On The Road Again

So, it's countdown time to the end of being here. One week from now to Nairobi, then in rapid succession to Amboseli, Tsavo West, Mombasa, Gede Ruins, Watamu or Malindi, then maybe Lamu. Back to Nairobi; London, Chicago, Dayton. Six days, Cleveland. Aug 16th move in again at Case.

I've gotten secondaries fro half the schools so far. I want to try to finish one a day or so as soon as I get home. I won't have anything else to do, but it still sees slightly ambitious.

I think all the ones I've gotten back are automatic, and I received a 'confirmation of receipt' from UC-SF saying that a decision will be made about whether or not I qualify for a secondary there in the next 12 weeks.

The VCT is coming along nicely. I'm learning a bit about what Krishna and Josh did last fall from Elizabeth, the manager for the VCT. I look forward to seeing what will happen in the next few months.

I went to the bank today, am not traveling anywhere this weekend, and have had some nice internet time today to post lots of pictures to my official blog.

I've realized that since being here I've lost weight, which is interesting because most people stay the same or gain weight. I think it was he trip to Zanzibar--traveling and eating alone, and lots more exercise in the form of walking long distances and SCUBA. So, now I get the delicious and hearty food of the farm, despite the fact that it can be repetitive.

I have many things to think about for when I get home, and as the time gets nearer I feel the familiar call of responsibilities. It's nice, actually; one can only be a humanitarian in a gelatinous state of travel/relaxation/volunteer work for so long. I will thoroughly enjoy my last few weeks here, I am certain.

Time to get lunch and some more phone time. Lots of work done on the clinic in the last few weeks means that this next week we're ready for inspection and then hpefully getting supplies from the government and opening up for VCT services!

So it's nice to be back in Kenya where I belong, and I've been so happy to see all of the family and other volunteers. There has been significant progress on the clinic, too--though I do miss the pace of life and food in Zanzibar. The film festival was delightful, and I had a really spectacular time making friends with locals. I even helped moderate a debate on dating with a discussion group in a rural mostly Muslim community.

I have gotten a good number of med school secondaries back, enough that I figure I should start filling them all out now...

I'm in such an ebullient mood, flitting from here to there and having a rather divine time getting societally reintegrated in rural Kenya!!

So Zanzibar has been spectacular, from feeding and playing with 100+ year old turtles, getting my Advanced SCUBA certification; to taking a tour of spice plantations and the museums and foods of Zanzibar!

I was in Stone Town, then Nungwi, and now I'm staying in Malindi, which is attached to Stone Town but not nearly as expensive. I'm going to the opening of the ZIFF tonight, and will be watching lots of films this weekend, I hope.

That's that.

So I'm back in Kisumu this weekend. I just ate an entire pizza, had two cokes, and passion fruit juice. It's the first time I've felt full since leaving the US, though I'm certain that I haven't lost weight. It's the nature of the food here that prevents that from happening.

I'm in an awesome internet cafe that doubles as a cake shop, and a thunderstorm just whipped up across Lake Victoria and dumped hail and various sundries from the skies. I'm feeling reinvigorated from a hot shower (my first in Africa!) and all that food/caffeine/sugar.

After a bit of confusion with mom (who I'm ever-so-thankful for!!) getting my Zanzibar ticket, everything is ironed out and I'll be taking off at 9:20 tomorrow morning for an early-afternoon arrival.

I'll be attending some Zanzibar International Film Festival events, starting next Friday (the kick-off is this Sat. in Dar Es Salaam). Also, SCUBA diving, spice plantations; and I'm going to try to get up to Pemba, an interesting island in its own right--much less commercialized and independent from what I can tell. And that's my style anyway. Plus there's supposed to be incredible diving...

I was feeling so emotional on the matatu ride to Kisumu, Don't know if it was because of the other ICODEI volunteers coming and going while I'm away, or because I really feel like I know where I'm going, not just literally but in a 'life-grand-scheme' sort of way. Which feels good.

So. I did it.
I submitted my application to a whole bunch of medical schools just now. It has been such a long ordeal, mostly due to the internet which I complain about ad nauseum. But hey, it's out there; I'm out there, on some pieces of electronic-not-actually-real paper flitting off to the service that will compile, compile and then seal my fate how it chooses. It's really a dreadful thing.

But you know what?
It's the right thing.
My time in Kenya has overwhelmingly convinced me that the medical profession is where I belong. The docs and med students I've met here...from Canada, Australia, Scotland, the US--I've seen what I needed to see.

I guess this is just a beginning.
But it feels like an end.
It's the end of the first step. It's like getting off of the lunar lander. Now you're on the surface. Time to get started for real. And oh, did we mention that even when you go to the moon, you still have to fly back? [Oh, about that: hopefully the moon base'll be ready by 2020/2030...whenever they planned it for...doubtful, but it's good to be hopeful].

