Thursday, December 31, 2009
happy new year
just wanted to wish you all a happy new year. hope that all your 2010 dreams come true. today was my last day with WASAW. it was sad but i am truly looking forward to moving to nakuru. there i will be able to participate more in a nursing role. i i will still get to see my wasaw friends when coming back to Nairobi. waht are your new years resolutions?
Sunday, December 27, 2009
HOME ALONE!
you guys i am home alone for the first time in kenyan!!!!! PARTY!!! i am spending this special time by watching MTV. my house family just got cable. on christmas we watched about five hours straight of true crime documentaires from the U.S. i thought that it may be Mr. richardsons dream holiday. wow. lady gaga in now wearing this red mask viel thing. i am so lost on my pop culture these days. something elses i am learning. americans should not attemp to make mexican food in kenay. for christmas eve i made tacos. it did not work and both my little brothers went hungry. pink is now on the trapezee. wow. at church on christmas morning thesse goats kept coming in the church. it was reallt entertaining. even more so than mtv reight now.
i was able to visit my next palcement last week. i travelled to nakuri=u with my roomate and irene. the IDP camp called pipeline that laura and i visited in april seems to have improved. in fact all of VICDAs project that i have returned to ahave improved which gives me much faith in Irenes organization and makes me feel more confident that i made the right choice in coming back to kenya. at pipeline i will be working with two other volunteers hannah from new zealand and stewart from maryland.. i am really looking forward to my time there. in august some austrailians funded a project to buil the camp a clinic. it is so nice but is only staffed two days a week. i met the pharmacist volunteers there namked linet. she is a lovely women and we are looking forward to working together.
hope your christmasses were wonderful. and i hope you have a great new year. love you.
i was able to visit my next palcement last week. i travelled to nakuri=u with my roomate and irene. the IDP camp called pipeline that laura and i visited in april seems to have improved. in fact all of VICDAs project that i have returned to ahave improved which gives me much faith in Irenes organization and makes me feel more confident that i made the right choice in coming back to kenya. at pipeline i will be working with two other volunteers hannah from new zealand and stewart from maryland.. i am really looking forward to my time there. in august some austrailians funded a project to buil the camp a clinic. it is so nice but is only staffed two days a week. i met the pharmacist volunteers there namked linet. she is a lovely women and we are looking forward to working together.
hope your christmasses were wonderful. and i hope you have a great new year. love you.
Friday, December 18, 2009
one week till christmas
dear freinds- i edited my last post. the seminar at kibera was not one that i organized i just participated. my mom mentioned something about it and it made me realize my post was misleading. i will try harder to make thinhgs clear. i still wont spell corectly. any who i am think ing of you lots and i hope everything is going well for you. tell me about your holiday palns. the difrancos do a theme gift every year for christmas. this year they are donating to charity for their theme gift. it really inspired me to create my own chairty to raise money for the people i am supporting. they need things to meet their basic needs like food but also capital to continue making income. my college kathrin and i have been supporting them where we can, if you would also like to help you can do so by visiting http://juliedifranco.chipin.com/kenyans. i will be using any donation directly to support kenyans in the HIV group and in the IDP camps. projects include purchasing a sewing machine for income generation and basic health needs in the IDP clinic. it is ok to give and it is ok not to give. on jan 4th i will be moving to nakuru to work in the internally dispalced person camp in their clinic. i am really looking forward to it.for christmas and new years i am going to lay low. this weekend i get to see gladys, a nursing student, i helped to sponsors last visit. i am freaking excited! she is so sweet and lou i remembered the pop rocks for her. ill let you know her reaction. hey mary i love that placenta tree photo so awesome. we should dance around it in a big circle in the spring holding hands and being merry. i love you guys with all my heart. for christams i would like to organize a phone dat e with anypone willing let me know. i am buying a phone card today. miss you
Thursday, December 3, 2009
a real post
soooo... i am really horrible at bloging. looking back i have noticed that i have told you about pink mangoes, singing plants, and penises but not much else. the reason this is because it is really important for me to tell the truth to you and fiquring out what the truth is can be a tricky thing so i have been giving real scientific facts instead. all plants are doing well by now with germany and control grouped tried by the way.
truth #1 thanksgiving was hard. i kept waking up in the middle of the night thinking ok right about now they are cutting the turkey.... and a little later.... ok right about now my friends are a little buzzed. it was good practice for christmas. i always remeber irv during this time. it has been 11 years since 1998. on thanksgiving weekend whatever i do i do for him. on sunday i hiked with giraffes for irv.
