The task ahead....

is a BIG one :) today is the day to begin my hike to mt. kenya. im both nervous and excited...seeing as i live at sea level. i am going to put in this entry, then pack, then leave at 9 am (noon texas time). oh but wait...i failed to mention....i have porters (carry bags) and people to cook for me. i have NO idea how this works--just that it will be me, karen, and a team of men to help with everything. how fun?! please pray that i can hike with altitude being the limiting factor, that we are safe, that we have fun, and MOST OF ALL...that i see an elephant!!! :)

the last few days have been pretty unreal working in the hospital. im telling you--these kids are light years tougher than americans--and they are disciplined. they sit when told to...and dont move. they do everything i ask...which as you can guess...is rare when working with prediatrics. so much of my day is spent showing the therapists how to use the tools they already have. its pretty amazing to see all the equipment donated...but they have NO idea what to do with it. im having a blast putting braces on kiddos and showing them how to walk with them!!

This week we had our 1st amputee--a 15 y/o boy who lost his leg 7 years ago and has never been fit for a prosthetic limb. He was extremely shy but seemed excited when I explained that if he does his exercises and wraps his leg every day--he will be able to have a new leg in 2 weeks when he returns. He smiled. He was not a patient we were expecting...but I am so glad he came. I am looking forward to showing him the initial phases of gait training. These kids are stoic---beyond measure. We asked him his address---and he doesnt have one. He is an IDP (internally displaced person) within Kenya due to the recent "crisis". Basically, he was driven off his families land (shamba) during the tribal wars. Im telling you---those stories change COMPLETELY when you have a face to go with them.

Yesterday was tough--as my day ended with shadowing an OT in the hydrocephalus/ burn ward. As we were walking into the room, a german PT named Marinka mentioned to me that these children are from the church burning. The church burning took place when some Kikuyu people (a tribe) were being burned off their land by the Luo (an opposing tribe)--so the parents and their children took refuge in a church thinking NO ONE would burn down a church. WRONG. 50 people perished and these 4 children in the burn ward---survived. I could barely stand there as i was fighting back tears. Innocent children--burned from head to toe--yet smiling and looking forward to PT. unreal.

Next week--up to 6 amputees are coming from all around Kenya. Please pray for their safe arrival as roads are not the safest here. I am really looking forward to putting all my preparation to use.

Oh and in other news--i am learning phrases and words in swahili and LOVING IT!! it is a really neat language with an accent similar to spanish.

Oh and one last story--I was walking home on Wed after a long day of work and in my own world. and sometimes, i forget where i am when im tired. anyways, i hear this strange sound--then look up in the trees--and there is a monkey. yes friends, a REAL, LIVE MONKEY. then i remembered....I AM INDEED IN AFRICA!!!

blessed,

Megs