Mel - my elective and other adventures

Update

2006-12-22T20:31:00.000+10:00

So now i've got a few of my kenya photos up finally you will all have to wait until I get back for the rest of my Europe ones. I am over uploading them.

You may or may not have heard about the drama with flights into London so I'll give you a bried rundown. For the past two days London has been covered in a thick fog so that almost no flights could get through. So of course my flight out of Paris yesterday was cancelled but i wasnt aware of it until I rocked up to the airport and said goodbye to everyone. So I was in Paris with no Euros (having spent them thinking i would only need pounds) and no forseeable way to get to London (flights are cancelled pretty much up until christmas). So I got on the phone and called Eurostar (the Paris to London train) and managed to score myself a ticket on the 5pm train. It was lucky I called because when I arrived at the station there was a huge line and people were missing out on tickets. As of today pretty much all tickets to on the train are booked till christmas so i was lucky i got one. After a long wait at the station I finally got on and got to Julie's around 9pm. A bit annoying as it cost me another 120 euros to get the ticket but i cant really complain because at least i made it.

Wild life

2006-12-22T20:25:00.000+10:00

A few of my fave wildlife pics from Kenya.

Photos

2006-12-22T20:23:00.000+10:00

Patients on the floors because there were not enought beds. And still smiling.

Photos

2006-12-22T20:17:00.000+10:00

The state of the wards and the hospital. Speaks for itself.

Kenya photos... at last

2006-12-22T20:09:00.000+10:00

A few pictures of the kids on the ward. We saw so many malnourished kids like the first picture it was such a relief when the kids got better and could go home (but to what?). The second photo was when this little boy got to go home.

I hate typing on french keyboards

2006-12-19T23:36:00.000+10:00

It is really hard to type anything on french keyboards. All the letters are in different places.

I went on a wine tour near Bordeuax which was fantastic. Apart from the obvious (like getting to taste 60 dollar bottles for free!) I got to learn about the process of making it and saw all the equipment that they used to use. Really fun. Pretty much the whole area around Bordeaux is surrounded by grape vines!

Anyway - I am in Tours at the moment. Last night I stayed in Nantes which was absolutley freezing. Its not too bad at the moment until the wind blows and then its about 1 degree! It has been great visiting all these towns near christmas because they all have christmas markets - oh and everyone is always drinking which suits me fine!

I am off to Orleans tomorrow. This last bit has been done a bit quick so we can get through to Paris in time.

Bordeaux

2006-12-17T03:21:00.000+10:00

I have left Spain after a stop in Pamplona where I had the best crepes ever (banana and nutella). I arrived in Bordeaux today and I really like it here. Have spent the afternoon wandering the christmas markets and organising wine tasting for tomorrow. We are driving out to a Chateau that I can`t pronounce the name of, so it must be good. I have two nights here and then off up to Nantes. It hasn`t really hit me that christmas is so soon until I got here and everyone is out and about celebrating already.

Oh and if you are reading this UK family - can`t wait to see you all next week. My flight arrives in at Heathrow on Thursday afternoon so I should be in Witham by the early evening (and thanks for the offer of a lift Kath but I`ll be fine catching the train). See you all then!

Madrid

2006-12-15T00:59:00.000+10:00

I was half right about Madrid. It is just a huge city but I did manage to find a few sights that I really enjoyed.

Have walked a million kms today. Saw the Palace (couldn't go it because there is some kind of official event), cathedral (every town has one), heaps of little plazas that are apparantly worth seeing and then went to the Prado Museum. That was my favourite place here I think. Of course I don´t know enough about art to really appreciate what I saw but there are some famouse pieces and famous artists etc.

Tonight I have a booking for a spanish vegetarian restaurant. I have been living of tortillas (potato and onion) and cheese since I arrived in Spain so hopefully I can have something a bit different. I wish there weren´t so many patisserie´s though. I eat so many criossants and danishes in a day its very lucky that i have to walk everywhere.

Off to Pamplona tomorrow (wrong time of year for the running of the bulls though).

Hola

2006-12-13T23:08:00.000+10:00

I'm in Spain at the moment. I'll give you a quick run down on where i've been.

