Hello everybody
Just thought I would say hello and wish everyone happy holidays. Everything is going well here. It’s a week till I can swear in as a full peace corps volunteer and I am excited and nervous to start. It’s starting to feel good being here in Kenya. When I first arrived, I was on my guard, always cautious of people, assuming the worst. It has been a rollercoaster of emotions and sometimes exhausting, but now I am starting to get to know people by name and starting to feel like a part of the community. Although I am an outsider, everyone is very friendly and welcoming. I have people who I don’t even know their names but for some reason they know mine, come up to me and invite me to Christmas dinner. It makes the pain of not being home for Christmas a little easier to handle. It’s Christmas eve and snow is not on the ground, and music is not playing. The only sign that Christmas eve is here are the chickens inside the barn( I begged my family not to eat goat and they wouldn’t kill the damn cow). No presents are exchanged here so my sister, brother and I are making my mama breakfast. My baba said when Im gone, he would make sure they would continue the tradition. If you haven’t noticed, my communication is a bit off, but Im hopeful that it will get better at my site. I’ve been told I have electricity and running water so we’ll see. For those who haven’t read my blog, in one week, my new home will be a small community called litein. It’s in the rift valley province, 107km from Kisumu. Well, it’s time to say goodbye. My sister needs my help cleaning the chickens. So Merry Christmas, Happy New Years and I miss you all… Love, Danielle
Friday, December 25, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
children peeing, cows eating soap and other lessons from Kenya
Never leave you laundry alone with a mad cow. It will eat your soap, drink all the water and slobber all over your clothes .
Don't worry if small children come up to you and start sniffing you, because no matter how dirty, sweaty or stinky you are, to a small Kenyan child, you will smell like perfume.
If your matatu breaks down….tuff shit! U walk!
Never challenge an 80 yr old to a dance off, they will win!
The 1st time you see a western toilet in over 2 months, its ok to cry with joy
The next time you feel your leg get warm, dont just sit there and assume it's your imagination. It is probably a small child peeing on you.
Be careful who you say hi to, the next day they could be your best friend.
Kenya does not have a weather man. So no matter how sunny and hot it is, bring an umbrella!
More to come....
Don't worry if small children come up to you and start sniffing you, because no matter how dirty, sweaty or stinky you are, to a small Kenyan child, you will smell like perfume.
If your matatu breaks down….tuff shit! U walk!
Never challenge an 80 yr old to a dance off, they will win!
The 1st time you see a western toilet in over 2 months, its ok to cry with joy
The next time you feel your leg get warm, dont just sit there and assume it's your imagination. It is probably a small child peeing on you.
Be careful who you say hi to, the next day they could be your best friend.
Kenya does not have a weather man. So no matter how sunny and hot it is, bring an umbrella!
More to come....
Happy Belated Thanksgiving!
My first thanksgiving in Kenya was truly an amazing experience and one I will never forget. One day where two cultures come together, people from two different countries, sitting at the same table, sharing one meal. I was in Machakos for the model school and we had just finished our two weeks of teaching and were heading home the day after thanksgiving. We decided to celebrate thanksgiving with the children, share with them a part of our history. We started cooking early, everyone helping. Some arranged the dinning hall while others helped slaughter the turkey and chickens for our feast. Yes, there were no safways or prepackaged turkeys so we had to slaughter our own. I actually stayed to watch since I had never seen it before. As they brought the birds out, I was the one to name them. They were brave birds as they faced their fate. We thanked them for their sacrifice and proceeded to chop their heads off. Back inside, the children were busy getting the dinning hall ready. They picked flowers, made vases, and decorated the table. It was fun to watch them take great care in what they were doing. Although they knew nothing about the holiday, they knew it was special. A volunteer made some apple pies with the children. They ended up putting too much salt and too little sugar. We were hopeful , however, that with a little ice cream, we might be able to fix it. During the day, cooking was spilt up with games of captures the flag( Well, we did tell them we would share everything about this holiday even if it meant football). Mary, one of the trainees, taught some belly dancing and the children and trainees practiced their dance routine and skits for the show that would accompany dinner. I decided for my first thanksgiving in Kenya I would braid my hair Kenyan style and asked one of the girls to do it for me. It started out as 2 girls braiding my hair but soon, one after another started showing up. Another trainee joined the braiding party and even more girls showed up. I felt like I was in a family of monkeys, picking bugs out of each others hair. By the end of the day, the turkey was to tough, the apple pies to salty and we ended up running out of stuffing but we had fun. It was an amazing day filled with sharing of cultures, traditions and laughs. And in the end, isn’t that what counts? Happy thanksgiving!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
A choo, a cow and a traine
I hope it is understood that none of these views are those of the Peace Corps. I write on this blog to vent and share my experiences Some are going to be hard to swallow while others just make you want to laugh. Whether good or bad this is your look inside another country. I, like many, pretend to know America is different, but knowing and actually seeing how different can be a shock. With that being said, I thought I might share a funny story about Kenya Just to show it’s not all bad here.
