News from Kenya - #15

Journal entry 15

Tuesday April 27, 2010 - 3.30PM Days 30 and 31

Yesterday AM I was expecting Rom to come to the flat after he went to his MD appointment. Instead he called me about 9.30AM and said the he had seen the MD and his pressure was still high. The MD gave him medicine that would make him sleep. He was told to go home and sleep for 4 hours and then return to the MD.

Pamela went to the hospital to see how her mamma was doing. Paul came to the flat and we walked to the bank and then I stopped to buy a couple of books for some of the children including an atlas that Paul requested for his secondary students.

When we arrived back at the flat we were trying to make arrangement to visit one of the wells FIOH-USA funded and has never seen. The doorbell rang and I was surprised to welcome Serphine and her mom Jane. They had just come from Russia hospital after having Serphine’s voice problem evaluated. They said she needed speech therapy. She is to go three times/week for three months. It costs 100KSh each visit. That comes to 3600KSh. I gave her more money to supplement what I had already given her. I also gave Jane the $25 gift from Mary Ellen. She was very grateful and plans to buy sewing supplies to boost her tailoring business that she runs from her small house.

I had a good opportunity to visit with Serphine. I first met her in 2003 when I was her physical therapist after she was badly burned. We played educational games on my IPOD and she read me a little story book in English. Her English is fair. She is in class 4 and struggling with her classes. We visited together about an hour.

Rom came in shortly after Serphine left. He had just returned from seeing the MD again after his four hour sleep. His pressure was down to 150/95. He said he felt much better.

We went across the street to the Kenyan Airways office to see about confirming Pamela’s flight to Nairobi. She is finally booked to return to London after a 9 day delay due to the volcano in Iceland. They told us her evening flight was totally booked and she would have to leave in the AM. That would mean waiting at the Nairobi airport for over 12 hours- not a safe place for a prolonged stay. They also charged about $35 extra to change her booking from evening to morning even though they were the ones that overbooked the flight. Everything here is so corrupt. Pamela was stuck at the hospital trying to discharge her mother. It took over two hours to complete the paperwork and payments for the discharge.

After leaving Kenya Airways, Rom Paul and I walked about a mile to an outdoor market so I could pick out material for a top I am having made. It is always extremely crowded at the market with people yelling and pushing. The ground of the market is mud interspersed with many rocks making it difficult to walk. I found some material and we walked back to the flat. It was very hot and I always end up soaked with sweat.

We got back about 6.00PM and Rom went home. Paul and I went over to RK-hotel again to eat.

Pamela and Cecelia came to the flat shortly after I got back from supper and she was happy because she went to Kenya airways again and was able to switch back to the evening flight for Tuesday. Mamma was home from the hospital and on medication for her pneumonia.

Pamela Cecelia and I talked and enjoyed our last evening together. I will miss her company when she leaves tomorrow. Cecelia wanted us to go with her at 7AM Tuesday to see a room she thought might be adequate for her to rent for living with her 2 children.

Pamela and I stayed up on the computer trying to confirm her flight from Nairobi to London. It kept telling her that she could not check in online for that particular flight but she was insistent on trying. She finally gave up about 1 AM and we went to bed.

We got up Tuesday AM (today) and Pam, Cecelia and I took a Tuk Tuk to an area about 15 minutes away called Briliant. The house looked very nice from the outside. It was built as a large one family house. However each room was being rented out individually. A bare room about 12 x 10 was to serve as her entire home. The paint was falling off the walls and the electricity did not work. They were asking 3000KSh/month, about $40.00. They had come down from 3500KSh. After talking to a young man who was arranging the negotiations it was obvious to all of us he was very dishonest. Neighbors stated he takes renters money and then locks the room and refuses to allow them to move in. We therefore continued our search. There is a decent place nearby about the same size and in equally poor condition but the owner is reputable. They are asking 3500 KSh, about $47.00 and refused to lower the price. In order for her to make ends meet she needs to find a place that does not cost more than $40/mo. She is therefore going to continue looking. She also needs to find a place for her beauty shop. I have seen the “shops” here. Most are a tiny room about 8x 6 with a chair and a sink. The need to have water and electricity and the cheapest she can hope to find will cost about $40-50/month. She has nothing of her own except her clothes so she needs to get a mattress, dishes, sheets, - everything. The rooms are a bare 4 walls. They have to cook outside or in the room with a charcoal stove called a jiko. I have promised to assist her with about 320 dollars but I don’t know if that will be enough to give her a real chance.

We got back to the flat about 10.00AM. Paul and his cousin Robby arrived about 10.30AM. Robby is the young man who will be sponsored for vocational training. Paul thought he was 18 or 19. It turns out he is only 16. Both his parents are dead and he lives with his grandmother. He finished up to class 8 and scored a B on his KCPE- the national exam required to attend Secondary School. He was invited to attend a very good school but he was unable due to lack of fees. That was two years ago. Robby has ambitions to be an independent young man and requested to study auto mechanics. It is a one year course. He thinks he will have a fairly good chance of getting a job after he completes the course. If he is able to buy a set of his own tools after completing the course he will be able get paid more money. The course costs about $160 dollars for the year. I took his picture and a short video.

Paul and I then walked to the bank again. I am not allowed to take very much out at one time so I need to go frequently. Rom arrived at the flat when we returned from the bank. He was still not fully recovered but his pressure is down to 130/90 today. He has had a fever on and off. Mamma is still sick at home and having “running stomach” (diarrhea).

I redesigned the application form for the people seeking sponsorship from FIOH-K/USA and Paul and Rom reviewed it.

It was time for Pamela to leave for the airport so I said my goodbyes. I hope she gets home without any major problems.

Rom Paul and I went to RK Hotel for supper and that brings me up to now.

It is about 10.30 PM and I plan to go to bed soon.

End of Journal 15