Hello, folks!

I am currently in Kisumu, Kenya, and I have a lot to catch up on! I was hoping to write to you from Atiak, but storms and power outages made that a pipe dream, so I figured I would catch you up when I was in Nairobi, but that didn't work either! I was staying at a budget hotel near the conference, which technically had internet, but it was so painfully slow that I could never get anything to load on my computer, so I abandoned all hope. I am now sitting at the dining room table of the Governor's home in Kisumu, trying to catch you all up before I take off to work a mobile clinic for the day. Whew!

So, let's back up... The final week of training went very well, with only a small hitch. It was me; I was the hitch. The first day of class, during my introduction, I acknowledge the cultural differences between Uganda and US, especially regarding time. I am very clear that I can be very flexible about many things during training (loss of power, too many or too few patients, emergencies that may arise, and such), but that I need them to take my time seriously and arrive in class when I tell them to. If they chose to arrive late, it is their responsibility to figure out how to get caught up. The last week especially, Max and I warn them that the days will be long, because we are trying to give them as much knowledge and experience as possible, before they leave. They can come and go as they need to, for bathroom or food breaks, but there are certain times we expect them to be there. Well, one afternoon, they were told to return to class at 4pm to go over images, and at 4;15pm there was only 1 student there. So, I told Max I was tired, was too annoyed to be professional, he could take over, and I left. 😏 I guess he was pretty strong with them, when they finally arrived at 4:30pm, arguments ensued, the class continued, and the next day everyone was very apologetic. I know it's cultural, and should not be taken personally, but I needed a time-out. 

From there, everything went very well, they completed their hands-on evaluations, and everyone seemed reluctant to leave. After that last class on Thursday, the students gave the most heart-warming speeches (their idea, not ours!) and on Friday, when everyone typically gets on the road as soon as possible, they all stayed around to share one last meal together. 

I spent the weekend packing up my hut and its belongings, trying to follow-up on some business and meetings, and just generally being somewhat exhausted. Rachel had flown to Kampala for a meeting, was unable to fly back due to flight cancellations, then unexpectedly contracted pneumonia! She ended up staying in Kampala to recover, missing the Nairobi conference, and flying home early. 

Harriet and I went to Nairobi, she took Rachel's place and was able to stay at the bougie Radisson, where the conference was taking place. I stayed in another hotel, a short 10-minute walk away. Harriet is an incredible asset to MHI, so energetic and charismatic, but she is not well traveled and a little bit anxious about travelling. I became her emotional support animal, for which she was very grateful. I spent most of 2 days in the lobby of the conference, making some connections, having some meetings that I am hoping will turn into partnerships, and just being available for Harriet. 

On Thursday, I was up at 4am, flew to Kisumu, and ended up attending a ceremony for the Governor and his wife (my friend Dorothy) to officially launch the mobile clinic truck for her NGO, the African Cancer Foundation. The truck has a designated ultrasound room with a fancy new Philips machine.

I then was driven to the clinic site and scanned patients for 6 hours straight, finally returning home around 8:30pm. 

I am going to have to sign off, because a driver is here waiting to take me to another clinic site, where I will work all day. Tomorrow I will fly to Nairobi and start my journey home. I have no idea if I will be deferred to another airport for Ebola check-in, or if they will allow me to fly into Seattle. On my end, the information is contradictory and I am unable to get clear answers from the airlines, so we shall see! If I'm stranded somewhere, I will let you know!

Much love, Jo/MB