The freak show is on the road!

When we walked home yesterday we were followed by about 15 children. The kids yelled after us: Mzungo (=white people)! Habari (=how are you)?! Give me money!

We were both taken aback, not at all being used to being followed by a herd of kids. We said “kwaheri” (=good bye) when we closed the door in their faces, and they settled down on our porch on the porch furniture talking and playing. When we left the house to take a long walk in “town”, they followed us some more, although they got tired of it rather fast.

Our fan club...?

When walking in the village people look at us. Some stare. A lot of people smile, a lot of people greet us. It is an understatement to say that we do not go unnoticed in this town.

On the walk, two women walked with us and asked us to follow them (they did not speak a word of English, but thanks to the dictionary we finally figured out sort of what they were saying), and we think they took us to meet some of their relatives. It was a different experience. 

All this making us afraid our ego’s will be huge when we come back home! 

Sitting in the little hut with our new random friends.

At the hospital, we also feel a bit strange, although in a different way. Everybody is really welcoming, they’re helpful when they can be. There is a nursing school by the hospital, so they are used to students. But they are not used to students who are trying “to make a study about maternity care”, they are not used to students who are only there to observe. We have tried to explain (time and again), and they usually nod and smile and say that they understand, but then they are surprised when we don’t feel comfortable taking a persons history in Swahili, or when we don’t want to perform an examination we've never done before.

Linnea in front of the hospital entrence.

What is more (and worse), is that they are disappointed in us. They are overworked, they care for more patients then they have room or time for. And we are two medical students, and we aren’t helping them. I can’t say I’m surprised at their disappointment.