Day 2: A 60's Flashback, Dude?

It was actually quiet in the neighborhood today. Although not so quiet around town. We woke to news that there were tires burning in the streets and the road to Kisian (where the field station is located) was blocked. So nobody went to the office today, not even Kayla.

All day we heard reports of what was going on around town. There were a lot of skirmishes with protestors and police. It is hard for me to believe the police are using live bullets! I guess they never heard about Kent State, eh? And even if they shoot over the heads of people that bullet has to come down somewhere! Someone remarked how it reminded them of the Vietnam protesting in the US during the sixties. I guess if you believe in something stronge enough... hmm, where did I put that Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young album again? Local TV is showing some of the police brutality which is not pretty and not helping the governments cause, I think. We get satellite TV; BBC, CNN, Cartoon Network (hmm, sometimes can't tell one from the other :-)), but not local news, dang it, no antenna setup!

Even though things around us seem calm it is still unnerving wondering what is going to happen next. Poor Kayla is constantly on the phone or sending/receiving messages, coordinating CDC’s efforts to keep staff safe and keep programs going, some of these programs deliver vital ARV’s to people with AIDS who would otherwise die without them. Too bad there isn’t a spa in Kisumu I can send her to after all this is over.

Anyway, our Blackberries and VSAT arrive tomorrow so I’ll be spending most of tomorrow learning how to use these new toys. We’ll also be bracing for another round of protests as well. Hopefully we can continue to stay out of the way and hopefully things will settle down on Saturday a bit so we can buy more fresh foods and restock. To be continued….