So what now?
Zanzibar. For 12 days.
It's a good thing to do mid-summer, see...especially when the ZIFF (Zanz. Intl. Film Festival) is going on, not to mention the Festival of the Dhow...should be quite fun. SCUBA anyone?

Medical School Applications are terrible.
I dislike this so much. My experiences here in Kenya have convinced me more than ever that medical school is precisely where I need to be, but I am just enormously frustrated. I know that if I had just one day--ONE! At home, I could knock this all out in a few hours. But here, it's going to take another week, probably.

I have at last settled on a too-long list of schools to apply to.

I'm going to continue doing all of that right now. I've been at it for three hours already today. Mostly just waiting for things to load.

Kenya is still spectacular, and I'm really impressed with how the blog has been holding up. I enjoy updating it, and it seems that people read it often enough to make it worthwhile as a substitute for 10x more phone calls.

Alright.
Wish me luck.

Looks like my June 2008 will have a record low of entries.

I'm in the slowest internet cafe I've come across yet. Trying to upload takes forever.

It was a very enjoyable week, and things are moving with the project...couldn't ask for more. The weather has been ideal--sunny, nice, occasional storms...

Anyway, I have lots of e-mails to take care of...

Well, for the moment I can't open the blog, so here! I'm in Bungoma, the tip was smoother than I could have hoped, and wow.

Okay, there are so many things.

The flights were fine, the first a bit turbulent. I sat next to a South Dakota high school student group going to London, and a Kenyan runner coming back from training in Italy on the way to Nairobi.

The flight over the desert was fantastic. The sand looked like water, it was one of the strangest views. I had a window seat and watched the sunset over the desert...I felt like I was flying over Mars or something, the curvature of the earth was visible and the sky oh-so-clear.

The place I'm staying is s relaxing. I've been reading a lot. There are four other volunteers at ICODEI right now--two from Canada, one from Scotland, and ne from Tennessee. We're expecting 9 Canadian doctors sometime this week.

Okay, I got the blog to work...

Hope all is well in the US!

Did a little run-around with Patrick today. To MVS to get a letter he needed, packing, to a thrift store and to a sporting goods place, to lunch with mom and grandma, Aunt Marilyn visited, shrimp dinner (gulf shrimp!)...

My things are all packed, on the floor. The communications blackout will start tomorrow and I'm not sure how long it will last. I figure at least until the 6th or 7th of June?

I imagine I'll write updates rather sporadically, and especially at www.kenyansummer.blogspot.com

I'm glad to have things ready. I hope the trip over goes smoothly. My expectations are so varied. I could go on and on, but I want to go sit with my family while grandma is still here!

Well, after the MVS graduation yesterday we had lunch and went to Hannah's graduation party. It was weird to see her family--since I've been at school when our families get together, I haven't seen them all in a really long time. Then we went to the party for Matt S.--it had the redeeming feature of a number of people from Scouts. Took a bike ride with dad, played with the dry ice we had left from Friday, played some duets with mom, did a crossword puzzle...

Graduation was a point of nostalgia. There weren't really any amazing speeches (in fact, there was only one--two girls spoke together). It was a glowing tribute to the school/--the performances were the highlight. Tiffany played the piano, is off to Yale in the fall; Holly, Jae Ho, and Tifah also performed--, Holly sounded like she was in a musical (how many she's been in!), Jae Ho didn't sing in French (on the MVS album released this year, he does), and Tifah is so talented and soulful but had to stop just at the end because she started crying.

Last night, finished season 2 of Enterprise.

Today, church; Patrick has 7 graduation parties. I have a list of things I need to take care of. I would do a countdown to Kenya but it makes me nervous!

Well, we were out and about yesterday for quite a while. I found a laptop battery that I'll get today so that my laptop will run and charge properly when I'm in Kenya.

Spent a long time at the Webster Street Market yesterday with all the family except Ivy. Ivy was at Miami University learning about archeology and Egyptology all this week for MVS middle school project period. It was so relaxing sitting there with the nice weather and the breeze, the fresh flowers and various restaurants. I had a good Thai lunch.

Heard from Erin's friend Anna who lives in Nairobi; she'll be there starting in mid-June. I'll have to try and visit. Nicole is in Tanzania--Moshi to be precise, right by Kilimanjaro--which she'll be climbing for about 5 days; then she'll be in Dar Es Salaam on the coast near Zanzibar where I would love to meet her--she said that there's a film festival there in July. It's possible, if Krishna and I don't make it to Egypt.

It's been nice having grandma around.

I've been playing the piano much more than I have in years. I've gone through almost all of the books and duets that I played in the last two or three years of high school. How relaxing.

Almost done with Enterprise season two. It's enjoyable.

