Going Home

For my last weekend in Kenya, I went up to Teso once more to see my host mom Immaculate (who has been taking a government management class for the last two weeks and so has not been home). I traveled with Sarah on Saturday morning. I couldn’t help but feel while on the piki ride from Busia that I was going home and it was such a great feeling. It loved pulling in and seeing Beatrice. Joy, Marian, and Betty (the two youngest daughters and a cousin) were also home for the weekend to see me and go to their neighbor’s funeral. I had a lot of fun getting to know them better and even taught them the soldier boy dance! I was able to go around and visit the neighboring homes to say hi to my friends from the first trip. I was welcomed with a soda and some biscuits at each home. Rebecca gave both Immaculate and I a watermelon. The amount of hospitality in Kenya never ceases to amaze me. Immaculate even said that if I ever come back and visit the homes of all of the women we greeted on the way to church, I would leave with more chickens than I could carry! At the end of a great weekend, I said final goodbyes to Immaculate and everyone in Teso. They sang a song, said a prayer, and thanked me profusely. I couldn’t help but tear up and tried to express my gratitude. While on the piki ride back to Busia, I realized that I now have so many new Kenyan homes, homes with people that I will miss more than I initially realized. I couldn’t help but think of the saying, “don’t cry because its over, smile because it happened.” For the moment at least, I decided I’d smile through the tears.

                My last week of work consisted of continuing to work on the sponsorship program and tying up the loose ends of all of my other projects. Well, that and trying to get as much playing in as possible with the kids. I decided to give the teachers, staff, and the sisters a good meal as a thank you gift. I went over shopping with Sr. Ven and got 6 chickens, 7 cakes, and about 60 drinks. On Tuesday, I had lunch with the teachers and gave the staff their food as well. They were very appreciative, so much so that Sarah heard people talking about “the bash the muzungu who works at Albertos threw the teachers” while getting her hair done at Amalemba the next day. Tuesday evening, I had a farewell dinner with the sisters. They sang a song of thanks, presented me with gifts, and Sr. Mary, Sr. Regina, and Sr. Caro all gave me a short speech of thanks. The extra large card was to represent how thankful they were. I was able to thank them as well, although I’m not sure I could fully express my gratitude, at least not without a huge card. They really have taken me into their community while I have been here and made Divine Providence another home. Hanging out with them is always a great time and I was glad we had my dinner when I still had a few more days.

                Thursday was a day of final goodbyes. After all-school mass in the morning, I went to each of the classrooms and gave every student a pencil and a piece of candy as a thank you gift. I was able to get class pictures as well. I know that what I will doubtlessly miss the most once back in the states will be the lack of kids around me. I have gotten used to always being able to stop whatever I’m doing and just go play.  By the end of a weekend away I’m ready to go back to see them, so I’m a little concerned how leaving will be. I gave hugs to all of the sisters. Sr. Mary said, “for now”, which I really appreciated. I walked through the fields where all of the kids and teachers were playing soccer in their end of term tournament. I had every child wanting to shake my hand to say goodbye so I was almost dragging a group of kids with me towards the gate. It made me smile. I managed to make it to the gate and gave Sr. Caro another hug without starting to cry. Back home I finished packing and had Sarah’s incredible pancakes one last time while waiting for Peter to come pick us up. Very late, but still all too soon, I was forced to say goodbye to the girl who has my companion and go-to girl in almost everything. I still don’t think I fully comprehend that I’m going home and leaving Kenya for good, well at least for now.

                All of the interns met up at Sheywe for dinner and one last night of dancing before our early morning flights. The goodbyes from there were spread out as we headed to Nairobi and spent a day mainly waiting in the horrible traffic and squeezing a few hours in at the National Museum. Each party broke off separately from there and we are now down to 5 as I sit here in Amsterdam.

                I have officially left Kenya. I have just lived abroad for 9 weeks. I have worked from 8-5 everyday like a real job. I have made and carried out projects. I have realized how little I need to be content in life (who needs a toilet?). I have done countless new things. I have met incredible people. I have built great friendships. I have grown as a person. I have faced and overcome challenges.  I have I have learned that despite differences, people are all fundamentally the same. I have learned to appreciate the smallest things in life. I have fallen in love with a new place and new people. I have found a home. I have left Kenya, but a part of my heart remains.

Safari Season

                Sorry it has been so long since I’ve blogged. The internet has been spotty and I’ve been busy since I have been on two safaris since my last update. Two weekends ago was our midterm retreat. I was quite ready for some R & R after a short three-day week of work which consisted of implementing my nutrition project and visiting all of the Divine Providence kids in secondary schools all around the Kakamega area. All of the interns and I headed out on Thursday morning to go to Naivasha, a town about 6 hours away between Nakuru and Nairobi. After a long, bumpy ride, we arrived at Fisherman’s Camp Ground and moved into our tents. I felt quite pampered this weekend despite “camping” as we had warm showers, flush toilets, and even a pizza oven at the lodge (which we were fortunate enough to be able to use Saturday night). It was great to catch up with the other interns since I hadn’t seen them in over a week.

