Report to Casualty

Everybody has a few stories that define the embarrassing and hilarious side of life.  These stories somehow come up over and over again, sometimes with the benefit of making someone else feel better about whatever embarrassing and stressful situation they are currently in.  I have my fair share of said stories.  How the dachshund I was pet-sitting ate the enormous parrot I was also pet-sitting.  How I gave myself a whopping black eye with a student's trombone three minutes before our Christmas concert started.  How I broke my wrist doing synchronized zip-lining for a Lake Olympics competition when I was a chaperon at a junior high camp.  And now, why I had to report to casualty and get my rabies vaccine.

I hope you read my previous post Monkeying Around.  If not, you should read it now, just so this post makes sense.  See, I was hanging out with some monkey friends and one bit my thumb.  Not hard, not viciously, just enough to draw a little blood and release the corn I was hoarding.  But it was still a monkey bite.

Richard and I have read and heard from very reliable sources that these monkeys are regularly vaccinated by volunteer vets.  No worries!  But we just thought we'd get a stamp of approval from our doctor.  We called up.  "Ummm...a monkey bit you?  Was it wild?  Maybe you should just check in with the hospital right across the street and see what they say."  Way to pass the buck.

So we drive literally across the street into the parking lot of Aga Khan Hospital.  It is a very nice hospital with a very good reputation.  We come in a back entrance and ask the information desk lady who we should see to tell us if I even need to be seen.  "I'm sending you to casualty.  Take two lefts and check in there."

Excuse me? CASUALTY?  But I'm not DEAD! This is way worse than I thought! I assumed casualty was the Kenyan word for morgue.  Turns out it's the emergency room.

We checked in, took a number, paid for the doctor's visit before we saw her ($13), went to Triage Room 1 where the nurse nearly laughed when I told her I was bitten by a monkey, waited a bit more and then was called back to see the doctor.  She had never been to visit the monkeys in City Park, and looked a little incredulous that any person in their right mind would choose to go near a monkey, vaccinated or not.  Then she declared that since the money had not been carrying his rabies vaccine papers with him at the time of the incident, I was to get my rabies vaccine and a tetanus booster (which by the way, was the most painful part of the whole process).

A nurse named Perpetual gave me my jabs, as they are called here, and told me I was brave.  I guess that's one upside to this whole monkey business.  I made a date with Perpetual to give me my next jab in the rabies series on Saturday, then I go back Wednesday and finally Wednesday week.

The good news is, I can go back and feed those monkeys till they are round has barrels if I want, because I've got immunity.

And if a monkey ever bites you, let me know.  I've got your back on making you feel better about it.

Monkeying Around

Yesterday, Richard and I went to City Park.  We heard through the grapevine that a group of vets take care of the monkeys there and that we could feed them.  We have seen pics of other care-free visitors doing this very same thing and and wanted to give it a whirl.  Who doesn't have a secret desire to hold a monkey?

The monkeys were everywhere, and adorable. 

See how this one is holding his own feet?

You could get up close and personal. 

They were very sweet and just a little pushy when they realized you had more corn in your hand than you were letting on.

They would jump on your back

and ride on your shoulder

and they were very well behaved.

This one, being such a well-behaved monkey, just nibbled my thumb to ask me to open my hand with the corn in it.  I obliged.  Unfortunately, I also bled just a little bit.  Enough to make us ask, so what does one do when one is bitten by a monkey in City Park?  Stay tuned for the answer.

Snake vs. John

See snake.

See snake run.

See John pursue with mop.

See John win.

(And we've officially decided it was not a green mamba, so sleep well.)

Field Trip: Part Mbili

After visiting the museum on Friday, we went to the Snake Park at the same location. Inside were several aquariums and several glass cages for various dangerous snakes.  The students were checking out the largest pythons I have ever seen.

I thought we were going to watch these three chicks get eaten right then and there in a different cage, but apparently Mr. Snake had already had nine the day before.

I think the two Mommas who came as chaperones were a little grossed out.

More interesting than the glassed in snakes however, were the snakes in the central courtyard.  We were looking over a high wall into a grassy courtyard with well-trimmed trees.

There were snakes everywhere.  They were sticking their heads up out of the trees, crawling on the ground, trying to climb the wall, jumping from the trees, and climbing over the peaceful turtles.  There were buckets of snakes.

Sometimes, when there are buckets of snakes around, you need a friend to hold on to.

For lunch, we headed to Uhuru Park right off the City Center of Nairobi.

We spread Masai blankets on the ground, and ate PB&J's, bananas, and biscuits (which we call cookies).  There were a lot of other people around.  Some were selling things, others were sleeping on the ground, families were enjoying time together, and lots of people seemed to be just walking through.

I think for Kennedy, the sights were definitely more interesting than the lunch!

Picture of the Day

From where does pork come?

It's grown in a garden, of course!  Bouquet of bacon, anyone?

Mongoose Mayhem

                                   There once was a mongoose quite small

                          who into a bucket did fall.

                                  He looked all a-fright,

                                  and hissed with all might,

                          then into the bushes did haul.

My Weekend Away

I am now another year older, and hopefully wiser.  Richard very kindly took me gallivanting, and then to the Tea Farm to celebrate.  I don't have pictures of the gallivanting part, mostly because we went places like the Second-Hand Market where you don't really want to take your camera. But I do have highlights of our home away from home! 

The house.

The garden.

The monkeys.

The dog staring at the monkeys.

The monkey staring back.

Beautifully strange, fluffy flowers.

Long-tailed birds.

And my favourite.  Funky, beautiful, happy, fun.  Just like our weekend.

Ode to Strapped Chickens

Dear chickens strapped atop the bus,

We know you put up quite a fuss;

But there you ride in highest style,

While inside salesmen shout and smile.

You might be sad to leave your home

Upcountry where you used to roam.

But ride with grace to meet your fate

Beside ugali on my plate.



Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Remember Christmas?  And how we slaughtered and skinned three goats?  Well, their skins have been drying by our burn pit for a month. 

At first, the smell was kind of rank.  All of the neighborhood animals came to investigate.  The resident Kite (like a big hawk) could be seen standing on the middle skin, obviously scheming how it could fly away with its prize.  Thankfully, the skins stayed safe, and are now on their way to the tanner/drum maker.

He will prepare the skins, and then stretch them over a suitable container. Using more skin, he'll stitch the two sides together.  This is one goaty drum.

They come in all sizes.

They come in all brands of toxic chemicals.

They come in all shapes.

Some are more decorative then others.

But the point is: by February, we'll have almost a complete class set of goat drums!  I can't wait.



A Village Within the Village

This is an acacia tree at dusk in our compound. 

I loved the clouds, but I also loved the silhouette that shows you the birds' nests in the tree.  Most big trees have a colony of these tiny birds and usually the nests are all clumped together on one side of the tree.  Every time I walk by it reminds me of the Ewok village in Star Wars.  Deep, I know.

A Working Farm

The Tea Farm was not all about tea.  It had all the marks of a working English farm.

Trusty dog.  (Actually there were seven.)

Milk cows.

Weird milk cow.

Day old calf.

Kitchen garden.

Duck pond.

Big grey goose.

Chickens. (Thanks for the eggs!)

Chameleon.  Oh, wait.  That might be more Kenyan than English.

Monkey feeding time.  I definitely know what country I'm in now!