Hospital adventures

My first hospital stay was a steep learning curve, I didn’t realise how much went on, and made a fair few mistakes along the way. I cannot fault the hospital though, the staff were amazing, and kept me in good spirits and I was comfortable and well cared for. The nurses in particular were very patient with the amount of times I accidentally set the alarm off. It was too easy to sit on/roll over/pull out. The button was so big, and right next to the bed controls which I found quite irresistible. Having to sit up on my own now is a bit of a struggle and a real hassle! (You can see why it was getting critical that I got out, hospital laziness was really setting in!) I was staying in the Princess Pavilion, what a cool place to be!

The excitement of being discharged is slowly wearing off. Not sure why I woke up at 5am and could not sleep yesterday as was so happy to be going home. My bed here is not as fun, and my back ached last night from being completely horizontal-I just could not resist those buttons! As much as people complain about hospital food, the fact that it is brought three times a day and placed right in front of you with a smile, and was done for me every day for ten days, often with ice cream is treatment I have never before received and sadly may never again. I do still find my left hand enchanting and alluring and like to look at it fully as much as possible (it is very distracting), and am so happy there are no tubes going into it. Grandma always used to say what nice hands I have, I never believed her until now. My left hand is the most beautiful hand I have ever seen, despite the little tube scar!

On a serious note, it was a really tough time and I am so grateful for all the support I received in so many different forms. The Dr said I was hours from the infection developing into septicaemia and me going into intensive care so was hugely appreciative and relieved that he saw me when he did. It is making more sense now why I am so tired and especially now that I am home and can really relax. I think my body is finally admitting that it had been sick for months but can now recover and chill! Last Thursday was a real shock, I really thought I was getting the all clear and would be going back to work full time and getting my life back. When the Dr didn’t even allow me to go home to collect my things, and insisted that the drip be started even before payment was sorted I was scared, but still didn’t quite comprehend that I was ill.

Being away from home was hard. I didn’t want people to know how I was really feeling as knew it wouldn’t help and that also my emotions were all over the place because of the drugs, so tried to at least appear strong and positive (this conscious effort was made after my initial call to Matt saying I was going in!). The nurses were great at boosting me and would often try to make me giggle. They also were jealous of my magazines and would go through them in the evenings choosing their favourites and then ask if they could steal them away whilst I was sleeping if they promised to return them before morning! When I went down to theatre I was wheeled down on a bed and then needed to be transferred to the operating table. I was lying on a blanket and four staff all picked up a corner. I quickly asked what was going on and exclaimed that I could just move over to save them lifting, explaining that I was also rather heavy! They dismissed my concerns and counted to three to all begin lifting. They then found it very funny to all heave and ho before getting the giggles as they lifted me onto the table. I was initially so embarrassed and shocked, before joining them rather nervously laughing. My sense of humour was rather strained with nerves! It did definitely ease tension until of course I had my next burning question. I was also struggling with trying to ignore a song that had got stuck in my head. Before being wheeled down I was watching the news to take my mind off things. REM had just announced that they had split and so there was an item about their career and playing clips of their songs. The last song I heard?! It’s the end of the world as we know it. Oh man, not helpful! But fortunately the operating table turned out to be a distraction. Now I realise that I am not the tiniest, skinniest child, but I am also not the widest, largest man either. The table was so small, and not much wider than me. This intrigued me and I asked if they have different sizes or how they manage. Apparently it is one size fits all (much like the pyjamas). This really baffled me as I imagined large people hanging over the edges and really having to balance body parts carefully which may not be very helpful during surgery. It was then that the anaesthetist, probably having had enough of my questions, picked up my hand…..

As well as getting lots better, my time there was hugely informative, and I feel it is only right to share some golden nuggets of wisdom to possibly save you any possible unnecessary embarrassment in future.

Hospital staff wear uniforms so you can distinguish between their roles

On my first day I was felling quite groggy and spent a while wondering how I was to get dressed with a drip attached. Such simple answers when you know, but it took me asking a nurse to realise that it could be detached! Anyway, my lovely school secretary rang and warned me that my Head and the bursar were on their way to visit and organise the finances. This was to my horror, I was wearing the one size fits all hospital blue pyjamas which were so big they kept falling down and I didn’t have the strength in my hands to pull them tight cos of the drip. My hair was a mess and still with tear stained cheeks from the insertion of the drip and various needles over the last 12 hours (yes, I know, big wimpy baby) I was desperate for a shower. I was hurriedly trying to sort everything, when I worked out that I could not do up my bra. I rang the nurse and almost immediately a lady walked in. I asked if she’d mind helping me and was busy rabbiting on about my boss coming in and how I had to look a bit more presentable than I had done ten minutes before. It was only then that the nurse walked in and asked how she could help in response to me pressing the button. I turned to see a lovely member of the catering team helping me dress. Oops!

