Goodbye Kenya

I have returned home in December and resumed work at GSK this week! You know that feeling when you wake up before your alarm usually goes off and you think: “No wait, it’s Sunday so I can sleep in… ahhhhh. Oh no, IT IS Monday!” That is how I felt only infinitely worst since I had not worked in over three weeks. Anyway…

What a great fellowship and a fun experience!

I am grateful for my IAVI and KAVI coworkers as well as my fellow GSK PULSE colleagues. This would have been a far less fun experience without Beverley, Caroline, Lisa, and Eileen to share the experiences. There are many stories I can share with friends and family, but there are many more stories that are “you had to be there.”

Goodbye Friends

Beverley, Eileen, Caroline, Lisa

Thank goodness I spent the first of the six months in London. Had I lived in the same apartment with Caroline and Beverley for at least six months then we would be considered married in the eyes of Kenya. Polygamy (for men only) is both legal and routine.

It still amazes me how five strangers could get along so well for nearly half a year. I look forward to our meet up in Boston- the middle point of our homes in the U.K., Quebec, and Texas! (no map or compass was used in my calculation, but I assume the real middle is in the Atlantic Ocean… though I also like the idea of a boat cruise).

Hell’s Gate

Mt. Longonot

Goodbye Colleagues

I wish I was able to accomplish more while working with KAVI. Of course, science never has an end point. Fortunately I am very confident I have left after enough time that the work is sustainable Kenyan scientists to continue.

I finished up my work and take off my lab coat for the last time.

“It fits!” Simon exclaims as he dons my GSK lab coat before it even settles on the rack. “You’re leaving this here, right?”

I’m not going to lie: I wish they all coordinated for my last day and wore the New York City t-shirts I got them (I suggested Boston t-shirts but they requested NYC). I should have taken more pictures since I don’t have pictures of even half my coworkers or any of the lab.

I did my absolute best. I learned a ton. I taught new skills and ways of thinking. I have a lot to bring back. I have changed.

“If you think you’re too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito in the room.” -Anita Roddick