay and attempt to save the world! But, oh relief! The messiah has already done that!

Though these past few weeks of deciding have been difficult, I am joyous and resting in this unexpected change - knowing the most difficult challenges will come upon me in the future months as I try to gracefully reintegrate into American society.

I will be in the deep south for the first half of July and hope to see many of you confederates then! Stay tuned, I will continue updaying for a while still.

a little on life

Hello all!

Sorry for the long delay in blog posts. It seems to me that everything here is average and there's not much to write about, but I think I could probably describe the way I took a bath last night and interest some of you:) It's a good thing to be getting used to the everyday life here though. There has been a struggle for water here lately. I'm not sure the problem. I hear word that it is an internal and intentionally unfair rationing. I prefer to just stay naive to the politics of the rationing for now... but it has caused some extra maneuvering to have enough water to wash and keeps my house a little funky with extra rationing of toilet flushing!

Last night was my neighbor's birthday. We went into town for a dinner of ugali (like grits) and roasted goat meat - the most common meal here. It was nice to spend an evening relaxing with friends outside of the compound. I am learning more and more of the language which makes life easier and times like last night more fun for me... but I'm not affluent enough to understand any detail. For now, I just get excited to understand the general idea of the conversations.

I am learning SO much at work. There are three wonderful doctors here that are so patient with me and often take the time to answer my floods of questions and teach me about all these new diseases like malaria and tuberculosis. My favorite days in the ward are when the doctors do rounds with me. I get to tell them all the complaints of the patients over the past few days and watch them do whatever procedures like echographies and reading xrays and general assessments. I feel like I have learned a lifetime of material in these two months and know that it will continue on like that as long as I am here.

I am spending as much time as I can with the Sisters. They are such a joy to be around. I am learning the catholic catechism with one of the sisters. We meet once or twice a week for an hour and talk about the beliefs of the catholic church. It is a wonderful and direct way to learn about the base of both the original church and the christian faith. This sort of class learning has been great for the intellectual in me to help understand my own beliefs better. And of course it's wonderful to have my brilliant fiance to discuss the many questions I develop in the process.

Announcement!

Dear friends and family and the many other followers of Skye’s blog,

We, Skye Chambless and Liam de los Reyes, have happy news. On Sunday, May 15 we became engaged to one another! It is with great excitement, hope and trust in the guidance of God that we prepare to enter into one of the greatest blessings and gifts in life – the commitment of love and self-giving to one another in marriage. There will be much celebration to look forward to in the coming months. In the fall Skye will return for a few weeks from Kenya to celebrate our wedding as well as two of her cousins’ weddings, Clay and Tyler and Brennen and Natalie. After all of the celebrating we hope to return to Kenya together. We would like to thank Skye’s friends and family for the support they have already given her that have been so important to her purpose and mission in Kenya, and look forward to the love and support of our friends and family now as we prepare for life together and throughout our life as we live out the commitment and love of marriage.

Pictures!

Skye made this basket from a package she received then made a ball by knotting up some plastic bags and tying them together with pieces of scrap fabric. It was time, she decided, to take the kids in her community to school.

Notice the follow through on his shot, clearly learned from Skye...who since making her skills known in the community has received the nickname "Air America."

To be a nurse in Wamba

Hi everyone, this is Liam. Skye sent me this update to post on the blog, hope you enjoy catching up on the latest with her and her experiences in developing world health care.

I thought you all might be interested in hearing about some of the cases I'm seeing in the hospital. The problems are so different from the states where the number one killer is heart disease, a disease of genes and lifestyle. Here, it's mostly tropical disease and trauma. The most common things I'm seeing are tuberculosis - so many kinds I didn't even know existed! One patient has a mass the size of a soccer ball growing from spinal tuberculosis. Another has a grapefruit sized mass on his foot from tb. Also, HIV and syphilis. We have a lot of men with enlarged prostates and there's been an odd and recent development of esophageal cancer. There must be an environmental cause, but no one knows yet. I've seen intestinal obstruction, gangrene, cystic kidneys, rectal prolapse, a lion attack, an elephant attack (both shepherds tending their flock), a shooting, two beatings (yes, men beat by mobs of other men. Two separate cases.), malaria, many snake bites, and last night a man came in carried by the motorbike that hit him. Yes, that means I’ve seen more lion attacks than cases of diabetes! And just two people with congenital hypertension.

I'm glad to be getting used to the routine and the needs of the ward. I'm learning a lot of Swahili and about caring for people from the patients and so much about the diseases and such from the over nurses and doctors. I am a full time sponge, which is pretty tiring. But I've still had time to relax, read, get to know my neighbors and love and be loved by the sisters!

I am able to read emails easier than send them, so keep me updated on your lives too!

Report on Skye through Mom Chambless

Many people have contacted me to say they are following Skye through her blog. I recently met Hannah and her friends who attend high school in North Carolina. They found out what Skye is doing and wanted to help support her volunteer work and have organized a fundraiser for Skye. Another young woman who heard about Skye has read all her blogs and is totally interested. I know that most of you reading this blog know Skye and love her. Thanks, from Mom, for keeping her in your prayers and thoughts.

Since Skye will have trouble updating her blog, I told her I would make reports when I hear from her. Her last contact was good and bad news. She was well and feeling good. But, she had spent a week recuperating from a bad stomach bug and dehydration. She guesses she is coming in contact with bacteria that is foreign to her system and so she will expect some of this. The sisters took her immediately into their care to get her well. She says she had 6 new mothers "all tough as nails" and "who treat her like a precious daughter". They fixed her every meal, did all her laundry, saw to her every need, and made her feel very loved.

Skye has worked in the men's, women's, and children's ward at Wamba Hospital and they are all short handed. She is mostly training and observing at this point. She talked a bit about some of the types of injuries and needs being met. Some were: snake bites, an elephant attack (that is different from home), HIV, TB, malaria, and bacterial infections. On a daily basis she helps the patients by bathing them, changing their bedding, dressing their wounds, and giving medications. She has truly enjoyed her work and is eager to get back after her illness.

Skye enjoys spending time with her neightbors who all work at the nursing school. They play volleyball everyday at 5:30. They share meals together. The young children spend a lot of time at Skye's house where she keeps crayons and coloring books for them. They are her best teachers of Swahili.

What we take for granted. After speaking with Skye about her difficult water situation, I am reminded how easy it is to take something so essential to our existence for granted. Water. We can't live without it, yet, we, Americans, have it so easily. All we have to do is twist on the faucet and out comes clean, clear, delicious water for drinking and bathing. Skye says most Samburu women and men must search for low lying places and dig for water. The hospital is lucky to have a well. It operates 3 hours per day at which time, everyone in the community must collect the water in containers to be used as needed. The water is so full of hard minerals that everything gets covered in crust and that she must filter the larva and silt out. Then she must boil is twice in order to consume it. She says bathing leaves her feeling like she just got out of the salty ocean. She has not complained one bit and is very thankful for the water she does have. I am just saying, because of her experience, I am more thankful for the amazing water we have each day.