I'm Good To Go

Bags are packed, condoms cover the contraband computers I am bringing for a couple of girls in college over in Kenya, and I'm just trying to figure out how to come in under weight. The thing that always weirds me out is that folks who don't know what I do, and those that do always tell me to have fun or have a great time. If ever there is an example of other people's thinking that's it. See they have no clue that there is nothing about what I do over there that's fun (well maybe that half day at the pool). They see Kenya as this exotic place from "Out of Africa "or the "Flame Trees of Thika." But the movie I see is "Poverty and Disease in Nambale." Or The Contaminated Waters that Kill". I sleep in truly appaling conditions for an American when I'm in Nambale. The mosquito netting is black with filth and the bed is creepy. I finally got smart and bought a pillow to take with me. Oh and that is a photo of what passes for a bathroom in the guest house I stay in. However, there is beauty in the smiles of the children, the dancing and singing, the vast skies that stretch forever. But fun is not what it's about, it's about purpose.

I'll be keeping a journal which I will post as I can. And now for my latest dig at Sarah Palin. I can't believe I'm going to miss the debate, since it's going to be like watching Young Frankenstein. Only the funny parts won't be scripted. Here's tonight's rendition. Don't know what I would do without Talking Points Memo. com. Do check this one out. Seems she can't even remember what newspapers she reads, probably because USA Today is too hard to say. Ha! Talk to you on the other side.

http://tpmtv.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/09/sarah_palin_all_your_news_are.php

I Can't Resist

I am going to Kenya on Thursday. I have mixed feelings, as always, about it. There is the exhausting flight, travel, food, and various assorted illnesses I have gotten over there. But that's not the deal. I'm going to have to play the heavy and come down on 2 of the schools. I really don't have a clue how I'm going to accomplish that. See, the thing is, you can't do your life in the future. You can have an idea about it, but you can't really do it till you're there. So, I'm going on a wing and a prayer.

I think though, that the hardest part of the trip, is that I'm going to miss the Vice Presidential Debate. You know there's just not going to be a way to capture that in Nairobi, even if i did have T.V. I'm going to tape it and try and hold off on sneaking a peek on my way through Heathrow on the way home. But Tina Fey is doing such a great job, I have every confidence that I'll get most of it as soon as I'm home. And in that vein, for anyone who didn't see SNL last night, here's one for the road.

Did Everything Meet with your Satisfaction?

Wow is there a difference in being a member of the health insurance company versus being a provider! I called today to finally put in the name of the new wizard. I couldn’t really change until I had gotten all that I needed from the wicked witch without actually seeing her.
So I called my insurance company to request a change to a new PCP. I did not have to press multiple numbers “if you want. press” . You know the kind I am talking about that make you feel like giving up. Oh no, I got right through. A kind southern woman (I could tell by the drawl), quickly took the information and then asked me why I was changing primary care physicians and I gave her a brief rundown of the Witch and told her to refer to my evaluation of her. The lady actually apologized for the bad treatment and when we finished she said.get this, “Did everything meet with your satisfaction today”.
What galls me is that health insurance companies are paying the same thing they did 30 years ago to us providers. They make us jump through all kinds of hoops until we get savvy and give you diagnoses that will allow you to keep coming. If I have a question or need to recertify they want me to do that on the Internet. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want my mental health discussed or read on the Internet. I don’t even know who’s reading what one would write on their sites. So, because of my ethics, I am stuck on a phone from down the rabbit hole. And trust me, at the end of the conversation no one asks me “Did Everything Meet With Your Satisfaction.”
I’m off to Kenya next week. Keep the faith y’all.

Turn Left at The Bottom of France You Can't Miss It!

I read Talking Points Memo every morning as every good Democrat should. But today I was totally stunned by this interview. Seems McCain doesn't know where Spain is. I'm not sure if he knows where his mind is. Is anyone getting really queasy about a president who thinks that Spain is in Latin America? Does anyone care that he is clueless as to who the President of Spain is? WTF? Check out this interview on El Cid if you dare.

Sarah and Damon and Yemen Oh My!

So I went to my body worker today and he told me about this clip of Matt Damon talking about Sarah Palin as a bad Disney Movie and I just couldn't stop thinking about how true that is. I don't usually turn to actors for intellectual things, but he is spot on. So I put it down here for you all. She is beyond scary.