Doctors have seen it all before

The night before my op the anaesthetist came to see me to talk me through what would happen. As this was my first time under a general I was pretty clueless. My friends had warned me that I would have to be naked, and I argued with them, saying it was ridiculous that I couldn't wear my underwear and pondered whether it was just females who had to go nude (apparently not!) so luckily that didn't come up again, but I was still feeling a bit shy. So when the anaesthetist said that they would put stickers on my chest in theatre, I happily exclaimed, “Ooh good, to maintain my modesty?!” You should have seen his face...and my poor male colleague who happened to be visiting! Sadly that was not the purpose of the stickers. Well, now I know!

Don’t double gamble food choices in one day.

This was very foolish. The hospital was amazing, more like a nice hotel definitely and the food was great. Every day they brought me a menu and I would order for the next day. This was tricky and led to another gem of wisdom; don’t ever skimp on ordering cos not feeing hungry right at that moment. A lot can change! My appetite varied massively but the disappointment came too often as some of the drugs made me ravenous! As Nairobi has a large Indian community, and the hospital is in a particularly Asian area, a lot of the dishes were Asian. Some of the names I couldn’t really work out, and after a few days of choosing everything I knew, I thought it was time to branch out. Definitely a good idea, but not the best one when I decided to try totally unknown foods for every meal of the day. My chocolate supply took a big hit that day!

Remember what you are wearing…or not!

When I finally came round on Sunday it was a little later than I expected, and I woke up to visitors entering my room. I was so supported by friends here and was overwhelmed by the number of people who came to see me which was amazing. On Sunday visitors kept overlapping so by mid afternoon I was keen to get up and needed the loo, but had forgotten that I hadn’t stood, nor dressed since the anaesthetic. I had four people with me, and so started getting out of bed. This was probably my greatest Bambi impression. My legs were just not moving as quickly as I wanted and were not that strong either! I looked down and realised that I was rather nude under my gown (apart from the stickers, though they weren’t covering what I wanted them to!) so pulled the top together, only to realise that the bottom was then gaping. Oh dear. I then swiftly grabbed the bottom only to reveal the top. Oh my word. Fortunately three visitors could only see the Bambi leg wobbles, but my one poor male colleague! He was sitting right in front of me so had a good view, or not! I went to the bathroom and had a silent cry. It was only later when talking to Toby who was also there that I embarrassingly confessed but managed to see the funny side. He could not stop laughing, and asked, “Upstairs or downstairs?” We were both gigging when I answered very red facedly, “Both!!”

There is a silver lining to not being able to walk:

Once I was admitted to hospital and my body started responding to treatment my energy was soon spent fighting the infection and I grew very weak. My Dr wanted me to go for tests at his office, but I was not strong enough to walk so they sent a wheelchair. I was quite teary (surprise, surprise, it is generally my first reaction!) but the man pushing me responded well and lent close to me whispering, “I have a confession, I just can’t stop going fast!” Then off we zoomed! It was so much fun!!! We sped through the corridors and weaved in and out of patients and staff. I loved it! I am now keen to be generous and push any wheel chaired people around as much as possible, and encourage others to do so too. What a way of spreading joy and fun! Babies don’t realise how lucky they are in their prams.

Let loose

Today was our annual fun run, a cross country event for all the children in the school. It usually goes for a few km outside the school grounds and around the various residential streets then back to the school. This year though it was held on the sports field, with the poor kids running round and round the track. A lioness escaped from the park a couple of days ago and is yet to be captured, so it was too dangerous to risk. A few of us thought that it may speed up the kids somewhat but probably best to be cautious. Kenya's on the news too much right now anyway!

Just finished teaching a lesson by candlelight. My poor students have been without power for 11 hours.

Just another day in Africa. 

Camel racing

The long awaited camel derby......

On Friday morning we set off, all rather excited and very unsure as to what we'd signed up for and why! I heard about the camel derby a year ago, when my friend Zoe took part, and I was desperate to go, so we organised a "coach" and about 25 of us, ranging in age up to 65! It took us nearly ten hours....the roads were incredible, the worst I've ever seen. Some had huge holes in the middle, you really have to see it to believe it!

I miss tarmac

 We only got stuck once, and so the journey was pretty good! A truck passed by soon after and kindly pulled us out.

Our "luxury" coach stuck in the mud!

On Saturday morning we all registered, I was thrilled to be 01!! Felt it would be the nearest to first I'd ever get!

Meredith and I sporting out gorgeous camel derby racing shirts and our "positions"

We then had the interesting task of choosing camels. Hmmm.... where to start? It was difficult to know whether to go for a feisty, spitting and growling camel, or a more placid one, and then is it best to go for a huge one or a smaller one?!

