It is pouring rain. The lights go off, and I am in a room
full of dead bodies - "cadavers" as scientists and anatomists call
them. I hear shrieks and screams from female and male medical students alike,
and I cannot help but giggle to myself quietly. "Karibu Nairobi" (Swahili
for "Welcome to Nairobi"), I
think. Kenya Power never has been too reliable when it comes to electricity.
And University of Nairobi's School of Medicine is no exception.
After the lights return, I am reminded of our horrific
surroundings -- half-dissected cadavers, miscellaneous human bones, thousands
of long-winged bugs flying aimlessly, stained sheets soaked in formaldehyde, and
aged tools similar to those in the average American's tool shed.
My classmates and I laugh at the awkward encounter and
swiftly get back to work opening the skull cap. Rusty old saw in hand, it seems
inhumane... but this is Kenya. And this is medical school. And today we would
see the brain.
