8:00am    It’s beautiful here.  I still am so overwhelmed by everything.  What I did realize is that I will leave here in 5 weeks, I probably will not want to but I have that option.  These people don’t have that choice, this is their life.

1:00pm     I went to meet with Rachael at the clinic for my orientation but she is very ill, probably a bacteria infection she got when she had a tooth removed.  So I met with Elphas (I’ve tried to learn about 50 new names today and am doing horribly), toured the clinic.  There are about 7 rooms total, very very small.  If a patient needs and IV they sit on the bench in the main room and the drip is hung by a nail on the wall.  Mostly children, use of glove sparingly, garbage goes on the floor.  50 shillings for a child, 200 for an adult.  They check-in with me, name, age, temp., weight.  Sit in line to see the clinical officer, 5 minutes later they see a nurse for treatment (usually an injection) or the pharmacist or go to the lab for testing.  There is no electricity, a generator was donated by a previous volunteer and is used for the microscope in the lab (a tiny room with a microscope, a hand-spun centrifuge, and a few liquids, and a water container).  The lab technician tests for malaria, typhoid, and many other things.  Very impressive.

I didn’t get my orientation today so I did a lot of just observing and talking with many different people.  I have never seen such poverty before.  The town, Custom, looks like it came our of an old western movie, but a lot more run down.  The children run up to me to touch me and hold my hands and yell “Muzungu, Muzungu!” Everyone is so happy here!  I have also been proposed to a few times as well, Maria (another volunteer) warned me to just say that I am already engaged. 

11:00pm     Sat outside the huts talking with the guys of the village.  Justus and Musa live in a hut in our compound.  They are both in secondary school and are supposed to graduate this term.  There is no school though, students broke out and rioted the other day.  Something about a teacher leaving or something, not too sure of the details.  The school was torn apart, chairs being thrown, things being broken, the head master’s car was trashed.  The school tried to make all students pay 2,000 shillings but the parents came and argued because they can’t afford it.  I guess the teachers went on strike as well so they don’t know how long it will be until they can return.  It’s a horrible situation. 

I also road on the back of a bicycle on the bumpy road and did not fall off!