This story is about an evil cow, a choo and a trainee named… I think we shall name her danie. Well at Danie’s home stay lived a cow. Now she was told this cow hated all people and it was best to not get to close to it. Well being the stubborn American, Danie didn’t believe her family but she kept her distance anyway. Up till now, this cow and danie had never crossed paths. Even though this cow had a large plot of land to wander, she decided to plop herself right in front of the choo. Supposedly the grass was greener there. Who knows what goes on inside of a cows mind. Well, danie, needing to use the choo thought she could just sneak past the cow and handle her business. I mean the cow had been fine so far so it had to be use to her. So up walks danie, stealth like, to the door of the choo. At the same time she reached the door, that damn cow had to turn around . And for some strange reason that cow decided she was going to release that anger she had towards all people on poor innocent danie and proceeded to chase danie around the choo. When Danie found her escape, she ran into the house for safety. Then out walks the valiant knight, ruth, who single handedly defeated that evil cow. And Danie was able to use the choo and they all lived happily ever after… Oh what happened to the cow? Why are you guys all interested in that stupid cow? Well to make you all happy, The valiant knight took pity on that evil cow and let her live. But now anytime danie and the cow see each other… a stare down occurs. Neither one wanting to look away first. However, knowing the evil cow was out to get her, danie, being the smart American, that she was, prepared herself for the next time. She now has a bottle in her room…just in case. The end
P.S.
This just in, the evil cow has now chased danie around the choo and locked her in the bathing room. Now whose side are you on? The cow is going down!
This story is about an evil cow, a choo and a trainee named… I think we shall name her danie. Well at Danie’s home stay lived a cow. Now she was told this cow hated all people and it was best to not get to close to it. Well being the stubborn American, Danie didn’t believe her family but she kept her distance anyway. Up till now, this cow and danie had never crossed paths. Even though this cow had a large plot of land to wander, she decided to plop herself right in front of the choo. Supposedly the grass was greener there. Who knows what goes on inside of a cows mind. Well, danie, needing to use the choo thought she could just sneak past the cow and handle her business. I mean the cow had been fine so far so it had to be use to her. So up walks danie, stealth like, to the door of the choo. At the same time she reached the door, that damn cow had to turn around . And for some strange reason that cow decided she was going to release that anger she had towards all people on poor innocent danie and proceeded to chase danie around the choo. When Danie found her escape, she ran into the house for safety. Then out walks the valiant knight, ruth, who single handedly defeated that evil cow. And Danie was able to use the choo and they all lived happily ever after… Oh what happened to the cow? Why are you guys all interested in that stupid cow? Well to make you all happy, The valiant knight took pity on that evil cow and let her live. But now anytime danie and the cow see each other… a stare down occurs. Neither one wanting to look away first. However, knowing the evil cow was out to get her, danie, being the smart American, that she was, prepared herself for the next time. She now has a bottle in her room…just in case. The end
P.S.
This just in, the evil cow has now chased danie around the choo and locked her in the bathing room. Now whose side are you on? The cow is going down!
1st Panic Attack
So I had my first panic attack this morning. The day before I had sat in on a lecture about the plight of people with disabilities.. How they have been fighting for their rights as human beings in the community as well in their own homes. I guess to make what he was saying real, the lecturer pulled out an article that was dated a week ago. 10,000 Albinos have gone into hiding the article stated. I read further. People, specifically in Tanzania believe that the body parts of Albinos brings wealth and good luck. So they are being hunted and killed for their body parts which can fetch about 5 million shillings. I immediately thought of the Holocaust and the killing of thousand of Jews. I was shocked.. This country isn’t 40 years behind America, its all the way back in the dark ages, I thought. I didn’t know how I could continue sitting there listening to this. Then the lecturer focused on Kenya and how people treat their own disabled population. Before coming to Kenya, I was told about some ways Kenyans deal with their handicapped children. Some ways include tying them up in their rooms, keeping them in the house or letting them wander the village getting beat up by others. I was appalled when I heard this. I didn’t know how a human being could do this to another, let alone their own child. However, I never heard the reasoning’s behind it. The lecturer told us about a friend who had a child with a disability. There are no services here for families with children with disabilities. There is no day care, no special therapy or schools and no respite for these families. When parents have a special needs child and they have to work to put food on the table, who takes care of them? If they leave them to run around the house, they would come home to a house totally destroyed. I could almost see the reasoning’s behind it but still didn’t want to believe it. During the rest of the day, I was in a trance. I didn’t know how to deal with the information I was given. I went to bed still thinking about everything. At 5:30 the next morning I woke up and cried and I couldn’t stop crying. I felt so overwhelmed. I didn’t know what I had gotten myself into.
During our session, I asked a seasoned volunteer, what do I do? How can I survive my 2 yrs here without feeling defeated? How do I handle the times when my students are caned, abused or even taken advantage of? When other teachers don’t even respect the children they teach? She said, you are going to have days when you just want to run into your room, crawl into bed and pull the covers over your head. You will cry and wont be able to stop. But you will have days when you look at your students and know you are making a difference. Just focus on your students she said. There is a lot that needs to be worked on in Kenya, and its not going to change overnight but you can be a part of that change. When I got home I got an email from my mom who reminded me that even though America thinks it’s better than the rest of the world, we are the exact same, we just hide it better.
