Today I took a delightful trip down memory lane. I can assure you that there has been some significant economic development down my memory lane. The morning views along the way of the Great Rift Valley were spectacular!
I went to visit the dentist today. There are plenty of good dentists within a 5 kilometer radius of where I live in Nairobi, plenty! But 15 years ago the dentist at Kijabe finished straightening my teeth. He had been trained by an orthodontist that had just been out for 2 years. That dear orthodontist had his eye on my mouth full of crooked teeth from the day he met me.
After a year of trying he finally talked me into getting it done. Dr. Warren Rich was the learner and I was the practicee, one of, anyway. It was a more than passable job. Warren knew I still had an over bite, but considering where he’d started, it would do. The reason I had to be talked into it was because I didn’t think I could afford it, even at the low Kijabe Hospital rates. So you can bet that I took really good care of the retainers I was given at the end of all that.
They have lasted me 15 years! Tonight I will sleep with new ones! Dr. Rich doesn’t practice there as of just a few weeks ago, but he was around today and that was a special treat. He got to see his early work, advise the technician on how best to handle my type of retainer and tell me some of his dreams for future ministry.
In addition to several other tasks and appointments around Kijabe today, I ran into Harriet. She is the house help of a dear friend and became a friend to me when I met her back in the middle 90’s. Seeing Harriet was like looking into the pleasant Kenyan past for me. She’s a very traditional lady who has lived in the lives of a few Americans to the point of really being like family.
The dental office has its own building now, the ‘dukas’ where you can get a few grocery items have really grown, all of RVA is gated and guarded… but seeing Harriet feels like time has stood still. There are some things here that I will miss and I can’t even describe why.
I went to visit the dentist today. There are plenty of good dentists within a 5 kilometer radius of where I live in Nairobi, plenty! But 15 years ago the dentist at Kijabe finished straightening my teeth. He had been trained by an orthodontist that had just been out for 2 years. That dear orthodontist had his eye on my mouth full of crooked teeth from the day he met me.
After a year of trying he finally talked me into getting it done. Dr. Warren Rich was the learner and I was the practicee, one of, anyway. It was a more than passable job. Warren knew I still had an over bite, but considering where he’d started, it would do. The reason I had to be talked into it was because I didn’t think I could afford it, even at the low Kijabe Hospital rates. So you can bet that I took really good care of the retainers I was given at the end of all that.
They have lasted me 15 years! Tonight I will sleep with new ones! Dr. Rich doesn’t practice there as of just a few weeks ago, but he was around today and that was a special treat. He got to see his early work, advise the technician on how best to handle my type of retainer and tell me some of his dreams for future ministry.
In addition to several other tasks and appointments around Kijabe today, I ran into Harriet. She is the house help of a dear friend and became a friend to me when I met her back in the middle 90’s. Seeing Harriet was like looking into the pleasant Kenyan past for me. She’s a very traditional lady who has lived in the lives of a few Americans to the point of really being like family.
The dental office has its own building now, the ‘dukas’ where you can get a few grocery items have really grown, all of RVA is gated and guarded… but seeing Harriet feels like time has stood still. There are some things here that I will miss and I can’t even describe why.
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