                After a rather cold night, we headed to Crater Lake. Inside the park, we herded zebras, gazelles, buffalos, and even giraffes. The park was gorgeous itself and it was exhilarating following the animals in pursuit of the perfect picture. We descended into the crater basin and then climbed back up the other side to eat lunch with a beautiful view of the lake. I spent the rest of the afternoon doing yoga, relaxing, and halfway working on filing pictures of the kids at Divine. 

We woke up early on Saturday morning to go to Hell’s Gate National Park. We biked into the park and down to the canyon. Unfortunately, my gears were not cooperative. Inside the park there are countless bluffs with incredible water-carved faces. After a 15 km bike, we got to Hell’s Gate Gorge. We descended into the gorge and walked around for an hour or so. It was really fun because we would have to climb up and down according to the water’s path. There were a few spots with volcanic hot springs. After a refreshing walk, we ate lunch at a gorgeous overlook. When I got back on the bike, I honestly didn’t think I would make it back. I was really missing my padded biker shorts! On the way back, we saw baboons and giraffes up close.

 

I am amazed by the awkward gracefulness of giraffes. They may be my new favorite animal. I made it back to the hotel after a long ride, tired, but glad I had finished. That night we enjoyed pizzas and watched The Lion King on Lauren’s computer. I had forgotten how much I love that movie! We had a long drive back on Sunday, but all in all it was a great retreat. I loved my first taste of exotic animals in the wild, well at least natural habitats. I don’t think I’ll ever like zoos as much from now on.

                By Monday, I was very ready to see my babies again. I spent the majority of the week teaching a library lesson for each class. The students all enjoyed having some free time to simply sit and read. I did too, as I read plenty of picture books while supervising. The organizational system and using numbered rulers to mark where students pulled books from worked well. I also enlisted the help of three social work interns in helping me scan in documents for a computerized filing system. I also worked a lot on a secondary school sponsorship program I am trying to start as school fees are such a drain to Divine Providence’s financial resources. If you would be interested in being a sponsor, please let me know and I will get you more information.

On a more sad note, I found out that Immaculate will be gone for the remainder of my internship, because she must attend a management class about 6-7 hours away. I was super upset when I had to say goodbye, which makes me dread having to go home since leaving everything will be much worse. That day is quickly approaching as I'll be home 10 days from now! I can't believe it! Hopefully Immaculate will be able to come down this weekend (my last weekend) to see me! Fingers crossed! 

                Thursday night, I met up with all of the other interns to take the overnight bus to Nairobi. We were joined by Alex, Femke, and Alena who are volunteer teachers at a fellow children’s home and primary school from the University of Kentucky (really? But, we managed to overcome the rivalry) and Holland.  The ride was quite miserable but my inability to sleep did allow me to make a phone call to the U.S. in the evening  their time. We arrived around 4:30 and waited in the bus waiting room for our safari vehicles to come. In Nairobi, we were joined by Talisha, one of Dylan’s friends. It was about a 6 hour drive down to Masai Mara over some pretty rough roads, but it felt like much less because we laughed so much. I was in a van with Kurt, Dylan, and then all of the non FSDers. It was so much fun getting to know new people, especially since we all have such different backgrounds. We were yet again quite pampered in “tents” (more like bungalows) with beds, toilets, and showers.

                We popped the top of the safari vehicle and headed into the Masai Mara Reserve. It started raining, giving us the gift of a rainbow. It was awesome seeing all of the wildebeests (it is the beginning of their migration) and zebras. We were also able to see a large pride of lions, cheetahs, dickies, and topies. 

It was also very interesting watching the hoards of safari vehicles. I am annoyed by all the tourists around despite being one myself because I feel like I have somehow earned the right to be on safari since I have a much better cultural understanding than most of them. I was intrigued, however, by how many different ethnic groups were represented in all of the safari vehicles.

                Saturday allowed us to go farther into the park and escape from the other safari vehicles. We saw more wildebeests, zebras, and lions but added elephants, giraffes, ostriches, hippos, and crocodiles to the list. We were incredibly close to the elephants and they definitely threatened the giraffes for the throne of my favorite animal.

 I was constantly in awe of the views of the rolling plains of the Serengeti against a blue sky filled with puffy clouds, the beauty of the animals, and the great sense of peace I felt standing feeling the wind against my face. Before lunch, we entered Tanzania and took pictures by the border. 

 I can technically say I’ve been in all of East Africa, although that’s being very technical. Bruno took us around the river, showing us the hippos and where the wildebeests cross the river from Tanzania. I enjoyed the best chicken I have had in Kenya for lunch and then we headed back. We saw a pack of giraffes walking across the plains, but the highlight of the ride back had to be almost getting hit by another safari vehicle. A passenger less vehicle came barreling, started spinning out, almost tipped over when correcting and then headed straight for us. Luckily, they were able to swerve back to their side just in time, but I couldn’t help but laugh at the irony of almost getting into a car accident by the only other car we had seen in 10 minutes.