First stop was Barcelona. Then onto Valencia then to a little town called Cuenca and now I'm in Toledo just south of madrid.

Barcelona was fantastic and we stayed really close to the centre of town. Valencia was really freezing even though it was meant to be warmer (it is further south).

Cuenca is a little town built on top of a cliff with fantastic views and really little streets.

Toledo was meant to be just a convinient stop on the way to madrid but is turning out to be a really fascinating little town.

Onto Madrid tomorrow but i am not expecting much more than a huge city but hopefully i am pleasantly surprised.

Kenya photos

2006-12-09T02:13:00.000+10:00

OK. The computer is stuffing up. I'll try when I get to Barcelona.

Bonjour

2006-12-09T01:57:00.000+10:00

Quick update on my travels.

Spent a night in Venice which was fantastic. I really enjoyed exploring the streets and canals. Shame it was so expensive. Spent a night in Milan after a nightmare journey on the road. Milan in pretty much just a big city with lots of shopping (for people who can afford to spend a fortune).

I'm now in France. Spending a couple of days exploring Nice and Monte Carlo (in Monaco) before heading to Barcelona in Spain. Will be back to France though after Spain. Nice is really beautiful and would be great in the summer. Monaco is the richest country per capita and it shows. There is no crime and the streets are really beautiful. Basically they have too much money and not enough to spend it on. I must admit that I didn't really like Monte Carlo. Too many expensive cars and people walking around in designer clothes from head to toes (even their dogs had their own Louis Vuitton bags). It seems ridiculous that people are so rich in a world where poverty is such a huge problem. Admittedly that can be said about a lot of countries but I guess that in Monaco it is staring you in the face.

As promised I will post the Kenya photos.

Firenze

2006-12-05T00:35:00.000+10:00

Today I toured Florence. It rained all day. The town is beautiful though. I have had an hour or so free to be able to put the photos on up. I'm sorry that they are not rotated in some cases but I can't work out how to do that because this site is written in Italian when I access it from here! I'll put up some Kenya ones when I find a computer with a CD drive (I burnt them all to CD to free up some space on my camera).

Last night we went to have dinner at this restaurant near our hostel (surprisingly Italian!) but they were booked out. Luckily they had a cancellation for tonight and can fit us in - they must be good though so I can't wait. On the topic of food I had the best chocolate pastry this afternoon and the stongest hot chocolate. If you sit down at cafe's here you get charged 1 or 2 euros so you end up just standing at the bar with a coffee in one had and your pastry in the other.

You would not believe the amounts of beautiful chocolate that they have here as well... I am in heaven.

Climbed this bell tower today which was 414 steps high and walked about 10km. At least I am doing something to work it all off.

Pisa

2006-12-05T00:28:00.000+10:00

I suppose everyone who goes to Pisa ends up with this photo.

Almafi coast

2006-12-05T00:20:00.000+10:00

This is view as we drove into Sorrento. Some of the craziest roads ever but beautiful coastline. This place gets packed out in summer so we were lucky that it was winter and we could get somewhere to stay.

Our car

2006-12-05T00:17:00.000+10:00

This is a picture of our brand new car. It is not big compared to Australian standards but try getting it down some of the tiny Italian roads and we have to breath in deeply!

St Peter's

2006-12-05T00:14:00.000+10:00

This is St Peter's Cathedral in Vatican City. The pope was not in on the days we were in Rome. He went to Turkey the day we arrived!

Trevi fountain

2006-12-05T00:11:00.000+10:00

Me and the Trevi fountain at night time. The story goes that are supposed to throw a coin over your shoulder into the fountain. One coin to make sure you return to Rome, two to move to Rome and three to marry an Italian. I just threw one in!

Scooters!

2006-12-05T00:08:00.000+10:00

Everyone in Rome rides a scooter. I took this photo as we were wandering down a little street packed full of parked scooters.

Colosseum

2006-12-05T00:04:00.000+10:00

The Colosseum in Rome. I really enjoyed wandering around the ruins in Rome. The collosseum is the most preserved.

Our cottage in Mombasa

2006-12-05T00:00:00.000+10:00

The guide book described these cottages as "a sweet orange collection sloping down to the sea" - we think they may be colourblind.

