Odds 'n Ends

Well, not much exciting is happening here, so I will spare you all the boring details. Being that it is my last week in Eldoret, I'm just trying to prepare myself for our Saturday morning departure. Between rounding in the hospital, going to lectures, and making some last minute pitstops at some of the local shops downtown, my schedule has left me with little time to breathe. Tomorrow and Friday will be no different, as I still have several things that are not checked off on my "to do" list. Hopefully all will go smoothly and everything will get done by dusk on Friday!

I just wanted to write to share a funny story with you. Over the past two weeks, the new medical student, Elisa, and I have adopted a morning run as part of our repertoire. It has been awesome. We get up around 615am and leave the hostel at about 620am, just when the sun is starting to creep up. We run for about 35-45 minutes along the dirt paths that lie next to the somewhat paved road. Seeing the sunrise every morning in Africa has been a great way to start the day, and it is definitely something I will miss when I get back home.

So here goes the story. This past Tuesday, Elisa was not feeling well, so she decided not to make the run that morning. Deciding to stick to our newly established routine, I made the journey myself and enjoyed yet another beautiful African sunrise. After I had finished my run, I walked up to IU house to shower quickly before lecture. On my way back to the hostel, a Kenyan man (though lighter complected than your typical Kenyan) started briskly walking towards me, yelling "Excuse me, madam, excuse me." I stopped and asked how I could help him, to which he replied with a huge grin on his face, "Are you from Bombay?" Chuckling, I answered him "No sir, I'm not." He then questioned me, "Where are you from?" When I told him I was from the United States, he looked at me in amazement and said, "You're KIDDING me!! You look JUST like a Bombay-ite!" This statement caught me off guard, coming from a Kenyan man. Laughing again, I assured him that I was from America. I did, however, throw him a bone and tell him that my dad was from India. His eyes lit up, and he proudly told me that he had been to Bombay. After I told him how great it was that he had visited there, he jumped into a 5 minute monologue about how I really did look like a Bombay-ite. When all was said and done, this guy ended up taking about 10 minutes of my time, which I thought was pretty impressive given the nature of the topic.

Anyway, I thought everyone would enjoy this story, knowing how confused people consistently get about my racial descent. I didn't think there would be as much controversy about my heritage here in Africa since I definitely don't look African, but I am routinely proved wrong. Every 2 or 3 days, I manage to get questioned about it in some way or another, and most people find it hard to believe that I come from the United States. It's become a running joke here, just as it is with all of my friends back home. To be honest, it's actually kind of refreshing.


I hope everyone continues to do well. I officially leave Kenya to head back to the States one week from today. I'm hoping to get one more blog in before I leave Eldoret on Saturday, but I'm making no promises. As always, thanks for following my journey. Please take care. God bless you all.