When I finished the massage/torture, I walked out to the news that they bombed the embassy in Yemen. My heart sunk, more for personal reasons than for shock. Everyone hates us. I'm betting Sarah doesn't even know where Yemen is! But I'm going to Kenya in 2 weeks and Sarah, it's not that far from where I'm going. No, I'm not worried, but it does make international travel to Kenya a real shackle. Sarah do you think we should bomb them back or do they just need to go to their rooms without dinner? Or maybe you want to get really tough on them and bench them for the season from hockey. Am I on the same planet as folks in Ohio? Does anyone out there care.

Lions and tigers and bears oh my! Where is the the scarecrow to lend poor Sarah a brain and the tin man to give her heart when we truly need it? I guess she'll have to go to OZ.
Enjoy the clip, it's really good.

To Drive or not to Drive

Hey just saw Hamlet 2, definitely worth the price of admission. But in this case I'm thinking more of Hamlet 1. I have this great desire to drive the rift. When Francis heard he wrote me and said, great now you can see how horrible our roads are. Yeah and then I read my handy Standard today which informs me that there is phenomenal famine in the Rift. I've just read the Alchemist, so maybe these are signs, but I'm not sure. I've never felt compelled to drive the Rift so maybe that's the sign. I am meeting with a woman from Kiva at the end of my trip, so that's a total victory.

Met with Phillip on Saturday as well as the new board. What an amazing group of people.Phillip really made me see the changes that need to be made in the program, and I know he's right. I'm just not competent at writing grants so I'm going to have to pray for that one. And the board, well they just made me weep with joy. They can dream and think large, and they can also hold my feet to the fire. So all in all I'm feeling pretty optimistic.

I had an interesting skype conversation with a friend in Nairobi today. She loves it and is ecstatic over its diversity, nightlife, cosmopolitan nature, but feels the under currents. She's white. My friend Phillip is so relieved to be here in the US because he says he is no longer afraid to walk home from the T at night. In Nairobi
(often called NightRobbery) my African friends do not feel safe and do not venture out at night. So what's real, I suspect both experiences.

And should I drive the rift or fly. I'll let you vote. I would get some spectacular photos ....the car could break down and we could be robbed...i'd love to see the countryside...whatever...hey francis what do you think????

Keep the faith y'all

Ok, Mother has settled down from the hilarity of the RNC and now must get back to the real business, One Village. It has been more than an incredible nail-biter, I am so tested as to my faith and desire to see this through. I want to quit at least on a weekly basis.
There is an old post somewhere that recounts the fact that my family are psychiatric lemmings, and while I watch from a safe distance there is a real desire to quit. This morning, however, I heard from both micro-loan groups in Kenya. Nothing solid, mind you, but enough to give me hope that I shall meet at least one of them in Kenya the first week in October.

I have finally been able to work things out with Francis, we have a tentative schedule, and bless him, he understands it can change at any moment. It's great having him since we have become friends and he's also a photographer a real plus. I have decided to drive across the Rift with him instead of flying. I want to take more of the countryside into my body and rub it into my pores.The great Rift of story and fable, breadbasket of Kenya, I want to be in it if just for a few hours. (It will also save me the airfare to Kisumu which would be good as well.)

So I sent my schedule, wrote the loan people and then turned to the Standard to read the papers. Oh, seems Kisumu has not settled down since the riots, in fact they're still rioting. And I'll be spending at least one night there so I can meet with the loan folks. Yeah, well, this is where memories of Eldoret come into view and I'm just going to go on faith. Eldoret was clearly the most terrifying night of my life. It's always good to know you've got that under your belt so whatever happens you won't be that scared. I'm actually getting excited to get back home to Kenya.

I'm going to have to put a couple schools on probation, challenge all 3 of them, and see where the next step takes me. But with Phillip as a guide as to what is possible,and Francis to protect me, I am more firm in my resolve and believe we can pull this off. But Francis, I'm glad you've got dark windows just in case....

Keep the faith y'all

And Now for the News:This is from the Standard the Kenyan paper

Police battle rioters in Kisumu over kiosks demolished

Updated 21 hr(s) 47 min(s) ago

By Kepher Otieno and Winsely Masese

Several people were injured as traders protesting the demolition of kiosks battled police.

The rioters in Kisumu stoned motorists and disrupted business in the morning incident, prompting police to fire in the air.

Police also used tear gas to restore order in the town, which has not recovered from post-election violence.

Traders light bonfires along a streets as they protest against demolition of kiosks by the municipal council in Kisumu on Thursday. The council claimed the traders had erected the structures illegally. Photo: Titus Munala/Standard

The more than 100 traders were protesting against the demolition of their kiosks at a bus park by municipal askaris.

They claimed they had lost goods worth Sh10 million. The council had used bulldozers and askaris to flatten the kiosks as police kept vigil to keep off looters.

However, the traders claimed the askaris looted goods before flattening the kiosks.

