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.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
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.
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