During our session, I asked a seasoned volunteer, what do I do? How can I survive my 2 yrs here without feeling defeated? How do I handle the times when my students are caned, abused or even taken advantage of? When other teachers don’t even respect the children they teach? She said, you are going to have days when you just want to run into your room, crawl into bed and pull the covers over your head. You will cry and wont be able to stop. But you will have days when you look at your students and know you are making a difference. Just focus on your students she said. There is a lot that needs to be worked on in Kenya, and its not going to change overnight but you can be a part of that change. When I got home I got an email from my mom who reminded me that even though America thinks it’s better than the rest of the world, we are the exact same, we just hide it better.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
quick update
hey guys,
I know the posts are few and far between. Things are hectic here and the internet does not work very well. But just a quick update. Thngs are going good still. I have some down days but the good outnumber the bad. I hope everyone had a good thanksgiving. I have some GREAT stories about my thanksgiving that I will try and post soon. I am still adjusting to the culture and the food here in kenya but trying to keep an open mind. Its a lot of new things at once and a little overwhelming at times. But overall I am having a blast. We found out our location the other day. I will be stationed in Letien in the Rift Valley province. Its about 107km from Kisumu which is the 3rd largest city in Kenya. Pics will hopefully come soon. I am still tryng to figure out how to. I pay for my internet by mega bite so it gets a little expensive but Im working on it. Well, my computer is almost dead so I'll end it here. I miss everyone and hope all is well.
P.S.
I LOVE getting letters. It helps lift my mood when I hear from people back home. My address is
Danielle Harvey
Peace Corps Trainee
P.O.Box 698
Niarobi Kenya 00621
I know the posts are few and far between. Things are hectic here and the internet does not work very well. But just a quick update. Thngs are going good still. I have some down days but the good outnumber the bad. I hope everyone had a good thanksgiving. I have some GREAT stories about my thanksgiving that I will try and post soon. I am still adjusting to the culture and the food here in kenya but trying to keep an open mind. Its a lot of new things at once and a little overwhelming at times. But overall I am having a blast. We found out our location the other day. I will be stationed in Letien in the Rift Valley province. Its about 107km from Kisumu which is the 3rd largest city in Kenya. Pics will hopefully come soon. I am still tryng to figure out how to. I pay for my internet by mega bite so it gets a little expensive but Im working on it. Well, my computer is almost dead so I'll end it here. I miss everyone and hope all is well.
P.S.
I LOVE getting letters. It helps lift my mood when I hear from people back home. My address is
Danielle Harvey
Peace Corps Trainee
P.O.Box 698
Niarobi Kenya 00621
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Attack of the Mud Monster!
November 18th
It’s raining here in Machacos. It rains and then immediately stops and then later on it will pour down again. We hear that back in Loitokitok, it has been pouring and that it's muddy. Now Im not talking about a little mud here and there. I am talking life threatening mud. This mud will take you down and keep you down. I actually fell down once. I was so dirty. It sticks to everything and cars and trucks can get stuck. There are no paved roads in Loitokitok so you can imagine what a mess it can make. I am happy I am in Machacos with paved roads.
It’s raining here in Machacos. It rains and then immediately stops and then later on it will pour down again. We hear that back in Loitokitok, it has been pouring and that it's muddy. Now Im not talking about a little mud here and there. I am talking life threatening mud. This mud will take you down and keep you down. I actually fell down once. I was so dirty. It sticks to everything and cars and trucks can get stuck. There are no paved roads in Loitokitok so you can imagine what a mess it can make. I am happy I am in Machacos with paved roads.
Lessons so Far
So for the next 2 months, its lessons, lessons, lessons. I’m now in a village called Machakos. It’s right outside Nairobi. I will spend 2 weeks here. 2 weeks of intense training for the deaf education trainees. We spend one week interacting with students at a deaf school here and another week of technical training. So far I have had language lessons and culture lessons, lessons on Peace Corps and lessons on health and safety. And its only been 2 ½ weeks since I have been in country. Here are some lessons I have learned so far…
The people here are indirect so you will never know what they are really thinking
They do not talk about sex, pregnancy, or relationships with the opposite sex. The children learn they have a sibling when they go to the hospital where mama is staying because she is “sick” and they are introduced to a baby.
The locals really do believe on communal sharing. So what’s your is theirs.
It’s not rude to bargain and if you want to leave the market with some money, you have to.
Sellers will boost the price way up just because you are a mzungu.
The mamas are in charge. Everyone is scared of the mamas. You have a problem? Go find a mama.
You have to be firm when saying NO to street kids and anyone else who is asking for things because saying si leo- not today- does not work.
To lie is to survive. It is ok to lie when you don’t have an answer for someone who wants to barrow something, marry you for a visa or any other strange request.
And the most important lesson of all….
You will eventually have to use the choo. There is no getting around it so suck it up and squat.
The people here are indirect so you will never know what they are really thinking
They do not talk about sex, pregnancy, or relationships with the opposite sex. The children learn they have a sibling when they go to the hospital where mama is staying because she is “sick” and they are introduced to a baby.
The locals really do believe on communal sharing. So what’s your is theirs.
It’s not rude to bargain and if you want to leave the market with some money, you have to.
Sellers will boost the price way up just because you are a mzungu.
The mamas are in charge. Everyone is scared of the mamas. You have a problem? Go find a mama.