Cute camels....when they're not spitting!

 My friend decided to go for one with a good saddle, she is a genius!! I went for a camel with a wooden saddle with strong stirrups and fortunately have no cuts or scratches on my legs (the same cannot be said for most of the group!). We had to practice getting on and off and standing up whilst the camel was also standing. It was lovely to have camera crews filing during this! I got interviewed by two different TV channels, and was on TV on Sunday night!

The race began with a countdown and camels wandering round and bumping into each other.

I was shocked at how fast the camels set off. I had a camel leader and then 4 children with sticks willing the camel to go faster. I cannot describe the pain! My tail bone is so bruised! 11km of sitting/standing (it was a weigh up between aching legs in an uncomfortable position or bouncing hard on the camel) whilst gripping on, my hands soon blistered! I wanted to give up pretty much the whole time! We raced through small villages and across the area. There were lots of onlookers and crowds cheering us on.

Cute kids excitedly cheering us on

When the finish line came into view I thought it was a mirage, I cannot describe the happiness and relief.

Woohoo!!

 I came third out of the women and 7th out of 35 overall-completely shocking! I got a lovely medal, with a classic misspelling of derby as deby! I now have aching shoulders, sore legs, a very painful bottom and cut, blistered hands. Was it worth it? Yes. Would I do it again? No!

Meredith and I showing off our medals. Beer has never tasted so good!

We were on TV! Click to see!

In the evening there was an awards ceremony and a lot of speeches.....favourite quote: "Samburu (the county where the camel derby is held) is one of the most beautiful places on earth, but it does have its criminals." Ummmm.....ok.

One year post veggie

I ate eland yesterday and it was delicious!!!!!

YUMMY!!

Lake Baringo

My friend Sue and I went to Lake Baringo on the weekend, a few hours north of Nairobi. It was my first tented camp experience, and was wonderful! Waking up as the sun rose and seeing the view from your bed without having to go outside was amazing, especially as it was a proper bed and not a mat!

View from our tent

The lodge was lovely, and was on an island on the lake, so there was really nothing to do! It was amazing!! There were some lovely families there who had brought an array of fun inflatables so I enjoyed befriending the kids and playing with their toys in the pool whilst sipping on a chilled glass of wine! I couldn't believe how hot it was, absolutely scorching, a welcome change from cool Nairobi.

The lake has crocodiles and hippos so I was regularly checking and looking out, but sadly I never got a glimpse...everyone else did though. I did have crocodile dreams every night though so do feel I got my fair share of sightings! Poor Sue had to put up with my sleep talking....

There was limited power and no television on the island so I did disappointingly miss out on watching the Wales game (as SJ wasn't playing I was slightly less gutted), though I met another rugby fan and so we made the best of our resources and used his internet dongle to check the 2 minute updates on the BBC websites to see the scores.....not the same exciting adrenaline pumping experience but was definitely novel and fun!

Village trip

This weekend I went to visit a friend from the UK who is volunteering in Kisii, Western Kenya for the summer. My Swahili teacher, Jonah is from Kisii, so we decided to travel together for the weekend. We boarded a matatu from outside our house then got a coach for the 5 hour journey. I was pretty impressed with the comfort of the coach and the safe driving, until we decided to go off road, down a rather steep bank to avoid a hold up in the road......

Kisii is beautiful. It is so green and lush, especially as it generally receives daily rainfall. It is such a contrast to many parts of the country which are suffering terribly with drought and failed rains. We saw some amazing storms, with near constant lightning at times. It was actually really helpful as the town had a power cut, and the lightning really illuminated the place, though momentarily, which helped with finding the path when trying to get back to the hotel!

Jonah's family were so kind and welcoming. We prayed together a lot which was so nice. They all live in a village outside the town, and it was lovely how the extended family all live nearby. We met cousins and great uncles....the whole lot! They own quite a lot of land which they farm so we ate lots of lovely fresh produce and left with a rather heavy pumpkin which we had eaten the leaves from. They don't have electricity or running water yet, though there is hope that this will be set up soon. There were constant sounds of ring tones though (not mine!!!) They charge their phones at little dukas in the town, and just sit and wait until they're done. Jonah's dad asked me if there were any parts of the UK without electricity. Our worlds are so different.

One thing that is amazing about Kenyans is how friendly they are, and how much they smile...that is unless they are being photographed.

