Ngoswani, Narok West; NFHF

So we got some news today… NO WIFI! Good thing we weren’t told we would have literally no form of connection with the outside world until we got here. We’re at Nagoswani medical clinic in the Masai Mara in West Narok. Aside from the whole no running water, electricity, or wifi thing, its pretty amazing. It took about 3.5 hours to get here and when I say we’re in the middle of nowhere, I mean the middle of nowhere. The road to get back to the clinic can’t even be considered a road.. it’s basically just a path that has less grass than its surroundings. On our way in, we saw wild animals left and right. It felt like an actual safari. We saw a herd of about 30 giraffes, hundreds of gazelles and wildebeest, and the occasional Masai; the men with their livestock and the women carrying firewood. We arrived at the compound to be greeted by Julius, the coordinator and local Masai villager, and Tonya and Linda, the women who started the New Frontiers Health Force (NHFH). Tonya is a doctor and both are volunteers who spend about 4 months at a time here, working in the clinic they built and started. The goal was to give the Masai in the area a place where they could receive healthcare, as it had never been an option in their remote corner of the world (look them up, seriously, it's a truly incredible cause).
First we had chai and then they showed us around the clinic and introduced us to the clinical physicians who are Kenyan natives. After the tour, one of the Masai men took one of his goats out back to be slaughtered in celebration of our arrival. Most of the group went to watch the process, but I stayed and spoke with Tonya… I was not about to watch that haha. We talked about medical school and her life story and how she ended up here. She really has an incredible life. When the goat was finished, the men roasted it over the fire while we went in for dinner. We had a traditional Kenyan meal… ugali, cabbage, and chipaties. It was sooooooooooo good. You’re supposed to eat it with your hands, but because there was no running water for hand washing, it probably wasn’t a good idea so we stuck to the forks. After dinner, we went out to the fire where they were roasting the goat they had just killed and they passed it around to everyone. The men were literally just eating it off the bone and if they couldn’t pull the meat off with their teeth, they pulled out their giant knives from their robes and cut it off between their mouths and the bone. Then they sang a traditional Masai song for us and danced and clapped and I couldn’t stop smiling, it was so powerful to watch. I felt so small in their presence (and not just because they’re all around 6 feet tall). I was so grateful to be sitting there, listening to their stories and watching their movements, even if I couldn’t understand what they were saying. I didn’t have to. As I watched the sun set over the rolling plains, I finally felt like we were really in Africa and I was speechless. Now, everyone is in bed and it’s 8 o’clock; they rise and set with the sun. I wish I had some form of communication right now so I could tell everyone how incredible it is here, although words won’t do it justice. 

roasting the goat

the compound

beautiful sunset/our outhouse

mmmmmm goat legs

goat throat soup.......