msambweni, the final week...

well, the internship portion of my study abroad program has officially came to an end. a week in review....

i decided to go back to MCH (maternal and child health) for the week, weighing and measuring babies and young kids. it keeps me busy, although i don't see as much as i might if i went to the wards. in the wards, a lot of time is just spent sitting around waiting for new admissions, which i did not want to do.

so monday, tuesday, and thursday i went to MCH. before this week, i felt like the internship had gone by so fast and i wished it was longer. but this week really made me believe that six weeks is just the right amount of time-- many of the doctors and other staff at the hospital are extremely rude to the patients, and also SO LAZY. i'm not even getting paid, and i often felt like i was doing the work of five of the staff in MCH. so it was about time to leave...

the hospital

hospital hallway.  the painted list on the wall is a list of a few of the services and their prices.

hospital operating room

anestesia room. more of a storage closet.

wednesday and friday i went to theatre. dr. stan (the orthopedic surgeon from germany) refused to operate last week, claiming that there were not adequate supplies to successfully or safely do any operations, but he was back in action this week. i saw an amputation of the lower leg of a diabetic woman. so cool. other operations were fixing a femur fracture, a surgical toilet, and a wound cleaning where they took the whole big toe off the foot. on friday i saw another c-section and some other minor procedures.

it was so weird thinking that i won't be in a hospital seeing the things i did the past six weeks for YEARS. interning at the hospital was such an amazing experience-- it really opened my eyes to the health disparities in this country, and helped me realize how great the healthcare in the united states is.

since i don't want to have to work on my term papers once i get back to nairobi, i finished those up, as well as studying for the final exams i have on monday. it's easy to forget i'm actually here for school sometimes....

saturday i woke up to watch a final sunrise over the indian ocean. then i said goodbye to my host family, and made my way to mombasa. i checked into my hotel and then met some other students to do some exploring/market shopping of mombasa, and then we headed to the beach for one final time.

my house in msambweni

final sunrise over the indian ocean. bittersweet.

tomorrow i take the bus back to nairobi (a long eight hour journey). then i have final exams and a final seminar, and then a few final days before my flight leaves next saturday. thinking of going home is very surreal for me right now. a part of me is ready to go home, but then another part of me feels like i just arrived yesterday, and that my time here shouldn't be over yet. i know i'm really going to miss kenya... this has hands-down been the most amazing experience of my life.

until next time,
emma

pwani (coast) life, you'll be missed....