The reality of leaving sets in as the final days of clinic come to a
close. It will be hard to leave this place, this country, this rural
life. I enjoy the purity of our daily routine and the natural rhythm of
rising and working, without other distractions or influences. These are
straightforward days, with quality time to spend with each person
before me, space to experience a woman so different from me, and time to
devote ourselves to the health of our patients. The simplicity of
human interaction here is sweet and comforting.
Although
it comes with the territory of travel, I find that I will miss the
small things - freshly made hospital lunches of chapati, ugali, soups
and sukumawiki, tea breaks with my team, doing my laundry while I
shower. How wonderful it was to work hard seeing patients all day then
enjoy an evening stroll along the single road of town, or makeshift yoga
outside in the gazebo. I will miss waking to the tropical
birds, bountiful green lush valley, and the ride through town as
everyone gets moving to start the day. I'll miss the bustilng rough and
rugged roads lined with boda bodas, matatus, and cargo loaded on to
tractors, bikes, carts or anything with wheels; goats, cows and chickens
meandering, and the joyful faces of children strolling along the
roadside.
More than anything, what I will
miss most about Kenya is the fellowship. It is nice to feel welcomed as
part of a community, even if we are only temporary guests. As a team,
our PINCC group has been a warm and supportive place to debrief after a
challenging case or difficult diagnosis, brainstorm ideas for the days
ahead, or ponder Carol's "question of the day". I admire the talents
and expertise of this hardworking team. This trip has been a special
place to share the skills of our trade of caring for women, and it is a
blessing to be able to nurture our passion for medicine with so many
others devoted to this cause.
by Kimberlee Honda, Family Nurse Practitioner. This was my first PINCC trip!
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