#longer canvas horizontally to have a lot of space empty. all around just empty and small feeling is what i wanted

[cent-scratchnsniff]

afterthought ?

[rtfmp2021]

Rhonan McGarry

Rhonan McGarry is a digital artist from Scotland who uses comics, sci-fi, pop art and surrealism to inspire his work. He has a series of artworks named 'The Boys in the Lab', in which you will consistently see two small men figures in each piece. I think the concept is intriguingly strange, but in a minimal and simple way so it's clear. The bold colour themes, layouts and imagery amplifies the art further, making it eye-catching and fun to view. In his sketchy lines and rough textures you can see a grungy aspect, which I think adds character and interest. What I like about his work is how it makes you think about the art rather than just view it, this is because we see human figures as familiar but not the surreal, sci-fi imagery. Therefore when combined it feels familiar yet abnormal, leaving the viewer to figure out what's going on.

The Boys in the Lab

This collection of artworks focuses around the concept of 'boys' scientifically experimenting, investigating and exploring, of which could involve shrinking, explosions, sea life etc. The art outcomes look like a still image from a scene, which helps tell a story and communicate the concept.

Genomics

This first piece displays two tiny men standing besides an orange, using an ordinarily small object helps exaggerate their size as it's the size of a tall building compared to the men. Another aspect that shows the figures as tiny is the space it's located in, because the tiles look like kitchen tiles and a countertop of which these men are standing on. Therefore having a familiar setting and imagery helps the viewer to understand the art, whereas the surreal concept of minuscule men walking along the kitchen countertop brings us curiosity and wonder, when combined together it's super intriguing. I also think the harsh size difference between the men and orange is important, because a smaller contrast would look less effective and therefore less interesting. So when I create my own outcome I want to display the figures significantly small, to really exaggerate the concept and make it clear.

Infrasonics

My next example shows two men standing at machines as they investigate 'infrasonics', this represents the sound waves's frequency below the human audibility. What I love about this piece is the layout of everything, I think it look really pleasing and satisfying because it's centred and equally proportioned. I also think only showing a portion of the whale is a more suitable design choice, because not only does it fill the space more it also expresses the large size of the animal. Looking at this work it feels strong and bold, but peaceful at the same. One explanation is because whales are powerful animals, however the colour scheme is filled with rich and light blues that represent and provoke different feelings. E.g. light blue portrays peacefulness, while dark blue signifies depth and power.

Potential Difference

The third artwork involves the men climbing up a ladder, through somewhere that looks filled with electricity. You can see these bolts of electricity connecting from both sides of the walls, leaving a thin slot in the middle similarly to the previous piece. I really like how these bolts lightly fill the space, done by colouring, layering and blending these repeated squiggly lines. I especially like how there is energy both in-front and behind the men, and how the foreground electricity blends into the background as it isn't a solid object. In all of these outcomes are the men, however in this piece you can for once clearly see that they're wearing suits. I think combining formal attire with such bizarre and exciting situations creates a contrast, making it even more surreal and dreamlike. I also love the colour scheme used, it immediately caught my eye as I was searching for examples of McGarry's work, and kept me interested as I was viewing it.

Superpositions

Here is one of McGarry's simpler pieces, which isn't to say it's less commanding because sometimes less is more. Displayed is the two 'boys' who're viewing a shoebox, and like before the ordinarily small object is now the size of a house compared. However this time the height difference isn't as distinct, but still enough to be effective. Other than this there are two tiny chairs and a background to show the corner of a room, leaving the box to really stand out as the focal point even though it's such a basic item. This is only possible because the rest is so simple, otherwise a busy background would completely take the attention away from the box. Nevertheless, this would put the art in danger of looking boring or too simple, therefore McGarry added a horizontal line pattern which lightly but clearly covers the entire canvas. I think this subtly adds character and interest, because the walls are no longer plain but still an overall one colour.

