Get Excited with me People

Less than a month from now this blog will transform, yet again*, into a travelog.  You don't have a choice in the matter.  I make no promises about the frequency of updates since I have no concept about the quality of internet access in the places where we will be traveling.  Why should you start getting excited?  Because I received two very detailed emails in the last few days providing, you guessed it, DETAILS!!!!  I now have a basic idea of what will be happening, where I will be at at a given time, the food I'll be eating. 

May 5-7:  in transit
May 7-22:  Nairobi
May 23-June 9:  Mombasa (on the coast....of the ocean!)
June 10-July 1:  Nairobi (again!)
July 2-15: Mbita (on the coast....of lake Victoria!)
July 16-31:  TBD (ie. wherever we feel like)
Aug 1-2: In transit

I don't want to give away all the excitement but I'll wave a few morsels to keep you interested.  Besides, any of this is subject to change.

Nairobi:  We'll be living in a large African city with an Indian family (eating Gujarati food....the best of both worlds!) near the Asian quarter of the city.  And you thought Toronto was a multi-cultural experience!  It isn't all fun and games.  Our final placement will commence here at the Aga Khan University Hospital.  What type of SLT** things will we be doing?  Who knows!

Mombasa:  Look up photos of this city.  You will be so jealous of our time in this old colonial city, the second largest in Kenya and right on the salty coast.  We have very few details about this location but I have to keep reminding myself that my purpose there will not be to learn to SCUBA.  Perhaps it can be my secondary purpose.

Mbita:  Hanging with the locals eating traditional African food with fish straight from Lake Victoria (I can like fish, I can like fish, I can like fish.  Repeat).  Conservative clothing.  Malaria-engorged skeeters.  Possible anti-malarial-induced hallucinations.  No electricity.  Assessment and therapy using only what is within arm's reach (any guesses I take as to the possible items available will just end up sounding culturally insensitive).  Oh, and mandatory church.  Apparently that is the non-negotiable. 


Suggestions for post-placement must-sees?

*Circa Sept-Dec 2007 I kept the internets updated on my travels through South America. 
**In Africa (and most other countries of the world) the proper term is Speech-Language Therapist instead of Pathologist.  This would save us from the disappointed looks on healthcare recruiters' faces when we have to explain that we are not pathology students (ie. med students) but speech-language pathology students.