Carole's Kenya Chronicles: Arrival in Eldoret

On Saturday morning, after a restless sleep, I woke up around 4:30AM to shower and prepare for my flight to Eldoret, Kenya. The Nairobi airport had called me on Friday morning to inform me that they had found my lost luggage (whew!), so I wanted to go a bit early in case there were any adventures in finding the luggage in a giant room of suitcases (I imagined it would be like the end of Indiana Jones, where they are putting the lost ark into the abyss of boxes that stored historical items). However, once I arrived and checked into Kenya Airways, I was told that the baggage would indeed be on the plane with me. So, I didn't worry. TIA (This Is Africa) after all, so I was just going with the flow.

The flight from Nairobi to Eldoret was about 30 minutes long. I had a window seat and basically stared in awe at the beautiful rifts, craters, hills, and farmland. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous. As we headed further north, the color of the dirt turned a deeper red/maroon, and the plants and farmland had a greener hue than in Nairobi.

Once I landed, I headed to baggage claim, where again I found myself staring into the entrance of the carousel as everyone had already gathered their luggage and left. I still, was missing two bags...so I peeked through the caution tape that blocked the gate to the unloading zone, where I found a gentleman and explained that I still had two bags missing. He pointed at a cart that had MY bags on it and said "no, those say rush order, not for you." These bags were clearly MY bags, as they still had the yellow ribbon bows that Maureen and I had previously tied to them on my departure day. I explained to him that the bags were lost in transit and that the last name should say McAteer. He nodded in disagreement, but saw my face of disbelief and sheer disappointment, and proceeded to read the name on the ticket. Yep, McAteer it is! He then grudgingly lifted the bags onto the carousel and passed them through. FINALLY, I was able to collect all of my belongings.

Colin, the current field study coordinator for HADITHI, picked me up from the airport in the IU HADITHI car, a giant blue Toyota SUV. We had a nice drive through the streets, heading toward IU house. I asked what the streets were named, and he shrugged and said "not sure, they don't really have names, you just call the street by where it goes to." So, I jokingly said "so this is airport road?" and he replied "Yep!" Looks like I will get the hang of things here...

Colin drove me through Eldoret, which only has two roundabouts in the entire town center. So, it is much smaller than Nairobi, however there are still tons of people that wander the streets. Each block is packed with street vendors selling Safaricom credits or fruits/vegetables or samosas. There are about 3 shops per block that sell cell phones and various electronics.

Once we drove past the busy streets of Eldoret, we continued on to the road(s) called Elgon Road that lead to IU House and Hilltop, where I will be staying. On the corner of Elgon Road there is a large Hindu temple, that is somewhat pink in color. The architecture is beautiful and certainly stands out compared to the concrete square buildings of AMPATH Centre and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital. The IU House and Hilltop are secluded in a gated community off of Elgon Road. The man at the gate, who goes by Michael, is one of the most cheerful people I have ever met. He shook my hand and greeted me, never letting go of my hand after a good 20 seconds. Colin remarked, "if you ever have a bad day, just go talk to Michael and he will cheer you up." I may be needing his services some days while I stay in Eldoret.

Once we unloaded my things in Hilltop, house #1, Colin and I strolled down the flower lined walkway toward IU House, where the short term students and visitors stay. The IU House consists of 8 different houses in a U shape. House number 1 has a library in the common room, where Kiswahili lessons are taught. House 2 has the communal dining area where each Wednesday, a family meal is offered, which is a great way to socialize with all of the people involved with IU/AMPATH program. House 3 has a business office of Dunia Karama who basically runs this place and has all of the answers to any questions related to IU House or the program. The rest of the houses have long term families who live in them, mostly the residents or faculty who are the main clinical trainers and liaisons for medical students and residents.

After our stroll through IU House compound, Colin and I headed back up to Hilltop House #1, where Amy and Liz had prepared breakfast for us. The banana pancakes and eggs were certainly a delicious welcome into the home by my housemates. We had a leisurely breakfast where we sat and talked for about an hour after we finished eating, just getting to know one another. It was fantastic. Both of these girls are fun and laugh at my jokes. Both are also very personable and helpful, informing me of do's and don'ts for the house. I think this will be a good fit! There are two other housemates that have yet to arrive from holiday break. I am anxious to meet them as well, to see how the house dynamics will go.

After breakfast, I unpacked my belongings and noted what items I would need to purchase from the Nakumat (large grocery, kind of like a super Target). I decided to purchase the house a coffee grinder, so that we can all have some fresh grounds in the mornings, a much appreciated purchase as noted by my housemates. Amy and I decided to walk to the large Nakumat, which was great to see town and walk around for a bit, to get some sort of exercise! She and I avoided many cat calls from men and it seems like we both have a similar attitude toward walking down the street: keep your sunglasses on, furrow your brow as to look non-approachable, and ignore any sort of 'mzungu' or 'ah pretty lady' comments that may come your way. She and I had a great talk as we were walking and shared a few laughs here and there. I managed to spend about 120 USD at the store, with the 30 dollar coffee grinder, and other essentials such as bread, eggs, rice, and some fresh fruits and vegetables. I even bought two bottles of wine! We shall see what the taste value is, but I think I should have no problem accessing some vino for the year (funny, since I kind of went on a wine binge for the last two months in the states, assuming life would be similar to Athi River, where drinking was basically prohibited). Amy also mentioned that she had pregamed and gone to the clubs with some med students, so it seems like there are some social opportunities that aren't too different from Indy! I will just have to make sure it is a safe (somewhat) venture and will abide by the safety by numbers rules!

Meat is very expensive here, so I may be sticking to mainly a vegetarian diet! Last night, Amy kindly made some pasta with broccoli in a cashew cream sauce, which tasted much like a mac-n-cheese, only healthy and with protein. I may have to get the recipe and try it out! This morning, I made myself some scrambled eggs, a piece of toast, which were both heavily coated in some Sriracha (which I will be requesting refills frequently from my parents for delivery to Eldoret).

So far, it has been a quiet Sunday morning. Luckily there aren't the loud moans of pastors that jolt you from your sleep on Sunday mornings (like in Athi River, the pastors would screech and yell into the microphone and then moan for about two hours each Sunday morning). The only noise that was startling were the dogs growling and barking, but my jet lag made sure I slept through most of it. Tomorrow, I begin orientation and will get to meet the Kenyan field coordinators! I am excited to meet everyone this week!

Below are some pictures of my house that I will be living in for the next year!