Oncology

Lastly is this piece, it shows the men testing a large weapon which results in an explosion you can see up in the air, I think this incorporates movement in the art because you can see the impact made. Especially having included smaller details like the smoke, it really does look like a freeze-frame of the event. This as well as the grid floor and wall can be seen in all of these artworks, however in this piece these squared are far more notable. I really like the grid background is in this piece because it gives the action a space to be in, whilst still featuring a mystery aspect as it's an unidentifiable location. Another aspect that stands out to me is the shadows because it's detailed, clear and covers a lot of space, without these shadows the space would look far too empty, even though it's only a change in lighting. However, the most beneficial thing about these shadows is they show a difference between what's grounded and what's high up, so you can get the full effect of the explosion. Both the use of grids and shadows from this piece inspires me, so for my work I will experiment with the same ideas but in my own way.

[susnom]

How to Draw a Semi Truck

A Semi Truck is often a specialized truck applied to dump components ranging from mud, rocks, sand to garbage. Equipped with a hinged bed and hydraulically operated, a Semi Truck empties the contents of its tray on the ground with out any manual labor. It's an indispensable component of any construction perform site. Within the United kingdom and Australia, a Semi Truck is known as tipper lorry and tip truck. Required Art Tools 1.Pencil two.Paper/ canvas three.Colors (optional) 4.Paint brush (optional) 5.Ruler Drawing a Semi Truck: We're considering a profile view using the front with the truck facing towards the left.

Outline: Draw a slightly angled horizontal line according to the dimensions in the truck you will be drawing. Longer the truck, the longer are going to be the line. •Engine: Draw a modest square above the horizontal line for the front portion of the truck. •Cab/Body: Kind a tall rectangle, touching the proper side of your square. This will likely depict the driver's seating region and the door. •Dump tray/Bed: Draw a horizontal line over the head with the cab. Extend it further having a vertical line running along the back in the cab, ultimately meeting the base horizontal line. Draw a lengthy rectangular box for the dumping tray. •Tires •Front: Erase the lower right corner in the square created for the engine and draw an arc or 'C' shaped line to accommodate the tires. Sketch a circle for the tire. Draw an additional two closely spaced smaller sized circles inside the larger 1. Form a semi-circle for the correct front tire. •Rear: Draw two rounds in the rear end of your dumping tray. Location two a lot more closely spaced smaller circles inside the bigger a single. Enhancements: •Grill: Draw a square with rounded edges. Location closely spaced horizontal lines. •Bumper: Correct below the grill, draw a broad rectangle for the front bumper. It really should be slightly angled, because it really is a side profile we are drawing. Extend the bumper by forming a different rectangle that will end just just before the arc above the front tires. •Fenders: Fenders frame the front wheels of a vehicle. Thus, appropriate above the arc with the front tire, draw another arc. Give it some dimension. •Headlights: A Semi Truck has 4 lights. Draw two square shapes next for the fender and an additional two on the front bumper. •Windshield: Draw a large rectangular shape. •Side Window: Draw a square shape for the pillion's window. •Door: Under the side window, sketch a square with a smaller black rectangle for its doorknob. •Step: Give the truck a step appropriate under the door. Draw a rectangle with rounded edges and attach it to the cab using a straight line. •Side Mirrors: Type two lengthy rectangles around the either side of the windshield and attach it for the cab working with two 'L' shaped lines. •Wheel Hubs: Draw a smaller oval in the centre on the wheel and attach it for the tire applying two curved lines on each and every side. •Dumping Tray: Sketch a three dimensional rectangular bed more than the head from the cab. Assure this really is attached towards the dumping tray to ensure that it looks like a rectangle having a protruding lift lid. It is possible to also give the tray a pattern - draw thick vertical or zigzag lines. •Gas Tank: Give it a gas tank in the base, appropriate at the beginning section in the dumping tray. •Inner Tires: A Semi Truck has huge wide tires. Add added curves to bring out the magnanimity on the tires. •Mud Flaps: At the end from the rear tires, draw a rectangle pretty much touching the base from the dumping tray. Draw a few vertical lines on it. Immediately after comprehensively incorporating all the features from the Semi Truck, bring out the beauty and authenticity of the Semi Truck by giving it acceptable shades and textures. Appreciate the knowledge! Still need help here you will get easy guide

