International Experiences

Lena: Kenyan Elections

Many of you have asked for information about the elections to which I have alluded that are going on in Kenya. I wish I had the time and knowledge to fully elaborate on the situation. Here are two BBC articles that seem consistent with what I was hearing within the country before I left.

What was written 3 weeks ago: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7092398.stm

What was written tonight: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7164890.stm

Lena: Really settling in

So I know it's been a long time since I've written. There are two reasons for this. First internet in Migori is notoriously unreliable... the only internet cafes here connect through the cell phone network and so even when they are working, the connection is quite slow. My second excuse is that being here in Kenya is not as remarkable as it has been in the past. That's not to say I'm not enjoying myself - in fact, in many ways I am enjoying myself more this visit than I have on my previous visits...

Lena: Images

Fishing boats on Lake Victoria:

Nakumat (the equivalent of Walmart smack dab in the middle of Kisumu):

Maasai in Nakumat (an interesting juxtaposition):

Lena: Settling In

I know many of you were worried that I'd wind up spending my birthday alone having ramen noodles for dinner (or maybe that was just me). Anyway, in spite of my fears, I went out with the mzungu team to dinner at the finest (and pretty much only) restaurant in town. Having several vegetarians in the group, they tried to request a chapatti with egg and kale inside - something of a breakfast burrito. I was surprised that by the time the waiter made it around the table to me, everyone in the group had ordered this odd entree. I went for some good ole fried goat. I also had some avocado and pineapple juice, which was unexpectedly delicious. Overall, a nice way to celebrate my birthday!

I've finally moved into the place where I will be staying for the rest of my time here. Each day after our arrival in Migori, there was some reason that we couldn't move in. First there was no gas, then there were not enough beds, then it was too dirty to move in. I began to worry that they were just trying to avoid having to show it to me until the last possible moment. Turns out the place is pretty nice and very close to where I've been staying the past several days. Still it was nice to be able to finally unpack. I'd been repacking my stuff every morning, so that I would be prepared to move whenever it became necessary.

Lena: My Research Progress

Some of you may at this point be wonder how my research is going, as that has been conspicuously absent from my posts. To be honest, I’ve been wondering the same thing. I was really ready to hit the ground running because my ultimate amount of time in country was not as long as I had initially hoped it would be. Unfortunately, and as expected, I’m the only one who seems to feel this sense of urgency. I’ve been trying to be patient and remember that laying a solid groundwork is essential to the success of future endeavors. For the past week, I have been introducing myself to healthcare providers at the facilities where I will be conducting my interviews. I call this building social capital and I guess we will see if it pays off next week, when I am scheduled to actually start interviewing people. ...

Lena: Hospitals in Migori

On Monday morning, we visited our first of the 12 sites involved in the study in Migori. We went to Karungu, a sub-district hospital, on Lake Victoria. It was almost a 2 hour drive from Migori, where we are staying. A 2 hour drive is in itself not short, but when you are in a double cab truck with 7 other people on extremely rough roads (if you can even call them that), it becomes interminable. Now I understand why only 4 of the 12 sites are currently distributing antiretroviral therapy (ART). I had been told it was partially because we didn’t have enough vehicles. When we went to visit the site we brought a host of ART drugs with us as well as TB drugs. In addition, we brought clinical staff with us capable of administering and distributing these drugs. We visit a different site each day (Monday through Thursday) in this way and hence, 4 sites are currently active. When we have another vehicle, theoretically 4 more sites could be activated. I don’t want to oversimplify here, because there are other criteria that must be satisfied as well; for example, they must have at least 50 people who have tested positive for HIV. ...
Karungu subdistrict hospital:

Lena: Update from Kisumu

So I’ve been in Kenya for a week now. I guess it’s time for an update. My first day in Kisumu, there was a team-building event for all of the FACES staff from Kisumu. I wasn’t really sure if I should attend or not, but for lack of anything else to do I decided to tag along. We all piled into a matatu (minibus/van made to seat fifteen people, but usually crammed with at least eighteen people) at the clinic and headed to a place slightly outside of town and upon arriving, we began playing all kinds of games and singing songs that I couldn’t even pretend to know. Many of them involved singling out a specific person to, for example, dance in the middle of the circle. Luckily, I hadn’t been there long enough that anyone knew my name. After several more matatus full of staff arrived, we began the planned activities (I hadn’t realized these weren’t the official team-building activities). We were divided into groups had to do a variety of classic team-building activities ranging from ‘crossing a river’ to a trust circle and untying a human knot. Our last activity of the day was a blindfolded relay race. The first step in the race was to go bobbing for apples and then completely eat the apple, skin and all. For those of you who have traveled abroad, I’m sure you know that this is a cardinal sin: you must drink bottled water and you must peel all fruit and vegetables. I attempted to explain my dilemma to the organizers, but no exemption was given. I didn’t want to let my team down on my first day during a team-building activity, no less. So I decided to take one for the team, literally. Overall, it was a great opportunity to get to know some of the many FACES employees. ...

Lena: Background

Map of Western Kenya:

Migori town:

Lena: Arrived in Kisumu, Kenya

After more than 24 hours of traveling, I've arrived and all in one piece (for the most part). I even managed to meet up with my Aunt Jill in London during my 9 hour layover. So that's the good news...

Eugene: A potential framework for approaching North Korea

I have been thinking a great deal recently about the best way to approach work in North Korea. Outlined below is a putative framework for approaching such work:

The recent nuclear test performed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has drawn the attention of the international community back to the ongoing struggles and affairs that have remained unresolved on the Korean peninsula. As a single event, the test was a critical catalyst to attract international attention to the DPRK, but more importantly, the incident represents a nadir to deteriorating diplomatic efforts with North Korea. For over a decade, the DPRK has negotiated with international parties over critical issues, including nuclear arms proliferation. The failure of these efforts in halting the development of nuclear weapons indicates an essential failure of diplomacy. As a result of these deteriorating diplomatic efforts, the DPRK has become increasingly isolated, antagonized, and neglected.