 We stopped at a Masai village on the way back to learn about their culture. I was excited to learn more about one of the most distinct tribal cultures of Kenya, marked by their bright red robes, beaded jewelry, and stretched ear-lobes. The men danced for us before grabbing the guys to join them. I especially enjoyed the dance that was a jumping contest.
 

A man who can jump high gains the attention of the ladies and lessens the price he must pay for dowry. We entered within the circle of homes, where the women danced for us. The girls joined in, but I must say the men’s dance was much more exciting. We then watched a demonstration of how they begin fire with just wood and a blade. We were split into groups of two to go and see and home. Kurt and I entered a very dark, smoky room and sat around a fire where a young girl was making tea. There were two bedrooms, or bed platforms off of the main room in addition to a closet and storage/entrance room. I learned the mud huts are created and remade by the women every 9 years and so each wife will have her own home (the Masai are polygamous). Having many children is common and makes it difficult to pay for secondary school fees. The Masai are primarily herdsman of cattle and goats as they believe every cow on Earth descends from theirs and so they technically own it. Tourism and safari camps that have developed in the area over the last 30-40 years have become another main source of employment. After answering countless questions, our host Solomon guided us to the village’s tourist market. I bought a Masai club and then started playing with the children. I always miss the Divine kids so much when I’m gone that I end up playing with the kids almost everywhere I go.  I was dancing and spinning with a little girl who had a club foot, but we had a great time. Seeing her huge smile really made my day. We walked back to the camp and hung out before bed.

                Sunday morning was straight from the Lion King. We were in the park for the sunrise (twice because of moving in front of a larger mountain). The animals are much more active in the morning. We had to cross through a stream of running wildebeests to get to the lions. I can see why Mufasa died in the stampede. The lion cubs were playing and wrestling in the long grass. Their somersaults were awesome! We also saw some lions eating breakfast and a lion stalking a particularly stupid wildebeest although she never went in for the kill. A mother of three month-old cubs simultaneously watched them and kept the vultures away from her wildebeest carcass. You could see her indecision when the cubs started wandering farther, though she ultimately decided she could eat later. After watching the simbas for most of the morning, we headed back for breakfast before hitting the road to go home. Masai Mara was amazing and I highly recommend it if you’re ever in Kenya or looking for a safari. Chasing lions has finally been successful! 

Kelly 

The Homeland

As I mentioned in the last post, I spent the weekend in Tesso at Immaculate’s home. Tesso is her community, where her interest remains. She goes back almost every weekend to fulfill her role as the chair person of the Chakol Women’s group. I was excited to have a free weekend to get to go see the homeland. After a three hour ride, we arrived at the house and enjoyed the chicken as a visitor must be served chicken here with Beatrice and Edna (an adopted orphan and a niece who stay in the home). On Saturday, I was given a tour of the compound and the chamba (garden). There are two mud huts, the house, a kitchen/chicken coop, a storeroom, a car port, and a shed for the goats. The chamba was very big and when we passed the two cows, Immaculate told me how she must keep cows in case she dies because the funeral guests must be fed something.  I then met Victoria, Immaculate’s mother-in-law, and her two grandchildren Albert and Purity. Victoria was the picture of an older African woman I had in my head. She was very old and quite wrinkled, but held herself with such dignity and peace. Although I couldn’t communicate with her very well because of my limited Kiswahili, I have such admiration for the mother of 8. Her hands hold such history. She has witnessed so much, experienced so much, loved so much, and lost so much. She has lived a humble life, but a life with absolute dignity. I realized that it is the personal history, the lives of such women, that make this the homeland. It is the connections, the family, the sharing of lives. 

                Although the kids were shy, I eventually got them playing hand games and tag with me. Alfie and Lucy came to play as well. They gave me quite the workout, since I couldn’t communicate that they could tag someone but me (or maybe they just didn’t want to). I had such a great time playing with them! I also went to the well and carried water back (on my head of course)!

                After lunch we headed to the Chakol Division Women’s Group to meet the women that Immaculate works with each weekend. They told me about their wealth generating projects and work to empower women in their communities. The women’s group is an umbrella organization that serves 18 smaller groups. They have had a great impact in the area, most notably keeping young women from abandoning their children to get remarried by giving them a business and an income and decreasing domestic violence. The women are dedicated to their cause and work tirelessly, probably one of the only reasons the group has had success despite the circumstances. I was really inspired by these women. I couldn’t help but chuckle when they pointed out their favorite homemade sign: “Abstain from sex. It’s 100% safe.”

                From there, I was lucky enough to take a half an hour piki-piki ride through the countryside into Busia. The countryside was gorgeous, with green fields and rolling hills stretching for miles into the distance. I loved getting to see life in the back roads of the country. We went to the home of Immaculate’s brother who is a member of parliament. It was by far the nicest house I have been in while in Kenya. He had large leather couches, tile floors, and a huge entertainment system. I chatted with his wife Judith and played with their one and a half year old Leroy. When Sospeter came home, we ate and then chatted about politics for a little bit. After the visit, I really didn’t have any sympathy for the MPs having to pay taxes on their allowances for housing, cars, etc.

