Surgery Week - Day 4

Surgery Week - Day 4

Another early day! Today the students and coordinator, Erin Kennedy, decided to do some surprise and delights for the team. 

First, at the team meeting, Dr. Russell (surgeon)  and Donna Franklin (clinical coordinator), were awarded the King and Queen of Smiles. They each received a crown to wear for the day, and were awarded a thirty minute massage at the hotel.  Tomorrow, they would have to select two volunteers to pass their crowns toJ

Karina and Century also gave out beaded necklaces that were to be passed around.  If you saw someone doing something special, wanted to thank them for their hard work, or just share a compliment, you would pass along your beads to them. 

There was also a ‘Name that Caption’ game in the tea break room. Three photos were cut out of the local news paper and posted up.  Anyone could write down a caption that they thought best fit the photo.  There were so many funny ones.  At the end of the day, a winner was selected for best caption of each photo.  Everyone enjoyed this so much, that we played it again on Friday.

Half way through the day, I was introduced to a young boy named Peter.  He was in eighth grade and his mother was a local nurse and Operation Smile volunteer.  Since schools in Nakuru just went on break, Peter had a free day and wanted to come and see what the Operation Smile was all about.  Since the student team and I were present, it was only fitting that we show him around.  I told him about Operation Smile, the history, what happens on a medical mission, and showed him around each area of the mission site.  He was fully engaged in learning more and wanted to help out as much as he could.

Karina and Century gave him more information about what student volunteers do on a mission and at home, in their schools and communities. They showed him about the four health care modules they had been presenting all week.  To our surprise he was well informed on all of them, including Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT), which he had learned as ORS (Oral Rehydration Solution).  They asked if he would be willing to translate for a few presentations and he was more than happy to. 

 ORT presentation

 Burn Care and Prevention presentation

 STOP

 DROP

AND ROLL!

Out of all of my mission experiences with student teams, I can honestly say that Peter was the best translator for the presentations, even compared to some adult volunteers.  He was a very intelligent boy (who hopes to one day be a neurosurgeon), and he was genuinely interested in helping get the word across to the patients, parents and families.  He was engaging and interactive and not one bit nervous about speaking in front of others. I was so proud of them all after the presentations and we were delighted to hear that Peter wanted to accompany us to our orphanage visits that afternoon.

We were able to visit two orphanages.  At the first, we were able to meet the children and get a tour of the facility.  It was basically a large home and the children were referred to as a family.  There was a room for boys, a room for girls, and a room for infants and toddlers.  In the rooms there were bunks, and typically two children slept per bed.  The caretaker did not own a car, so there were a number of strollers in their garage.  The kitchen was very clean and there was a small front and back yard.  The home was fenced in with a tall cinderblock wall and heavy metal gate.  They children seemed happy and everyone was welcoming.  After Peter, Karina and Century presented on burn care and prevention and dental hygiene, they handed out toothbrushes, and then some toys, clothing and school materials.

The ride to the visits were bumpy, to say the least.  We rode in the enclosed back on metal benches, and because most roads aren’t paved other than the main road, there were dips and pot holes everywhere.  We were bouncing around in the back as our driver, who later admitted getting lost, drove in circles on the back roads until we finally made it to the next orphanage, school, and home for adolescent girls. 

At the second visit, most of the students were already gone for the day, and for the ones there we had a difficult time getting the administration to gather them for presentations. So, we settled on a tour of a portion of the facility.

That evening, we were delighted to take a break from eating at the hotel. Dan Odaba, aka – Dan the Man (Electronic Medical Records volunteer), took us out to a Chinese Restaurant. Of course you don’t think about eating Chinese food in Kenya, but I think it was one of my favorite meals of the trip. Donna (Child Life volunteer) came with us too.

The Kenyan’s philosophy seems to not only be ‘No worries – Hakuna Matata’ but also ‘No Hurry.’ Dinner at the hotel always takes more than an hour to get served after you order. Most of the international volunteers showed a little frustration with this, as we are all so used to the fast pace in our daily lives. At dinner, we talked to Dan about this and he says that people are always in too big of a hurry to just sit back and enjoy.  In Kenya, it is usual for dinner take longer because it is a time to relax, socialize, and fully enjoy your company and meal. If you think about it, it makes so much sense!