Rushing Toward the End/Full Stop.

The past week has been quite busy, with things at the clinic really coming together for the VCT. Also, Elizabeth is developing a 5 year plan so that we know where we're going. The idea is that we eventually would like to serve as a Comprehensive Care Center where we can offer home-based care and anti-retrovirals, as well as extended counseling for people who are HIV positive.

All of the work is basically done. We have all the materials for the finishing touches, and we're meeting with Reuben to work on setting up a visit by the District Health group that will do a final inspection and let us know how to go about securing the final resources we need to open, which will hopefully come in the next few weeks. The whole clinic looks so nice since we 'renovated' it! The next post I'll add some pictures of what's finished and how things have changed since the first pictures that I added of the VCT center and clinic as a whole.

Notes on living at the Lubanga farm and Bungoma Town:
Bathing-
Get a plastic bucket and a pitcher, go to the outdoor kitchen [filled with smoke, a coal fire and a jicho with a large pot on top, hard to tell how clean the water looks], if you're lucky there's hot water. Otherwise just get well water. Then, go to a shower stall and that's that.

Sleeping-
While originally I was quite concerned about mosquitoes, ends up that there aren't as many as I expected. Still, use the bed net. And try not to get tangled in it. If there's a lump on top of the net when you wake up, it's the cat. It's name sounds something like "Crispy-nuts", and she's pregnant and makes weird noises so just leave her there. One of her earlier children, the tiny gray cat, may also come and stay with you.

Eating-
Breakfast is red plum Zesta, Supa loaf, chai [sweet, lots of milk], and Blue Band 'butter'. Mandazi [doughnuts!] come on Saturday mornings. On rare occasions, there are boiled eggs from the many, many hens that wander the farm. Lunch is rice, cabbage, beans, maize, sakuma wiki--in some combination. Tea is served in late afternoon. Dinner is lentils and chapati Wednesday and Sunday, sometimes spaghetti and tomato sauce with mashed potatoes, occasionally chicken [Isabelle and Neeraj killed the chickens we ate two nights ago. I took a video with Isabelle's camera]--, and ocassionaly we'll have goat or beef. Also with dinner, any of the items I mentioned for lunch. On rare occasions, we have ugali. I think I've had it served only three times on the farm while I've been here. For dessert, melon or fruit--but only two or three times a week. If you go to town, Coffee Garden has decent inexpensive lunches. Red Hat will fix a stellar buffet if you call ahead. Shariff's Center has a restaurant overlooking a park, and they serve boneless chicken curry. Khetia's and Shariff's have two locations each in Bungoma Town,--decent grocery stores. Most often, oranges and mangoes are best purchased on the street. Kisumu is the closest place to get pizza or a burger.

Shopping-
Khetia's and Shariff's have anything a really small Wal-Mart would have. The Nakumatt, in Kisumu, is much more complete as far as a 'Western' grocery is concerned. The market in Bungoma Town happens on Fridays, but there is some fraction of the outdoor market open every day, and Saturday is fairly big too. There are bookstores, 'Agro-vets', electronics stores, hardware stores, tailors, etc. lining the main street of Bungoma, as well as many banks. The only one that always accepts my ATM card is Barclay's.