now i will tell you about my work. for the past month i have been working with a group of women who are hiv positve. they pride themsleves on being above stigma. what is stigma? probably a bigger killer than AIDS itself. i reasd about stigma in school and in stuff i like to read. it is one of the reasons that HIV is so hard to manage and why it spreads so rapidly in some parts of the world. fo a rough definition it is a mix of misleading beliefs, lack of knowledge, peer pressure, and fear. it leads to discrinination and therefore people lose their libves because their support systems crumble. the reason these women have fromed a group is for social support, community outreach and financial stability. Each women had thier own story of how HIV has effected their lives. Manyy lost thier husbands through death or abandomment many of thier children are also sick. this decreases thier econonic welfare and creates emotional trauma. community and family members often turn their back on people in kenya infected and therefore support groups are really important. our daily activities include jewly making, counseling, home visits to community mebers who are sick, planning education seminars for the community. the unique thing about the group of wmomen is that they are vocally speaking out about their status to fight stigma. stigma is so strong. last week i could not go to a bedriden patients house because a white person going to her home may signal that she has AIDS to her nieghbors causing larger problems. knowing ones HIV status is one of the first steps in fighting the spread of disease. i could really go on about how diifcult this simple thing can be i could talk for so long. i really care about the issue of HIV/AIDS. i feel lucky to be doing this work at this time of year when their are worldwide AIDS campaigns occurig. on the news everynight this week there has been an educational segment on AIDS. for every depressing factoid i hear about the disease a good thing also happens which leads me to belive that one day things will be what ever they will be. hehe. on the 1st kenya even had a gay and lesbian AIDS awarness day HUGE STEP! as a nurse i have seen health so differntly this past month. i really love public health, community health, home health even more than before. and maslows hierechy of needs is truly illustreated infromt of me daily. FOOD FIRST! the women i work with are on ARVs to stop the rate of growth of the virus inb their bodies. theses medicines are free to them abut food is not. so they have the medications for the disease but are often not able to eat. without nutrition how nuch can medciation do? well actually a lot the drugs work really well to help people living with the disease but you undersatnd right?
in the past month some political changes have occured that have forced us to change the place where we work, and the dynamics of the group. i have truly learned the meaning of empowerment and the value of working slow and listening. it is something i will take home with me. it has forced me to view aid work and volunteerism from several difernt angles. if you are praying please pray for a posiive impact, and patience, smart choices, and hope.
a crazy week. on friday i was invited to an aids seminar in kibera the second largest slum in the contient in africa. waht i learned. if you want kenyans to pay attention.... make a lot of noise!!! it was great to see. in my opinion, community heaklth at ists finest. they started with a coulpe of hundred people, a school band, and a huge puppet. when we got to the fairgrounds they had pry one thousand people gathrered. the organizers sang, danced, had drama, and a football, game to illustrate the information on the importantce of HIV testing and health. it was amzing! and of couarse hot!
the vert next day i travekd to a multimillion dollar home. the contrast was stunnjing. spemdiong one day in kibera with open swears and 1 million people and the next on a vast homesteaad with 6 cars, mango tress, and a talking parrot. the gap between rich and poor is so startiling and visible here.
i am just scratching the surface of some of the things i think about. i feel weird sharing so much on a blog because it is new to me. there are some really intamait( not sexy)things i would love to share about the experirence hera so we have coffee talk when i get home and i will talk your ear off.
i think about you everyday. thank you for your comments, texts, emails, prayers and good wishes. paula abdul is on the radio right now : "rush rush" so much fun in the basement on cantebury.
books i am reading:
so much ROald Dahl. my bother has a roald dahl treasury, THE BFG, GOING SOLO so good
invisilbe cure
half the sky thank you mary
just bought a book called half world away- yeah and it is referencing the OASIS song SCORE! BTW they are breaking up.
2006 readers digest
i really love hearing from you. i am so thankful for you.