                On Sunday, we walked to mass, and Beatrice, Rebecca, and Cynthia worked on my Kiswahili with me. It was held outdoors in a pavilion and people were standing and sitting in shade all over the yard. It was Immaculate’s faith community’s turn to do the presentation of the gifts so I went up with her. It was rather awkward. After mass, there was a procession of the Eucharist to two schools nearby. I met Joy and Marian (Immaculate’s two youngest daughters) on the way. We sat with them, chatted about education, and looked at pictures together. All of the girls look so similar!

                We went back to the house for lunch. We were getting ready to leave, when Cecilia brought me a chicken, a gift from Rebecca. The visitor must have a kuku after all. Since we already had plenty to carry back, we slaughtered the chicken and took only the meat back. I was honored to be given a chicken, although part of me felt like it was much too extravagant of a gift.

                We headed back to Busia. Another awesome piki-piki ride later, we arrived and began walking towards to border. I was surprised at how easy it was to get into Uganda. We just walked straight across. In Uganda, we went to fabric stores where I was able to buy 24 yards of fabric for about $30. I can’t wait to make some clothes! I came into Kenya for the second time and headed back to Kakamega. All in all, it was an incredible weekend. Everyone was incredibly welcoming and invited me to come back any time I wanted. Even though I was the only mazungu who had been in the town for the last 4 years, I really felt at home. I guess that’s why they call it the homeland.

Sorry my pictures, yet again, refuse to cooperate. I'll try to post them later.

My Own Dewey Decimal

If the title didn’t give it away, I spent almost all of my time in the past week reorganizing the library of Divine Providence. I was finally able to upload pictures that hopefully give you a better deal of what i was dealing with.. All the textbooks are in a big square bookshelf with 16 different compartments organized by subject and level. Magazines and subjects like creative arts are on another shelf and I was able to bring in a new shelf (well from another part of the home) for the storybooks which are all also arranged by my basic perceived level. I struggled with how best to arrange it, since my dear friend Dewey clearly couldn’t help. Every book is now color coded and the shelves are labeled in colors accordingly. It turned out quite well! Now to see how long it stays that way…

I was in Teso for the weekend with my host mom (which was awesome) so I’m sure you’ll be hearing from me again soon.

Kelly

29 Reasons I Know I'm in Kenya

1.       I used to dislike drinking anything warm. Now I love it. Just had my third cup of chai for the day.  

2.       Using a toilet seems strange.

3.       Having the power and water working at the same time makes me feel spoiled.

4.       I actually like ugali. And am now marriable because I can cook it.

5.       Being in a vehicle made for 14 people with 20+ people now seems normal.

6.       Family members drop by unannounced. “Oh yeah Katherine just got on the overnight bus to come see you tomorrow”. And it’s not considered rude to come into someone’s room before 6:30 to introduce yourself.

7.       Leaving at 12:30 instead of 10 as I was told doesn’t bother me much. Hakuna harika Africa (No hurry in Africa).

8.       I refer to white people as muzungus and am just as surprised as the Kenyans when I see them. I was walking with students today and another muzungu walked by and I realized I didn’t know him… yet. We have a way of finding each other.

9.       Having a mouse crawling up the satellite wire doesn’t make me blink an eye. In fact, it’s become a highlight of my day.

10.   You can go to anyone with an MD. We went to a pediatrician when Immaculate suspected she had malaria.

11.   It is a Sunday, the one day school is not in session. Students asked me if I could help them with 3 math problems. No, not their homework, just the ones they couldn’t get from 50 extra questions they were doing for practice.

12.   I am strolling along today and walk past a little boy using his training potty outside his front door. Adorable! Monica and Regina (3ish) at Divine Providence are naked as often as they are clothed outside of school hours.

13.   Sleeping without a bed net would seem odd.

14.   It’s a treat to use Pampers when changing diapers.

15.   I can now listen to babies cry for extended periods of time without it really getting to me. Not sure if this is a good thing or not.

16.   You can throw any food scraps out the window. The dogs, cows, or chickens will eat it.

17.   If I am walking carrying anything, multiple people offer to help me. When I went to the supermarket after church today, some of the students literally walked with me to help me find everything I needed.

18.   I can’t wait to get home and do laundry and the dishes. It will take a fourth of the time. And bring on the fabric softener!

19.   The minute the previous mass is ending, there is a crowd of people waiting to enter for the next one. Let the polite stampede begin. It almost reminds me of getting on a C1.

20.   Presentation of the gifts at mass, literally involves presentation of gifts and various food stuffs.

21.   I have been told by multiple men that they love me. One said he was going to kill himself because he couldn’t have me five minutes after meeting me. Good thing I normally wear a ring on my middle finger (the finger they put their engagement rings on).

22.   People are shocked when I can’t speak Swahili well after I say “Habari”.

23.   Doing nothing remotely humorous (like getting into a matatu) often gets laughs from everyone around.

24.   I never thought I’d ride motorcycles. Now piki piki rides are my favorite form of transportation and a convenient substitute for a blow dryer.

