Lions, Rhinos and Gazelles Oh My!

Yesterday, I got to experience an African national park. A "lesser one", at that. Lake Nakuru is only about a 20 minute drive from where I am staying. It is known for its flamingo infestation. I, however, found it to be packed with gazelles, lions, rhinos, monkeys, baboons, zebras, and numerous other creatures I could not recognize. All in the wild. All sometimes feet from the car. Signs alert you to the dangers of getting out of your vehicle, but this is rarely enforced and even more rarely obeyed. Needless to say, I have some amazing pictures with me and various wildlife in the not too distant periphery. The other volunteer and I rented a friend of our hosts car for the day. The friend drove; for most of the way. After the standard African delay getting started, we arrived in our Toyota station wagon at about 09:30. Not exactly what I pictured to be our mode of transport, but it was very comfortable. I mean, immediately, we started to encounter wildlife. Monkeys on the gate, led to water buffalo around the lake which inhabited, oh, only a few hundred thousand flamingos. So many, that the shoreline was completely pink in most parts. We drove around and came to the southern end of the lake and BAM 10 rhinos! I have always wanted to see a rhino, so this was definitely my highlight. Literally about 30' from our car were white rhinos; blew my mind. After one got up from the ground (they were lounging in the shade), we quickly shuffled... um, dove back into the car and made it a little more safe of a distance. We then got lost on the park roads, but made it close to the airstrip, where we picked up a machine-gun wearing, Massai park ranger, who after about 30 minutes found us lions. Afterwards, we all had lunch alongside a large waterfall at the southern tip of the park. On our way out we stopped at a 1000' high overlook called "baboon cliffs." This is about the only thing here aptly named, as hotels are, and can be, nothing but restaurants. Anyway, the cliffs provided one of the most amazing views of nature I have seen, with the vast lake spread out before you with those pink shores flanked by undulating plains and hills spotted with wildlife. All this from a "second-rate" park. Massai Mara will have to really blow me away for it to top this.


To answer some of your questions, I normally am up at 06:45 and at work for 08:00 taking a breakfast from my host family; 2 sisters: Emily and Rose. That is normally some cake-type things with Kenyan coffee. Right up my alley. I take a tuk-tuk or matatu (small bus) to and from work. I am actually based in a "large" provincial hospital, but I am sent into the rural parts of the area with a Community Rehab Initiative. We provide services, diagnoses, and referrals to people too far away, too poor, or both, in most cases. I finish at 3-5, and stroll around the town until diner, which is normally ugali (dense cornmeal ball), fresh veggies, and some meat or fish stew. It is actually prepared very well, taste-wise. They also seem to humor us with spaghetti, every once in awhile... There really is not that much to do, and I have already blown through A Thousand Splendid Suns, which is an amazing book, BTW.

The only day that is different is today, Monday's, when we hold a clubfoot clinic for children. Today I treated, via the Ponsetti Method, about 15 kids with various levels of severity. Some of them are fresh Spina Bifida surgery kids, some with hydrocephalus/MR/Down's, you name it. Obviously, I am learning from them at this point, as pediatrics is something I have never done before. But, I am able to throw in some knowledge every once in awhile, especially with wrapping/casting and alignment issues.

I will be in this setting for the next few weeks until the clinics shut down for December due to funding. I will then be moving into their outpatient setting, and this is where the Theraband will come in handy. I was oriented over there the first 2 days, and wow, the therapists have there hands, and well, their hands to help patients. They have a ramp and bars and a few pieces of antiquated modalities, that I am not sure are working right. Anyway, those of you in Austin, and who can and want to help with this could just run it by my sisters work at The Gables West Avenue, and then I will get them over here. Any help is obviously appreciated...

So, there is my life in a nutshell over here. Africa gives me such a range of emotions, a diverse set of feelings about the people, the places, and situations I experience every day here. More time will be needed for me to clarify in my self, exactly what these are and be able to put them into a coherent sentence for you. I believe my pictures will help you... later.