You have to be firm when saying NO to street kids and anyone else who is asking for things because saying si leo- not today- does not work.
To lie is to survive. It is ok to lie when you don’t have an answer for someone who wants to barrow something, marry you for a visa or any other strange request.
And the most important lesson of all….
You will eventually have to use the choo. There is no getting around it so suck it up and squat.
Host Family
I am out of the hotel and living with my host family. I meet these people for one day and they already want me to call them mama, baba and sister. It’s a little uncomfortable but I am getting use to it. My new house is a small 3 bedroom, 1 choo, cottage. The main house consist of the 3 bedrooms, 1 living room and 2 small workspaces. Outside is the choo, kitchen, bathing house and barn. The choo by the way is the toilet. A hole in the ground. We are building up our leg muscles with all of the squatting. There is no shower, so if you want a bath, you take a bucket of hot…sometimes cold water into a little hut and give yourself a bucket bath. The kitchen is comprised of a fire pit. This is where all of the main cooking is prepared. They don’t have an oven or a timer so the mama will usually spend most of the time there cooking the food. It can also get really smoky. I tried to stay there and eventually had to leave because I couldn’t breath.
I have 2 sisters and 2 brothers. I have an older brother. I haven’t been able to really sit down and talk with him so I don’t know how old he is. Then I have a sister who is away at school so I haven’t been able to meet her yet. But I heard she is around my age. Then comes my 2nd sister who is about 16ish and I am in love with her. She is so cute, and so much fun to hang around with. She is my teacher in everything Kenyan. And finally comes my youngest brother. He is 1 yr old and was sort of a surprise. He is very cute and starting to get use to me.
We also have a dog and 2 cows. I have been told to watch out for the mama cow. Apparently, she does not like mzungus. She charged the previous volunteer when she had her back turned. The baby cow however has become my buddy. I am also told to stay away from the dog. Apparently she also does not like mzungus and will bite. On a side note, Kenyans do not see animals the same way we do back in the states. Dogs and cats are looked at as dirty animals, not allowed to come in and not used for pets. A dog is supposed to work as a guard dog and the cat is meant to eat rodents. When we tell them sometimes a dog will sleep on the bed with us, they can not imagine why. They are shocked.
After a few days I have become more comfortable with my family. They are sort of like my home away from home. My sister takes me to market and my mama teaches me how to cook. And my baba… well, he is just there. Men usually don’t work as hard as the women. Often my baba won’t even eat dinner with us. He says is a sign of respect for the daughter to give her her freedom during dinner. Overall, it’s a interesting culture and I am learning a lot.. It is still a challenge at times but I am taking it one day at a time.
I have 2 sisters and 2 brothers. I have an older brother. I haven’t been able to really sit down and talk with him so I don’t know how old he is. Then I have a sister who is away at school so I haven’t been able to meet her yet. But I heard she is around my age. Then comes my 2nd sister who is about 16ish and I am in love with her. She is so cute, and so much fun to hang around with. She is my teacher in everything Kenyan. And finally comes my youngest brother. He is 1 yr old and was sort of a surprise. He is very cute and starting to get use to me.
We also have a dog and 2 cows. I have been told to watch out for the mama cow. Apparently, she does not like mzungus. She charged the previous volunteer when she had her back turned. The baby cow however has become my buddy. I am also told to stay away from the dog. Apparently she also does not like mzungus and will bite. On a side note, Kenyans do not see animals the same way we do back in the states. Dogs and cats are looked at as dirty animals, not allowed to come in and not used for pets. A dog is supposed to work as a guard dog and the cat is meant to eat rodents. When we tell them sometimes a dog will sleep on the bed with us, they can not imagine why. They are shocked.
After a few days I have become more comfortable with my family. They are sort of like my home away from home. My sister takes me to market and my mama teaches me how to cook. And my baba… well, he is just there. Men usually don’t work as hard as the women. Often my baba won’t even eat dinner with us. He says is a sign of respect for the daughter to give her her freedom during dinner. Overall, it’s a interesting culture and I am learning a lot.. It is still a challenge at times but I am taking it one day at a time.
23 bug bites
We have arrived at training. It was a long, hot, bumpy ride to loitokitok but we have made it….and I am sick. I have been sick now for 3 days and could not go and meet my host family. I think I have a head cold but now the doctor thinks it might be swine flue. I just know I don’t feel well. More and more people are getting sick. I feel like the pilgrims coming over and infecting the natives. Everyone else is getting to go home with their host families but I have to go to a hotel. I am nervous enough as it is and now the wait is just going to make it worse. I was delirious with fever and took my mosquito net off. I now have 23 bug bits all over my hands, arms, legs and feet. At least I know they like me. I think I will take it as a good sign.
1st day in Kenya!
Nov 4th
1st Day in Kenya
Hello everybody!!! Greetings from Kenya!!!! I know it’s been awhile. I apologize for the delay. It’s difficult getting everything in order.