25.   I watch a horrible dubbed soap opera called Curse by the Sea (really Mar de Amor). I still can’t figure out how the two different parts fit together after 3 weeks. I can’t help but laugh at how bad it is sometimes, but missing it is not an option. Will Victor Manuel ever get back with Estrellita?

26.   Staying up to midnight is a big deal. Actually, make that 11.

27.   Being anywhere but home after dark is a big deal.

28.   I have, for the most part,spent less than a dollar a day. The fact that I have spent about $10 this weekend is concerning, though that’s trip to Bread Co. at home.

29.   I wear skirts everyday without even thinking that I haven’t shaved my legs since I’ve gotten here.

The Highlights

It has been almost a week since I last blogged, yet not all that much has changed. I have not had a very productive week which has been frustrating. There’s always tomorrow I guess for after all, this is Africa. I never fare very well with my American mindset for long. The highlights of the week include:

                Family visits: This week Katherine, another host sister, and Aunt Lucy came to visit. Katherine came in overnight from Nairobi to spend Sunday and Monday here. She is in her third year at Catholic University in Nairobi studying development. I met her when she came in a turned on the light at about 6 am. She slept while we went to mass and was wasted no time at all in getting settled in as she was doing the dishes when we got back. It was great to get to talk to her. She is very funny! Tuesday night, Sarah left when I got back to go pick up her aunt who’d be staying with us that night (I never seem to know very far in advance about guests, although it really doesn’t bother me). Aunt Lucy came and, I was proud to know enough how things work to play hostess all by myself. Lucy was pick-pocketed on the way to visit us from the conference she was helping run, but didn’t seem overly upset. She was quite the character and told me what it was like being a twin and having two sets of twins herself. Quite chaotic. I’m really glad that I have been able to meet more family members. I’m hoping to have a free weekend to go up to Teso where Immaculate has lived almost all of her life to meet more people and see her in her social prime.

                A Music Festival: On Tuesday, the students were competing in the poetry portion of a music festival at a local secondary school. I decided to tag along, after waiting almost two hours later than the departure time I was told. The festival was awesome! The kids performed right away and did very well. From there I wandered watching groups practice and went to see some of the traditional dance performances. It was probably the most stereotypical African experience I have had since being here. I loved getting to listen to choirs, watch performances, and soak in the culture. The students from countless schools had a lot of free reign, so just people watching was entertaining as well. The kids all wanted me to buy them sweets from the venders who were littered around the site, which I consistently refused. I also had a very good conversation with Kevin their teacher and coach. He’s only 22, so it was really cool to be able to get perspective of a young working adult. He teaches from 6-6 and then takes night classes so he can get a management degree. I was very impressed. A sack lunch in Kenya consists of sending loaves of bread and soda, which was surprisingly good. I walked back to Divine Providence with the kids. I quickly gave up on keeping tabs on all of them and just walked back near the slowest walkers. I ran into fellow intern Sarah on the way which was exciting. I was very glad to get to see so many performances, even though I didn’t really get any work done.

                Friends at the Gate: Every day I walk past the gate of Kakamega High School, a national school that boards about 1200 students. I have slowly started getting to know the security guys who work at the gate. Yesterday, I sat and talked with them and some of the piki piki drivers hanging around for about half an hour. People always love talking to the muzungu! As usual, me helping them financially in some way was brought up at some time, but we joked a lot and overall had a good time!

                Bike Brawls: Lastly, comes my weekly, “Did that actually just happen moment?”.  I was riding on a piki piki (motorcycle) into town on Saturday morning to go to my FSD meeting. There was a man in a long black coat and sunglasses standing in the middle of the road and so we slowed to go around him. My driver didn’t even say anything, but the man (who was clearly drunk) just punched him out of nowhere. I was hit with the follow through, although not painfully. I was in shock. I momentarily thought he was going to try to rob me, but we were long gone about 5 seconds later. We just kept going on our way and made it safely to my destination. It was just a bizarre experience. Bernard, that very piki piki driver, was hanging out at the gate yesterday and had no idea where that had come from either. It had to be the least safe I have felt in Kenya, although it was for about ten seconds. I would feel less safe just riding on a motorcycle at home. Don’t worry.

                Hope you’ve had a great week!

Kelly

Babies and Bonding

              It has been an interesting week so far in the nursery. Very early Monday morning, Sabina passed away. She was very premature, obvious by her low weight (only 4.4 pounds) and constant coughing due to underdeveloped lungs. It was probably for the best because she always seemed to be struggling, but I was still very sad. Tuesday morning started well. I sat feeding Tavin thinking how well he was eating and how hungry he must have been. Unfortunately for me, all that “good eating” ended up all down the front of me when he began to projectile vomit. Gotta love babies! Today, a family came in to adopt Morgan, another of my favorites because he is always smiley in the mornings. I’m sad he’ll be leaving, but knowing he’ll have a family made me smile this morning. Another family came and took Vicksila as well so we were down two babies this morning.

