Week one nearly over!

Hey all, so I've had chance to settle in a little bit more now, and can get online using Dr. Kisipan's dongle, so I will be able to blog for the next week at least! I'm starting to get used to the diet of rice or ugali (an African maize based thick bland gloop that they eat with everything), and beans with the occasional pieces of rock thrown in for good measure - keeps you on your toes when you eat! I've also developed a bit of a love for chapattis - nothing like the Indian chapattis we get in England - they're like thick fried pancakes-lovely! And of course the chai - as Kisipan asks me every day "how do we start our day?" and the answer is "Chai!" Though the same answer would apply almost regardless of the question - they love the stuff! The weather's turned now, and it's been really nice and hot - went for a swim in the YMCA pool yesterday, there were huge eagles circling and swooping overhead the whole time - it was amazing!

On the university front, we've had a very productive time - I've spent hours at the university, meeting lecturers, students, technicians, the dean, and easily lose count of how many hands I shake each day! I'm so used to being introduced as 'Dr. Bev, Royal Veterinary' that I've almost starting saying it myself!! It's great meeting people; everyone is so welcoming and supportive of the project, and all have lots of ideas and suggestions. I've been shown round Chiromo, the preclinical campus, and all their facilities, and have met some of the first year students - who I'm going out for dinner with tonight. Yesterday and today I've been at Kabete, the clinical campus out of town, and have seen the pathology, microbiology and parasitology departments, and today have met and been filming some students in their clinical rotations, both in radiology and surgery.

A few observations from my first few days in Kenya- the Kenyans are the most honest, and often blunt people that I've ever met - it's quite refreshing...there are no airs or graces - they are so straightforward that it can often seem rude, but this is just a part of their culture. They are also extremely friendly and welcoming, the most common Swahili word I've heard being 'karibu' - 'welcome'. When I say 'hello' it sounds like 'how are you' in a Kenyan accent, so the response is invariably 'well, thank you'!! And then there's Kenyan time, which means within a couple of hours either side of an agreed time (literally!)- although this could be in part due to the atrocious traffic here - I have never seen anything like it, the whole city becomes a carpark at rush hours, and the pollution is really bad.

That's all from me for now, I'm sure I'll have lots to talk about after the weekend, as we have planned a trip to the animal orphanage, Nairobi National Park, the National Museum, and the University Christian Union....gonna be a busy one!