Mombasa tusks

2006-12-04T23:47:00.000+10:00

This is the one and only tourist attraction in Mombasa - the Mombasa tusks. Had to get at least one photo of these.

Photos

2006-12-04T23:37:00.000+10:00

This is the view from our little cottage on Diani Beach (South of Mombasa). A real tropical paradise. Shame the cottage its self left a lot to be desired.

More pictures to come

2006-12-04T03:48:00.000+10:00

Oh... and I promise to put up my Rome photos tommorrow.

Umbria and Tuscany

2006-12-04T03:32:00.000+10:00

I am now out of Rome so I'll give you a brief run down on what I've been doing since then.

We picked up the car (a brand new Peugeot 307 wagon) and drove to the Almafi coast (in the South of Italy). We stayed the night in Sorrento in a converted convent which over looked the sea (it was beautiful and the breakfast was amazing). Then spent the day walking the ruins at Pompeii. Last night we spent the night in a little town in Umbria perched on a cliff called Orvieto. Today I was in Pisa seeing the leaning tower and the cathedral. The next two nights I am in Florence, Tuscany and then off to Venice.

The weather has been a fresh 15 degrees during the day usually and a little chilly at night. This morning we woke to 3 degrees but the car soon warmed us up. Today was the first rain we have seen and it did not last.

The food here is amazing as well. I look forward to every meal. I have been stuffing myself with pasta, pizza and the best gelati ever!

This place seems such a contrast to where I have just spent a month. I walk past so many designer clothing stores and can't believe people are wasting so much money. I guess I am guilty of that myself just by being here though. It is nice though to no have to worry about my safety so much. While in Europe you still have to be careful I don't feel such a big sense of worry when I enter the cities.

I am enjoying experiencing the lead up to christmas in Europe (all the lights and trees are out and it looks amazing). I miss everyone back home though and wish you could all have a white christmas (well maybe) with me!

Buon giorno

2006-11-30T03:54:00.000+10:00

I've arrived in Rome safe and well. The journey from Mombasa was a hot 10 hour bus ride. Then a 10 hour flight to London and another 2 hours to Rome. All in all I am glad to be her. The hostel we are staying at is great and we've already started exploring Rome. The Colosseo, Palantine, Trevi fountain, Pantheon were the major sights on our list today. I'm off to Vatican city tomorrow to see all there is to see. We pick up our car on Friday and then head to Naples.

Its great to get my teeth into some of this Italian food after living on steamed cabbage for the last few weeks. It also feels great to be able to walk down the street and not be hassled by people just because I am caucasian. Things are not as expensive here as they are going to be in the UK and I get heaps of discounts because of my British passport (so thanks to mum and dad for being born in the UK I guess).

Hope everyone is happy with their exam results. I'm still debating whether to check mine or not.

Enjoy your holidays if you are getting them.

Beach boys and the like

2006-11-28T00:35:00.000+10:00

I arrived in Mombasa after a 17 hour journey (that was meant to take 12 hours!). The weather has been perfect and the view from our cottage is amazing. Apart from being hassled relentlessly by the "beach boys", who offer everything from tours to less appealing things (if you get what I mean), the last few days have been great.

I'm fly out to Rome tommorrow evening from Nairobi (after another 8 hours on a bus) and I'll write more when I get in.

Off to Mombasa

2006-11-24T21:56:00.000+10:00

Yesterday was our last day at the hospital - I got scrubbed up to assist with some surgery on the grossest sebaceous cyst and a lipoma. Surgery is not as exciting as it can appear - especially when you are just holding back bits of skin and mopping up blood!

It was sad to leave all the staff at the hospital - they loved having us around and have already invited students to come back next year.

I'm off to Mombasa on the train in a few hours (first class can you believe it!). A few days in the sun is just what I need right now.

More pictures

2006-11-24T21:45:00.000+10:00

This is a photo of me and a couple of nutritionists at the hospital. This is where I eat my lunch everyday (except when it pours).

Pictures at last

2006-11-24T21:30:00.000+10:00

Thought that it was about time that I published some photos. Bearing in mind that they take about 10 minutes each to up load you all have to be very appreciative.

This first one is a picture of the house we have been staying at for the last month. It has electricity most of the time and running water a couple of days a week.

