Painting in the Dispensary

The cement walls that encompass the rooms of the dispensary are just not sufficient enough for a clinic. Paint is a must in order to allow for brighter rooms, less dust, and just a more hospital-like atmosphere. This past Saturday we began this task. We had purchased primer, cream for half the wall, blue for the other half, and black for the baseboard. When it came to apparel for the painting expedition, we were fortunate enough to have access to the dispensary’s gowns, masks, gloves, and whatever else completed our ensemble. The painting crew consisted of Henry, Ken, Pat, and I. Henry, an ABD (Aids Barefoot Doctor), was decked out in medical wear and looked like he was ready to perform a surgical procedure. Ken, a local friend, found his niche in painting the lower half; maybe because he is shorter and seemed to have a comfort in squatting (years of practice with the latrine). We had apparently underestimated how much primer was needed because we had completed three rooms and the five gallon jug was retired. Over a three day period we had successfully completed all of the priming for the walls in the dispensary; six rooms and the corridor. You can definitely notice an immense difference in the brightness of the dispensary now.

Malaria

I was undergoing symptoms of stomach discomfort and a loss of appetite, when I was soon diagnosed with Malaria. With me especially there must be something wrong if I have a suppressed appetite. Isaac, the lab technician, tested my blood and found a mild amount of the malaria parasites present. I was worried because I somehow had the notion that Malaria was similar to Lyme’s Disease and that the prognosis was long term. However, I was quickly informed after reading and learning from experts that malaria entails flu like symptoms. I had the pleasure of experiencing slight chills, an upset stomach, vomiting, and the worst and most persistent of all, diarrhea. Now I know from my writing before how I expressed the use of a latrine (hole in the ground) as a means of relieving oneself was the probably the biggest adjustment I had to make. Well, I guess you could say I became acclimated and good friends with the latrine since Monday. Some may say my skills have developed into a professional. When I go home don’t be too concerned if I ask to use your bathroom, and proceed to go outside and dig a hole in the ground. Anyways, I was given Antimalarial medicine to thwart the symptoms. I spent a couple days resting and on the third day felt well enough to get off the sidelines and back into the grind. Thursday I continued on with my daily routine, feeling fine, and then Friday came around, which lead to an unfortunate relapse. We were out for the day, roughly an hour away in Kitale, using the Cyber Café to use the internet and other computer accommodations. A couple hours in to typing away I started to feel an upset stomach, once again, and made every attempt to ignore. We soon left and the entire ride home I was on the verge of spraying my lunch, which by the way was a fish was the head still intact. I can’t say I thoroughly enjoyed eating the body of something while one eye was staring at me, but I managed. When we arrived back home I proceeded to sleep the rest of the day and night. Since Friday I have been experiencing exacerbated stomach feelings, but now I feel as though the malaria is on the downward course. I think next time I travel to Kenya I am going to bring an economy size twenty four pack of toilet paper as my carry on. My stock has already terminated and I am currently borrowing from Pat. Nonetheless, my stomach has now stabilized, but I still long for a solid bowel release.