So I'm moving to Kenya...

Well everyone,

I'm moving to Kenya! I accepted a postdoctoral position at the University of California, San Francisco and will be helping run a clinical trial to find better treatments for HIV patients with fungal infections in their brains.

I'm headed over for just under a year - I will be living in Kisumu, Kenya, which is the third biggest city in Kenya (after the capital, Nairobi, and the coastal port of Mombasa). There are about 400,000 people in Kisumu, which is in the southwest of the country on Lake Victoria (the largest tropical lake in the world). Most people speak English (so I'm told), some speak Swahili, however as many as 69 languages are spoken in Kenya overall.

I will be renting a fully furnished 2-bedroom apartment all by myself and will have all the modern amenities: running water, a stocked kitchen, broadband internet, a pool, and 24-hour security. I am in apartment number 1 - and I even have a maid once a week who cleans and does the laundry! If you want to see pictures, chick here to go to the website for my complex.

My apartment complex!

It's going to take abut 28 hours to get from Orlando to Nairobi (Orlando to Washington DC to Brussels to Nairobi). I'll spend the first weekend staying at my boss Ana-Claire's house in Nairobi. I'll have some time to get acclimated and stock up on all the things I may not be able to find in Kisumu (I've been told I'll miss tortilla chips, maple syrup, cheese, candy, etc). Then Ana-Claire is going to come with me to Kisumu to help me get started and check on our clinical staff. I am overseeing 2 teams with about 9 staff members at two different clinic sites.

One of the clinic buildings in Kisumu

It should be an interesting year, and I can't wait to see what living in Africa is like! I'm looking forward to learning about clinical research and exploring a new continent. While the timing for my departure could probably be a little better, I've heard so many amazing things about the beautiful country of Kenya and its warm and kind people that I am still really excited to settle into my new home.

Please feel free to leave comments and ask any questions you have below! I would love to know who's out there reading, so click on the "comments" link below and say hi :)

~Kristyn