Patrick graduates this morning! I like MVS graduations. Oh, and two of them will be coming to Case--Madison and Chris. Madison has been particularly excited and has given me calls a few times. She got the book award for love of mathematics on Thursday.

Well...
Taht si lla rof won.

Well, you might guess where the greatest office is...it's in bed. I've got several pillows stacked up with my computer on them, and the external drive plugged in. My comforter, sheets, blankets, and other pillows are sort of all around, and the light from my dormer window is bright and comforting.

Last night was the seventh MVS academic awards ceremony that I've attended. It may also very well be the last for a while--there's no one that will be going that I need to see, unless I'm invited to the scholars reception beforehand with the Saidel family. Patrick picked up the small ceramic pot that Mrs. Kretzler makes for each student every year; he got a mug with the school seal and all the names of the people in his class, and a few photos--one was a photo montage of all the students in his class, the other was an individual senior-photo-style shot that the school gives all the students. Afterwards, happy conversation and the ingestion of way too many petits fours commenced. Per the usual, we were some of the last people to leave. Talked to Stephanie and her family for a bit.

Oh, found out that Nicole from MVS class of 06 is in Tanzania! And one of Erin's friends is in Kenya all summer! Well, if I saw anyone over there I know already, that would be amazing.

This morning, Patrick took Collin to school and while he was gone I took grandma to downtown Fairborn where she got her hair done. Meanwhile, I went back home, got Patrick and went to the bank.

The Bank:
I deposited a check, Patrick opened a checking account, I merged my checking accounts, redeemed my CD, had my debit card activated and account set for online banking, and the best thing of all--Remember that grant I got for Kenya? Well, one of the checks wasn't showing--a big check. THE big check. Well, it just so happened that the Cleveland branch had put six of my checks in my parents account! My dad and I have the same name. Well, they transferred it back over and so I'm a happy camper now.

Walter G. Sellers:
One of my role models, an incredible speaker and gentleman. He was 82, died yesterday. Served as first African-American president of Xenia school board, was the first African American President of Kiwanis International. He sat on the boards of the American Cancer Society and American Red Cross, won an honorary degree or so, and was an administrator at a nearby University for 38 years--there are two buildings now on that campus named in his honor.

Hummingbird and other Wildlife:
Outside the window this morning as grandma and I sat in the breakfast room, we saw a hummingbird flit up to the flowers. It was amazing--moved incredibly fast and then would stop, hanging in the middle of the air, wings moving so fast it appeared to be hovering. Went to the quarry after the bank, with grandma. The wildlife there was amazing. "The red worms eat the dots; the fuzzy larger worms with a walking appendage eat the red worms; the tadpoles must eat some of the small worms; the birds eat the tadpoles. The tadpoles hide in the grass; the slime mold feeds the dots..." I could go on and on. We had no idea what these little things were actually called, but in these small puddles on the rocks were incredible micro-ecosystems that were just teeming with life--the puddles were of very warm water.

The fall of the Shelf:
I was in the piano room for a while and then heard this massive tumbling/crash sound. Patrick was upstairs and I asked him if he knew what it was. We found that an 8-foot long shelf mounted about 6 feet up the wall with clothes hanging on it had fallen. Dad had put a few heavy items on the shelf, but I'm thinking they weren't heavy enough to cause it to topple; I think that three of the four main supports weren't making full contact with the shelf and then the only remaining support bend and pulled the six upper hooks off the wall.

Last night, had delicious steaks after getting frozen custard with Rachel, who told me all about her semester in Germany/Europe. Also, played with sand and Patrick's speakers. The Petsinger clan was over for a while. Oh, did I mention yesterday that I had lunch with Andrew and handed off all of my MCAT study materials? Well, I did.

Well, I got my hair cut a little shorter than usual yesterday, apparently especially in the front. Well, at least I won't need a haircut for a while.

Went to the bookstore and got some Asimov and Joyce. Picked grandma up from the airport and had lunch with mom at Tickets. Went to Jeremy's Eagle Scout court of honor in the evening and was reminded how significant an impact scouting had on my development--and all of the scouts that I had some influence on in their civic/leadership/emergency/outdoor education.

Today, AMCAS day--filling out the medical school application. I hope that I choose which schools to apply to wisely and that it all ends up just fine and I get lots of secondary applications and interviews! Well, and ultimately: acceptances. Had lunch with Andrew and we talked about--what else--medical school. He's a year behind me at Case in the same major, so it's fun to give the advice that I wish I had a year back.

This evening, we're grilling out yet again. Grandma really likes a good steak, and she never gets the chance to have them because she doesn't go out to eat like she used to when my grandfather was alive.