How to make Pizza

2006-11-21T22:49:00.000+10:00

We thought that we would do something nice for the family we are staying with so we decided to cook dinner for them. They had never had pizza so we thought that it would be a cool idea to make them pizzas. We trundled off to the supermarket and bought everything that we needed (harder that it appears - there are no pizza sauces, mushrooms and good cheese here). After spending an hour or so preparing the pizza (minus a cheese grater - have you every tried to make pizzas without one) we go to put them in the oven only to discover that it doesn't work! So we are stuck with six cold pizzas and no way to cook them. The next best thing (or so we thought) was to get some charcoal burning and try to cook them with a metal thing over the top to melt the cheese. All that ended up happening was the bases got burnt and the toppings stayed cold. Add to that the burnt garlic bread and we can safely say the meal was a disaster. We thought that at least we would be saved by an expensive chocolate sponge and ice cream cake that we had put in the freezer earlier. It was only when we went to serve it that we realised that they actually use their freezer as a fridge because it only gets down to about 4 degrees. So to top it all off we had a lovely dessert of mushy chocolate stuff. mmm... yum.

Apart from that disaster last night my weekend was wonderful. Maasai Mara is beautiful and the camp site that we stayed at was great. We stayed up all night singing with the Maasai warriors that were looking after us... very cool (except for the sounds of hyenas that serenaded us to sleep!) .

Today we saw one of the kids that went home last week and he looked fanatastic (well he had at least put on weight). It is really nice to see the patients when they are doing well. Not so cool to see patients that are still in hospital since before we arrived. Saw a massive goiter today that we get to see operated on later in the week. Also seeing things that I have only ever read about in text books.

Yesterday I bought a set of standing scales and a kettle for the paed ward (with the money from my grandparents). It doesn't sound like much but they were so grateful as it will make things so much easier for them. At the moment they can't accurately give the correct dosages to the older kids because they can't weigh them. The mothers that need to boil water (all the water here has to be boiled) have to get it from home because there are no facilities to boil water at the hospital. The kettle also allows the doctors to boil water for medical procedures. Who would have thought that such simple things can make such a huge difference? We also found out from a consultant physician that the drugs we bought over saved a persons life on the first day (he was suffering from cryptococcal meningitis) and the hospital had run out of the drugs needed to treat him. It's good to hear that coming has made some difference.

I'm off to spend the rest of my grandparents money on some combivent and multivitamins for the paed ward. They will be really happy to recieve them. There are so many kids who's parents can't afford them.

I've only got two more days at the hospital left and it will be hard to go knowing that there is so much more that needs to be done.

I'm off to Mombasa for the weekend. Apparantly the coast is really hot at the moment so that should be a nice change after all the rain we have had over the last few weeks.

Hopefully my dinner is a lot more appetising tonight.

Take care everyone.

Off to Maasai Mara

2006-11-17T15:36:00.000+10:00

Firstly, I must apologise for the lack of photos on this page. It is hard enough finding internet with a decent speed let alone a computer that will take my XD card. When I get to Rome I will post some photos of my time in Kenya.

I'm just about to get on a bus to go to Maasai Mara (a huge game reserve) to spend a couple of days trying to spot some animals. Should be fun.

Got to scrub in on some surgery the other day (for a subluxation of a phalynx). Firstly, the most excting thing was the theatre had running water (pretty easy to excite me these days) so we were suitably impressed with that. The surgery didn't go that well and we had to go back in the next day (once the family of the patient went and bought the wire we had to insert)- only we couldn't because there was no soap to wash the scrubs from the previous day! So we had to delay it until next week. And everyone was so accepting of it. They are so used to not having access to the basic supplies that it comes as no surpise to them. Tanya and I were very frustrated.

Spent some time in casulty this week as well. The cases are amazingly diverse. From coughs and colds to mothers bringing in their almost comatose children that have meningitis. One mother asked the Clinical officer whether she should cut out her child's uvula (a common traditional practice) to stop it from coughing!! (it had pneumonia).

