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