"They were on a looting spree. They also attacked and injured watchmen guarding the premises. It was savage," said a local civil rights activist, Mr Audi Ogada.

Important meeting

Kisumu Mayor Sam Okello and Town Clerk Joshua Kutekha could not speak to the media.

"We are in an important meeting. We will talk to you later," Mr Kutekha told The Standard on phone.

The traders accused the council of effecting the demolitions without giving them an eviction notice.

Rioters lit bonfires along the busy Nairobi Highway, and Kakamega and Busia roads to block motorists from accessing the town.

They cordoned off the bus park junction along the Kisumu-Nairobi highway and stoned motorists who dared go past the illegally mounted roadblocks.

Police had a hectic time controlling the mob.

The Standard and KTN crew covering the riots fell victims after their car was stoned and its windows smashed near the Kisumu District Hospital.

Even as police lobbed tears gas, the crowd seemed undeterred and fought back. They engaged police in running battles.

Court proceedings were disrupted for three hours as the rioters walked to the council. Kisumu Town West MP Olago Aluoch and DC James ole Seriani were also caught up in the melee as they tried to calm them.

Jon Stewart Can Do This Without Me

I just loved this clip and hope you do too. Sarah, just stay in the news long enough for me to get my fill of how silly a woman you are. Please.



Have fun y'all. It just gets better and better doesn't it.

I'm Giddy Over Sarah

From time to time politics gets so fabulous that Mother M just has to jump for joy. And the decision by McCain to nominate Sarah Palin for VP falls into the category of astonishment and joy over such an astoundingly bad choice. I feel the opportunities to have fun with this campaign are almost endless given the stupidity of the Republican party and the unbelievable shenanigans they are going to be up to. I know I live in Massachusetts which is like living in Oz. But truly a beauty queen who wants to secede from the Union as the V.P. How much fun, I'm giddy with anticipation.

And as if that weren't fun enough, try this link on Joe Lieberman (he was the first choice but lost out, but maybe he'll come back to the Dems.) You gotta love this video of his campaigning for the DNC in 2004.http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/212584.php
Gosh, I think I have to run. I think Joe is going to speak as a Republican.

And what do you think they'll name Sarah's grandchild, maybe Ooops if it's a girl and Duh if it's a boy.
Keep the faith y'all

Good Heaven’s We’re Poor!

There have been many times in my life as a clinician that a patient has told me that though they had little money growing up, they never knew they were poor. I have come to know there are levels of wealth and poverty and money is only one measure of despair. However, today I learned a real lesson about the people I serve in Kenya.

It was a beautiful dry fall day here in Boston. The end of summer, a tap on the shoulder to remind us those colder days are almost here. I went to meet Phillip in Belmont. I brought a couple friends, one who had just finished working in Tanzania. We talked about the possibility of collaborating on clinics with Phillip, who though Kenyan, had worked primarily in Tanzania. I was startled to hear that where S worked there were plenty of chickens and cows, land was not a problem and eggs were abundant. None of that exists in Nambale. An egg is precious, and the children rarely if ever have milk. Phillip laughed with that full round smile that Africans make, and said indeed it was true. There were many well educated people who came from Nambale, but they always left and that it was one of the poorest places he knew of. I thought of my Luhya friends who had led me there, and yes they are very well educated, but no they don’t live there. They live in other parts of Kenya.

Phillip did encourage me to continue in Nambale.He encouraged me to speak straight, tell them what I wanted to do and that they would respond positively. (Goes against that Community Org. degree I got ages ago).
I was delighted to hear from Charles today. He said that the schools had sent their reports. He said I should check the stamps to see when they mailed them out. Dear man, he tries so hard and he is stretched so thin. I pray the papers are on their way, since grain is cheap now and we could buy so much more if they have done their homework. (Ha! Teachers late with their homework)

It is only 4 weeks until I return. I have so much to do. But I am beginning to see the path once again. I pray I can get in touch with someone from Kiva to talk about micro-loans. I hope someone will come to the schools to help train the villagers. I hope I can get Phillip to consult on the project without requiring too much money since that is always a problem. But I am relieved to have found my footing again.

Since I have always known either Siaya or Nambale, the grinding poverty I see I think of as normal for rural Africa. Now I know it is not. God surely has a sense of humor. Once upon a time when I was young, a national magazine wrote an article about my school and called us “Suburbia’s Coddled Kids”. I did grow up in great affluence and never would have thought about fire ants and malaria and braiding my hair to keep it clean because there are no showers. But I love what I do over there and God is God. And now I understand, “Good heavens, we are poor”….