[scribblert-blog]

Ways to Draw a Semi Truck

A Semi Truck is a specialized truck employed to dump materials ranging from mud, rocks, sand to garbage. Equipped with a hinged bed and hydraulically operated, a Semi Truck empties the contents of its tray around the ground without the need of any manual labor. It is an indispensable part of any construction work site. Inside the Uk and Australia, a Semi Truck is referred to as tipper lorry and tip truck. Necessary Art Tools 1.Pencil 2.Paper/ canvas 3.Colors (optional) 4.Paint brush (optional) 5.Ruler Drawing a Semi Truck: We're taking into consideration a profile view with all the front from the truck facing towards the left.

Outline: Draw a slightly angled horizontal line in accordance with the dimensions of your truck that you are drawing. Longer the truck, the longer might be the line. •Engine: Draw a smaller square above the horizontal line for the front portion from the truck. •Cab/Body: Kind a tall rectangle, touching the appropriate side on the square. This will depict the driver's seating location and also the door. •Dump tray/Bed: Draw a horizontal line over the head of your cab. Extend it further with a vertical line running along the back in the cab, ultimately meeting the base horizontal line. Draw a extended rectangular box for the dumping tray. •Tires •Front: Erase the reduced proper corner from the square created for the engine and draw an arc or 'C' shaped line to accommodate the tires. Sketch a circle for the tire. Draw one more two closely spaced smaller sized circles inside the larger 1. Form a semi-circle for the appropriate front tire. •Rear: Draw two rounds in the rear finish on the dumping tray. Spot two a lot more closely spaced smaller circles inside the bigger one. Enhancements: •Grill: Draw a square with rounded edges. Location closely spaced horizontal lines. •Bumper: Correct below the grill, draw a broad rectangle for the front bumper. It really should be slightly angled, because it really is a side profile we are drawing. Extend the bumper by forming an additional rectangle that will finish just prior to the arc above the front tires. •Fenders: Fenders frame the front wheels of a vehicle. Hence, correct above the arc on the front tire, draw another arc. Give it some dimension. •Headlights: A Semi Truck has four lights. Draw two square shapes next towards the fender and one more two around the front bumper. •Windshield: Draw a big rectangular shape. •Side Window: Draw a square shape for the pillion's window. •Door: Below the side window, sketch a square having a tiny black rectangle for its doorknob. •Step: Give the truck a step ideal below the door. Draw a rectangle with rounded edges and attach it for the cab utilizing a straight line. •Side Mirrors: Form two long rectangles around the either side of your windshield and attach it to the cab employing two 'L' shaped lines. •Wheel Hubs: Draw a modest oval within the centre in the wheel and attach it for the tire working with two curved lines on every side. •Dumping Tray: Sketch a three dimensional rectangular bed over the head in the cab. Make certain this can be attached towards the dumping tray to ensure that it appears like a rectangle with a protruding lift lid. You can also give the tray a pattern - draw thick vertical or zigzag lines. •Gas Tank: Give it a gas tank in the base, right at the starting section on the dumping tray. •Inner Tires: A Semi Truck has large wide tires. Add extra curves to bring out the magnanimity in the tires. •Mud Flaps: In the finish on the rear tires, draw a rectangle nearly touching the base on the dumping tray. Draw some vertical lines on it. Immediately after comprehensively incorporating all the attributes from the Semi Truck, bring out the beauty and authenticity of the Semi Truck by giving it proper shades and textures. Appreciate the experience! Still need help here you will get step by step guide

[crazychildofthemoon-blog]

How to Draw a Semi Truck

A Semi Truck is really a specialized truck made use of to dump supplies ranging from mud, rocks, sand to garbage. Equipped using a hinged bed and hydraulically operated, a Semi Truck empties the contents of its tray on the ground without having any manual labor. It truly is an indispensable component of any building work website. Inside the United kingdom and Australia, a Semi Truck is referred to as tipper lorry and tip truck. Necessary Art Tools 1.Pencil 2.Paper/ canvas three.Colors (optional) four.Paint brush (optional) 5.Ruler Drawing a Semi Truck: We are thinking about a profile view with all the front in the truck facing towards the left.