Well, where to begin? I guess WOW! It took me 16 hours to get here but I have finally made it and what a journey. I have been here not even 5hours and already I can’t wait to see where the next 2 yrs takes me…
My adventure started when I got off the plane in Nairobi. We were greeted by some of the seasoned volunteers. It was a sight to see all of us heading to the vans with all of our luggage. Imagine a herd of elephants or better yet, a herd of mzungus( what the locals call the white people.) Finally we got settled in the vans and headed to the compound where we will stay for a few days before going to loitokitok for training. We were immediately given water bottles with strict instructions to not drink any tap water until we are trained on how to purify our water. All was quite in the vans. I think everyone is just taking it all in. Later on we learnd this is the “honeymoon” period. A time when everything we see is exotic and amazing. It’s fun and adventuress. It’s later on when the honeymoon is over when we finally see what we have gotten ourselves into.
We finally got to the compound and got settled in. I think they figured we would have to deal with the choos eventually, (a toilet typical in the small villages. It’s a hole in the ground. you’ll hear more later) but they took pity on us and gave us western toilets for our first few days. The room almost seemed like a typical US hotel room. It had a bed, TV, chairs, closet. Etc. The only thing different was the mosquito net. We were warned not to sleep without it since we haven’t started taking our maleria medicine yet.
It was during dinner that we got our first taste of Africa cuisine. We were told the meat is typically goat…I thought it tasted just like beef personally. We had one of the seasoned volunteers sit with us. Between taking bites of food, she was asked question after question. We piled her with our fears and worries, hoping for some clarity of what we should expect. We talked about what the schools were like and what’s it like living in Kenya. As people slowly made their ways to their beds, I was left with the seasoned volunteer and another trainee still at the table. I asked her some questions regarding people with special needs. I learned that night some of the challenges teachers have teaching in another culture. In the more remote villages, children with disabilities are looked at as a curse. They think the family must have done something to anger god. These children are usually left in the woods to die. If their families take pity on them, they are kept inside the house for the rest of their lives, never getting to see the outside world. As she is telling me stories, it finally hits me that I am in another country, dealing with another culture. I realize how lucky I am living in the US. If I lived in Kenya with epilepsy, my life would be a totally different story. Although it was sad to hear the stories, I am happy I heard them. It reaffirmed why I am here and what I need to do. Peace Corps Kenya is one of many organizations trying to educate the population about people with special needs but its very slow moving. People have been believing these things for years and to come in and say it’s not right, they resist. I know my being here is not going to cause a huge, immediate change. And when I leave, nothing may have changed. But If I can prove to 1 person that people with special needs can be a valuable, productive member in the community, then I will leave happy.
1st Day in Kenya
Hello everybody!!! Greetings from Kenya!!!! I know it’s been awhile. I apologize for the delay. It’s difficult getting everything in order.
Well, where to begin? I guess WOW! It took me 16 hours to get here but I have finally made it and what a journey. I have been here not even 5hours and already I can’t wait to see where the next 2 yrs takes me…
My adventure started when I got off the plane in Nairobi. We were greeted by some of the seasoned volunteers. It was a sight to see all of us heading to the vans with all of our luggage. Imagine a herd of elephants or better yet, a herd of mzungus( what the locals call the white people.) Finally we got settled in the vans and headed to the compound where we will stay for a few days before going to loitokitok for training. We were immediately given water bottles with strict instructions to not drink any tap water until we are trained on how to purify our water. All was quite in the vans. I think everyone is just taking it all in. Later on we learnd this is the “honeymoon” period. A time when everything we see is exotic and amazing. It’s fun and adventuress. It’s later on when the honeymoon is over when we finally see what we have gotten ourselves into.
We finally got to the compound and got settled in. I think they figured we would have to deal with the choos eventually, (a toilet typical in the small villages. It’s a hole in the ground. you’ll hear more later) but they took pity on us and gave us western toilets for our first few days. The room almost seemed like a typical US hotel room. It had a bed, TV, chairs, closet. Etc. The only thing different was the mosquito net. We were warned not to sleep without it since we haven’t started taking our maleria medicine yet.
It was during dinner that we got our first taste of Africa cuisine. We were told the meat is typically goat…I thought it tasted just like beef personally. We had one of the seasoned volunteers sit with us. Between taking bites of food, she was asked question after question. We piled her with our fears and worries, hoping for some clarity of what we should expect. We talked about what the schools were like and what’s it like living in Kenya. As people slowly made their ways to their beds, I was left with the seasoned volunteer and another trainee still at the table. I asked her some questions regarding people with special needs. I learned that night some of the challenges teachers have teaching in another culture. In the more remote villages, children with disabilities are looked at as a curse. They think the family must have done something to anger god. These children are usually left in the woods to die. If their families take pity on them, they are kept inside the house for the rest of their lives, never getting to see the outside world. As she is telling me stories, it finally hits me that I am in another country, dealing with another culture. I realize how lucky I am living in the US. If I lived in Kenya with epilepsy, my life would be a totally different story. Although it was sad to hear the stories, I am happy I heard them. It reaffirmed why I am here and what I need to do. Peace Corps Kenya is one of many organizations trying to educate the population about people with special needs but its very slow moving. People have been believing these things for years and to come in and say it’s not right, they resist. I know my being here is not going to cause a huge, immediate change. And when I leave, nothing may have changed. But If I can prove to 1 person that people with special needs can be a valuable, productive member in the community, then I will leave happy.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Overbooked flight, lost luggage and National Tresure
Well, I’m in Philly. WOW! What a flight. Why does US Airways overbook their flights? Do you know how many people were mad? The airline had to beg people to fly the later flight. I didn’t volunteer. Hopefully that won’t affect my karma. Although I think is did something since I had to sit by a guy who was giving the flight attendants attitude. Boy was he furious. He kept asking for his ticket stub. Although, I think he was just asking for it to be difficult.
