Kisumu!

It's been awhile since I've been able to blog. The internet access here is sporadic and the only good connection I can find is at work. My time in Nairobi was great. I went into the office both Thursday and Friday and was given work immediately. It was great that they felt they could trust me with a little piece of the project right away. I went with a few members of the team to Kibera. Kibera is the largest slum in Africa. It houses approximately 1.5 million people in about 2 square kilometers. If you don't get the picture that's one tight fit! That experience in and of itself is life changing. You don't realize people actually live like that until you see it. We definitely stood out of place with our nice work clothes and 'gum boots' (Kenya's version of rain boots) trekking through the streets. And when I say streets I'm being very general. I was so thankful for the boots because as it had just rained it was very muddy and the side streets are naturally very wet due to a lack of drainage and sewage system. The CDC has three sites within Kibera that they are conducting the study and we were able to visit all to make sure they were set for the start of the project today. I also spent some time with the nurses on the project training them to use the PDA's to take clinical information and consent the families that come in. Mothers and caregivers can bring their children for free flu vaccination at any of these places and then we will follow them for the next three years to track the effectiveness of the vaccine in rural Africa. I left Nairobi on Sunday and was glad to get out of there when I did. Vice President Biden was on his way Tuesday and the already horrible traffic was bound to get much worse.

After Nairobi it was off to Kisumu. The flight is extremely short, it takes longer to get to the airport. It was funny to see the flight attendants rush down the aisle almost throwing peanuts and drinks at us. I then arrived in Kisumu airport if you can call it that. Its so small! There is no permanent structure on the site. The terminal is an outdoor shelter with a ticket lady behind a small desk. Although its small now there is a lot of construction going on. President Obama promised to return to Kisumu sometime during his term as his father was born near here. Workers are on the site constantly in order to get the airport ready to be able to handle an arrival of that magnitude.

In Kisumu I am currently staying with two American girls who are volunteering at an children's home and daycare. They are awesome and I felt immediately welcomed although this placement is bound to be temporary. I'm not above roughing it a little, but I'm not sure I can do without running water for three months. We also had sporadic power last night as a small storm blew in off the lake. Definitely an interesting arrival!

I'm beginning to learn that you just have to go with the flow in Kenya. Transportation to work today was interesting as the cab was late picking me up thus making me miss the CDC shuttle to the office. Luckily the cab driver knew where the office was located and we made it eventually after a few long talks with security at the gate. Hopefully getting set up logistically today with a badge and email so I can fully get started. More pictures to come. I was able to visit an elephant orphanage while in Nairobi and will share that experience and pictures shortly!