Outline: Draw a slightly angled horizontal line in line with the dimensions in the truck you're drawing. Longer the truck, the longer will likely be the line. •Engine: Draw a compact square above the horizontal line for the front portion from the truck. •Cab/Body: Form a tall rectangle, touching the proper side from the square. This will likely depict the driver's seating location as well as the door. •Dump tray/Bed: Draw a horizontal line over the head on the cab. Extend it additional with a vertical line operating along the back of your cab, ultimately meeting the base horizontal line. Draw a extended rectangular box for the dumping tray. •Tires •Front: Erase the reduce proper corner from the square made for the engine and draw an arc or 'C' shaped line to accommodate the tires. Sketch a circle for the tire. Draw another two closely spaced smaller sized circles inside the larger a single. Form a semi-circle for the ideal front tire. •Rear: Draw two rounds in the rear finish in the dumping tray. Spot two a lot more closely spaced smaller circles within the larger a single. Enhancements: •Grill: Draw a square with rounded edges. Location closely spaced horizontal lines. •Bumper: Proper beneath the grill, draw a broad rectangle for the front bumper. It need to be slightly angled, considering that it's a side profile we're drawing. Extend the bumper by forming one more rectangle that should finish just just before the arc above the front tires. •Fenders: Fenders frame the front wheels of a vehicle. Hence, right above the arc of the front tire, draw an additional arc. Give it some dimension. •Headlights: A Semi Truck has four lights. Draw two square shapes next for the fender and a different two around the front bumper. •Windshield: Draw a large rectangular shape. •Side Window: Draw a square shape for the pillion's window. •Door: Under the side window, sketch a square with a small black rectangle for its doorknob. •Step: Give the truck a step right below the door. Draw a rectangle with rounded edges and attach it towards the cab making use of a straight line. •Side Mirrors: Type two long rectangles on the either side with the windshield and attach it towards the cab employing two 'L' shaped lines. •Wheel Hubs: Draw a modest oval in the centre with the wheel and attach it to the tire working with two curved lines on each and every side. •Dumping Tray: Sketch a 3 dimensional rectangular bed over the head on the cab. Assure this really is attached for the dumping tray in order that it looks like a rectangle having a protruding lift lid. You may also give the tray a pattern - draw thick vertical or zigzag lines. •Gas Tank: Give it a gas tank at the base, appropriate at the starting section with the dumping tray. •Inner Tires: A Semi Truck has large wide tires. Add further curves to bring out the magnanimity from the tires. •Mud Flaps: In the finish in the rear tires, draw a rectangle pretty much touching the base with the dumping tray. Draw a handful of vertical lines on it. Soon after comprehensively incorporating all the features in the Semi Truck, bring out the beauty and authenticity of one's Semi Truck by providing it appropriate shades and textures. Appreciate the experience! Still need help here you will get complete guide

[megahomedesignsblog]

DIY Art Projects to Fill Space on Wall

Whether or not you stay in a house, a condominium, a cottage or a McMansion, my guess is you’ve got a few giganto empty wall area you want to fill. 

Framed Wallpaper

This one is a wonderful alternative in case you’re equipped to dip your toes into the wallpaper pool, however still need to put on your floaty wing things while doing it. you can hang a chunk of wallpaper either vertically or horizontally, and then create a “frame” around it with painted wood trim from the hardware store. The Hunted Interior has a terrific tutorial showing you the way she prepares her chinoiserie wallpaper panels.