After spending two hours dealing with my lost luggage, I finally got out of the airport at 9:30pm. I have to point out that even though the airline overbooked my flight and lost my luggage, I was still in a good mood. I was even nice to the shuttle driver. My shuttle driver was pretty cool, as he was driving all of us to the hotel, he would point out the historic monuments. Did you know Philadelphia is 350 years old?…Or is it 305? Ok, so I didn’t pay attention the whole time. I did get to drive over cobblestone that was from the 1700’s and get to see the building that was in the movie, national treasure…except I can’t remember the name. Again, I was tired. The highlight of the night was getting to meet my roommate,,,Im not sure the edict for names in blogs so we will just call her Brittney. We were both too excited to sleep so we stayed up talking about how nervous we were. Luckily she is in deaf education as well. But, I have to admit, she made me even more nervous about my lack of ASL. I also found out I was missing an important form. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking, typical Danielle move. But let’s just see how well you can pack for two years AND keep the needed forms in order. Not so easy is it? Ok so this isn’t the most exciting post. But since I slept the entire flight and went to bed at midnight, I still got up by 6:30am and my roommate isn’t awake yet so there is no one to talk to. In short, I’m bored and your just going to have to live with this one boring post. I’m leaving for Kenya tomorrow evening and not sure when my next post will be. However, I will try to keep you updated as much as possible. So I guess that’s kwa herii for now. Speak to you soon.
After spending two hours dealing with my lost luggage, I finally got out of the airport at 9:30pm. I have to point out that even though the airline overbooked my flight and lost my luggage, I was still in a good mood. I was even nice to the shuttle driver. My shuttle driver was pretty cool, as he was driving all of us to the hotel, he would point out the historic monuments. Did you know Philadelphia is 350 years old?…Or is it 305? Ok, so I didn’t pay attention the whole time. I did get to drive over cobblestone that was from the 1700’s and get to see the building that was in the movie, national treasure…except I can’t remember the name. Again, I was tired. The highlight of the night was getting to meet my roommate,,,Im not sure the edict for names in blogs so we will just call her Brittney. We were both too excited to sleep so we stayed up talking about how nervous we were. Luckily she is in deaf education as well. But, I have to admit, she made me even more nervous about my lack of ASL. I also found out I was missing an important form. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking, typical Danielle move. But let’s just see how well you can pack for two years AND keep the needed forms in order. Not so easy is it? Ok so this isn’t the most exciting post. But since I slept the entire flight and went to bed at midnight, I still got up by 6:30am and my roommate isn’t awake yet so there is no one to talk to. In short, I’m bored and your just going to have to live with this one boring post. I’m leaving for Kenya tomorrow evening and not sure when my next post will be. However, I will try to keep you updated as much as possible. So I guess that’s kwa herii for now. Speak to you soon.
Friday, October 30, 2009
I am going to be sick!
2 days! 2 days till I'm on the plane bound for Kenya. I still can't believe it! I have wanted this since I was 12 and now it's finally happening 11 yrs later. I was talking to someone yesterday about leaving and it still didn’t seem real. It was like I was talking about a fairy tail and not my own life. I wonder when it will fully sink in that I am actually doing this?
So Sunday, November 1st, is the day this crazy adventure of mine begins. I fly to Philly for a day of orientation and then on the 3rd, and if I have decided to not return home, I fly to Kenya to begin my training! Since using the internet will be difficult, I thought to take advantage of it here to give you a rundown of what’s going to be happening these next few months.
Training is located in Loitokitok, I’ll get back to u on how to pronounce it later. The town of Loitokitok is located in the Rift province at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro. It is a small town with a population of approximately 35,000 people( bigger than Truckee at least). During PST(pre service training), I will be spending most of my time( 9 weeks) in the communities around Loitokitok, which is about a 7½ hour drive from Nairobi. I will live with a Kenyan family during this time until I get sworn in as a Volunteer.
Here’s an overview of the training I will be getting
Training is composed of five basic component areas:
• Language training component involves learning KiSwahili or Kenya Sign Language (KSL) and some basic local language
• Cross-culture and inter-cultural learning which involves adapting to life in Kenya, learning who the people of Kenya are, their history, their values, and their traditions. Living with a host family hastens this process.
• PACA (Participatory Analysis for Community Action) training. This involves learning skills for community entry such as community mapping, resource identification, seasonal calendars, gender and development and organizational structures.
• Technical training component, which outlines in general my future job and how to adapt my skills to the needs of the job as well as develop skills to meet the initial needs of my job.
• Health training,
• Safety and Security training that focuses on how Volunteers can develop strategies during Training that they can use to stay safe during their two year service.
Sample Day’s Schedule
A day’s schedule would involve starting as a small language training group in my community clusters discussing my host family experience and getting feedback from my language and cross-culture trainers about my progress, learning new material in language and practicing learned material. Then move to my technical group depending on the calendar of training events. Once every two weeks or so I will meet as a large group at the Outward Bound Trust of Kenya training hub to do large group cross-cultural learning and health training and touch base with the medical or other Nairobi based Peace Corps/Kenya staff.