TIM the TOolman ALLEN WISDOM: excerpt from 2006 readers digest
Leave every situation better than you found it
truth #1 thanksgiving was hard. i kept waking up in the middle of the night thinking ok right about now they are cutting the turkey.... and a little later.... ok right about now my friends are a little buzzed. it was good practice for christmas. i always remeber irv during this time. it has been 11 years since 1998. on thanksgiving weekend whatever i do i do for him. on sunday i hiked with giraffes for irv.
now i will tell you about my work. for the past month i have been working with a group of women who are hiv positve. they pride themsleves on being above stigma. what is stigma? probably a bigger killer than AIDS itself. i reasd about stigma in school and in stuff i like to read. it is one of the reasons that HIV is so hard to manage and why it spreads so rapidly in some parts of the world. fo a rough definition it is a mix of misleading beliefs, lack of knowledge, peer pressure, and fear. it leads to discrinination and therefore people lose their libves because their support systems crumble. the reason these women have fromed a group is for social support, community outreach and financial stability. Each women had thier own story of how HIV has effected their lives. Manyy lost thier husbands through death or abandomment many of thier children are also sick. this decreases thier econonic welfare and creates emotional trauma. community and family members often turn their back on people in kenya infected and therefore support groups are really important. our daily activities include jewly making, counseling, home visits to community mebers who are sick, planning education seminars for the community. the unique thing about the group of wmomen is that they are vocally speaking out about their status to fight stigma. stigma is so strong. last week i could not go to a bedriden patients house because a white person going to her home may signal that she has AIDS to her nieghbors causing larger problems. knowing ones HIV status is one of the first steps in fighting the spread of disease. i could really go on about how diifcult this simple thing can be i could talk for so long. i really care about the issue of HIV/AIDS. i feel lucky to be doing this work at this time of year when their are worldwide AIDS campaigns occurig. on the news everynight this week there has been an educational segment on AIDS. for every depressing factoid i hear about the disease a good thing also happens which leads me to belive that one day things will be what ever they will be. hehe. on the 1st kenya even had a gay and lesbian AIDS awarness day HUGE STEP! as a nurse i have seen health so differntly this past month. i really love public health, community health, home health even more than before. and maslows hierechy of needs is truly illustreated infromt of me daily. FOOD FIRST! the women i work with are on ARVs to stop the rate of growth of the virus inb their bodies. theses medicines are free to them abut food is not. so they have the medications for the disease but are often not able to eat. without nutrition how nuch can medciation do? well actually a lot the drugs work really well to help people living with the disease but you undersatnd right?
in the past month some political changes have occured that have forced us to change the place where we work, and the dynamics of the group. i have truly learned the meaning of empowerment and the value of working slow and listening. it is something i will take home with me. it has forced me to view aid work and volunteerism from several difernt angles. if you are praying please pray for a posiive impact, and patience, smart choices, and hope.
a crazy week. on friday i was invited to an aids seminar in kibera the second largest slum in the contient in africa. waht i learned. if you want kenyans to pay attention.... make a lot of noise!!! it was great to see. in my opinion, community heaklth at ists finest. they started with a coulpe of hundred people, a school band, and a huge puppet. when we got to the fairgrounds they had pry one thousand people gathrered. the organizers sang, danced, had drama, and a football, game to illustrate the information on the importantce of HIV testing and health. it was amzing! and of couarse hot!
the vert next day i travekd to a multimillion dollar home. the contrast was stunnjing. spemdiong one day in kibera with open swears and 1 million people and the next on a vast homesteaad with 6 cars, mango tress, and a talking parrot. the gap between rich and poor is so startiling and visible here.
i am just scratching the surface of some of the things i think about. i feel weird sharing so much on a blog because it is new to me. there are some really intamait( not sexy)things i would love to share about the experirence hera so we have coffee talk when i get home and i will talk your ear off.
i think about you everyday. thank you for your comments, texts, emails, prayers and good wishes. paula abdul is on the radio right now : "rush rush" so much fun in the basement on cantebury.
books i am reading:
so much ROald Dahl. my bother has a roald dahl treasury, THE BFG, GOING SOLO so good
invisilbe cure
half the sky thank you mary
just bought a book called half world away- yeah and it is referencing the OASIS song SCORE! BTW they are breaking up.
2006 readers digest
i really love hearing from you. i am so thankful for you.
TIM the TOolman ALLEN WISDOM: excerpt from 2006 readers digest
Leave every situation better than you found it
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving
HEY YALL!!!
Hope you are filling your bellies. I have the day off today. So it also feels like a holiday for me.
SOme science updates
Ther german plant is in the lead followed by englich and kiswahili. the plant with no song is grwoing the best. surprising data.
We had a community seminar on sat 57 people came. it was great. the best part was that mama grace came and spoke about stigma she is an hiv counseloer and she totally rocked. she was so mazing. it made me so proud to have her there. she also sugested that instead of using bananas we get a wooden penis made. i cant wait to show it to you.
wisah i was with you today. much more later. love you
Hope you are filling your bellies. I have the day off today. So it also feels like a holiday for me.