                I have gotten to know a lot of students and staff at Divine Providence this week. I have had multiple good conversations with teachers in the staff room and talked a lot about the American education system, what I like about Kenya, and what I want to do with my life. The teachers have been inviting me to eat lunch with them and always go out of their way to make me feel welcome in the staff room. They ask me to take more bread and tea during the breaks. I now have another group trying to make me constantly eat! I have had a Q and A about myself and America with each of my classes and allowed them to touch my hair, which is always entertaining because they marvel over my muzungu hair. They have taught me some more Kiswahili, although I have to ask them the same thing for a few days to really get it. I really do love walking around and having so many people greet me by name, although with most of the kids I can’t return the favor yet. I went to all school mass this morning (in English!) and I loved seeing how into the songs all of the kids start. The priests, even at St. Joseph’s in town, always start the homily with “God is good”. There’s always a hearty response from the congregation for their all the time response.  “All the time, God is good.” I liked being able to observe the students in a slightly different environment.

                My host mom Immaculate has been gone to evaluate another school district so it has been just Sarah and I all week. I have loved getting to talk to her more. On Tuesday, her friends Agri and Gabriel came by and I got to know them better. Gabriel is one of 20 kids, from his dad’s 4 wives. That just blew my mind. We walked to the market in the dark joking the whole way. There’s very little light around so I can see why FSD recommended not walking at night. I have also met a lot of Sarah’s friends over the phone. It’s nice to know that I’ll be able to make friends my own age without that much effort. Also, the neighbor boy Bryan who’s 2ish is too cute! He doesn’t really talk, but giggles and smiles all the time. The other day, Sarah and I were sitting having tea after I got back from work and he opened the door, but then hid for the next 10 minutes. He finally came in when I went over but then just looked at me grinning and giggling when I would react in any way. He likes to move between chairs to get attention and finds it hilarious. He has made my day a lot with those smiles and giggles!

                I made a tentative work plan that included my nutrition project, a sponsorship program, and a plan to organize their records electronically. I’m still waiting to hear back from the nutritionist, but plan on resuming work on that next week. I’m beginning to look into starting a sponsorship program for the students going to secondary school. Kenya has free primary school (through 8^th grade), but students must pay to go to high school. The sisters have expressed the difficulty of paying the fees, making it hard to fund the operation of other parts of the home. If you would be interested in helping please let me know. Finally, I am working on scanning and reorganizing files so that they can be handled electronically. A tech guy who came to work on the computer today mentioned working on an application for it so we’ll see if anything comes of that. For now, I’m just working on making a massive spreadsheet with the critical data on all of the kids.

Random observations I have yet to comment on:

                The weather: It rains everyday from about 4-5. It is not nearly as hot as most people would think being just north of the equator. Also, at night there is almost constant lightning that is absolutely beautiful. The stars are also quite striking with so little light around.

                Kenyan education: The main thing that really strikes me about education in Kenya is the grading. There is no grade inflation like in the states and the majority of the kids get in the low C range. I have seen lists of all of the student’s grades in the secondary school and there will only be 10 or so kids in the A and B range! I was pretty shocked the first time I saw that. Getting As and Bs is a huge achievement. Students receive no grades for homework, quizzes or participation. Their grades are based solely on their performances on tests which are bought from companies that tailor them to be similar to the KCPE, the major test all students must take at the end of Standard 4, Standard 8, and at the end of primary. These tests completely determine the path you can take in life. If you want to go to university (a least a public, affordable one) you must score at least a B-. There is definitely no sugar coating. If you don’t meet the standards and work hard you absolutely will fail. The information that they are expected to know, especially in science, is very detailed. They will have to know grazing patterns, crop pests, specific parts of the body, disease specifics, plant and animal adaptations and functions, etc. I often can’t answer the questions I see on their science tests. However, mental math barely exists. The expertise of the students in some areas and inabilities in others always surprise me. The other thing that blows me away is how much more motivated the kids are here. I have had one of my math classes tell me to give them more homework! They really want to learn it so they can do well on their tests. Once the next teacher didn’t show up so they asked me to teach them science even though they had a lot of other homework they could have worked on. They want to be taught and to learn.

Hope you’re having a good week!

Kelly

A Part of the Family

I have now been living with Sarah and Immaculate Obari for 8 days, just enough time to grow a fro. As the picture proves, I am now a part of the family. I was really struck when on one of my first days Immaculate said “I had 7 daughters, but now I have 8.” They have been nothing but welcoming and I am very comfortable in my new home. I have had a lot of fun getting to know them. Sarah being my age has made adjusting much easier. It’s nice having an automatic friend!

                 I even met another one of my sisters Elizabeth when we visited her at her boarding school today. Elizabeth and I both love chemistry and want to be doctors. I was surprised to hear that their daily schedule at school goes starts at 4am and extends to 10pm. Wow! The visit also allowed me the opportunity to see the countryside north of Kakamega. I am always blown away by Kenya’s beauty, both in breath-taking views and the basic interactions between people. At one point, I could see miles into the distance filled of various shades of green and of course Kenya’s big, fluffy clouds. Seeing a group of kids dancing outside a church was just as beautiful.