And to think, I thought I was done with school! hahaha.
So I guess that’s all for now. Just remember, if you do not hear from me in the next 3 months, don’t worry. I am not dead. I’m just really really busy. Also, if you happen to see something on TV or on the internet about something bad happening in Kenya, just remember I am towards southern Kenya, near the Tanzania boarder. Not everything bad that happens in Kenya actually happens all over Kenya. :) Kwa Herii!
So Sunday, November 1st, is the day this crazy adventure of mine begins. I fly to Philly for a day of orientation and then on the 3rd, and if I have decided to not return home, I fly to Kenya to begin my training! Since using the internet will be difficult, I thought to take advantage of it here to give you a rundown of what’s going to be happening these next few months.
Training is located in Loitokitok, I’ll get back to u on how to pronounce it later. The town of Loitokitok is located in the Rift province at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro. It is a small town with a population of approximately 35,000 people( bigger than Truckee at least). During PST(pre service training), I will be spending most of my time( 9 weeks) in the communities around Loitokitok, which is about a 7½ hour drive from Nairobi. I will live with a Kenyan family during this time until I get sworn in as a Volunteer.
Here’s an overview of the training I will be getting
Training is composed of five basic component areas:
• Language training component involves learning KiSwahili or Kenya Sign Language (KSL) and some basic local language
• Cross-culture and inter-cultural learning which involves adapting to life in Kenya, learning who the people of Kenya are, their history, their values, and their traditions. Living with a host family hastens this process.
• PACA (Participatory Analysis for Community Action) training. This involves learning skills for community entry such as community mapping, resource identification, seasonal calendars, gender and development and organizational structures.
• Technical training component, which outlines in general my future job and how to adapt my skills to the needs of the job as well as develop skills to meet the initial needs of my job.
• Health training,
• Safety and Security training that focuses on how Volunteers can develop strategies during Training that they can use to stay safe during their two year service.
Sample Day’s Schedule
A day’s schedule would involve starting as a small language training group in my community clusters discussing my host family experience and getting feedback from my language and cross-culture trainers about my progress, learning new material in language and practicing learned material. Then move to my technical group depending on the calendar of training events. Once every two weeks or so I will meet as a large group at the Outward Bound Trust of Kenya training hub to do large group cross-cultural learning and health training and touch base with the medical or other Nairobi based Peace Corps/Kenya staff.
And to think, I thought I was done with school! hahaha.
So I guess that’s all for now. Just remember, if you do not hear from me in the next 3 months, don’t worry. I am not dead. I’m just really really busy. Also, if you happen to see something on TV or on the internet about something bad happening in Kenya, just remember I am towards southern Kenya, near the Tanzania boarder. Not everything bad that happens in Kenya actually happens all over Kenya. :) Kwa Herii!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
And so the adventure begins
So for those who think Peace Corps is a 2 year vacation, think again.
During my 2 yrs of service, I will be working as a Deaf educator and a Behavior Change Communicator. As a Volunteer, my goal is to facilitate persons with special learning needs to be able to function as productively and independently as possible in their communities and families. Unfortunately, Kenya does not share the same views as America when it comes to people with disabilities. Their views are similar to those America had in the 1940's-1950's. Although Kenya has a population of deaf people, they do not have a deaf "community." Students who are deaf are way behind the students who aren't. They usually have a 4th-5th grade reading level and have low test scores on National exams. Low test scores are perceived as student inability not instructional failure. They rarely go on to secondary school. Only 24 deaf students per year have the opportunity to attend secondary school and far fewer attend vocational training programs. Many deaf children remain at home without skills necessary for productive employment and end up living a very isolated existence. That's where the Peace Corps volunteers come in.
My job as a Deaf Educator consists of preparing the students for the National Exam. However, I am also there for the teachers. Most teachers have limited signing skills and have run out of ideas on how to teach the students. So I’m sort of like a breath of fresh air for the teachers. I help the teachers by thinking up new ways to teach the students and help them improve the communication between student and teacher. As an educator, my job is not only to help the students but the community as well. Although Kenya has a deaf population, they don't have a deaf community. So while I’m preparing the students for their examinations, I’m also preparing them for a life in the community. I am teaching them life skills that will allow them to become part of their community. But it's a two way street. The communication between people who are deaf and the rest of the community is limited. So my job is to help bridge that gap, showing the community that these students can be productive members in society.
Radio is the main way news gets around. This is also the chosen media for prevention campaigns for HIV/AIDS. You can see the problem, right? Little effort has been made to produce training documents or information materials regarding health issues like HIV/AIDS to the deaf population. So as a result, my job as a behavioral change communicator is to develop HIV/AIDS communication messages using Kenyan Sign Language so the people who are deaf can be educated as well.
So now that you know a little of what I will be doing, I’m asking you to please stay in touch with me and encourage me while I’m gone because I certainly will need it.