Washi Tape Art

If you’ve now not but discovered the magic of washi tape, Washi tape is seriously amazing! Washi tape is sort of like protecting tape, however, its production of rice paper so the texture is lots exceptional. that is an extraordinary abstract art DIY for everyone that’s gun shy approximately portray. you should buy a huge canvas to in shape the dimensions of the gap you are trying to fill, as well as a spread of colors of washi tape. then you definitely just go loopy, crisscrossing traces till you have got some thing you did.

Knotted Wall Hanging

I really like me some woven wall hangings and also some macrame wall hangings, but I don’t realize a way to do both. So some weeks in the past I determined to tackle my very own massive space predicament via developing a “knotted” wall hanging. basically, I bought a gaggle of yarn in the equal off white shade, however in all exclusive textures. I also bought a huge department at a floral delivery shop.

Juju Hat

A Juju hat is not, in fact, a hat covered in jujubes candy, but actually a beautiful African headdress. Several years ago these gorgeous feather numbers started showing up in design mags and blogs, Lucky for us, enterprising bloggers started scheming up their own Juju Hat DIYs and Love Meagan has a great one for you to peep. You’ll need feathers, a glue gun, some rug canvas, and scissors. 

Blanket Rack

So this one was actually designed as a towel rack DIY, but I thought it would work great as a display for gorgeous quilts. You’ll need two wooden rods, some leather pieces, screws, dowels and a drill. You can easily customize this to fit a larger space by using longer wooden rods. 

Instagram Wall

In case you’re looking for a unique way to display your images, an Instagram wall is probably your future. printed Instagram pix ring a bell in me of antique polaroids, and polaroids are the coolest, so in case you do an Instagram wall you’re glaringly cool. first-rate work. A beautiful Mess put together an amazing education on how to set up your Instant wall and evenly area the entirety using a painters tape grid as your manual. They were given all in their prints from PostalPix.

Shower Curtain Art

I saved the best for final, due to the fact this large shower curtain artwork is off the chain! you could pick out out a fab shower curtain, purchase a few reasonably-priced wood to make a simple frame, wrap the curtain around it with a staple gun and growth: you have got a big, precise piece of artwork.

Tips to space it up.

[ktkski2017-blog]

Getting comfortable

February 17, 2016

After our safari adventure we returned to work bright and early Monday morning. Chapel was a bit easier to swallow as the sermon didn’t involve sinners and homosexuality and other cultural/religious intolerance. We then proceeded to the morning rounds to hear about the admissions/discharges/deaths  from the weekend and to create a plan for the week. Jason and Derek left for a conference in Thailand and Dr. Ikunda, Dr. Christine (Ob/GYN) went on vacation as well, so Emily, Provi, and Clark were the attending physicians on the wards along with two surgeons that were sharing call. So to divide and conquer: Provi and Jen both started on the pediatric’s ward, Clark joined Janet and Musa on men’s ward (and Jen joined them after Peds), Lena held it down with Eric on women’s ward (and Provi joined them later), and I followed Emily and Boase (spelling?) to the OB ward (and then would make cameo appearances on men’s ward in the afternoons). It sounds like over our safari weekend they were even more short-staffed as Provi was trying on wedding dresses in Nairobi and Clark was with us on safari (sorry Emily and Jason!)

OB was a nice change of pace from the medical wards, as is to be expected when you switch from sick patients to young healthy ones. Certainly there were still complicated cases and unfortunately infant deaths – however this OB unit was much better managed than in Blantyre, Malawi when I was a medical student. In the antenatal ward we had quite a few “rule out labor” patients who were then admitted not in labor and kept for 4-5days as we waited for urinalyses and QBCs (CBCs) to be completed and to convince everyone that they were actually not in labor (although some of them stayed long enough that they became term or then naturally ended up going in to labor). Some mothers were anxious because they had had previous bad outcomes (a nice way to say they lost their previous babies for various reasons related to complications during pregnancy or poor resources after delivery or some infectious disease when the children were no longer newborns). We had one patient at 32 weeks with uterine fibroids, one of which was the same size as her unborn child – they had been trying for 16 years to conceive and carry a child to term. The fibroids were pushing on her diaphragm and making it difficult for her to breathe – typically these patients go in to pre-term labor due to lack of room for the baby. Unfortunately the survival rate for infants that young is very poor, so we encouraged the mom to keep it up and try to keep baby as long as she can (with close follow-up in the outpatient clinic they have at the hospital). Other mothers presented not due to anxiety or any major complaint, but “their husbands told them they needed to have the child.” This is a very confusing cultural thing as we at the hospital are certainly not going to deliver a pre-term newborn by c-section in an otherwise normal pregnancy. This mother said that she couldn’t return home until her baby was born… which meant that she was going to be in the hospital for another month as she was 34-35week estimated gestational age and we wouldn’t deliver a normal baby by repeat c-section until 39weeks or she is in labor.

