Long Rains

The rainy season in Western Kenya is called the "long rains." It lasts from April through August. Our neighbors have planted their crops and are busy weeding and hoeing the land. In this region the women are responsible for tending the fields (and the shopping, and the childcare, and the cooking, and the cleaning). I took this pic from our front door.

Frustrations

There are plenty of challenges at the moment for our research study here in Busia. Delays by the Scientific and Ethical Committee have prevented us from starting our data collection. Meanwhile, we are busy with preparations. It takes ages to get even the smallest things done in the middle of nowhere. After three weeks of daily reminders to logistics, we finally got the file cabinet we ordered four months ago. When it finally arrived from Nairobi, the top was dented and the screws were lost. It won't close or lock. Now I've dented my head by banging it against the wall too much...

Found on Living Room Floor, the saga continues

I am back in rural Western Kenya. What better way to celebrate than another exciting episode of Found on Living Room Floor? Last night I got up in the dark for a glass of water. I walked to the fridge barefoot, and haplessly cruched hundreds of dudus (Swahili for bugs) that mysteriously appeared between bedtime and midnight. Lucy says the dudus are flying termites. The Kenyas here like to eat them. They sell for 20 Kenyan Shillings per small cup at the market. At right, friend and lab wizard Juma eats a spoonful of dudus.

Nairobi

I'm back in Kenya, just in time to watch the coalition government grind to a halt. The New York Times ran a story yesterday about the stalemate in the Cabinet Minister appointment process. There was an outbreak of violence yesterday in the Kibera slum outside of Nairobi and in Kisumu. Apparently things were quiet today.

I've been working in Nairobi all week on the organization of the operational research study that is the focus of my work these days. The study is on patients who are failing antiretroviral therapy, and on HIV drug resistance in this population. More details in future posts, perhaps.

I leave for Buisa tomorrow morning.

Back in Barcelona

I am in Barcelona, for the fifth or sixth time in the last two years. This is still my favorite European city, despite Amsterdam´s alure. One of the perks of my current job is the opportunity to pass through Barcelona on the way and the way back from each mission.

I had the good fortune to meet up with several people who I worked with in Guatemala. The pic at top is our reunion in the Plaça Reial. The news on the Guatemala team: Conrado (Colombian sexpot) is working in Cambodia as a nurse on an HIV-AIDS project with MSF-Belgium. Rafa (Basque logistician) just came back from a long mission in rural Colombia with MSF-Spain. Angeles (Spanish logistician) is somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic ocean, sailing her small boat from Rio Dulce Guatemala to Cadiz Spain. Lola (Field Coordinator) is working as a nurse in Barcelona, as she plans a mission as Medical Coordinator in a yet unknown African Capital city. Nuria (Field Coordinator) is getting ready to leave on a short mission as a nurse for a meningitis outbreak in Niger. Montse (Spanish Doctor) is with MSF-spain in Congo. Patricia (Head of Mission in GUatemala) is working on a temporary assignment in the Barcelona MSF headquarters, until she leaves in July for Kenya. Finally, Oliver (French financier) is heading to Paraguay with his family. They are an adventurous bunch.

I leave my hotel tomorrow morning at 3 am to catch a 6am flight to Nairobi.

United States

What on earth have I been doing in the United States over the last month? Running up and down the East coast, with a quick jaunt to the West:

New York, NY
Philadelphia, PA
Baltimore, MD
New Haven, CT
Boston, MA
New York, NY
Oakland, CA
Los Angeles CA
New York, NY
Baltimore again

I'm keeping the MTA and Amtrak in business. Now I'm going back to Africa, where I can get some rest from this "vacation."