SOme science updates
Ther german plant is in the lead followed by englich and kiswahili. the plant with no song is grwoing the best. surprising data.
We had a community seminar on sat 57 people came. it was great. the best part was that mama grace came and spoke about stigma she is an hiv counseloer and she totally rocked. she was so mazing. it made me so proud to have her there. she also sugested that instead of using bananas we get a wooden penis made. i cant wait to show it to you.
wisah i was with you today. much more later. love you
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
something funny
yesterday i gopt top do something i have always wanted to do as a nurse. i talked to a group of high schoolers about HIV prevention. they were a very good audience. asked lots of great questions and really participated. we did a classic baanana condom demonstration. [passed it around and then it disappeared. a gropu of teenagers started to giigle in the back. they ate the babana.
two more seminars this week. one tomawrro and one saturday.
also you will be happy to know that i am conducting a very exclusive science experiment. i have two kid brothersa right and they are soon to be on holiday vasction at the end of this week. i wanted to to something fun with them in our idel time so i bought some grass seeds and we are gerowing them under certain conditions. here is what they came up with....
statring yesterday we are signing to our plants. i sing in english kathrin sings to another plant in german and the boys sing to a third plant in kiswahili. we are judging to see which grows best. i will let you know the results accordingly. any hypotheses?
i also am doing 10 push ups a day. this has been occuring for a week and a half now. so everyday i am doing 10 push ups and signing twinkle twinle little star to my plant. groew little plant grow!!!!
hey how do i become a follower like how it shows on amrys and lous?
tell me your weekend plnas and what you ate for dinner unless it was pizza... please dont tell me about pizza.
love youy so much
two more seminars this week. one tomawrro and one saturday.
also you will be happy to know that i am conducting a very exclusive science experiment. i have two kid brothersa right and they are soon to be on holiday vasction at the end of this week. i wanted to to something fun with them in our idel time so i bought some grass seeds and we are gerowing them under certain conditions. here is what they came up with....
statring yesterday we are signing to our plants. i sing in english kathrin sings to another plant in german and the boys sing to a third plant in kiswahili. we are judging to see which grows best. i will let you know the results accordingly. any hypotheses?
i also am doing 10 push ups a day. this has been occuring for a week and a half now. so everyday i am doing 10 push ups and signing twinkle twinle little star to my plant. groew little plant grow!!!!
hey how do i become a follower like how it shows on amrys and lous?
tell me your weekend plnas and what you ate for dinner unless it was pizza... please dont tell me about pizza.
love youy so much
Saturday, November 14, 2009
the day of the pink mango
hey how is everyone doing? it is so nice keeping in caontact with you this way. TC you kick ass! ICU! Uncle mike thanks for the advice and i agree about the love. couldn't survive without it! dani! loved the photo posted of irv and the stang what great growoing up memories we share.
the pink mango is different from any mango you have ever had in you life. i was feeling so low this week guys. i gotta confess. the job i am at is so challenging. and then i ate the pink mango. it is the sweetest thing in the whole world. it made me have tears in my eyes it was so good. it reminded me how sweet life is and since then i have been laughing and smiling so much. (lou- think ginger ice cream in saginaw). i am now getting into a routine and things seam much more managable. tomarrow i am going to see the new GVN volunteers at their orientation to share a liitle about volunteering iun KEnya andf hopefully meet some more friends. there is a nurse named sarah that i love who lives in the same bed that i did this past spring. she is so great and we have the same nurse philosphpy. at the end of this monthe we are planing to take a trip to the caost... dont worry mom in a large group. i thionk it wikl be nice to get away from the dut of the city for a weeend. i met a volunteer today who spent a month at my project and then a month at IDP just like i qwill be doing. it was great to share ideas. i found out there is an hiv group at camp already and a clininc that needs a nurse so that brings me excitedment.
i have to keep this short i have to go turn down a wedding proposal on may way home today so i should be going. :)
love you so much.
the pink mango is different from any mango you have ever had in you life. i was feeling so low this week guys. i gotta confess. the job i am at is so challenging. and then i ate the pink mango. it is the sweetest thing in the whole world. it made me have tears in my eyes it was so good. it reminded me how sweet life is and since then i have been laughing and smiling so much. (lou- think ginger ice cream in saginaw). i am now getting into a routine and things seam much more managable. tomarrow i am going to see the new GVN volunteers at their orientation to share a liitle about volunteering iun KEnya andf hopefully meet some more friends. there is a nurse named sarah that i love who lives in the same bed that i did this past spring. she is so great and we have the same nurse philosphpy. at the end of this monthe we are planing to take a trip to the caost... dont worry mom in a large group. i thionk it wikl be nice to get away from the dut of the city for a weeend. i met a volunteer today who spent a month at my project and then a month at IDP just like i qwill be doing. it was great to share ideas. i found out there is an hiv group at camp already and a clininc that needs a nurse so that brings me excitedment.
i have to keep this short i have to go turn down a wedding proposal on may way home today so i should be going. :)
love you so much.