Jonah with some of his family members in their garden

We were served a huge amount of food. Tactical plate swapping had to occur at times! It was great to try some new traditional Kenyan dishes, though it made me realise just how different the British palate is. My favourite novelty drink was definitely the sour milk. I asked how it was prepared. The response was quite simply  pour milk into a bucket, cover it, leave it for a few days, then serve! Ooh lumpy! It really highlighted a big culture difference for me, in that if guests popped round to my house they would be lucky to get a cup of tea and possibly a biscuit, but here we were given hot meals irrelevant of the time of day. Some communication would have been appreciated as we would leave one house and promptly pop next door ready for round two!

Enjoying some delicious pumpkin in Jonah's house

On Saturday we went on a little trip to Tabaka, which is famous for soapstone carvings. We took a shared public car, there were 11 of us inside. 4 in the front (don't know how the driver managed to drive, as he was so pressed up to the window!), 4 in the back and 3 in the boot. Wow. Cosy! My shuttle bus home was the best though. It was quite smart, and we all had a seat each, well apart from the chicken that rather quietly sat underneath a seat.

Catching up

Wow, it has been a while. Life flies past at an incredible rate, and I find African time is on another level. Mid July already!!

So, the first year at school in Nairobi has finished. It has been brilliant. I have thoroughly enjoyed it. My class have been fantastic, such good fun, and through hard work there has been real progress. The school is amazing in its happiness and laid back approach. Sunny days definitely help, and there is real feeling of the children being children which is wonderful.

I moved house at the beginning of June. I feel so much happier. I now live more centrally, about a 30 minute commute to work (though it was 2 and a half hours for 3 days due to a Cow Show, only in Africa, or maybe rural Wales….). My cottage is sweet and quirky. It has been likened to a caravan as it is long and thin! Crazy big bedroom though with amazing storage, my shoes are now displayed as they always deserved to be! I feel very safe here and find the location very convenient. I have swapped the cockerel for yapping dogs. I stay sane and calm remembering that they are there to protect me, as opposed to just annoy as the cockerel did! My landlord is a dentist (and this week has transformed my black tooth, no more the daily question of, why do you have a black tooth Miss Gregor?!) and visitors to my house always ponder whether this house used to be a dental practice! There is a definite waiting area feel to the living room! But, it is mine, it is secure, private and I love it!

The last few days have been quite mixed. For the most part I love Africa, particularly Nairobi, but there are times when I desperately miss the safety, order and fairness of the UK. I had a bad experience yesterday at the garage whilst they were sorting something on my car. Being a female at the garage is intimidating enough anywhere in the world and their assumption that I am clueless when it comes to cars is perfectly correct. But being a white female here worsens things. Principles perhaps are difficult to develop when the leaders of a country don’t easily share them and corruption is all around. The droughts in the north of the country, the distrust of others that the majority of people share and propagate, the police force, the frightening stories, they are a daily challenge, and one that usually I can overcome without giving my notice and returning, most probably to London (still in my view, the most beautiful, fun and enchanting city in the world!). But there are many pulls here, and after nearly a year I feel settled and have made some fantastic friends to share the adventure and struggles with!

Yesterday I went hiking in the Ngong hills with some friends. The views were beautiful and it was a gorgeous day for walking. 

We had to take two armed guards with us-we asked why two and were told that they were there to also protect each other! Not so great when one of the guards was so unfit that they had to stop on the third out of 5 hills and wait for us to return! I was quite worried when the guard would rest his tummy on the gun point, and just hoped it wasn’t loaded at that point! How different to childhood walks with Dad as our guide, with not even a slingshot!

I am spending the long holidays (not the summer holidays as I keep saying, as it is of course winter here now, though I have tan lines from the hike yesterday, so define winter!) in Nairobi, working as a tutor and English language trainer. I have got some lovely students, and the first week has gone well. I’m hoping to do some weekend trips to see more of Kenya and stay quite flexible in my timetable. Looking forward to racing some camels at an international derby in August. Sure there’ll be lots of tales and mishaps! It’ll be an interesting month or two.

One of the great benefits to my new house is the lack of insects here. Not sure if it’s the change of weather the last few months, but I haven’t need mozzie spray or nets yet. I had a lovely friend staying with me last week, I now am for ever indebted to her! We had just come back from a lovely evening out, and were getting ready for bed when I spotted the biggest cockroach on the floor next to my bed. I tried to calmly call for her assistance. Practical as ever she came with a mug and a piece of paper, and through muffled screams and squeals we managed to get the cockroach outside with just a few slimy remains on my floor! I text her today, fondly calling her my brave cockroach fighter. Brave? she giggled, no, it was the G&T!! I am not sure what it is about Nairobi but everyone here loves G&T, except for me, but if it makes you brave, then I am a new convert! But, yes do not forget that Africa has changed and hardened me and I am less scared…..a spider walked across the kitchen cupboard today and I didn’t even bat an eyelid! You just have to remember where I came from-there has been definite and pronounced progress, it just may seem like none when compared to everyone else here!