One of the joys of my job is to be with students and residents as they experience what it means- many for the first time- to live in another culture.  More than trying some new foods and learning some greetings in another language, this experience is challenging for the visiting students and residents as they come up against different cultural perspectives on money, work, time, death, illness, and gender.

Recently, we were given the rare opportunity to hear what is like for the Kenyans who Kenyans visit America.  Each year a number of the top medical students from Moi University School of Medicine are given the opportunity to go an spend a couple of months in North America at various AMPATH partner medical centers.  With each site having a slightly different feel, the Kenyan students rotate through the hospitals on different services while spending time off travelling and exploring their new homes. 

Upon their return to Kenya, they give presentations- pictures and stories included- to one another.  This year we were privileged enough to see their presentations.  One of my favorite quotes about Americans was that "they work like demons" as one group described arriving at the hospital before dawn and working long days.  Their pictures showed them working and having fun with their North American colleagues.  And while the fall weather was a little bit of change and we talk a little faster than they are used to, it seemed as though they all had a great experiences.

The true measure of success of the program, though, will be in the coming years as these students become physicians and the leaders of healthcare in Kenya.  We hope that this experience contributes to their perspectives as they begin to care for patients and consider what is- as well as develop their own vision for what could be- health care within this country.

There was turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, sweat potatoes, rolls, and table filled with desserts including pumpkin pie, cheesecake, and chocolate-walnut pie.  Over seventy people crowded into the IU House Dining Hall to enjoy this Thanksgiving celebration.  While others were just rising to enjoy the annual Thanksgiving Day parade, we were basking in the savory smells and tastes of our own Thanksgiving feast.

It was a beautiful event as we had Americans from all over Kenya come to join us and even a few Kenyan friends as well.  Many opened up those cans and boxes brought so long ago from America and saved just for this occasion.  Canned pumpkin and mushroom soup tasted all the better following their long journeys across the Atlantic.

Underneath a banner reading "Happy Thanksgiving," we all simultaneously declared what we were thankful for.  Though far from loved ones and the places many of us call home, we then sat down for an incredible night to celebrate and remember all that we have been given.

One of my favorite times of the week here is Thursday night.  Every week, following dinner, all of the visiting students and residents come over to our living room for a "fireside chat."  I say  "fireside" as we actually do not have a fireplace in house; though with the sporadic power outages, we do occasionally have "candlelight chats."  That being said, with the room and floor filled, we engage in discussions on topics from the street children in Eldoret to the population problem facing the planet.  The goals of these discussions are to draw out the students to think about some of the bigger social and cultural topics that shape life and medical practice here.  For instance, it's one thing to know the lifecycle of the parasite that causes malaria, but it's a much different thing to know why the majority of deaths caused by this parasite are poor children in sub-Saharan Africa and how we might work to prevent it.  We want to allow these students a safe place to process their time and experiences here.  Fireside chats serve as this venue for them to voice their emotions with others and to wrestle with the many challenges in providing care and serving the sick here.

All are welcome on these nights, and often our Kenyan friends and co-workers lead the discussions.  Feel free to stop by the next time you're around on Thursday night.  And just as an added incentive to come, Chrissie, my wife, uses these nights as a chance to share some of her baking prowess with some of the most delicious cookies and desserts.

Welcome back.  As I wrote in our initial post, my position here in Eldoret is the Medicine Team Leader.  The job entails various roles and responsibilities here but one of my favorites is working with the visiting students from Indiana University School of Medicine and our North American partner universities.  At any given time, we have approximately four to twelve students here.  Most students are here for one to two months and it is an incredible process to watch them grow and learn during  their time here.  Each student and group is very different.  Some students have never been outside the USA before while others are seasoned-explorers looking for careers in global health.  However, each brings with them an enthusiasm and caring-heart that I believe are invaluable. 

Our students spend the majority of the time working on the wards with Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH).  It is a 700-bed hospital with an average daily census of over 800 patients and many of the beds are occupied by two, if not more, patients.  As one of two referral hospitals in the country, patients come from all over Western Kenya for care here and often present severely ill.  Moreover, the diagnostic and treatment capabilities are often very limited compared to what the students are used to at their home institutions.  Yet, despite this, our students spend long hours each day working to provide each of their patients the best care possible.  As advocates for patients whom often earn less than $1-2 USD per day, I believe they are stepping into and realizing their calling as clinicians. 

Modern medical training is about more than learning about diseases and pharmacology; it entails understanding the social, cultural, and political factors of illness.  It is my privilege to watch the students learn these every day on the wards of MTRH.

As we say in Kiswahili, "Karibuni," welcome.  My name is Geren Stone, and I am the Indiana University School of Medicine Team Leader in Eldoret, Kenya.  My wife, Christine, and 1-year old son, Gavin, have been in Eldoret since April of this year.  My wife works here as physical therapist representing the IUPUI School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.  Our arrival serendipitously has coincided with inaugural year of the Physiotherapy Program within Moi University School of Medicine.  Christine is busy figuring out her role within the school as the first class of students are set to arrive later this month.  Meanwhile, Gavin has kept himself busy entertaining all the guests at IU House with his joyful laughter and smiles as well as learning important things such as how to walk and drink out of a cup.

Our hope with this area of the website is to allow you some real-time stories and pictures from the ground here in Eldoret.  We want to allow you to share in the incredible, life-changing work that characterizes AMPATH and the lives of our patients here in Western Kenya.  Moreover, we want to share with you the many facets of the program including the educational partnership between Moi University, Indiana University and its North American Partners.  Nearly every day of the year, a North American medical student, pharmacy student, or resident can be found on the wards at Moi Teaching Referral Hospital.  The care they provide touches lives, and the experience in turn leaves them changed for the remainder of their careers in medicine. 

Our vision is to add new posts periodically inviting you into the stories, beauty, and humanity that characterizes this program.  We also hope to invite others here in Eldoret to contribute as time passes.  Thanks for joining in this journey.  We are excited to see where it goes.