Today, we left at 0830 for Kerio View. Kerio View is considered the “Home of Champions” because athletes from all around the world come to this area to train. During our drive, Max explained that Kenya has made 47 counties, each with a governor, like the US states. There are also 43 tribes; each tribe speaks 1 of 3 languages: Bantu, Nilotic, or Cushitic. While driving, we also got our first “Mzungu” today, meaning “the white people.” When we got to Kerio View, the first thing we did was order our food. We chose to order ahead of time because Kenyans follow a polychronic model for time, meaning time is cyclical, and their concept of time is “free-flowing.” As a result, it usually takes us longer to get food because Kenyan meals usually last for hours. After we ordered, we started our hike.
The hike started near Rift Valley, and we walked past the house that Taxi Max grew up in. Some of the houses had grass roofs that were designed to prevent water from getting in. Before we even started the actual hike, I knew it was going to be tough because the pathway we were on was straight upward and rocky. When we started walking, two little girls from the village came and met us to say hello. We had to take breaks like every 10 minutes on the hike. During one of the breaks, Max explained that the valley is always moving because the tectonic plates are shifting. The hike is located in the highlands, which provides a good environment for farming. Along the hike, groups of Kenyans passed us – each one of them shook our hand and said hello. One guy with really white dress shoes asked to take a selfie with us.
We walked to a waterfall that was really pretty, and we took pictures on the edge. The water was super cold, so it felt really good while hiking. We kept walking to the highest point of Kerio View, which was 7000ft above sea level. The view was amazing. You could see all the different colors from the clay, farmland, and houses, and you could see mountains in the distance.
One of the girls we saw at the beginning of the hike, and her older sister, ended up passing us because we were taking so many breaks (they were also in crocs). We met up with them at the main peak. Savannah and I gave them some of our cookies we got from the IU House because they love sweets. The older sister got a machete out of nowhere and began chopping weeds on our hike – we were not expecting that at all. The walk back down was wayyyyy easier than the walk up – I was actually able to stop gasping for air lol. We also saw Colobus monkeys swinging in the trees while we walked back. We heard crickets that had the highest pitch noise ever. There was also a herd of goats and sheep just casually walking past us at one point. The mountain was so steep, a couple of us slipped on the way down. We drove back to the restaurant and got our food almost immediately. Alison and I split a goat platter and cinnamon chapati, which is like a thinner naan. I also got a fresh mango juice to drink – omg so good. The view from the restaurant was also amazing, you could see directly into Rift Valley.
On the ride home, all of us napped, and then I napped more when we got back. The rest of the evening has been pretty chill, and tomorrow is our first day rounding at the hospital with our healthcare firm (team)!
PharmD to Be 