Monday, November 9, 2009
blitz!
ok try to follow me..... typing fast.....
Number 1! thank you for your love and support. i am so grateful to you for encourageing me even though this may not me your favorite idea i have had. you are my favorite people and i love you so much. this is a hard job and i would never be able to continue withouit your love in my heart.
Number2! the facts
I live in yaya we have a shower a shopping mall annd house help... which means not a lot of dishes. its kinda weird to me. so i am very comfortable and safe. i work in lenana which is a slum 15 min matatu ride down the road.mom-pamela- dad peter- kioni and matu brothers. i live and work with kathrin 22 from germany. we are part of a womens group all postiveHIV members. right now we are working on marketing for their beading jewleery to increase income. guess what you are getting for christmas? they are lovely. it is hot. almost all the time i dont know how to help but i am learning everyday what are the right steps to take. but more on philosophy later i forgot i am typing facts. there aRE 6 WOMEN WE DO HOME VISITS on community members. today we tried to conviebve a sick women to go the hospital. "tomarrow"...she is HIV positive but because of stigma will not go to get treated. she just gave birth to a baby 1 month ago she has no milk cause it dried up. still will not go CHALLENGING! i am doing tEACHING NOV 17 SCHOOL SEMINAR nov 21 community seminar this is where i get to do my first condom on banana demonstration. you are invited. i am safe. everything is ok.
NUmber 3! news
Camp Talahi is closed for good. oh my GOD! crushing blow to my heart and being
GLADYS IS enrolled in school for sure in UGanda studying nursing
MOSH IS GOOD
mama grace says hello
my shingles pain is completly gone
i have sunburn
it is hot
NUMBER 4!
please tell me how your life is going. i miss hearing details froM your lives and i pray for you evryday.
lets play a family game of high/low
HIGH!!!- kenya had a country wide powere outage. i played hide ang go seek with my brothers kioni9 and matu 10 they says you cant see us cause we are dark!! haha
low!!!- missing you
Number 1! thank you for your love and support. i am so grateful to you for encourageing me even though this may not me your favorite idea i have had. you are my favorite people and i love you so much. this is a hard job and i would never be able to continue withouit your love in my heart.
Number2! the facts
I live in yaya we have a shower a shopping mall annd house help... which means not a lot of dishes. its kinda weird to me. so i am very comfortable and safe. i work in lenana which is a slum 15 min matatu ride down the road.mom-pamela- dad peter- kioni and matu brothers. i live and work with kathrin 22 from germany. we are part of a womens group all postiveHIV members. right now we are working on marketing for their beading jewleery to increase income. guess what you are getting for christmas? they are lovely. it is hot. almost all the time i dont know how to help but i am learning everyday what are the right steps to take. but more on philosophy later i forgot i am typing facts. there aRE 6 WOMEN WE DO HOME VISITS on community members. today we tried to conviebve a sick women to go the hospital. "tomarrow"...she is HIV positive but because of stigma will not go to get treated. she just gave birth to a baby 1 month ago she has no milk cause it dried up. still will not go CHALLENGING! i am doing tEACHING NOV 17 SCHOOL SEMINAR nov 21 community seminar this is where i get to do my first condom on banana demonstration. you are invited. i am safe. everything is ok.
NUmber 3! news
Camp Talahi is closed for good. oh my GOD! crushing blow to my heart and being
GLADYS IS enrolled in school for sure in UGanda studying nursing
MOSH IS GOOD
mama grace says hello
my shingles pain is completly gone
i have sunburn
it is hot
NUMBER 4!
please tell me how your life is going. i miss hearing details froM your lives and i pray for you evryday.
lets play a family game of high/low
HIGH!!!- kenya had a country wide powere outage. i played hide ang go seek with my brothers kioni9 and matu 10 they says you cant see us cause we are dark!! haha
low!!!- missing you
Monday, November 2, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
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