Finally at Tenwek. . . . .

Well, I'm finally here!!!  After quite a long trip, I have arrived outside of Bomet, Kenya at Tenwek Hospital.  I left Nairobi this morning and made the 3 hour trip to arrive here by lunch.  I was greeted by Gladys, one of the volunteer coordinators, who took me to the kitchen for lunch and then on a tour of the hospital compound.  It's an impressive facility.  Not at all what I was expecting, but that's only because I had no idea what to expect! 

Here is my apartment, Room 3 at the Guesthouse, my humble abode for the next 3 weeks.  You can see it's complete with kitchenette, bathroom, two beds and mosquito nets.  I'm told that I won't have a roommate while I'm here.  I'm looking forward to some restful nights and quiet time to reflect on what I see here.

The trip from Nairobi took us through the Great Rift Valley.  The Great Rift Valley is the name given in the late 19th century by British explorer John Walter Gregory to the continuous geographic trench, approximately 6,000 kilometres (3,700 mi) in length, that runs from northern Syria in Southwest Asia to central Mozambique in East Africa.  It's a beautiful valley that is claimed by the Masai people.  They are nomadic herders and roam throughout the valley with their animals.  At night they will build shelters out of Acacia trees to protect them and their animals from lion and hyena attacks.  While this area is not the Masai Mara or Serengeti where the great migration of animals occurs, it is an animal rich area.  Just while driving down the road we saw zebras, giraffes and monkeys just as you would see deer in Alabama.  It was pretty amazing.  I can't wait for the safari at the end of the trip to see more of this and get some great pics.  Here are a couple of pics on the fly of the valley.

During my tour of the hospital I was able to see pretty much every area.  I'll try to post more pictures of Tenwek soon, but here's just one.  I guess this will probably be my second home here!  I ate dinner with Dr. Bob Greene, my host and the orthopaedic surgeon here, and his wife Elaine.  They were outstanding hosts and the fajitas were terrific.  We were able to talk shop some, and I learned about some of the amazing orthopedic things they're doing here.  There is certainly no lack of pathology, and I'm ready to try to tackle whatever comes my way!  It's gonna be a wild ride!