The Kenyan medical system is really poorly set up. Mostly we work with Clinical officers who are not doctors and can only prescribe certain things. There is usually only one qualified doctor per ward to sign off on all the other things. So you would think that they would start to train more doctors but that costs too much so they just churn out unqualified Clinical Officers as a sort of stop gap for the short term. There is not much long term planning that goes on.

Anyway- Hope you're all well.

Riding bikes hurts

2006-11-14T22:15:00.000+10:00

Stayed at lake Naivasha on Saturday night. We rocked up having paid for some dorm accommodation (we were thinking it was going to be pretty basic) and were faced with the dorms from hell. Some bits of wall were missing and the mattresses were about 1cm thick. It was so dusty and dirty. Needless to say we paid the extra and got a tent pitched for us. We thought it was a great idea until it started raining. Although we had been assured that the tent was in fact water proof, it was not the case. So - we were a little cold and a little wet but at least the tent was cleaner than the dorms.

There is a reason that I haven't ridden a bike for 10 years - I'm not that good at it. But I thought, "What the hell, I'll give it a go". But instead of taking it easy for my first ride in such a long time, Tanya and I set off on a ride through one of the National Parks (aptly named Hell's gate) on Saturday afternoon. What was supposed to be a relaxing afternoon of meandering through Kenyan's wildlife turned into 28km of riding our way on the softest sand (not that easy to do) alternating with the bumpiest dirt tracks. And of course the only time I fell off was when we happened to be on bitumen - two scraped knees and some serious bruises to show for my efforts.

Sunday we went to Lake Nakuru which just happens to be drying up at the moment. Trust us to come when one of the most popular tourist attractions is at its worst. But it was great none the less. Saw the famous flamingoes and all the other animals etc. So far in Kenya, havn't seen a hippo, a wild elephant, cheetah or leopard. We are going to Maasai Mara this weekend so we'll probably catch them all then.

The plan was to go to Mombasa next weekend but the roads down there are kind of flooding so we'll have to see how that all works out.

The hospital is a bit quiet at the moment which is good for the patients but it makes it a little hard to find stuff to do. Today we took all the kids lolly-pops. I have never seen kids so facinated by the wrappings of a lolly before! It is good to see them smile - something they don't tend to do when I am stabbing them with cannula's.

Yesterday we were standing around in paeds (which is where I tend to be a lot, who would have thought that kids like me?) and the nurse comes up to the doctor and was like "The patient in bed 3 can't afford those drugs you prescribed her" and we were thinking it must have been quite a bit of money (for them) and the doctor was like "Oh- well there's nothing we can do". Tanya and I asked how much it was and it turns out it was 60 Kenyan Shillings (about $1.20). Between us we had that much in change in our pockets so of course we just handed it over. It just seems so riduculous that this patient would not normally have got the drugs for her baby to recover. It is so frustrating. There are so many cases where money limits that care that we can provide. We end up discharging kids that would still be in ICU back home just because without more tests or drugs (both need money) we can't do anymore.

On that depressing note I'm off - looking forward to my my evening meal of ugali and spinach .

B-A-N-A-N-A-S

2006-11-11T15:32:00.000+10:00

The Kenyan's seem set on screwing us out of as much money as possible while we are here. We get hassled pretty much everytime we step out of our car, especially in the markets and around shops. People are always trying to get us to go on Safaris, by there stuff or just give them money. They see a white person and think that I must be wealthy (ha!). In general though, apart from all the stares I've been getting I've felt pretty safe here. You always have to be on guard but it is not too bad. We can't really walk around the neighbourhood without one of the family because foreigners are pretty rare out here (people point and stare at us all the time).

My diet has pretty much consisted of ugali and vegetables. I've had chipattes and kaos as well but basically it just vegetables and potatos sometimes (if I see another cabbage I think I will scream). The good thing is that the fruit over here is really cheap. I eat like four bananas a day to make up for the months I've been without. They cost about 10 cents each!

I'm just waiting to leave for my trip to Nakuru and actually found internet that works at a decent speed. It feels a bit wrong to be going on safari when there are so many people in the hospital that can't afford tests or scans and here I am spending money on going to see a lake. Being here has just put everything into perspective. Its hard not to feel guilty or wasteful spending money on non-essential things.