Went to the Saidel bikeride this morning. I rode rather quickly, chatted with Stephanie, A.O., Chris, and Johnathan. It was wonderful to talk to the Saidel family, they're amazing--and the Skyline for lunch was good per the usual. Julia Judge's mom was there and sure enough talked to me about the STPS website and how Julia's picture isn't up (she also said that it says she studies 'vocal performance' as a minor, which she apparently doesn't...) All told, rode 15 miles.

This afternoon, dad took a run for 6 miles in Yellow Springs and I rode along. It was such a warm day, but pleasant for outdoor things. We went to Young's Dairy after the ride and took a little drive around the Springs.

Got home, mowed the ditch (worst job ever), and then Aunt Marilyn, Lily, Ivy, and Collin came by and we grilled out. Walked the backyard and looked at all of the fruit trees with Ivy and Lily and dad, and then Lily and Ivy and I walked through the woods to the little houses I built last December (we cleared around them).

Went to the cabin this weekend with dad, and arrived home this evening.

Arrived Friday. On the drive, we got 39.8 miles per gallon for the trip--and with gas at 3.99 a gallon, that's something to be thankful for. Watched an episode of Star Trek and went to bed at a not-too-late hour.

Saturday was work day. After a bit of a debacle with the tractor and a trip in to Athens (about 20 minutes away), we were unable to get the part we needed so dad just drove on the broken tire. The grass at the cabin used to be a field where hay was harvested, so we have really fast growth. So, I clipped around all of the plants and mowed for hours and hours. This took all day; in the evening, we grilled out. A charcoal grill, an excellent bit of fresh hamburger and bacon from Copey's, the meat place we go--nice result.

Ah, and the bird. A male and female sandpiper couple made a nest in the middle of our driveway. We didn't know, so we were wondering why the birds seemed so agitated when we drove down the driveway. We didn't smash the eggs, thankfully, and the mother bird wouldn't leave the nest no matter how close we got to her! I got a good few pictures. There are four eggs, the blend in perfectly with the gravel of the driveway. Did a little to ensure that we know where they are so that we don't have any problems in the future. It's the worst location possible, though--it's unbelievable.

Today we took a long kayak ride after dad finished a few things outside--a little more mowing. We left at about 3, came home, and enjoyed a good dinner all together. Patrick told us all about the graduation parties that he's been going to, and all of the parties that are yet to come.

Grandma arrives Tuesday. Tomorrow we're going to the Saidel bike ride. Maybe we'll actually have good weather this year? Seems like most years it's cloudy and rainy.

I've been going through some of the drawers in my room. Out of 23 drawers in my room, I determined that 11 of them needed to be completely cleaned out--that is, all of the drawers that don't hold clothes exclusively. Well, I've found that I kept loads of things I didn't need from high school. I have notebooks and folders and loose paper; I found my hotel swipe key collection (I always ask if they need them back, and when they don't, ta-da! They're great souvenirs...I could spend an entry detailing the collection). So, I've been throwing things out and rearranging. I have new location for my consolidated journal collection, which fills more than 10 variably sized notebooks and five or so that are partially filled.

Today, dad and I (at the very least; I don't know who else might be coming) are going out to the cabin.

Oh, also, today was Patrick's last day of high school! He's done, locker cleaned out, etc. He has one more paper that's due, a bunch of graduation parties (a BUNCH) for the next month.

I've been watching all the www.ted.com talks on rocketry and space flight. I didn't realize all of the milestones that SpaceShipOne reached in 2004. I can't wait to see what SpaceShipTwo does when it's fully operational and online.

Rocketry is also rather exciting...Here's news from 2004 related to something that I'd like to do:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn5005-first-amateur-rocket-blasts-into-space.html

For tens of thousands of dollars, they launched 100 km and it was a 7 m tall rocket. I would love to know if there have been any other 'amateur' records set since then. Obviously, Rutan went higher--, but that just seems different somehow and it cost 25 million, not tens of thousands.

Went to the Dentist yesterday, which is always fun. Even if they don't really mean it, their whole 'oh you have such nice teeth' act makes me feel good. In other words, I always leave the dentist feeling much happier than when I entered. Well, it's also just because I don't like the scraping part when they have the pick on your teeth. I dread that, maybe that's why I feel better when it's over?

I'm going to wire transfer the money to go to Kenya, deposit a check, and fill my malaria medication prescription for Mefloquine which gives me vivid dreams. I have to start taking it next Wednesday, I believe.

Earlier today, I started a fire in the backyard with the help of a magnifying glass. I haven't done that in altogether too long...it's a good skill to have, probably. I should get a really awesome magnifying glass to take to Kenya, I'm sure it'd be fun to play with every once in a while.

I've been reading Asimov's "Foundation"; I got it from Case's share network before I left school. I actually got several hundred books-so I'll not be bored so long as I have computer battery.

I finished season 1 of Enterprise; now watching season 2.