During my 2 yrs of service, I will be working as a Deaf educator and a Behavior Change Communicator. As a Volunteer, my goal is to facilitate persons with special learning needs to be able to function as productively and independently as possible in their communities and families. Unfortunately, Kenya does not share the same views as America when it comes to people with disabilities. Their views are similar to those America had in the 1940's-1950's. Although Kenya has a population of deaf people, they do not have a deaf "community." Students who are deaf are way behind the students who aren't. They usually have a 4th-5th grade reading level and have low test scores on National exams. Low test scores are perceived as student inability not instructional failure. They rarely go on to secondary school. Only 24 deaf students per year have the opportunity to attend secondary school and far fewer attend vocational training programs. Many deaf children remain at home without skills necessary for productive employment and end up living a very isolated existence. That's where the Peace Corps volunteers come in.
My job as a Deaf Educator consists of preparing the students for the National Exam. However, I am also there for the teachers. Most teachers have limited signing skills and have run out of ideas on how to teach the students. So I’m sort of like a breath of fresh air for the teachers. I help the teachers by thinking up new ways to teach the students and help them improve the communication between student and teacher. As an educator, my job is not only to help the students but the community as well. Although Kenya has a deaf population, they don't have a deaf community. So while I’m preparing the students for their examinations, I’m also preparing them for a life in the community. I am teaching them life skills that will allow them to become part of their community. But it's a two way street. The communication between people who are deaf and the rest of the community is limited. So my job is to help bridge that gap, showing the community that these students can be productive members in society.
Radio is the main way news gets around. This is also the chosen media for prevention campaigns for HIV/AIDS. You can see the problem, right? Little effort has been made to produce training documents or information materials regarding health issues like HIV/AIDS to the deaf population. So as a result, my job as a behavioral change communicator is to develop HIV/AIDS communication messages using Kenyan Sign Language so the people who are deaf can be educated as well.
So now that you know a little of what I will be doing, I’m asking you to please stay in touch with me and encourage me while I’m gone because I certainly will need it.
I made it in!
Peace Corps has always been something I have been interested in. I went to my first Peace Corps informational meeting when I was 12. Then I was diagnosed with Epilepsy and thinking for sure they wouldn’t let me in, Peace Corps was forgotten. During my senior year of College, I started to plan my life after graduation. However, I kept running into the same problem, I had no idea what I wanted to do. Did I want to go into teaching, ASL interpreting, or just take a year off? My dream of serving in the Peace Corps kept coming up. But not knowing if they would accept me, I pushed it back down. Graduation was drawing closer and closer and my stress levels were rising. Then one day, I decided to forget everything I was worried about and just focus on what I wanted. I applied for the Peace Corps. So what if they didn’t accept me with the epilepsy. I was at least going to try. I knew I could do it and this was something I had wanted to do since I was 12.
So after…
a 29 page paper application (due to my procrastinating, took 2 months to finish)
250 Question Health Survey
Personal interview
Finger prints
Physical
Blood tests
X-rays
EEGS
Psychiatric screening
Numerous trips to Truckee (where my Doctors were)
And a year of torturous waiting….
On November 1st, 2009 I am headed to Kenya!
Some basic facts about Kenya:
The Republic of Kenya is named after Mount Kenya, the 2nd highest peak in Africa. The country is in Eastern Africa, lying along the Indian Ocean. It is bordered by Somalia (NE), Uganda (W), Ethiopia (N), Tanzania (S), and Sudan (NW). The capitol of Kenya is Nairobi with a population of 3 million people. Kenya’s population as a whole is about 38 million people. Kenya itself is a diverse country with many religions and cultures. The main religion is Protestant, followed by Roman Catholic and Islam. The spoken language is Swahili ( which I will be learning) and English. However, in some parts, different tribes have their own language.
Well that’s all for now. I look forward to sharing my adventures with you.
Kwa heri (goodbye),
Danielle
So after…
a 29 page paper application (due to my procrastinating, took 2 months to finish)
250 Question Health Survey
Personal interview
Finger prints
Physical
Blood tests
X-rays
EEGS
Psychiatric screening
Numerous trips to Truckee (where my Doctors were)
And a year of torturous waiting….
On November 1st, 2009 I am headed to Kenya!
Some basic facts about Kenya:
The Republic of Kenya is named after Mount Kenya, the 2nd highest peak in Africa. The country is in Eastern Africa, lying along the Indian Ocean. It is bordered by Somalia (NE), Uganda (W), Ethiopia (N), Tanzania (S), and Sudan (NW). The capitol of Kenya is Nairobi with a population of 3 million people. Kenya’s population as a whole is about 38 million people. Kenya itself is a diverse country with many religions and cultures. The main religion is Protestant, followed by Roman Catholic and Islam. The spoken language is Swahili ( which I will be learning) and English. However, in some parts, different tribes have their own language.
Well that’s all for now. I look forward to sharing my adventures with you.
Kwa heri (goodbye),
Danielle
Welcome
The world is a lot smaller than we like to believe. We watch the news and see what's happening all around the world and yet we don't feel connected. We talk about WORLD peace and not US peace and yet there is still a gap between America and the rest of the globe. This blog is the first step in closing that gap. Part of my job as a Peace Corps Volunteer is to act as a liaison between Kenya and America, educating both countries about each other. As you read my posts, you will get an inside look at what, I think, is one of the most magical and intriguing places on earth and hopefully after two years, you will too. So enjoy. This is your bridge to Kenya.
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