So today was our day for "team bonding" to unite all the Kenyan Op Smile Volunteers (about 75% of the team) with the International Volunteers (25% of the team). Except for the fact that the "bonding day" started a little early with a 5 am wake up call (which is someone from the hotel knocking on your door until you respond...no phones in the rooms)...it was great :). We went to the Lake Nakuru National Park...Schoolbuses & drivers had been donated for our transportation (that was interesting!) and we had to pay $75 to get in (more than Disneyland!)...but it was worth it especially since I am not staying after to go on a Safari. We drove all thru the park on non paved roads & saw SOOOO many animals....before we went in we (meaning the non Kenyans) were so excited when we saw the monkeys at 6 a.m. little did we know that by the end of the day Zebras would barely get our attention because we saw so many of them. We were able to get out of the bus & up close - except for near the lion...and we saw....baboons, water buffalo, gazelles, white rhinos, giraffes, lions, monkeys, flamingos (what the lake is famous for but alot had migrated), hyrex (an african varmant), a variety of lizards (Sarah you would've hated that!), ostrich, water bucks, hyenas, zebras, pelicans, impalas, elands, warthogs & probably a few things I am forgetting. Yes it pretty much made me want to start singing all the Lion King songs!!! We were there for 8 hours & I took a TON of pictures. Then went to the "Rift Valley Sports Club" (African Version of a Country Club) for lunch - interestingly enough it was just a nicer version of the hospital lunches - must be standard fare...cabbage salad, rice, cooked spinach or collard (looks like cooked grass to me), beef in a sauce (really good) & they had chicken too. The Kenyan team members did some singing & dancing for us - I did a video of them - they were great! We finished at 3 & then at 4 the eight Latter Day Saint members of the team had a brief church service & then I took a much needed nap before our team mtg.
A few other "Fun Facts"...at dinner one night the "Amazing Race Spain" teams w/ their camera crew came in the the same restaurant (3 teams of 2) & one rule is they couldnt buy dinner after 7 pm so the Op Smile team bought them dinner...I am sleeping under a mosquito net every night although I have yet to see or be biten by a mosquito (but other have so no complaining & I am still taking my malaria medicine), the "Pantry" of food I brought has been a lifesaver as I can only eat so much African Hospital food for lunch & my friends on the mission are calling my room Wal-Nancy (like Walmart) becasue I seem to have everything everyone needs so I am feeding many!, it was odd to be at the African outdoor market & hear Justin Beiber blaring from the speakers, they feed us a wonderful breakfast each morning - a chef that makes omlettes & fruit & lots of African food I have tried but not added to my morning routine, I bought a Kenyan cell phone (a Nokia actualy) a SIM card and 300 minutes & texting to the USA for $35...best money I have spent here so I have talked to all my family & that makes me much more focused on doing the work that needs to be done here w/o worrying about home!
And let me tell you about the "Diet Coke Miracle"...finally yesterday I was able to walk to a grocery store a few blocks away (being out on the streets here in & of itself is an experience). I was tired of getting bottle "Coke Light" at the hotel & other team members told me to go there & get the plastic bottles so I could take one each day to the hospital to have when I "hit a wall" mid afternoon. It was a nice store & I immediately went to the soda aisle & NO COKE LIGHT (except in bottles)...imagine my distress!!! I stopped a store clerk & asked about it & he said they were out of stock...the rest of the Op Smile team had gotten their first & bought it all!!! arghhh was I really going to have to buy & lug bottles? I decided to ask another clerk when it might get restocked...he took me to their "office" looked on the computer for inventory & then took me to another office & another computer & said there should be 1 case in the wholesale section of the store. I followed him dowstairs to some sort of a basement (yes I was desperate & yes it was safe) & there were cases of all kinds of soda everywhere, he moved about 30 cases around & found me the last case of 20 oz bottles of Coke Light in all of Nakuru I am sure...he said it was packaged to be sold as a case & I said no problem I will take it :) So between the phone & the coke light I am ready to take on the week! It was added to my pantry & I have already shared with other team members!
So tomorrow the chaos starts (so I am told) the 25 surgeries for tomorrow checked into the hospital tonight at 5 & will get bathed & prepped for surgery & we will head over there to set up at 6 am w/ the 1st surgeries at 8...there are 5 surgical tables & our tiny recovery room w/ 3 "beds" so the patient flow should be interesting, also the post op ward is about a 10 min walk outside from the recovery room. I am sure it will all work out after all Op Smile has been doing this for almost 30 years!!! & over 160,000 smiles. I will let you know how it goes but I gotta get to bed - big day ahead of me! Love to everyone & check in on my family its week 2 & things might be getting scary there!
P.S. Probably can't upload pics tonight sorry!
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