In the post-natal ward we saw a variety of moms post-delivery – from a cursory post-vaginal delivery once over/ “any questions”? To checking incision drainage and evaluating patients for retained placenta for the post-c-section mothers. The babies were managed solely by the nurses on this ward so we didn’t ask any newborn questions or provide any education. Similarly the nurses supposedly discussed post-delivery birth control with the patients. As I am nosy, I would often ask the mothers how their baby was doing after we had discussed the mother’s plan. This sometimes changed the flow of rounds but there were a lot of nursing students who seemed interested in checking out the babies and translating questions for the mom. Besides, Emily and the clinical officer were the main plan creators and I was mostly useful in the differential diagnosis and work-up planning for patient’s that were not doing as well. We did visit several moms who did not have babies with them. In Malawi, the post-natal ward had a routine rate of 50% of moms without their babies. Here the ratio was more like 15-20%. Unfortunately the moms without babies are often times mixed amongst the moms with crying babies, which I think would be difficult for me if our roles were reversed and I had just lost a child.

We also would round in the surgical ward on gynecology patient (or OB patients that had pre-viable-in-Kenya-standards fetuses up to 24weeks gestation). We had one patient who had had post-op infection of her cesarean scar and showed up with pus coming out of her uterine incision (which was low-transverse and then later converted to a vertical incision). Quick (graphic) anatomy lesson for non-medical people: with c-sections you typically cut the skin horizontally across the abdomen, just above the pelvis, unless it is an emergency – although there are a notable number of vertical incisions here in Kenya to make it seem like it is relatively routine. Then you separate the abdominal muscles (without a scalpel) which are naturally separate in a vertical manner (think washboard abs and the vertical space between then). Then you enter the abdominal cavity and separate the bladder from the very obviously large uterus, and finally you cut horizontally in to the uterus and deliver the baby’s head. For this patient – the wound was doing very well, with no more pus, and very little dead  tissue (that typically needs to be debrided). However the surgeon (supposedly ’at a different hospital’) had made a transverse incision through her abdominal muscles (maybe they thought it was her uterus?) and put in non-reabsorbable (read: permanent) sutures. We had left those sutures in place because we were unsure what they were attached to. The actual uterus? The peritoneum? Fascia? Eventually we will need to remove them as they are likely the source of infection (any foreign object in the body has risk for holding on to infection even after the infection seems to be resolved) – however we wanted to ensure that she had good healing prior to removing them and exploring what is present underneath, should the suture removal lead to opening of the abdomen or uterus. I will interject here and inform those who might not know that often c-sectins are done NOT by experienced surgeons, but by medical interns and residents that have received a limited amount of instruction by the hospital’s attending surgeon and then are later left to perform surgeries un-attended. In Malawi the attending OB-GYN surgeon was sometimes not even the person who would instruct the new interns (it would be another intern or a resident). They would begin their OB rotation and within 2-3 surgeries be performing surgery without supervision, often late at night after working all day. Here at Chogoria the residents are trained by the attending OB/GYN and she continues to attend the surgeries until she feels comfortable that they know how to perform surgeries.

