Houses: 2-3 rooms. Corrogate tin roof. Dung & mud walls & floors. No plumbing. No electricity (yet...coming soon!).
Latrines: hole in the ground.
"Shower": a stick built enclosure about 6 feet tall. method: bucket of water. (of the better way is bathing in the lake!)
Cooking: outdoors with a fire.
The Shamba Set-up:
My friend is from a polygamous tribe (Luo. Western Kenya is "Luo land"), so his dad has four wives. The father lives in Nairobi with the fourth wife. The other wives live in Mfangano, each with their own house. In this tribe, the first wife's house must face the Shamba entrance (btw, a shamba is basically your property). Also, every son builds a house on his father's property, but it does not have to be on the same shamba where the wives live, but it must be on land that the father owns. However, the sons houses are built according to birth order (no cut-sies!). In this family, there are a total of 10 boys. Typically, the youngst son in the house inherits his biological mother's house (i.e. my friend is the middle child of three (the second boy) in his mother's house, so he will inherit her house).
Here's a little diagram of this Shamba's format (sorry it's kinda small):
Well, this morning we had good intentions to go to church, but...we failed. Good ol' African time. :) Church started at 9am, but we didn't even bathe until 0830. Then we had to take tea & chapati. We finally left the shamba around 1030, and
1) passed through town/market (specifically Sena) to charge our phones (there are kiosks with generators here)
2) bought some nyama ya mbuzi (goat meat)
3) 11am-2pm: went visiting at another friend's brother's to see their new baby (3 days old!!!). Sometime between 11 and 2, we concluded that we'd missed the sermon.
Around 2pm, we meandered back to the shamba in search of a little shade. Goodness the sun shines hot here!
Later in the afternoon, Stanley, Constance, Caroline, and I took an eventful/entertaining walk parkway up the mountain. I was toured around the other shambas, and still have no idea who belongs where or to whom. These families are big! I really got "mzungu'd" a lot during this walk. One little girl in particular was facinated. She kept waving and saying "mzungu! mzungu!" Then as we were walking away, her mother said, "Ok, she's gone. You can come home now." and the girl replied, "No, momi, she is still going!"
visiting with the baby.
meandering down the airstrip.
view from the hillside.
A little nursing this evening:
* Advised a boy on his sickle cell condition (when I looked it up later to verify, I found I'd told him exactly the right thing!
Thanks memory!)
* A friend called and it went as follows:
S - 2145: pt calls, when asked "How are you?", replies "Not good." Complaining of chest pain. (specifically states pain is located between throat and stomach). After questioning, reports 6-7/10 pain/c onset 15-20mins ago (while watching TV), radiating to back. States pain is not pressure or burning and that this pain has not beenexperience before. Reports clamy/sweaty palms, but not sweating from forehead. Reports pain does not change with breathing or movement.
P (provoc. & palliation) - no change when breating in/out or changing positions. caller/pt complaining of 6-7/10
chest pain for 15-20minutes
Q (quality & quantity) - not pressure or burning; reports clamy/sweaty palms, but not forehead.
R (region & radiation) - located between throat & stomach; radiating to back
S (severity & scale) - 6-7/10
T (timing & onset) - sudden onset 15-20 minutes ago while watching TV. no physical activity today, just drove.
O - pt sounds worried.
A - immediate thought is to R/O Acute MI, also considered heartburn (but pt does not report burning sensation), also considered muscular pain, but pt has not been active and pain does not change with breathing or movement.
P - advised pt to go to doctor right away, and also take aspirin if available. (however, pt was reluctant: stated he would look for aspirin, he is alone in the house, he has no car, his house is far from the road & a taxi won't come to his door, unwilling to ask neighbors for a ride to hospital). will follow-up with/call pt again in a few minutes.
E - 2230: called pt, who stated he was eating & pain reduced to 3/10. No aspirin taken. Stated he would "sleep it off" and if he still felt bad in the morning, he would go to the doctor.
NEXT DAY: called pt, who stated he was "feeling better". Did not visit doctor and seems to have not intentions to do so.
Have talk to pt about his concerns for a doctor visit, but was not able to decipher his specific anxieties regarding this.
Sorry again for the long post. Innit Ma ber (Good night, in Luo).
this article was just the best. cheerz stan
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