Fireworks are not always what they seem

2006-11-10T23:11:00.000+10:00

Tomorrow I'm off to Lake Nakuru and Naivasha. However, we bought the paper this morning and apparently the lake has dried up and there are no flamingoes left - should make for a great weekend.

Hospital is going OK - fixed my first cannula (well actually a brannula) on a kid the other day- got it first go thank- goodness. I'm splitting my time between the MSF HIV clinic, the TB clinic and the Paeds ward at the moment. Got to see some cataract surgery the other day and I'm off to see an orthopoedic surgeon in action next week (he's over from Italy). Next week we're also spending time in the antenatal clinic which should be interesting.

Diagnosed my first child today and wrote up a complete treatment plan which was pretty cool - pretty much all the kids have pneumonia, TB, meningitis and ricketts with or without HIV on top of it. It's almost a surprise when you come across a kid or parent who is not HIV positive.

I'm spending the money my grandparents dontated on some multivitamin syrup for the malnoursished kids. The parents cannot afford the $25 for three months supply which means that all the good intentions of the staff just go to waste. It's so strange not being able to prescribe a durg because the pharmacy does not have any left. So we end up using the second or third best option while in Australia it wouldn't be a problem. It just doesn't seem just. What is also alarming is that you get used to seeing kids so malnourished so quickly. After only 2 weeks I have become used to seeing kids that at one year old weigh less than when they were born. It is so frustrating because the hospital is so ill equipped to deal with so much of the problems they face. They have no ICU, no flyscreens on the windows (the flies are so numerous its ridiculous), the patients get this kind of porridge gruelly stuff for lunch and dinner because that is all the budget extends to. One day this week there were so many patients on the ward that kids were sharing three to a bed! Even the adults are usually two to a bed. And we think we have it bad with overcrowding back home.

The place we are staying is in a pretty rough part of town. The other night we heard what we thought were fireworks and we were like "Oh I wonder what they are celebrating"... then we asked the people we are staying with and they said "those are gun shots"... We were like "Oh." At least we are in a secure compound with a night watchman (so don't worry mum!).

What I wouldn't give for running water sometimes though. Or for that matter pizza or hot chips (I'm a bit over steamed veggies and ugali or rice)... can't wait for all that Italian food!

Hope you are all OK. Drop me an email or write a comment here so I can find out how everything is going for you all.

Jambo

2006-11-04T18:44:00.000+10:00

I'm in Nairobi today checking out the sites and spending money in the markets (its amazing how much you can get for like $20). I'm off to Nairobi National Park tommorrow and the Giraffe centre which should be fun.

I'm working in Paeds at the moment and I thought I'd tell you all a few things about the hospital:

There is no running water
Patients share beds (most beds have two patients in them)
There are no sharps bins (pretty scary)
The kids are so malnourished. Most of them are just bones with a bit of skin covering them.
There are no flyscreens and the flys get absolutely everywhere
Patients have to pay for most of their medications and tests (which means even though we really need to give them multivitamins or do CT scans they cannot afford to so we have to watch them die)

Anyway- I'll update more when I have the time to. They are letting me do cannulations on the kids on Monday (poor kids) so I'll let you know how it goes.

I'm Here and Safe

2006-11-02T23:34:00.000+10:00

Hey everyone,

I'm arrived fine. I'm safe. They lost one of our packages on the way over but we have it now. Internet access is a bit hard over here so I'll update you all when I can. The hospital is very confronting and the cases we are seeing are very challenging (emotionally and medically). Having problems with accommodation and things but it should sort it self out. Will do a full update when I get the chance.

Good luck to those of you that have exams soon.

Hope all of you that are on elective are having a great time.

Love you all!

At the airport

2006-10-30T08:53:00.000+10:00

Am at Sydney airport at the moment.  Everything with checkin and extra baggage went smoothly.
Got the coolest jacket at mountain design yesterday.  A big thank-you to Simon and Andrea who put me up in Sydney last night and drove me around when I needed
it!

Am about to fly out to Jo'burg and hopefully the 9 HOUR wait goes quickly.

Wish me luck.

