In the first two weeks of iSeed Kenya, I was given the opportunity to observe in 4 different hospitals, ranging from level 3 to level 6 (the highest level). In these hospitals I spent much of my time in the ER and the ICU, where I observed several needs that the hospital was having trouble meeting. The most interesting thing I observed was probably watching a leg amputation, I had never seen anyone go through surgery before. I don’t think I’ll forget that for the rest of my life. We also got the opportunity to visit several engineering companies across Nairobi. My favorite company we visited was Gearbox, which is a company that designs specialized printed circuit boards (PCBs) for their clients. We got to observe their process, from designing the layout of the PCB to assembling the components on the PCB to the testing phase. Over the weekend, we went to Masai Mara, which is the biggest nature reservation in Kenya. While we were there we saw lions, elephants, giraffes, and even a cheetah. The hotel we stayed at was super nice and the monkeys were really funny. Throughout my time in Kenya I’ve also been able to meet some amazing new people, such as my roommate Alex from Kenyatta University, who’s a 5th year biomedical engineering student. We had many thoughtful conversations with him about cultural differences between the U.S. and Kenya, and we bonded over music and many other things we had in common. While we were there we saw lions, elephants, giraffes, and even a cheetah. Overall the first two weeks were full of fun and interesting experiences, and I was exposed to many things that I would’ve never gotten exposure to in the U.S. The first course, EDES 350, has been a life changing experience and I’m excited for EDES 200!