During my week on OB, both Emily (Family Medicine boarded with OB Fellowship) and Boase (Resident, post-internship) were both doing c-sections while I was rounding with them. I joined Emily on several c-sections and was able to explore how the theatre (operating room) is run. The theatre is separate from all other buildings and has an entry room, recovery room area, and then operating room. When we entered the side area, left our shoes at the front and walked to the back changing room in our socks. Then we changed to scrubs, white rubber galoshes, and scrub caps. When we entered the OR right next to the table where the sterile instruments were being opened and placed on a tray, we had not yet scrubbed. We put on heavy aprons that reminded me of a butchers apron – heavy plastic fronted and soft coated back – that were long enough to skim the tops of my white galoshes. We scrubbed at the sinks that didn’t have drainage pipes and just emptied in to the free air and splattered in to a kind of gutter that surrounded the room. The scrub soap was a bar of some kind of mystery soap. I proceeded to drop it on the floor and was told to just pick it up and start scrubbing again. Mmmmmk. Once I turned off the sink, creatively using my bicep to try to keep my elbows and lower sterile, I dried my hands on a provided sterile towel and then they helped me step in to a green canvas re-useable gown that had sleeves big enough to fit around my head. I was instructed to use my washed hand to hold the sleeves closed/folded up so that when they helped me put my gloves on they would tuck in to the gloves. In the US your hand is considered dirty until covered with a glove, despite just scrubbing your hands sterile – so this was a bit different. Sweating heavily in my scrubs, boots, heavy apron, and canvas gown in a non-air conditioned room in Keyna at 10:30am, my glasses continually slipping down my nose, I did understand the utility of our attire when I realized that once the baby is delivered (and the amniotic fluid goes everywhere) the apron prevents the moisture from reaching your scrubs beneath �� and anything less than galoshes would mean certain trash for any shoes. All surgeries begin with a prayer and a timeout. The patients, trapped under all of the draping and shelf-like contraption around their chest (having received spinal anesthesia) are introduced to the surgeons and everyone else in the room. I have this image of the baby’s nurse waving from the corner and the patient smiling and waving back with her hand that is held lateral from her body on a 90degree side extension from the operating table like she is lying on a cross. The surgeries went smoothly (Emily as the surgeon and myself as first assist – I am not scalpel- happy) however it would have been nice to have electrocautery to zap the bleeders. Nonetheless the bleeding slowed down and we closed up. The babies are kept in a warmer with like 10blankets off to the side. After the initial evaluations, if the baby was doing well the nurse would leave the baby unattended and help out with cleaning up etc. The only way you knew baby was still alive at times was a small rise and fall of the blankets or occasional cry and hand movement. The babies did well and I saw them again at discharge in the post-natal ward.

On Tuesday, after rounds, I joined male medical ward because Jen had reported that there were a lot of very sick people that needed to be seen again to ensure that they were getting the nursing care or procedures that they needed to survive. We proceeded to spend over an hour trying to get an IV site on a very sick patient who had lost his previous IVs and whose blood pressure was in the 70’s systolic. This poor patient had been admitted overnight with encephalopathy and then proceeded to fall on to the ground. The nurses had helped him back in to bed but left his bleeding face to clot on its own and his right arm swollen with possible fracture – this guy also had a bleeding disorder from liver disease and we suspected a brain bleed. All hands were on deck looking for an IV site: Jen leading the charge along with Gat, a resident rotating on surgery, Musa, myself, and even Clark tried for several veins. Nursing was difficult to find once we were handed four 500cc normal saline bags, so we spent a lot of time looking for more materials ourselves. After numerous tries Jen managed to get one on his wrist at the base of his thumb, so we secured it with strapping (after many repositionings and replacement of strapping). Due to its precarious position, we were unsure that it was going to be reliable, so Musa had gone to look for an intraosseous line drill. He arrived just after placement of the one tenuous IV, so he proceeded to place his first IO line in the patient’s left tibia. The US tubing does not match up with the syringes or IV bag tubing here in Kenya, so Jen quickly swabbed her hunting knife and cut the tubing so we could fashion a connector between the IO and the IV fluids – it worked! After he had to workable IVs he was stable for CT scan of the head to rule out bleed. Unfortunately he needed oxygen and other obstacles delayed his scan (including the CT tech going home for the day). I was told that eventually Gat and a nursing student hand-carried the patient to the CT scanner to get his scan done. Luckily the patient did not have a bleed and today we rounded on him (three days later) and he is much improved. He is still encephalopathic but stable and the next step is lactulose to clear his ammonia levels. Today the nursing staff was very much present and before we had even seen the patient, they were hanging normal saline. Unclear whether that order was placed several days prior or not – but it was a notable improvement.

