We're in Kenya!

I left my house at 4.00pm on Tuesday met up with my colleague Richard. We both travelled by train arrived onwards to Heathrow. We both waited for our plane headed straight off to Dubai Nairobi, Kenya. We both arrived at 3.00pm Wednesday afternoon.

My first experience was trying to fill out 5 different forms for a visa, the experience for me was tough. As a Dyslexic this was my worst nightmare! Once working out what other people were doing around me I just copied what they were doing it was fine.

Kenya is three hours ahead so we actually met our taxi at 3.30pm Nairobi time. With not knowing much of what to expect and having never been to Kenya or even Africa before! Exciting times!

I didn’t know what to expect before the airport opened, once I walked out of the airport, I was totally immersed in a new world.

I was immediately overwhelmed firstly by the noise; the traffic is lots of road signs, advertising billboards indicating and the noise. Cars, bikes and buses just moving forward into any available space that was available, at first it was gridlock once everyone worked out where to go – everything feel into place the traffic was moving quickly. A bit too quickly at times

On the drive across the city, there were many people walking along the side of the roads, many were in suits  and colourful rich clothes heading home from work and school. You could feel the hustle and bustle of a city but one like none I had ever experienced before.

All the people in the city were walking in and out of the fast moving traffic not looking where they were going. No one seemed to notice this chaos. Once I settled into the journey I could see there were many vacant and derelict buildings littering the landscape many unfinished. The buildings had many Chinese billboards and advertising; I was told later on the MAF staff that many nationalised Chinese companies are investing heavily into the Kenyan economy which marked changing times in the new globalised economy. This seems to give the Kenyan capital energy which you felt all around you.

Fighting through the traffic and people-watching made the time fly and the taxi arrived at MAF's hangar at Wilson Airport. I spent the day meeting with all the staff who works in a variety of positions. The aircraft in Hangar looked amazing! Much bigger in size than I have expected!  I will be uploading photos to the MAF website and Facebook when I have arrived back from the UK. Amazing stuff!

I spent a couple hours with the MAF engineers taking apart a whole aircraft. Incredible seeing the engineers taking aprt each piece of the engine putting it back together shortly afterwards!

Wow what a epic day. We landed at the Hotel totally exhausted... Its many hours on the plane with no sleep, GREAT! We will be heading back to the MAF hangar at Wilson Airport in the morning to find out more about the Kenyan programme. I’m really excited to finally see MAF’s work in the field seeing difference that the planes and MAF staff make in Kenya. I will be keeping you posted with future updates when we have internet! Take care.  Marcus J

First visit

For the next 7 days I will be reporting for MAF from Kenya with my colleague Richard Hubbard.  Richard is an experienced traveller, however this will be my first visit to Africa, I will be recording thoughts and experiences in this blog whilst visiting various MAF partners, programmes and people.

We will be going to Mfangano Island in Lake Victoria, where we will be meeting the children and teachers from the Gethsemane Garden Christian Centre. We will be handing out plane messages from the recent Christmas appeal and will record the children's response on film, so that we can share this special moment with you.

There may be opportunities during the week to go out on some MAF flights and experience the work that MAF does first hand, this will be particularly exciting for me as I am usually the person who updates all the online materials in the UK.

Watch this space, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for regular updates on our journey. We would love to share the blog with your friends. Please pray for us.


View Larger Map

Entry 7

Today was the day the operations started (well, ish because there were a few yesterday evening...)

At the start we talked to Dr. Eric and a patient - she (Jacklin) was a gorgeous young woman, however when you looked at her left eye it was bulging and milky-looking. Apparently, when she was 2 years old she had an accident, and the doctor who looked after her made a mistake and she could no longer see out of that eye, plus occasionally it would hurt her. But mainly the problem was that it didn't look particularly attractive.

We then went to see the surgery room. It was different... With English surgery rooms it's very clean and sterile. Well this was very not sterile, and the equipment was very basic... But somehow, so Dr Eric told us, people didn't really get infections, so erm, ok? Anyway after an exchange of pleasantries we watched the surgeries begin! (exciting moment)

***

Jacklin had her eye taken out (usually you would expect someone to be deeply upset to lose a part of themselves) but after the operation, when we saw her, she had a patch over her eye and a massive smile stretching from ear to ear. A fake eye has been ordered to be put in tomorrow!

The blind man I mentioned yesterday went in just as we left, but I really want to see him, seeing the world all over again!


(Please pardon the lateness of the post, I had more Internet troubles... And just pretend this is 2 days ago... Yeah, I'm not awkward at all!)

Assessment Room (Part 4)

Assessment Room Part 4

A blind man came into the assessment room. After an examination we found out that he has an infection in his eyes, and he has cataracts. But the doctors can remove the cataracts and cure the infection. (I'm so grateful that he would be able to see again, it was so sad to watch him, because he had no idea where he was or what was going on, but his wife was so caring and loving towards him.)

There was a mother and daughter, the daughter needed the surgery for cataracts, but it was complicated in her case and they needed state-of-the-art equipment to do the operation, which they did not have here in Mtwara. They would need to take the girl to Dar Es Salaam, and then they both cried because they just couldn't go there. It had been a big thing for them to come to Mtwara, but to go to the big city was just too overwhelming - and the cost would be too much as well.

Assessment Room (Part 3)

Assessment Room Part 3

One lady had her cateracts removed years ago, but it was done the old-fashioned way and they removed her lens, and they gave her really thick glasses (that is simply how they did it, removed the lens, then gave glasses). But now Dr. Eric has ordered a fake lens (from Dar Es Salaam - it's on a bus as we speak! - Don't doubt the bus!) to put into her eye, so she doesn't have to wear glasses anymore (neat, huh?).