                Divine Providence has provided another family for me. I feel quite well-adjusted in my internship and am starting to solidify my schedule. I plan on helping with bathing and feeing the babies in the morning, working on my ideas with infant nutrition and a sponsorship program in the middle of the day, and teaching in the afternoons. I was able to meet with nutritionists at the district hospital on Friday, who think the idea seems promising and are going to discuss my ideas after examining my research early this week. My home of Divine Providence extends outside its gates as well, as I saw when I sat near the sisters at mass this morning and ran into a fellow teacher Geoffery on my way home tonight.

                Last but not least, my fellow interns have been a huge support system for me. We had a FSD meeting Saturday, and then spent the rest of the afternoon running errands together and relaxing at the Golf Hotel where we can get free internet. I always have a great time swapping stories with them. We’ll be getting some new members next week!

                Have to go eat my second chicken! Have a great Sunday! Enjoy some family time.

Kelly

Divine Providence

My internship at Divine Providence Children’s Home began Monday. The sisters have been extremely welcoming, although it is completely up to me what I want to do each day. I have spent the time dressing and feeding babies, researching infant nutrition, teaching math classes, and most of all, asking countless questions to figure out how everything works. I have really enjoyed being able to do a little bit of everything. I am currently working on trying to find a way to supplement the cow’s milk they feed the babies (they can’t afford formula, and lack consistent donations) with vitamins and minerals from foods they always have around the home. That and trying to make a schedule for helping with classes, since it seems like every teacher wants some help/extra prep time.

The name of Divine Providence seems more fitting the longer I’m here. I went with some of the sisters to visit the bishop yesterday (I get a big kick out of the fact I haven’t even been here two weeks, but have met the bishop). I learned a lot about how the home was started and gained more insight into the way that operates. The thing that struck me the most was that at times, the sisters have come to him begging for any sort of food to feed the children, and he has allowed them to empty the pantries. Sacred Heart Academy that’s next door has also given everything in their store rooms, leaving its 1,000 girls skipping a meal in the service of others. The high of my day, however, came when the bishop casually mentioned to take the lambs home with us for the kids. I thought he was joking, but by the time we left, there were three lambs loaded in the van with us. Divine Providence

Today was Madaraka Day, basically Kenyan Independence Day. School was closed, and as it was Chris’s birthday all of the interns met up for lunch. It was great being able to catch up and swap stories. So much has happened in such a short time! Speaking of divine providence, it was just the break I needed before going in to help some of the students with some math questions later in the afternoon. I am settling in and doing well, but my bed is beckoning!

Kelly

It's the Simple Things

                The last couple days have been very hectic. I have moved in with my host family and start work tomorrow! I will write more about both of those tomorrow, but thought I’d share some of my favorite moments first. Kenya has very much been about the simple things for me. A few of those things/moments include:

                -The kids: Seeing smiling laughing faces of the kids here has been a huge high. One of the first things that really struck me here was seeing a little girl giving her brother (who wasn’t much smaller than her) a piggy-back ride down the road. It was simple, but yet her love for him was so obvious. Similarly, seeing a mother feeding her child and pulling away the bottle to kiss the baby also struck me. Finally, when we were on a tuk tuk ride in Kisumu (we went into the city for a day), kids ran after us screaming “muzungu, muzungu (the Kiswahili word for white people)”, waving crazily, grinning ear to ear, trying to get our attention. It was awesome to just see how happy our mere presence and basic attention was making them. I can’t wait to meet all of the kids at Divine Providence and add more of these stories that have made my day.

                -Going on a boat ride in Kisumu: We went on a boat ride on Lake Victoria to go see hippos. It was incredible to see how vast the lake is. I was struck by the sheer joy and excitement everyone feels the moment the hippos head comes up from the water. Something so simple made us all so happy. I think that I can learn much from Kenyans with regards to that, and I started by closing my eyes and simply loving feeling the wind and spray on my face on the ride back.

                -Dancing with the locals: On Friday, we all went out to one of the more traditional local discos. We muzungus had a great time making fools of ourselves on the dance floor, but by the end of the night we had plenty of other people joining us. An older woman danced with some of us and then stopped and said “you’re my daughter and you’re my son” to each of us there. I felt accepted and a part of the community.

                -Human sardines: Matatu’s (the buses which are really vans) are never full. It was hilarious to me to see how many people they would jam into one van… more than I thought was even possible. We’d stop and somehow someone else would get on, leaving the staff man leaning against the door and bent over the seats.

                -Satisfaction and kiswahili: Dylan and I went to Safaricom to purchase a modem. We started using our Swahili to talk to an old man in line. He had just eaten a large meal of ugali and kuku (chicken) and was just so content. I was thrilled, by his utter happiness, and my basic ability to communicate.

                -Handing out of awards: I went with my host sister Sarah over to an education festival where my host mom Immaculate was working after moving in on Saturday. I sat in the VIP section, as Immaculate works for the education office. In the middle of the presentation of awards I was asked to come up and hand out some awards to schools for their achievements in test scores. I was shocked and found it amusing since they clearly thought I was someone important like all of the big names in the district around me. I did it again in the second part of the awards ceremony. Immaculate later told me that it is considered a sign of respect and that was their way of welcoming me as a guest. I couldn’t help but laugh though at the fact that I had given out awards for things I knew nothing about.

