The Frist Global Health Leaders (FGHL) program affords young health professional students, residents, and fellows the opportunity to serve and train abroad in underserved communities for up to one semester. In doing so, they will bolster capacity in clinics in need of support as well as offer training to community health workers to promote sustainability upon their departure from these communities. As part of the program, they blog about their experiences here. For more information, visit our program page.  

So I'm in Africa. Kenya to be exact and more locally Kijabe ...7200 feet above sea level and 8000 miles away from home.

Kijabe actually means "place of the wind" and that's spot on.Every night I fall asleep to the sound of strong wind that almost sounds like the ocean tide. Mornings, I book it up the hill along the dirt path to the hospital and the guard who knows I’m a doctor opens the door for me without any hassle and greets me. Evenings, I walk down the same hill with a stunning view of Mount Longonot. Besides the beautiful land, what is most striking about the Rift Valley is how thankful the people are.

Like many Americans, I'm of mixed ancestry, and people have always had trouble placing me everywhere I've ever been, from Nashville to Nairobi, but here it doesn't really matter where I'm from or where I've been. There's even a word for people like me in Kenya - Mzungu -

#LifeLessonsLearnedinKenya