On Wednesday after rounds, Leonard had arranged a tour of the hills behind Chogoria. We had originally hoped for a tea plantation tour, however due to the dryness of the season, no one was currently harvesting and the tea farms were closed. We loaded up in to a very nice vehicle and braved the non-graded dirt roads leading up in to the small mountains/large hills. We stopped to look at some tea fields and waved “Hi” to a very confused looking farmer who typically doesn’t see Mzungus walking through his tea. We then wandered around to get some good aerial-ish shots of Chogoria. We eventually ended up on a very narrow road that obviously does not have cars on it very often as it was barely large enough to fit and eventually ended on a walking path with a small field to the left. Leonard and his driver got out with smiles on their faces and walked us through someone’s backyard. We waved “Hi” to the owners who also looked confused – I called “Habari!” and the woman grinned at me and said “Mzuri sana” (I am doing very fine) and we spied a waterfall nearby (the secret mission Leonard was aiming for evidently). So we walked (occasionally slid) down the gorge to the base and enjoyed some nice waterfall photo ops. Leonard and his friend were snapping photos too. We hiked our way back out of the gorge and I wondered to myself “am I crazy to summit Mt Kenya?”

On Thursday after rounds we were invited to lunch by Leonard and the hospital for a “going away brunch” even though we are going to be staying another week – however because Luke and I are leaving this weekend and Clark/Jen/Lena are headed to Zanzibar before we descend the mountain, today was one of the last days we were going to be all together. They served a buffet lunch at Lenana’s for us and a few hospital administrators said some very nice things about us being welcome to their home and a part of the family. Leonard last-minute suckered Musa and Eric in to saying something nice for us and it was very kind of them to oblige with thoughtful words and repeating the sentiment that we were welcome. We let them know they are welcome in Michigan or wherever we end up afterwards. Clark said a few words on our behalf, and then we were given T-shirts to remind us of our time in Kenya. We were paired with hospital staff and my partner insisted on attentively helping me put on my t-shirt and holding my hand afterwards, welcoming me to the group. It was really heartwarming and kind. The minister said a few words and the head nurse said a prayer. Selfies occurred afterwards with Musa aallllllmmost as talented as Ethan regarding composition and certainly less enthusiastic looking – but he still held down the role like a champion. Thursday evening Clark hosted Provi, Janet, and Musa for dinner. Musa taught us how to cook ___ (unfortunately I forgot the name!) a greens dish with onion, carrot, tomatoes, and a local Kenyan spice combination. Luke and I taught Musa how to make a yellow curry. He stated there were too many steps to remember afterwards but I will send him a recipe he can follow. Prior to making food he had said he didn’t know how to cook and that he better find a wife soon so that she can cook for their guests. He later showed up to our meal preparation with a mandolin that he was given by his mother and that he travels with (no one travels with a mandolin that doesn’t know how to cook). Provi made some traditional Ugali and Clark put together a fruit salad. We had a supremely filling meal on Clark’s porch topped off with some fruit juices. We chatted for a bit about life in different places – we learned that negotiation is not typical in the markets around Chogoria (phew – I’m not a good negotiator and for the most part was just paying what they ask for anyways. How can you say no to a 20cent mango or one dollar pineapple?). However negotiation elsewhere is necessary (start with 50% of their initial offer). We also talked about foods in different places and Provi showed us some wedding dress options that she found in Nairobi. Unfortunately Musa was on call and we had to break up the party, but it was so nice and we all wondered why we hadn’t done this sooner and more often.