Today is my last day in Kenya. Crazy, I know. I spent the last few days at Maasai Mara which was incredible. I flew on a small plane there, low enough to the ground to see so much. It was too much for my mind to grasp-the immensity of the plains below was awesome. I stayed at a Lodge that overlooked the plains, seeing zebra and baboons, among other things, right out my window. I was able to go on two game drives, one in which we drove to the Serengeti. (so i walked to Tanzania, hee hee) It was so unimaginable-you just stand there and as far as your eye can see is open plains, completly untouched by man. Such a full silence surrounded me, only birds and animal noises. It felt so sacred. I loved it. In my drives, I saw everything you can think of-elephants, giraffes, lions, cheetahs, hyenas, gazelles, warthogs, impalas, topees, zebra, vultures, buffalo, baboons, hippos-all in one place! I even watched a crocodile eat a zebra. Unreal. It was one of the coolest things I have ever experienced.
The week before that was spent at the hospital, as i mentioned before. That was so valuable because I was able to see anything and everything-i could sit in on exams, walk around in the wards, and do a lot of hands on helping. I even spent one day doing casting on babies with clubbed feet! It is so interesting because the beds are just out in the open, and the mom's stay with the babies in the same bed. In kenya if you are a mom you are called by your youngest child's first name, for example my mom would be called "momma Hannah". The hospital is very kid-friendly and just a great environment to be in. The people that are there have very difficult conditions; spina bifida, hydrocephalus, clubbed feet, awful and bizarre burns, lots of contracture patients, etc. A lot of people wait until their condition is very bad, so they are treating things that for the most part would never be seen in the states because it would never have progressed that far. For example, there are a lot of feet deformities and infected ulcers because of someone who has been walking/crawling in a strange way for their whole life because they didn't get the care they needed when they first were learning to walk with, say, one leg shorter than the other. I also saw a 5 month old baby who was flown in from way up north in the bush who had the most horrendous burns i have ever seen in my whole life-i can't beleive she survived one month without being treated. She rolled into the fire in the middle of her mud hut when her mother was outside. She must have been in it for such a long time because some areas were burned to the bone. My heart just broke over many of the patients...however the hospital is doing such wonderful things and is so very blessed. It was so cool to be a part of it for a few days.
Well, today i depart for london, then New york. i don't know what to make of it, I am sure it will be strange for awhile. But i am so so excited to come home, even excited for the cold! Thanks for reading this and sharing in my experience with me. God bless, and may His faithfulness be on you!!!
Heidi :)
p.s. for those who have posted comments asking questions, email at heidi.govednik@gmail.com so i know how to answer you.