I love QANTAS

2006-10-26T18:38:00.000+10:00

I am hereby back tracking on every bad word I have said about QANTAS. They have now given both me and Tanya 25kg extra baggage each. Now we can take over all the supplies that we have had donated. This includes thousands of dollars worth of pharaceuticals, textbooks and medical equipment. Now we can spend the money that my grandparents and parents have donated to buy sterile supplies when we land in Nairobi (again thanks to Mum and Kerry and to my grandparents) and maybe any other items that we can afford. It has been overwhelming the support I have received from all my family, not only monetary but encouragement etc. So thank-you to you all.

So exams are done and hopefully I won't be returning to sit the supps. Can't believe I have finished my first year.

2006-10-20T12:55:00.000+10:00

I hate paperwork. Why does the government insist on making things so difficult by making you fill out about a bizzilion forms just to take some stuff out of the country. The people in the departments themselves are great until they hand you about 50 forms to complete. We've spent half of the last week filling out stuff when we should have been studying. And then there is QANTAS who won't give us any excess baggage (even though we are taking DONATIONS) and are trying to charge us $24 a kg. Sucks big time.

2006-10-19T18:21:00.000+10:00

This is Tarrant and I. The photo was taken on our weekend away to Jupiter's Casino on the Gold Coast.

2006-10-19T18:17:00.000+10:00

This is Tanya and I (she is coming to Kenya with me)

2006-10-18T07:50:00.000+10:00

I need to say a few thank-you's to people who have helped organise the donations for Tanya and I to take with us.

Firstly, to the Mater Hospital Pharmacy (and Mr Marshall) for supplying us with a contingency of pharmaceuticals to take with us and to all the staff who donated their time to pack it all up for us.

Secondly, to the UQ Herston Medical Bookshop for donating a number of textbooks that are needed by the hospital.

And perhaps most importantly to my grandparents (Gran and Poppa) for giving me some money to help pay for freighting it all over. Without it we would be stuck with a whole heap of donations and no way of getting them to Kenya.

2006-10-16T08:20:00.000+10:00

So a little bit about Kibera -

Home to about 800 000 people in about 3km squared.

There is no electricity, no sanitation and about an average of 5 people live in a dwelling the size of an average living room.

Most people do not own their houses in Kibera, they are owned by wealthier business people who have no incentive to build infrastructure or improve the community. Many people have no other choice but to live here because they do not make enough money to afford accommodation elsewhere.

The community is rife with communicable diseases (no surprise really taking in to account the close living conditions). Cholera, malaria and HIV are the major causes of mortality.

Mbagathi hospital is a public hospital situated on the cusp of Kibera. Although it is public, more often than not patients have to pay for their treatment. The cost of ARV medicine for those with HIV is well above the average total income for the entire year for a family. Luckily MSF has now set up a clinic in the grounds that supplies these patients with access to treatment diagnosis for free. But Mbagathi still struggles with overcrowded conditions and lack of adequate treatment options.

Anyway, thought you would all like to know a little about where I'm heading.

2006-10-16T07:52:00.000+10:00

5 days until my practical exam.
9 days until I finish my first year of medicine.
13 days until I leave for Nairobi.

So - everyone reading this will probably be asking... Why Nairobi? I know thats what my family and friends have asked.

The question to really ask me is why not? Why should I spend my elective in one of the hospitals that I work in all year? What do I really have to gain from being surrounded by people who have complete access to medical care? That are safe in the knowledge that when they present to hospital, they will be treated for free and that the drugs will be available. Now I know everyone always goes on about how our hospitals are crowded and the doctors are over worked. But the bottom line is that at least the doctors are able to do something for their patients. People in Australia do not die from diseases that can be easily treated with the right medication. They do not die from diarrhoea or malnutrition. So I'm going to Kenya so that I'll not forget that not everyone in this world is as fortunate as us. I'm going so that I can see first hand, not in some news story, the reality of living in a developing country and the daily struggles faced by other human beings.

I'm not under the delusion that my going to Kenya is going to have any impact on the state of things over there. Me and my small contingency of drugs and supplies will not make one ounce of difference. But it will be an eye opener for me. Is that selfish? To know that I will not make a difference but go anyway.

I know that no matter how much I prepare myself for this I will face confronting situations on a daily basis. There is nothing I can do but dive in and hope that I come out at the end of it with a valuable experience. And not totally disillusioned.