Getting there is half the fun

After a long 2 days of traveling, we arrived in Nairobi last evening. We flew from Seattle to Houston to Amsterdam to Nairobi. The trip went very well, and the only casualties were my knitting needles and scissors, which were seized by security in Amsterdam. Somehow the small pocket I knife I had in my carry-on accidentally made it through TSA and Amsterdam just fine. Thankfully, they did not find my bamboo needles holding together my first baby hat for Baby Terp. I may have to borrow Aurelie’s straight needles or keep making baby ear bands :) Not bad at all considering my ticket was for Julie Phistlethwaite. We even sat by a retired family doctor missionary on the flight to Nairobi. He was from Minnesota who had worked in Liberia for many years. Nairobi is nothing the Casablanca-like image I had of it.

We stayed at the Mayfield Inn in Nairobi last and a driver named Davis picked us up this morning to take us to the grocery and to Kijabe where we’ll be working. His 1 year old daughter Cindy was diagnosed with malaria and tonsillitis yesterday, so she and his wife made the trip with us so she could be seen in the hospital. Maybe she’ll be Aurelie’s patient on the pediatric ward tomorrow, as she looked a little listless.

The weather here has been rainy, so we feel right at home. We are staying on the top floor in a complex of 6 apartments. Our big picture window has a beautiful view of the Rift Valley. Tonight we have a dinner date with Doug and Kathy Trotter. Doug is a family doctor here from Washington. Kathy just took us on a tour of the town and to buy produce at the market. Hopefully we’ll be able to eat the veggies since the sterilizing solution we bought appears to be for “baby bottles and equipment.”

We start work tomorrow morning, and I think I’ll be on the obstetric service. I’m nervous, excited, and looking forward to settling into a routine in Kijabe. So far everyone has been very kind and welcoming. Karibu Kenya!