                Preparing a chicken: I can now say I have plucked and prepared a chicken. My host mom brought in the beheaded chicken and said I could help pluck it when I asked what I could help with. The chicken was still moving for awhile, but we got the feather off. Also, being the pre-med nerd that I am, I was fascinated with the organs when we were removing the guts. We cooked it up, and I can honestly say it was some of the best chicken I’ve ever had!

                I’m loving Kenya so far! I will give you some more details about my new life with my host family and host organization soon!

                Kelly

Karibu Kakamega (Welcome to Kakamega)

I’ve arrived safely in Kakamega, Kenya! I thought that starting a blog would be the easiest way to keep all of you updated on what I’m doing here in Kenya, so here it is. Bear with me, as I know next to nothing about blogging and writing is far from a favorite activity. I’ll try to share some of my thoughts as well as what I’ve been doing every few days. Feel free to comment and ask questions if you’d like.

                We arrived Friday morning in Kisumu, Kenya and drove the hour into Kakamega where the other six DukeEngagers, fellow FSD interns, and I will be staying for the next two months. We will each be living with separate host families and organizations, but first, we have a week of orientation all together. As a part of orientation, we have started learning Kiswahili, exploring the town, and experiencing Kenyan culture. Peter is our program director and Alex and Carolyne serve as coordinators. I know that they will be a huge resource during my time here.

                In the past week, I have been able to see much of Kakamega. The markets are bustling:

The streets are full of boda-boda’s (bicycle taxis), pikipiki’s (motorcycle taxis), trucks, and pedestrians. You can hear music and laughing and motors in the streets, and when it’s more quiet, birds. In a lot of ways it reminds me of what I saw in Nicaragua. There’s a lot of seeming chaos, but somehow it all works, and works well. I think I will come to love the way of life here. I have also learned so much Kiswahili, but since I associate it with Spanish in my head, that occasionally comes out in class or when I don’t know a word. I have also had a great time getting to know the other 10 FSD interns (7 are from Duke). Our room has been designated the hang out spot, so we always have people around and seem to laugh constantly. Being here at Sheywe Guest House (our hotel) has become so natural, and it’s odd to think about how much will be changing in the next week. I can’t wait to see all that the summer will entail!

My Internship: Divine Providence Children’s Home

                I will be working at Divine Providence Children’s Home. It is run by the Benedictine Sisters of Divine Providence. What are the chances I’d end up working with sisters? But I can’t wait. Divine Providence is home to about 50 children, many of whom were abandoned because they were the result of incest. The children range in age from a few days old to late teens. The compound has a school as well as a nursery, and an additional 50 students attend classes for a fee, which helps offset the operating costs. The home also pays for children to go to secondary school or vocational school as appropriate, both of which are typically boarding schools. The government brings children into the home but gives absolutely no support. Divine Providence provides shelter, food, clothing, education, and medical care completely by outside donations. I met with Sr. Caroline who runs the home yesterday. We got along great and I cannot wait to work with her and the 9 other sisters who live and work at the home. I do not know exactly what I will be doing there yet (it is up to me once I have seen how the home/school operate), but I cannot wait to get to know all of the kids and the staff.

My Host Family: Obare

                I move in with my host family this Saturday. I will be living very close to Divine Providence. My house has running water, electricity, and according to Alex, even a computer! I will have a host mother who works in the education office and a host sister who is my age and a student. I cannot wait to move in!

Food

                Food is definitely very different here, but most of it I have really liked. Ugali (a cornmeal mash) is the staple food here and as the saying goes, “you have not eaten, until you have eaten ugali”. A meal does not count as a meal if it doesn’t contain ugali. The diet here is very carb-heavy. We ate at Carolyne’s house today, and we had many of the typical foods. Clockwise from the tortilla looking chapatti (a fried dough tortilla), pilaw (a spiced rice with meat), kuku (chicken), sukumawiki (kael vegetable), matoke (cooked banana), and of course, ugali. I even tried fried termites today! Also, food is typically eaten with your hands.

Culture

                Life in Kenya is very relationship oriented. People are what matter most. Greeting everyone is normal and Kenyans really value handshakes. Eye contact is not very typical though. Public signs of affection, especially between opposite genders, is rare. Society is still very much patriarchal, and women typically do almost all of the cooking and housework. Time is far from the essence and showing up an hour late is not seen as rude. A relaxed world where relationships are emphasized is about my ideal, but we’ll see what I think after being more immersed in the culture.

I will do my best to keep you all updated! Have a great couple days!

Kelly

P.S. Another highlight of being here was meeting with Elisabeth from Lifestraw. They are doing a campaign to give each family in Kenya’s western province (1 million) access to clean water through their technology and hopefully funding this through carbon credits. Check it this genius initiative: http://www.vestergaard-frandsen.com/carbon-for-water/blog/